Fishing Season: Year Round in C&R Area (Prime: April - mid-November, mid-Jan.-March)

Yellow Breeches Creek - PA

Fishing Outlook & Conditions

Water Temp:

42

Tom Baltz/Endorsed Guide's Tip of the Week

> Extended trout season on the Yellow Breeches closed on Sunday, February 16. That means NO FISHING of any sort outside of the C&R area! Opening Day this year is on April 5 at 8 a.m. > February is sticking us with another frigid blast of Arctic air. Stick a couple of hand warmers in your pockets or inside your waders just above the belt. > Layer up with warm clothes. A breathable rain jacket over all is a great idea. Weather Guy is predicting snow showers off and on most of the week. > If you are wading the Breeches, keep an eye out for last fall's redds and step around any you do encounter. They appear as depressions in the gravel, with a pile of clean looking gravel just to the rear. > Nymphs and streamers are the way to go most days. concentrate fishing efforts in deeper runs and holes. > Fish your water thoroughly. Concentrate on getting the presentation that works best on that day. > Dry fly prospects now revolve around midges. > Just for the heck of it, try an attractor or general-purpose type of dry fly in one- to two-foot-deep riffles and shallower pools. > ALLENBERRY is OPEN! Anglers have been parking in the gravel lot at the bottom of the hill behind the Meadow Lodge. Check them out at www.allenberry.com or call (717) 258-3211 to see what the status of dining in and lodging are. Might also consider dropping a buck or two on a sandwich or beverage at some point to thank them for parking and access. > Parking access at the traditional spot, The Run, just downstream of Boiling Springs Lake is OPEN! If you go there, watch for the new traffic patterns. There is very limited parking off of Criswell Drive. Do not get creative with parking down there! There is room for maybe, three cars. Same goes for the rest of the Breeches. Almost all of the Breeches is private property and every year we are losing access to spots that have been open for many years. Fishing is allowed by the grace of the landowners.

Directions open in app

Map of Yellow Breeches Creek

Water Flow Data

Orvis-Endorsed guides nearby

Tom Baltz

5-Day Outlook as of 2/17/25

Anglers should remember that extended TROUT SEASON CLOSED on Sunday, February 16. For now, all fishing on the Breeches is limited to the C&R area. Fish & Boat Commission tells us that we have gained two weeks of fishing time, based on former opening dates around mid-April. By my estimate we have lost up to two weeks, based on the former extended closing date around the beginning of March. All so PF&BC can stock trout! I don't see why the season needs to be closed to stock trout! Call or write the Pennsylvania Fish &b Boat Commission and call for NO CLOSED SEASON! As I write this on Monday afternoon, the wind is howling and it's cold out there! Weather Guy says it's gonna be chilly all week and to expect snow showers on more days than not. Winds should start to lay down by Tuesday though it will still be blustery and cold. Anglers can get out of the wind at least a little bit by fishing the middle section of the C&R area, above Allenberry. There has been some midge activity in the flat-water sections of the stretch. The goopy weather the area received last weekend actually did some good for a change. The Breeches has risen to a more seasonable level, though time will tell how long flows will hold up. The area is still considered to be in a moderate drought situation so we could use more precipitation. If you can't stand it and want to try, nymphing is likely the best overall method to hook a few. A bright collar or tail on nymphs can be really effective in the stained water. Slow rolling a Shenk white minnow or woolly bugger (just like tightline nymphing but with a streamer) is also a great option. Clamp an appropriately sized split shot right against the hook eye. And try not to step on any fresh redds encountered. When fishing along the Yellow Breeches, Please! DON'T LITTER! You might even consider policing the area when you are done fishing and pick up any trash left by others; the last guy in the lot gets the blame. Littering and illegal parking are the two biggest causes of landowners' posting their properties! So, anglers are asked to not be creative with parking along the Breeches! Almost all of the Breeches is private property, so all access is courtesy of the landowners. Contrary to what some anglers believe, the Yellow Breeches has not been adjudicated as being navigable. That means that any areas posted against trespass will mean "NO FISHING" by wading or otherwise, unless you want to be the test case. So, don't be that guy...If there is not obvious parking available perhaps looking for a different spot to fish is a good idea. While there are wild trout throughout the Yellow Breeches, some sections benefit greatly from supplemental stockings. For many years the Yellow Breeches Anglers have done an excellent job of stocking the C&R and other parts of the creek. If you fish the Breeches, you have likely caught some of their fish. Give something back and support them by joining the Club. Memberships are only $20 annually and are good for the calendar year. Send check to YBAC, Box 1, Boiling Springs, PA 17007-0001. Contributions to feed the fish are always welcome too. If you see anyone fishing bait or attempting to snag fish in the C&R area or elsewhere for that matter, call Southcentral Region office at (717) 486-7087. For nefarious activity of a non-fishing nature call the Pennsylvania State Police at 717-243-4121. Enjoy the fishing and please be courteous to other anglers. And if you get into some fish show us a picture but please don't put the location on Facebook!! You don't wanna be a spot burner! General information is good! It always feels best when you earn it.

