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

> With cooler weather, look for tricos to show later in the morning, after 10 a.m... > Tricos, scattered caddis flies in the 16-20 range, little bwo's (#20-22) and terrestrials have rounded out morning activity. > Try finesse techniques with small dry flies and nymphs on the smallest indicators. New Zealand Indicator and dry dropper fishing are also worth trying. > Remember, all of the nymphs of the expected hatches are in the stream. Imitate those during non-hatch periods. > Following recent rains, the stream has a tannic (brownish) stain to it. Try nymphs with touches of hot color in them. Try pink and orange beads, and hot colors for tags and collars on nymphs and wet-flies. > WATCH WHERE YOU PARK along the Breeches! Landowners are very touchy lately with the heavy pressure and a number of parking spots have been posted in the last year or so. > 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 now 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 9/26/23

South-central Pennsylvania FINALLY received a meaningful amount of precipitation! And none too soon; area streams were very low. The Breeches looks great right now. Water flows are up to a reasonable level and with cooler fall-like weather, fishing prospects are as good as they have been since spring. Weather Guy says that we should see some drier air move into the area by Wednesday, but expect more rather than less overcast conditions and daytime temps in the high 60's. It looks like the beginning of some of the nicest dry fly fishing of the season! Time is short though. There's about five weeks or so of fishing left before resident trout begin their annual reproductive rituals. Contact me for open dates for late season guide trips! Fishing pressure is still steady so if several cars are parked in the area you are hoping to fish, perhaps further exploration is in order. 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, take a pic and 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 9/26/23

> With cooler weather expect dry fly fishing to start a little later in the morning. After ten o'clock is a good time to switch tactics. Before that stay with nymphs or small streamers. By ten o'clock watch for "bugs". That could be aquatic insects like tricos, midges, caddis flies, tiny to small sized blue wing olives. If none are observed, try terrestrial patterns suggesting ants, beetles, and other land-based insects. A good breeze helps with the terrestrial fishing, dislodging the six-legged critters from their bank-side perches and depositing them into the stream. > Tightline nymphing techniques are effective in the right locations. Some of the best water for that is fast and deep. > Standard indicator nymphing is effective but make casts as gently as possible; surviving trout may will be most sensitive to a float plunking down on top of them. > This is a great time to try the New Zealand Indicator system with a single, small pheasant tail nymph or something similar. It enables the angler to stay back from the targeted fishing area a bit.

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):
Light Cahill N/A #8-16
Sulphur Parachute N/A #12-18
Indicator Spinner - Trico trico #22-24
Elk Wing Caddis tan/dun #14-18
Baltz's ParaNymph natural #16-20
grey hackle peacock N/A #22-24
Bead Head American Pheasant Tail N/A #12-18
I Can See It Midge Fly black, gray, olive #18-24
Baltz's Iron X-Caddis N/A #14-16
I.C.S.I. Parachute Ant black #14-16

Light Cahill

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Item #0344

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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 virtually a 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 in scattered reaches. mornings... > Assorted tan/dun caddis, sizes, 14 to 20, morning and evening. > Assorted terrestrials, ants, beetles, tree crickets (on breezy days). Thoroughout the day... > Little blue wing olives, sz. 22 anytime from late a.m., on. > Brown/yellow crane flies, sz. 16/18 Anytime... > H. Hebe, little "cahills". sz. 16-18...afternoons > Assorted cream to light yellow mayflies, sz. 14-16. Right at dark. > Hexagenia spinners, sz 6. At dusk to after dark. > midges, olive, brown, black in sizes 20-24 early morning and possibly dusk. 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 thru evening…early/late still best.

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 there too. The mile long Special Regulations area beginning 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.