Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - July/August 2020 - 23

Although it's not a perfect match, a Light Cahill of the correct size is more than adequate for fishing over the white fly hatch.

The most popular section on the Yellow Breeches Creek
is the Catch and Release Artificial Lures Only (CRALO)
section, which begins at the Run (the outflow of Childrens
Lake in Boiling Springs) and extends about a mile
downstream to the Allenberry Resort. The water coming
out of the Run is a cool 55 degrees F year-round, and the
CRALO section is stocked heavily. Fortunately, not every
part of the stream gets that crowded, and solitude can be
found on stretches outside of the special regulations area,
even when the hatch is at its peak.
The Yellow Breeches Creek begins in Michaux State
Forest and flows approximately 40 miles to its confluence
with the Susquehanna River, and most of it contains
populations of both wild and stocked trout. Talk to the
regulars who fish it often, and you may hear the phrase,
"It's a limestone stream, but it fishes like a freestoner."
Translation-it is a fertile stream with abundant mayfly
hatches, but the fish are not nearly as skittish or as hard
to catch as in typical spring creeks such as Falling Spring
Branch or Big Spring Creek.
You may encounter insect activity almost any day of the
year on Yellow Breeches Creek. Even when no major hatches
are taking place, you usually find at least a scattering of
mayflies or caddisflies. The white fly, however, is primarily
found in the lower half of the stream, below Mount Holly.
The white fly hatch on Yellow Breeches begins in early
to mid-August and lasts about a month. As the hatch
progresses, the naturals tend to get smaller. In the beginning,
it is not uncommon to find flies as big as size 12 and 14.
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Several weeks later, most of those flies will range from size
16 to 18, and occasionally smaller. Even later in the hatch,
though, when the flies are smallest, a pattern a size or two
bigger than what is hatching may still work, and the flies are
a lot easier to see in low-light conditions when the flies tend
to emerge.
Light Cahills or any pattern with cream hackle and
dubbing in appropriate sizes will imitate the White Fly.
More important than perfectly matching the hatch is how
you present the fly to the fish. Low water and skittish fish
can make for challenging conditions. Long leaders and fine
tippets are the rule rather than the exception.
The flatter the water, the longer I like my setup. A 9.5-foot
tapered 6x leader with a 2-foot section of 7x tippet is a good
starting point. I use a 9-foot, 6-weight rod, which allows me
to make longer casts and reach fish without having to walk
too close.
During the peak of the hatch, it is not uncommon to
begin the evening fishing over a good emergence of brown
drakes. These comparatively huge mayflies, size 8, provide
a nice lead-in to the white fly hatch right before dark.
Sometimes, the white fly will also continue on after dark, so
bring a small flashlight or headlamp for changing flies after
the natural light is gone.
Most years, white flies continue to appear well into
September. By then, you may sense summer winding down,
and on some cool days, there is even a hint of fall in the
air. Do not miss out on this unique hatch. The white fly is
nature's summer farewell gift to fly anglers.

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * July/August 2020

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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - July/August 2020

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