Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - March/April 2014 - 8

he managed smaller but just as colorful Brown Trout in even
shallower water.
Something you're going to see a lot of in Spring Creek is
cress bugs. Near a limestone cliff, Wagner reached into the
water, pulled up a wad of fresh green weeds, and the grass was
literally crawling with cress bugs.
In Spring Creek, there are so many cress naturals that
trout can eat them all day. The working of a weighted cress
bug fly in places where they naturally occur- thick, thick
weeds-is problematic. Wagner notes that some days the
trout go crazy for cress bug patterns. Other days, the trout
won't touch them at all. But, that doesn't mean Spring Creek
is a difficult place to catch fish.
Important patterns for Wagner and Spade are dark tan
Muskrat Nymphs and Walt Worms, sizes 14 to 18, Blue-winged
Olives including a CDC Emerger, Pheasant Tail Nymph and
Beadhead Pheasant Tail, and a Zebra Midge. Also, there are
some Tan Caddis and good numbers of Grannoms at this time
of the year, particularly from Milesburg to Bellefonte.
Before Spring Creek went to Catch and Release regulations,
and attained its current popularity, the trout were often bigger.
Though, these days the stream still has fish in the upper teens.
"What Spring Creek lacks in the size of fish, it makes up for
in numbers," said Wagner.
Unfortunately, Spring Creek is not without its problems.
While Detar understands that the stream's water quality is
"as good as it has been in the last century," he noted it suffers
from an overwithdrawal from the aquifer and from too much
unfiltered storm water flowing into the stream. While 80
percent of its base flow is from the aquifer, storm water rushes
into the stream to the point where United States Geological
Survey stream gauges record "big spikes" following storms. The
stream is what biologists term, "flashy."
Two issues of vital importance on Spring Creek are storm
water management and riparian buffers.
"There is concern within the conservation community how
long Spring Creek can sustain itself," said Detar. "Spring Creek
is under stress."
"A collective management approach is critical to the
health of Spring Creek," said Detar noting the need for
local government to recognize and improve the stream's
critical issues.
To add to Spring Creek's problems, Detar is also concerned
about Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) that have appeared in the
stream namely the Rusty Crayfish and just this year, the New
Zealand Mudsnail. "AIS can ruin a fishery."

Sometimes Spring Creek feels like it's a backyard stream, because
it goes through folk's backyards.

AIS discovered in Spring Creek

Scientific discoveries are often fun and enlightening but
not when they involve the discovery of AIS in a great trout
stream. New Zealand mudsnails were confirmed in Spring
Creek during fall 2013.
"New Zealand mudsnails were probably brought in by an
angler having fished in the West," said Detar.
New Zealand mudsnails are tiny but can form a highdensity population that will filter out nutrients needed
by other macroinvertebrates, possibly causing the loss of
those species.
New Zealand mudsnails can live a considerable period in
even "marginally moist" conditions.
"It's important that
anglers clean their gear to
prevent the spread of AIS,"
said Detar.
Spring Creek already
hosts the uninvited Rusty
Crayfish, which has
been in the stream for
some years.
For more information, visit www.
paseagrant.org/fact_
sheet_group/invasivespecies/ and click
on "New Zealand
mudsnail."

You'll find cress bugs in green weeds under the water at Spring Creek.

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * March/April 2014

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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - March/April 2014

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