2019 Redd Count Final Numbers

Just received the final count numbers for 2019's Spring Creek red count. The total was 1652 counted, up from 2017's number of 1235 but lower than 2015's 1945 count.  Some of the areas that saw outstanding numbers were our section from Rock Road parking lot downstream to Shilo Road "blue" bridge with 137 counted. The walking bridge upstream from Pistol Range was 192, this is above Paradise. The area above Hartle Bridge (concrete bridge below Paradise) had 196 in the area. The area around the 550 Bridge had 141 redd's and the area around the confluence of Spring and Bald Eagle Creeks had 142.
The overall health of the watershed is holding steady with some yearly variations.
   I know the fish commission is crowing about the count of 4000 per mile but they fail to mention that if there was not a large chemical spill years ago that caused the stream to become a no eat steam, the chemicals were determined to be retained in the fish and higher food chain animals and fish. If it had not happened the stream would have been nothing more than a put and take stream as it was. Enough of the PFBC crowing about something that they did not create!
   Get out and fish, the midges are on as are the olives, just about every day.

Epic Christmas Midge Hatch

Our family spent the Christmas vacation in State College this year and the day before we were looking for an adventure with our granddaughter, OK let's take the dog for a walk at Paradise on Spring Creek and visit the hatchery. Dec. 24 turned out to be a very nice day and of course we had to check out the hatchery runs with all the trout in them, we all had a great time just looking at the fish and watching the dog want to jump in. A very nice young man from the Fish Comm. offered a 3/4 filled bucket of feed to our granddaughter so she could really get the trout going, the big golden trout just went wild. The entire time I kept seeing midges flying all around, not just a few but a lot of them, they live and hatch off the empty (of fish) raceways and are a welcomed sight in the winter. Well it turned out they also made their way to Spring Creek to mate and lay eggs, as you can imagine it resulted in a great midge feeding event, trout we everywhere! The same guys that are there every day were in their positions and casting to feeding fish! What a wonderful Christmas present for us and the guys that were fishing. Oh by the way the hatch was on again Christmas Day! The midges were #22 black bodies, quite large for the early season, expect them to be in their normal size range during the Winter season. You really don't need much for them, down winged patterns of black mole fur bodies and spent poly wings or even a Grif's Gnat will do the trick, expect to use 6, 6.5 or 7x tippet to fool the trout, it would also be wise to carry some BWO patterns in size #18, 20 & 22's mostly emergers or pheasant tail nymphs with a post of poly to grease it to float. Not much to carry at all and easy to get around. As a side note it's not a bad idea to get your self a pair of Patagonia neoprene gloves, nothing will keep your hands as warm as these will and at $48.00 a bargain compared to some of the steelhead Kast gloves!
  Celebrate the New Year with a Winter fishing trip and don't forget to be careful, wade with caution.