Techniques & Tips as of 2/17/25

> Nymph fishing is odds on favorite method of most anglers right now. The precise presentations of tightline nymphing are favored to detect the light strikes you'll likely get but, be versatile and don't hesitate to try other techniques. Be certain to cover the water efficiently and very thoroughly. Trout aren't likely to move too far for a less than precise presentation. > Dry/dropper combos. Trail a small wet fly, caddis pupa, or mayfly type nymph 12 to 20 inches behind your favorite searching dry fly pattern. ParaNymphs and caddis patterns work well for this tactic... > It's always smart to carry a few streamers in the fly boxes. A basic selection will include a Muddler Minnow, something white like Ed Shenk's great white minnow pattern, and a dark Woolly Bugger. Fish them with an appropriately sized split shot clinched onto the leader directly above the hook eye. This is the way these flies were intended to be fished by their inventors and is a more versatile way of weighting them than a bead or conehead. Fish them like tightline nymphs.

Local Species Available Year Round in C&R Area (Prime: April - mid-November, mid-Jan.-March)

  • Fish Icon

    Wild brown trout

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    stocked rainbows and browns

Tom Baltz/Endorsed Guide's Recommended Fly Patterns

"Must-have" fly fishing patterns in descending order of importance:

Name: Colors: Size(s):
I Can See It Midge Fly grey, olive, black #20, 22
TH Zebra Midge black, olive #18-22
Tunghead Hot Spot Pheasant Tail Jig N/A #12-18
Flashback Baetis Nymph N/A #18, 20
Baltz's ParaNymph natural #12-20
Baltz's I.C.S.I. Ant black #14-18
Tunghead Pheasant Tail Jig N/A #12-18
Woolly Bugger olive #6,8
Baltz's Iron X-Caddis N/A #14-16
Ed Shenk's White Minnow white #6-8

I Can See It Midge Fly

These midge flies are just what the optician ordered when it matters most.

2.99

Item #02RP

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Tom Baltz/Endorsed Guide's Recommended Gear

Description: About Yellow Breeches Creek

Yellow Breeches Creek is one of the famous limestone trout streams of the Cumberland Valley in south-central Pennsylvania. Winding its way through a mixture of woodlots, farmlands and old residential or summer cottage areas for some 50 miles, its brushy, narrow upper reaches near Huntsdale rapidly gain volume from many limestone spring and freestone brook tributaries. Below the village of Boiling Springs the Breeches becomes a medium to large sized stream coursing eastward, eventually joining the Susquehanna River at New Cumberland. A low gradient stream of gentle riffles and long flat pools, good water quality and varied habitat enables the Breeches to host a broad spectrum of hatches over a virtually year-round season. Notable hatches include early black stoneflies, Hendricksons, Grannom and other caddis, sulphurs, Grey fox, assorted blue winged olives and of course, the White Fly, in August. Other mayflies from tricos to Hexagenia create fishing opportunities in addition to excellent midge and terrestrial action. Heavily stocked almost year round throughout its length, there is an extremely popular “catch and release” fishery on the Breeches between Boiling Springs and Allenberry Resort. Fishing is very good up and downstream from this area too, some stretches holding fair to excellent populations of wild brown trout.

Nearest Airport:

Harrisburg International Airport - 45 minutes

Hatches:

You might see the following... > Midges, sz. 22/24. may or may not show at just about any time of day. > Assorted cinnamon, tan and dark colored small caddis flies, #14-20, sporadic, at just about any time of the day. > Little blue wing olives (generically speaking), sz. 20/22, roughly...sporadic. They are small dark flies that are quite difficult to see on the water. You may see them any time of the day from mid-morning, on... > Little winter stoneflies, #16/18. Not real important from a fishing standpoint, but nice to see some bugs! Most of them will be observed along the bank somewhere. NOTE: Chasing hatches is like playing the lottery. Weather conditions are highly variable but very important to timing and intensity of aquatic insect activity. Only time on the water will allow the angler to be there when things get rolling. These reports are from observations/experiences up and down a thirty-mile stretch of stream and DO NOT necessarily apply to any given area. You may or may not see the same things as reported.

Best Time to Fish:

Mid-day

Best Stretch:

There are hold over stocked trout scattered throughout the length of the Yellow Breeches and fair to very good numbers of wild brown trout in the reaches upstream of US Rt. 15 to the headwaters. There are areas holding wild trout downstream of Rt. 15 too. The mile long Special Regulations area beginning just downstream of the big pool at the Ege Bridge at Boiling Springs is popular with fly fishers. > The Run parking area at the south end of Boiling Springs Lake is open and the best way to access the catch & release area. > Anglers have also been parking on the big gravel lot at the foot of the hill at Allenberry. Park against the hillside and stop up to Fairfield Hall once in a while to have a burger or a beer. Thank you Allenberry, for letting anglers park on your private properrty!!

Best Access:

There are access points scattered along the stream especially at or near bridges. Several are located in or at local parks. Please use common sense and respect land- owner's yards and property. We are losing access to the Yellow Breeches at a rapid rate! Don't be that guy! Access the Catch & Release area from the parking area on the south side of the stone bridge at the edge of Boiling Springs, or park in the redone lot at the south end of Boiling Springs Lake, near the iron furnace. Allenberry is OPEN for business. Their website is www.allenberry.com and phone # is (717) 258-3211. Anglers have been parking in the gravel lot at the bottom of the hill behind the Meadow Lodge. If you access the Yellow Breeches through the Allenberry property, you might consider checking out the restaurant for a sandwich and a beer afterwards.