I live exactly 60 miles from a spring creek. I know this because I’ve calculated it, I also know it takes me an hour to drive there from my house with no stopping. I also know that there is nothing like fishing a spring creek. It is the middle of February in upstate New York and I am driving down the Thruway as fast as I can in the dark with snow flurries swirling around me. I’ve left my warm cozy bed, wife, two small children, and beloved family dog behind. The thermometer read 16 degrees F, when I left. Some would say it was cabin fever, but I’ve lived in the upstate area all my life and snow is just part of the deal here. I have a mission. I have a battle to wage. I have a master plan. I need to fish a spring creek. The scenario is playing out in my head over and over as I drive. My rod is already strung and the starting fly is selected. Everything is strategically placed in the hatch of my gas guzzling SUV. Yes I’ve calculated the amount of gas it will take to get me to the spring creek, and I’ve carefully weighed the pros and cons of driving this far in the middle of winter for a few hours of fishing. The pros have won out by far. I’m sure I will be the first car in the parking lot, not because my wife has told me that no one else is that crazy to stand in ice cold water in February. It’s because I’ve calculated the amount of time it will take me to empty my internal coffee pot, throw my gear on, jump back in the truck, get warm, listen to some wailing Dickey Betts guitar solo, and wait for legal fishing time. Yes, I am a bit of a type A personality, but believe me the Dickey Betts guitar solo part is more a tradition than anything.
Everything has played out perfect and I’m the first one in the lot. As I sit in the truck trying to get feeling back to most of my fingers, I am giddy with anticipation. I’m about ready to walk down the red carpet to receive my award, more like stumble with snow packed block feet to my own personal ice bath. As I hoof it down the trail it’s a surreal feeling. Everything is snow covered and up in the distance, in the pre-dawn minutes there is an area void of snow. There is a gentle steam coming off the water like a child exhaling to see his own breath. I can hear ducks in the distance covered up by the cackle of a kingfisher laughing at me with my store bought fishing equipment. As my feet touch the stream bank the ducks take flight and a great blue heron beat it’s heavy wings in retreat. And yes, there were a couple of fish rising sporadically.
What proceeded next was a complete bittersweet battle. The ability to fish an area where your targets are completely visible and numerous, can be overwhelming. You know that adrenaline rush you get when fish are rising all around you and the fly that your shaking hands are tying on is the one that’s going to make that day a legend in your fishing memories? Well standing on the bank of a spring creek and you can multiply that feeling 10x.
What makes spring creeks so appealing to trout is the constant water temperatures, the abundant aquatic invertebrate life, and the seeming ability to not be affected by the surrounding elemental environment. As I mentioned earlier, the air temperature was in the teens, but the creek sides were bare of shelf ice. I’ve fished this particular spring creek every season of the year. I can recall a day last fall when the area had received two inches of rain in just a few hours the previous day and I can tell you that the water was as clear then as it was in the middle of June. To say that it was gin clear would be an understatement.
Now for the meat and potatoes of spring creeks: midges and scuds. Cool constant water temperatures produce the lush vegetation and nutrient rich environments that are very conducive to large populations of both midges and scuds. Just picture the shear numbers of wild fish that are feeding almost constantly, as their little white mouths open and close repetitively like flashbulbs in the arena when Michael Jordon hit his last fade away jumper. Now imagine how many of those photos actually came out well? For all the bad pictures, there are resisted drifts in front of fish. Midges in a rainbow of colors and sizes are typically so abundant, that they seem to be constantly emerging. Thus surface activity in February is not uncommon. On the meatier side of the invertebrate life is the ever-popular scud, ranging from bright pink to a dull grey. Disturb just about any piece of aquatic vegetation and you are sure to find an abundance of scuds. The trout know this and are often scene nudging plants and rocks to dislodge these freshwater delicacies.
So what does it take to get one of these fish to take you fly? Patience is top on the list, like any type of fishing. Expect to be frustrated and yes sometimes humiliated. Every time I fish a spring creek I learn something new. I recently learned the value of a dead drifted soft hackle midge. That cold February morning resulted in a few fish, half of which came on the fore mentioned fly. The other half came on a grey scud. One thing to keep in mind is the abundance of food for these trout. If they don’t like the looks of your fly, they know that something tastier is just upstream a bit. I highly recommend doing your homework about what flies to have on hand. Don’t be afraid to call or stop by the local fly shop and ask them what they would suggest for the particular spring creek you want to fish. Also if someone is fishing near you that is having success strike up conversation when the time is right. A lot of spring creek fisher people that I’ve encountered are usually very willing to talk about what works for them. I also know that most of them don’t want to shout back and forth across the stream and making unneeded movement usually isn’t a good idea. The delicate ecosystem of spring creek usually will have a somewhat silty organic bottom. Wading usually will disturb the silt and turn everything downstream cloudy, so try and keep wading to a minimum. I’ve found that dead drifting under an indicator and drifting just a little slower than the current is very effective. Surface fishing for these climate-controlled fish can be the most rewarding and exciting, and also the most frustrating. For me it’s been the latter part. Keeping a drag free drift, being able to see your fly on the water, fishing a long light tippet, and figuring out what the trout are feeding can cause a major meltdown even in the most persistent fisherman. I usually start my day out by getting warmed up with the indicator, and then after a couple of hours of hearing the surface noise generated by actively feeding trout downstream I break out of my comfort zone and into a full fledge work out.
Once you’ve hooked one these spring creek beauties, hold on. Living on a protein diet in an ideal temperature range creates a steroid built trout, which fights like no other trout its size. The fight of a spring creek fish always impresses me, and if you are lucky enough to get one of these fish to hand you will be equally impressed with its stunning coloration and markings. Be sure to take the time to admire your surroundings and realize that you are fishing in a very delicate ecosystem. The only thing that should be polluted by your outing is your memory with a fishing experience like no other.
If you are unfamiliar with spring creeks in your area ask your local fly shop for possible locations. Very important, do your homework !!! I recommend picking up a book about midge fishing and researching some of the patterns that will potentially work for your area.
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