Intro | Winter | Spring | Summer| Along the Stream| If You Go | Tactics | Restoration | Current Report

Spring
As the Blue-winged Olives wane in mid-April, the little black Chimarra caddis appear. These #18 to #20 flies emerge between 10:30 A.M. and 1 P.M., with egg-laying flights during the afternoons and evenings. The Chimarra last two months, joined by sporadic emergences of a tan caddisfly, so you should carry #16 and #18 tan caddis imitations to match the hatch.

Falling Spring's best hatch is the Sulphur. The Sulphurs appear sparsely in the early stages of the hatch, usually in mid-May, and provide the best fishable hatches through early August. Sulphurs may emerge sporadically during the day and then hatch in earnest at dusk. The spinners fall later in the evening, so you should be alert to the trout's changeover from duns to spinners. The #16 pale yellow flies appear in all water types on the stream. Nymphs, emergers, and adult flies are all necessary to fish the hatch effectively.

If you have trouble getting takes during the evening Sulphur hatch, try twitching the fly gently with a slight flick of your rod tip. When hatches are heavy, this slight movement of the fly can sometimes pay dividends. Another trick that can help is to cut the bottom of the fly's hackle to cause the fly to float lower in the surface film. Popular Sulphur patterns can be found in local fly shops.

Within the Borough of Chambersburg, the stream's delayed-harvest (artificial lures only, three-fish creel limit from June 15 to Labor Day) area has Yellow Drake (Ephemera varia) hatches, the largest of Falling Spring's mayflies, emerging in the evening in slow to moderate currents. Imitations are best tied on #8 or #10 2X-Long dry-fly hooks. Yellow Drakes normally emerge in late June elsewhere, but in 1994 the hatch began on May 20 on Falling Spring, and in 1995 the flies first appeared on May 19. Perhaps the more constant temperatures of the spring creek make the insect come off early.

The last of the spring hatches to appear is the Little Blue Dun (Acentrella carolina). These flies hatch in the afternoons and evenings from mid-May until August. Pheasant-tail Nymphs, emergers, and Blue Dun dry flies in #20 through #24 match the hatch. A tiny #22 Rusty Spinner fills the bill for the evening spinner falls.

Summer
As spring lapses into summer, the Sulphur hatch peaks, and many anglers who fish mainly in the evenings to the Sulphurs fail to notice the midday emergences of Blue Quills (Paraleptophlebia mollis). Michael discovered this mayfly in the 1980s and counts it as one of his secret hatches, since few fishermen are aware of its presence. The #18 and #20 Blue Quills emerge in June and July from 11 A.M. until early afternoon. You will find the distinctive spinners in the fastwater reaches in the evenings. Use a #18 spent spinner pattern with a white wing, white abdomen, and black thorax.

Late June or early July heralds the arrival of the trico hatch, perhaps Falling Spring's most famous hatch. On hot, still mornings throughout the summer and into the fall, these #24 mayflies provide the most challenging dry-fly fishing of the year. While the flies are not as numerous as in George Harvey's early forays to the Spring, the hatch has been improving in recent seasons. It still provides the impetus for many of the stream's wild trout to rise to the surface during the spinner fall, which occurs around 8 A.M., depending on the weather and the progress of the seasons.

The Chambersburg delayed-harvest area produces hatches of another large burrowing mayfly in July and August--the Cream Variant. These #8 yellow mayflies emerge in the slow stretches of the stream in the evenings and, while not as numerous as the Yellow Drakes, can provide good fishing with dun imitations.

Summertime is also terrestrial time on Falling Spring. Beetles, ants, crickets, and hoppers can provide excellent midday dry-fly challenges. Big trout haunt the shallow, covered edges of the stream, waiting for the bounty of land-born fare. A careful approach and accurate casts are extremely critical. Many of the best trout hide under overhanging trees and grasses where it can be almost impossible to cast a fly and get a drag-free drift. Observation, thought, and extreme care are the necessary ingredients for success in those situations. Anglers who spend more time planning and stalking have the greatest chance of taking the wary summer trout.

Good terrestrial fishing continues into early fall, although it is best on the warmest days. In early fall little Baetis flies emerge again during the midday hours. Matching this late brood with #20 and #22 flies provides the last consistent dry-fly fishing of the year. After November the little Olives may appear sporadically throughout the winter and midges once again become important.

Mark Sturtevant is the outdoor columnist for the Public Opinion newspaper in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Michael Heck is a guide and streamside entomologist on Falling Spring and other area waters.

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