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

Yellow Breeches Creek - PA

Fishing Outlook & Conditions

Water Temp:

54

Tom Baltz/Endorsed Guide's Tip of the Week

> A new fishing season is upon us...If you've ever wanted to try fly fishing, press the button with my name on it in this report. Let's discuss getting you on the water and pointed in the right direction so you have a base to further explore the wonderful world of fly fishing! > Beginning April 4th, there will be no special regulations stretches on the Yellow Breeches. A 70 plus year run has passed...Anglers will need a free pass to fish the Allenberry water. Call them at (717) 258-3211 for details. > On the Breeches, POSTED means just that. Anglers cannot wade through or fish from a boat on posted waters. This applies to several reaches of the Breeches. > BE CERTAIN to get your new 2026 PA fishing license and trout stamp. Make sure you get the correct stamp and not the voluntary Wild Trout and Enhanced Waters stamp. It's fine to get that one too but that is voluntary and will not count for trout fishing in Stocked Trout, Class A, Wild Trout or Wilderness Waters, or other Special Regulations trout waters. ALSO, be sure that you have the license, either hard copy or on your phone, not just a receipt. AND, be sure you can locate it quickly in the event you are checked by a Waterways Conservation Officer. If this all seems like much ado about nothing, I warn that I encountered all of this stuff last year along the Yellow Breeches. Luckily, I was not guiding that day, but two of my three friends either didn't have a trout stamp or had only the voluntary one. The particular WCO involved isn't fun to interact with... > Anglers should encounter assorted aquatic insect activity this week. Watch for bugs and rising trout! > If no luck on top, try a standard nymph rig with a float and two nymphs. Another very good rig is a single nymph below a very small indicator (suspension device) or a dry/dropper. A very simple little Walt's Worm under a New Zealand indicator or a high floating dry fly is a good option. > Carry and try some of the traditional, generic all-purpose nymphs. There are a ton of patterns out there. Gold ribbed hare's ears, Prince nymphs, #10-12 rubber legs, green or cased caddis, etc. are all good starters. > Streamers could be worth a shot. Personally, I would stay in the sz. 6-8 size ranges. Water is clear and it's always easier to fool trout with smaller, rather than larger flies. > Aside from avian poachers, there have been plenty of human ones along various sections of the Breeches. (717) 486-7087 is the phone number for Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Regional Headquarters at Huntsdale, PA. If you care about fishing in this area, PUT THIS NUMBER IN YOUR PHONE DIRECTORY AND CALL THEM WITH A REPORT AS TO WHERE/WHEN, ETC. We do have a new Waterways Conservation Officer, and he seems to be working hard. If it's a weekend or he is unavailable, information you provide can help him establish a pattern, thus using his time more efficiently.

Directions open in app

Map of Yellow Breeches Creek

Water Flow Data

Orvis-Endorsed guides nearby

Tom Baltz

5-Day Outlook as of 4/7/26

The Breeches is in great shape, maybe even a bit on the low side by now (Tuesday). The weekend's rains didn't hurt and we could use more. The balance of the week looks like typical early spring weather, dry and perhaps warming a bit toward the weekend. On a guide trip Monday, we did well on the catching part...and not too badly on the "lost him" part either. A fun day! We did encounter a fair number of other anglers, but everyone was well behaved and seemed to be having a good time. Watched a young fellow fishing with his father and grandfather land a brownie of at least 18"...yes, on a nightcrawler. Hey! That's how I started! We didn't see many bugs, but the water was cold, and a passing front never helps with that. We caught fish on dark nymphs, sort of close to the appearance of Hendrickson nymphs, Walt's worms (scuds) and assorted other stuff like that. Some rigs in bigger water were rigged in tandem, and some we fished with a New Zealand indicator/single nymph. 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 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 any acts of poaching or other questionable activity, call the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission at the 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 4/7/26

