Fly Fishing Big Spring Creek

Big Spring Creek is one of the “big three” spring creeks in the Cumberland Vally. Similar to its neighbor the Letort Spring Run, Big Spring Creek is a tributary of the Conodoguinet Creek. It originates from a large spring that bubbles up from the ground not far from Newville, Pa, and flows for only around seven miles before it terminates in the “Con”. It picks up water from a few other substantial springs along the way, which keep it flowing at decent levels and temperatures all year long. These springs run clean, making the water some of the clearest you’ll find on the east coast. 

History

Big Spring Creek is one of the most storied waterways in the country. It has a history as a destination fishery dating as far back at the eighteenth century, drawing fisherman in with the promise of exceptionally large brook trout. Later, it attracted the attention of some of the famous Pennsylvania anglers like Vince Marinaro, and functioned as the classroom where some of the times cutting edge fly fishing techniques were developed. 

Big Spring’s downfall began with early agricultural expansion in its watershed. A number of agricultural uses for its water began degrading the habitat slowly over decades. The installation of a state fish hatchery in 1972 is widely regarded as the biggest reason for the brook trout population crash, and left the stream as a shell of its former self for decades. The hatchery was removed in 2003, and since then a number of conservation organizations have worked to restore it to its former glory. Today, the river again has a notable brook trout population, some of which are on the larger side. Additionally, a state stocking of brookies in the lower sections helps bolster this population. A nice population of wild rainbows has also taken hold, some of wich grow to trophy sizes. There are reports of wild brown trout being caught as well. 

Fishing Big Spring Creek

Big Spring Creek is managed as a heritage trout water from a hundred feet below its source to Nearly Road Bridge 1.1 miles downstream. This section is fly fishing only, and is open year round. Below this, it is classified as a general stocked water, which is open in the regular Pennsylvania trout season. The fishing extends to the dam in Newville, below which the creek runs almost entirely through posted private property.

Accessing Big Spring Creek is as easy as it gets. Big Spring Road follows the creek for its entire fishable length. There are a few large PFBC parking lots along the road, and a number of small pulloffs as well. There are well worn trails to the water at any one of these, though they may be a bit waterlogged most of the time. The river above the dam is entirely public water, even where it passes through private property. If you stay near the water, you should be fin fishing as far upstream as you can go. 

Fishing Big Spring Creek in any section is a unique experience. The clarity, structure, and number of weedy islands set it apart from any other river in the state, and make it one of the more difficult rivers to fish successfully. The swirling,  complex currents make getting even a remotely good drift a challenge as well. It may not be as hard as the neighboring Letort Spring Run, but it will give even the best a run for their money. 

With the water being as clear as it is, the fish can see everything you and your fly do. One of the best ways to up your chances is to fish as light as you can go. I would never reccomend fishing larger than 5x tippet, and myself normally use 6x or even 7x when targeting some of the more complex currents. This is a hard sell since some of the fish grow quite large, but you’ll find it’s necessary if you want to convince even a smaller one to eat. 

The clarity of Big Spring makes for some great sight fishing opportunities. Fishing this way will usually be the highest margin for success, due to the fact that it will be easier to make a drift in the weird flows to a small target area than to a larger area while blind fishing. The fish here don’t often rise very consistently unless there’s a great hatch, so most of the sight fishing opportunities will be to nymphing fish. However, if you see a sporadic rise and can get into position stealthily enough, you’ll often find the riser feeding in the open, outside of it’s normal hiding spot in the weeds. The fish you find to sight fish to will often be on the larger side, so make sure you’re comfortable fighting big fish on light tippets, or else you’re setting yourself up for a heartbreak! Even then, be prepared to spook and lose a few before one hits the net.

The hatches on Big Spring Creek are a bit lacking compared to other Pennsylvania fisheries. You may find some early blue winged olives in April and May, some sulfurs in May, and sporadic Tricos fom July to September. It’s hard to pin down these hatches, but when they’re on you can find the fish feeding aggressively on the surface. Midges are probably the most predominate hatching insect, but the hatches are not usually enough to bring up more than a few consistent risers. Terrestrials will work well fished along the banks in the summer, fished either to sporadic risers or blindly. The most important food sources are probably the scuds and sow bugs that inhabit the giant weed beds prevalent throughout the creek, which is the main reason most of the fishing here is subsurface. 

Top Tactics

The best way to fish Big Spring Creek is sight fishing, either with a tight line system, dry dropper, or yarn indicator. A big plastic or foam indicator won’t get you far here! The complex, hard to read currents actually make a dry dropper or light indicator system the most effective approach for sight fishing. The suspension device helps tract the difficult flows and bring your fly to the target, without snagging on the weeds that line much of the bottom. Tight lining directly will work as well, but you have to be on top of your game. 

If you choose to blind nymph, try and stick to the gravel bottomed sections of river. Target the weed lines and bank edges, and try and get your body into a closer position as opposed to casting further. The bottom is a bit firmer that other spring creeks, so you should be able to wading into position in many areas. Also, don’t be surprised if you need to up your weight a bit to stabilize your drift in the conflicting currents. 

When the fish are up, targeting risers can be very effective, but it’s not the most common sight here. Blind fishing terrestrials will work well in the summer, but usually only raise some of the smaller fish. When the flows are up and the water is a bit off color, which is rare, a streamer can be a great option to target some of the larger fish. 

Top Flies

• Walts worm, natural squirrel & grey, #14-18, 2.0-3.0
• Pheasant tail, natural, #16-20, 2.0-3.0
• Tag Nymph, black/orange, #16-18, 2.0-3.5
• Zebra Midge, black, #18-20, 2.0-3.0
• Simple Perdigons, olive & black & brown & orange, #16-18, 2.0-3.0
• Eggs, peach & yellow, #14, 2.5-4.0mm
• Squirmy Worms, #14, 2.5-4.0mm
• Dubbing bugger/wooly bugger, olive & black, #10-14, 3.0-4.0mm
• Shuttlecock, pheasant & black & olive, #16-22
• CDC Comparadun, sulfur orange & sulphur yellow & olive & brown, #14-18
• CDC Ant, black & cinnamon, #14-18

Top Gear

Though some of the fish grow quite large, the creek is quite small and there is not much room to run. You’ll be better suited with a mid weight rod, a nine to ten and a half foot two or three weight. Any rod in this range will be good for most scenarios, though a slightly heavier rod in the four weight range wouldn’t be out of the question. Anything larger than this and you’ll be overpowered. A great pair of polarized sunglasses is also essential for spotting the fish to sight fish to and positioning your drifts.