Trout Update #12: Boiling Springs

Last Sunday I went to Jackie's (my girlfriend) church in Potomac, Maryland. After the service one of her father's friends offered me a fly fishing tip: try out the Yellow Breeches in Boiling Springs, PA. After moving in some of her stuff to college, we stopped at this pretty little town (located about five miles off of US Route 15). All pictures were taken by Jackie.




The town of Boiling Springs is built around large artesian springs that produce low 50 degree water year-round. The center of town features a beautiful spring lake replete with weeping willow trees and numerous water fowl. Created by damming the spring water, the lake is crystal clear and maintains a tinged blue lakebed. The "tailwater" of the lake flows for a few hundred yards before emptying into Yellow Breeches Creek - a well regarded fly fishing creek. The "run" (Old Town Run) - as the short chute of tailwater is known - and a mile of Yellow Breeches is designated as catch and release water. I focused on the "run" during my time in Boiling Springs.

I noticed a few trout congregating under a large tree and drifted nymphs past them. They barely moved. I next tried an inch worm pattern; this immediately sparked their attention. By "slapping" the worm pattern beneath the tree's extended branches I enticed about five wild brown trout to hit. Unfortunately, I landed only two. It was, however, a welcome feeling to fight healthy trout unaffected by the summer temperature malaise.

Before we left Boiling Springs, I landed one small wild brown trout out of the Yellow Breeches on an olive wooly bugger.






Overall Total: 146


River Breakdown:

Raritan River, South Branch - 22 (13 Stocked Brown, 7 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Bushkill Creek - 21 (17 Stocked Brown, 3 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Golden Rainbow)
Marshalls Creek - 20 (20 Wild Brook)
Pequest River - 17 (9 Stocked Brown, 6 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Beaverkill River - 10 (7 Wild Brown, 2 Wild Brook, 1 Stocked Brown)
Poplar Run - 9 (7 Wild Brook, 2 Wild Brown)
Faulkner Brook - 7 (6 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 7 (7 Stocked Rainbow)
Spring Creek - 6 (3 Wild Brown, 3 Wild Rainbow)
Brodhead Creek - 4 (3 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 4 (4 Stocked Brown)
Penns Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Rattlesnake Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Mill Creek - 3 (2 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Tiger)
Old Town Run - 2 (2 Wild Brown)
Stony Run - 2 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brook)
Cherry Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Lawrence Brook - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Musconetcong River - 1 (1 Stocked Brown)
Yellow Breeches Creek - (1 Wild Brown)


Species Breakdown:

Brown Trout - 69
Stocked - 48
Wild - 21

Brook Trout - 59
Wild - 44
Stocked - 15

Rainbow Trout - 17
Stocked - 13
Wild - 3
Golden Rainbow - 1


Tiger Trout - 1
Wild - 1
Stocked - 0


Stocked Trout - 77
Wild Trout - 69


Trout 15+ Inches: 5


Angling Breakdown:


Fly Fishing Rod - 80 (34 Stocked Brown, 17 Wild Brown, 11 Stocked Rainbow, 9 Stocked Brook, 5 Wild Brook, 3 Wild Rainbow, 1 Stocked Golden Rainbow)

Spinning Rod - 66 (39 Wild Brook, 14 Stocked Brown, 6 Stocked Brook, 4 Wild Brown, 2 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Wild Tiger)


State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 84
New Jersey - 52
New York - 10