> Look for aquatic insect hatches. Mid-mornings should see caddis flies, notably Grannoms, sz. 14-16, Little tan caddis, sz. 18-20. Hatch morning hours, swarm for mating in the evening. Little blue winged olives, sz. 18-20, and Hendricksons (mayflies) about sz. 12. Look for Hendrickson spinners, sz. 12-14 in the late afternoon/evening. Towards dusk little orange or yellow craneflies, sz. 16-18 could also be in the mix. > Fishing nymphs suggesting these hatches below one or another types of suspension devices is a good choice. Target deeper areas...and don't forget to move that indicator to adjust depth! > Try Euro nymphs with a spot of hot color on them. It could be a tail or built into the body of the nymph. > If you choose to fish nymphs, consider the New Zealand indicator system (also see dry/dropper techniques) Try to fish it mostly upstream, rather than across stream. Hard foam indicators are better for cross-current presentations as they still float with less than precise handling. > Hatches aside, I must add that stuff like Walt's Worms and pheasant tail jigs were my most effective nymphs most of last season. > Dry/dropper combos. Trail a small wet fly, caddis pupa, mayfly type nymph, or ant pattern 12 to 20 inches behind your favorite searching dry fly pattern. ParaNymphs, caddis patterns and small Chubbies work well for this tactic... > It's a good idea 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. Jig streamers are good too. Landon Mayer's leeches in simple black or white, or olive patterns are good additions to the streamer box.

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

  • Fish Icon

    Wild browns

  • Fish Icon

    stocked rainbows

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    plus stocked browns below B.S.

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, #20-24
Woolly Bugger Black/olive #8-10
Flashback Hares Ear Nymph N/A #12-18
Grannom Emerger tan #14
Baltz's ParaNymph natural #12-20
Baltz's Bronzeback nymph natural #12-16
Red Quill N/A #12-14
Henryville Special N/A #14-16
Shenk's White Minnow white #6,8,10
Walt's Worm hare's ear #12-16

I Can See It Midge Fly

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

2.99

Item #02RP

Buy Now

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:

According to various flowers and bugs, it is spring! Watch for assorted aquatic hatches to include; > Midges may show at any-time during the day. #22-24. Olive and tiny black are most common... > Blue Wing Olives, sz 18-20. > Grannom caddis, sz. 14. Mid-morning or so. > Hendrickson mayflies, sz. 12...usually early afternoon. > Hendrickson spinners, sz. 12-14. Late afternoon or early evening. > When trout are not rising (which is most of the time) think of the bugs that live in the stream. If you don't try to match them, pattern wise, match their size. See above for rough sizes of the various bugs. There are almost always more small bugs than large ones. There are also things in the Breeches like scuds and cranefly larvae. Again, sz 14 - 18 will usually work if you are persistent and pay attention to your presentations. 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-morning through late afternoon...

Best Stretch:

Anglers can access the Special Regulations area below Boiling Springs until Friday, April 3rd, 2026. Beginning April 4th, there will be no more special regs area. Anglers will need to obtain a no cost permit from Allenberry to fish their water. Call them at (717) 258-3211 for details... 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 season will open on Saturday, April 4th at 8 a.m. at which time anglers will be able to fish assorted reaches of stream from above the village of Huntsdale, to the stream mouth in New Cumberland. WARNING!! There are various POSTED stretches of stream along its length. DO NOT TRESSPASS!! Contrary to popular belief, the Yellow Breeches has not been adjudicated as being navigable. Anglers CANNOT WADE THROUGH OR FISH FROM A BOAT in POSTED waters!! Try at your peril... There is stream access at various municipal parks, most bridges (but not all) and assorted roadside pull offs. Use common sense...and if there is any litter around, yours or not, please pick it up! Last guy in the lot gets the blame...Please help us maintain the access we do have left.

Best Access:

Access points are 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. It must be noted that using any of the various GUIDE BOOKS out there to show parking areas is NOT reliable! We are losing access to the Yellow Breeches at a rapid rate! Don't be that guy! See "Best stretch" section of this report.