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

Yellow Breeches Creek - PA

Fishing Outlook & Conditions

Water Temp:

62

Tom Baltz/Endorsed Guide's Tip of the Week

> We are getting closer to "that time", the time when wild trout will be spawning in the Yellow Breeches. This can occur anywhere along the entire length of the Breeches. On our guide trip on Friday, I spotted what I'm pretty sure was a recent redd (that is what the spot where trout eggs are deposited is called). It seems early for the brown trout but perhaps there are a few holdover rainbows? In any case, if you encounter trout paired up or fresh-looking gravel patches, usually with a slight to very noticeable mound of gravel at the back edge, please try to avoid stepping on them. > Just to remind anglers...we are now in the Extended Trout Season. That sets a reduced limit of three trout /day for those so inclined. It also limits keeping of any trout to Stocked Trout Waters only and does not include any tributaries or stream sections not specifically named as Stocked Trout Water. > Mornings, to about lunch and again late afternoon to dark are still best times to fish. Weather Guy says a front pushes through on Wednesday morning so expect cooler weather for the rest of the week. > Sunny mornings, tricos should be in evidence while later in the day terrestrials, ants and beetles, would be a good bet. Watch for flying ant falls. > If wind drops a bunch of leaves on the water, try a small Letort hopper. Slap it down! > Nymphs are a good choice. Make presentations more subtle than might be used in spring fishing. Try smaller flies and lighter indicators and dry/droppers. > ALLENBERRY is OPEN! Anglers have been parking in the gravel lot at the bottom of the hill behind the Meadow Lodge. PLEASE DO NOT PARK ON THE GRASS! WE DON'T WANT THIS AREA TO BE CLOSED!! 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 10/6/25

It's crazy! I hardly have to really update the report! We have been running a bit above normal temperatures for daytime highs and nighttime lows but that is predicted to change about Wednesday morning as a cold front out of the northwest pushes through bringing a line of showers early and settling in after that. That will mean cooler temperatures and undoubtedly, some wind. Bring a sweater! Trico fishing should be good depending on the winds but grab breakfast first. If they show it will be mid-morning or so. Stream levels are low, but only seasonally low, not too bad. We had good fishing on recent morning guide trips. Ants were the ticket on one trip... another, we fished a reach downstream of Boiling Springs and nymphs (as in "Techniques" above) were the ticket. We only saw one other angler on that water before we were done. Watch for flying ant falls. They can occur at just about any time of the day. If you do end up in the middle of a swarm, you may experience some of the most intense rises of trout. It can seem like every fish in the stream is coming up! This is also some of the most difficult fly fishing you'll ever experience. Be prepared with the lightest of tippet material (7x) and # 24 (tied small) flying ant patterns tied in black. Also, some female patterns, about #18 cinnamon are worth having along. If you get into a good fall, you won't forget it! It appears that the white fly is pretty much over for the year. You might see a few...more likely at this time are Cahill spinners. Speaking of the white fly, if you see trout sipping at dark and can't really tell what they are after, well, it could be one of the tiniest mayflies I've ever seen. They look like tricos except that they are white and make a #26 fly look big. The brown drakes are on the wane too. Again, might see a few on some stretches. Look for a light cahill sort of fly, about size 12/14. Keep an eye out for scattered caddis. This is about the time of year that the cinnamon varieties begin to appear. Get out and fish! Fall is short! 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 10/6/25

> Fishing on the surface has decent prospects. Best bets are terrestrials like ants, beetles, and some of the odd but attractive creations like small Chubbies. Watch for aquatic hatches like morning tricos, caddis, or tiny bwo's. > In the event you are lucky enough to encounter a flying ant fall you'll need to be prepared for some extremely exacting fly fishing. I VERY rarely fish lighter than 5X tippets but for the ants, you'll definitely need 7X. They are tiny! Black will be the most numerous, #24, tied small! Pick out a single fish and get a lot of drifts over it. > If you choose to fish nymphs, consider the New Zealand system (also see dry/dropper techniques) Try to fish it mostly upstream, rather than across stream. Foam indicators are better for cross-current presentations as they still float even with less than precise handling. > Learn to tightline the indicator, especially in faster water. Presentations are more precise and strikes more easily detected. > Use nymphs that suggest the various flies that are about to hatch. I must add here that stuff like Walt's Worms and pheasant tail jigs have been my most effective nymphs so far this 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 and caddis patterns and small Chubbies 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 browns

  • Fish Icon

    stocked rainbows

  • Fish Icon

    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
Sulphur Parachute N/A #14-18
Tunghead Hot Spot Pheasant Tail Jig N/A #12-18
Bead Head Caddis Pupa tan #14,16
Baltz's ParaNymph natural #12-20
Baltz's I.C.S.I. parachute ant black #14-16
Indicator Spinner - Trico N/A #22-24
TH Zebra Midge olive, black #20-22
Baltz's Iron X-Caddis N/A #14-16
France flies (nymphs) black, brown #16,18

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:

You might see the following... > Tricos, sz. 22-24. Start times will vary but 8 a.m. is approximate. Sunny days are best, by far. > For daytime fishing, terrestrial imitations are the deal. Ants and beetles, basically...also try sz 16/18 ParaNymphs and #16/18 caddis. Watch for little olives. > Light Cahills, #12-18. Spotty. There are several species involved here. The little Hebes, about sz. 18, dribble off during late afternoon. The larger flies usually emerge around and after dark. Try dry flies, the ParaNymph, or various other subsurface patterns. > Hex spinners, #8. at and after dark. Spotty now. > Tiny bwo's, #22-24, sporadic on the C&R area at Allenberry. I'm sure they are emerging elsewhere on the Breeches too. > Midges, #20-26, black, olive. Best early morning. > Tan caddis, #14/20. morning. Sporadic Best early and late. Carry both pupal and adult imitations. > Brown craneflies, #16/18. Try a pheasant tail body w/cree or brown/grizzly hackle, sulphur/pale evening dun pattern, or a sparsely dressed ParaNymph. 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:

Morning and evening but go when you can...

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.