Spring Creek · Limestone · Pennsylvania

Falling Spring Branch

Falling Spring Branch venue image

A jewel-box limestoner famous for its trico hatch — clouds of tiny spinners on August mornings over wild browns sipping in flat, clear water.

Poor · Rainbow Trout
Trico Spinner · 20-24
Poorlive now
Not the day for it
Low and clear — careful approach country. A morning for the obvious fish only.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelDry recentlyNo gauge reading
  • Water temp22.3°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
TS
Trico Spinner20-24
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp22.3°C
ClarityClear
Weather24°C
WindSW 13 km/h
Pressure1014 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Warm — slow
22°C est.ideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Rainbow Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Water at 22.3°C. This is the line where catch-and-release kills brown trout. Do not fish for them today.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 3 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

See the full sub-surface read with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 4 with Pro.

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
SulphurHatch
2
3
2
Trico (Eastern)Hatch
2
3
3
2
Eastern Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Eastern Summer BWO (Drunella)Hatch
2
3
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Rainbow Trout fly box
Gammarus Scud (Olive)
Gammarus Scud (Olive)
12-16 · Gammarus Scud
Dead-drift, sub-surface
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • C&R fly-only special-reg section
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 22°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A jewel-box limestoner famous for its trico hatch — clouds of tiny spinners on August mornings over wild browns sipping in flat, clear water. Battered by development over the years and clawed back by restoration, it remains one of the great small-fly tests in the Cumberland Valley.

  • Limestone
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Supporting
  • Recreation: Impaired
What this classification means

Recreation: Bacteria/pathogen advisory — mind wading cuts and immersion.

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Falling Spring Branch-49472900' (PA-SCR-49472900), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Fully Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Pathogens. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · PA-SCR-49472900

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 90%
How the 15 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature8 × 28%2.2
Flow60 × 22%13.2
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time55 × 13%7.2
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity58 × 12%7.0
Limiting factor: Water temperature (22.3°C) is outside Rainbow Trout's preferred range (10–18°C)= 50
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–18 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts