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

.> Something fun to do this Saturday is attending the Yellow Breeches Anglers Sportsmens' Show. If you fish the Yellow Breeches you've likely caught some of their trout. Like it or not, without this co-op trout nursery, there would be 30,000 or so fewer trout to fish for in the Breeches. This is their big annual fundraiser. There are exhibitors, seminars, raffles, good show style food and a fun time to be had. > EXTENDED TROUT SEASON is closed now so all fishing on the Yellow Breeches is limited to the Special Regulations Area until the regular trout season opens on April 4 at 8 a.m. > If you are one of those anglers relatively new or even brand new to fly fishing and are not too sure of just how to get it going, touch base with me by pressing the link (my name) on this report. Look over your calendar. It's a perfect time to book a half or full day instructional guide trip so I can help you put it all together this spring! > 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... > It's still winter. Stick a handwarmer or two in waist high pockets. Not only a great way to warm up cold hands but also helps keep your body warmer too. > Go big. I don't mean huge...jig streamers that are two-three inches long can be killer at times. Make them act like a dead minnow. And cover water... > Stay small...a spot of hot color, even on very small nymphs just might draw the extra strike or two. Be persistent. Concentrate on presentation (that's drift, depth, drag) and give the trout plenty of time to inhale that bug! > Midges are the game now. Carry patterns and designs to fish from top to bottom. Primary colors are olive (#20-22) and black (#22-24). Best midging is typically on slower pools. > If no luck on top, try a single nymph below a very small indicator (suspension device). Zebra Midges and similar little bead head/Euro type nymphs are all worth a try. A very simple little Walt's Worm 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. > Aside from avian poachers, there have been plenty of human ones in the C&R area and other sections of the Breeches. There is a phone number for Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Regional Headquarters at Huntsdale, PA towards the bottom part of the 7-day outlook section of this report. 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. > 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 2/23/26

The coming of spring lasted about one day. I have aconites and crocus popping up in my yard. They will see fresh air and hopefully some sun by Tuesday. The big storm of Sunday night has pretty much come and gone from the Yellow Breeches watershed, leaving us some much-needed moisture. Winter is not over but we are perhaps, past the worst of it! Weather Guy is predicting high temperatures to flirt with the low forties, with Friday and Saturday looking like the picks of the week. That said, I still expect fishing to be kind of a slog. A few trout are being caught by persistent anglers but it's slow going. Best bet for the weekend is the Yellow Breeches Anglers Sportsmens' Show on Saturday. If ya still just gotta fish, best times to look for bug and trout activity are most likely during mid-day hours. Target slower water and stretches where flows are moderate and two feet or more deep with little bead heads, jigs, whatever. Watch for sippers in flat pools and try some early season midge fishing. Fish recovering from last fall's spawning activity are going to start trying to regain some trim, so meat, small to medium sized streamers, slow-rolled through deeper holes could get noticed. Little bwo's or little black winter stoneflies might show up but mostly, it's midges. There are tons of midge patterns out there. Some of the old-time favorites like the No-Name midge still take trout and my I Can See It Midge is a killer pattern. Other simple designs with quill or fur bodies and a bit of CdC either tied to angle forward over the hook eye or back towards the bend also take a lot of trout. Hook sizes mostly range from about #20 to as small as you dare. #24 about does it for me. I might go down to a 6X tippet, VERY rarely to 7X. Good Luck! 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 2/23/26

> Stream flows in the Breeches are not overly high but still, up considerably from what they have been. There should be another slight bump up with the run-off from Sunday night's storm. Anglers might still happen across rising fish. They'll be on midges, likely small olive and tiny black ones. Check out some of the flat, slow stretches of stream during mid-late morning hours. > Fishing nymphs 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 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. > I must add here 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

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    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
Tunghead Pheasant Tail Jig tan #14-18
Baltz's ParaNymph natural #12-20
Baltz's Bronzeback nymph natural #12-16
Griffith's Gnat N/A #22-24
TH Zebra Midge olive, black #18-22
Shenk's White Minnow white #6,8,10
France flies (nymphs) black, brown #16-20

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:

Not a lot of hatching bugs this time of year but you might see the following... > Midges may show at any-time during the day. #22-24. Olive and tiny black are most common... > Anglers may also observe little black winter stoneflies (size 16/20). Look along banks where, apparently, they crawl out of the stream to metamorphose from their underwater life stage (nymphs, in angling speak) to winged adults. Not usually considered a big factor in actual fishing, it might be worthwhile to try small black nymphs. > When trout are not rising (which is most of the time) think of the bugs that live in the stream. Most aquatic insect larvae (nymphs) are immature and less than full size at this time of year. If you don't try to match them, pattern wise, match their size. That's mostly sz. 14 and smaller. 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-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 property!!

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. 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! Access the Catch & Release area from the parking area on the southeast 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.