May 2026 PPTU Outing - Spring Creek

Outing:  Sulphur hatch on Spring Creek, Bellefonte, PA.
When:  Friday May 15, 5:00 PM to Sunday May 17, 4:00 PM (3 days, 2 nights)
Where:  Spring Creek, near Bellefonte and State College, PA.

Spring Creek, as the name suggests, is a well-known spring creek in central PA between State College (Penn State campus is there) and Bellefonte, PA. This creek is considered the best limestone creek in PA. and is also a fly fishing destination for many fly fishermen from all over the country. Spring Creek has been fished by well-known fly fishermen like George Harvey, Joe Humphreys and George Daniel. One section of the creek is called Fisherman’s Paradise, a special regulated area that is a Catch and Release and Fly Fishing Only section where we will start. We will fish the prolific Sulphur Mayfly, and Blue Wing Olive hatch, mainly fishing for brown trout. Go to “A Home Water Love Affair: Fishing Spring Creek” for more details.

It’s about a 3 ½ hour trip from Silver Spring to State College/Bellefonte, PA, so it’s difficult to make this a one-day trip. We also want to fish the spinner fall from dusk to evening (7:30-8:30 PM), so meet at Fisherman’s Paradise by 5:00 PM on Friday. Of course, you can arrive earlier to fish but meet at parking lot. After fishing we will meet back at the parking lot by 8:30 PM. Then we will find a late-night restaurant (most places close around 9:00 PM) for dinner in the State College/Bellefonte area. If anybody knows this area, suggestions are welcomed. We have gone to a pizza place, Hofbrau Pizza ( 106 Bishop St, Bellefonte)

If you cannot make it on Friday, definitely come on Saturday (2 days, 1 night). Let me know so we can make plans for where to meet on Saturday. We generally eat breakfast at the Waffle Shop (127 W Bishop St, Bellefonte). No reason to start early, the trout are full from the previous evening hatch. Be aware that portions of stream do not have cell phone coverage.

In addition, you can stop at the famous TCO Fly Shop (PA 26 N/E College Ave, State College), on the way to Spring Creek for info and to spend money on extra flies. Don’t drive fast or you will miss it. Another fly shop is Flyfisher’s Paradise (2603 E College Ave, State College) which is not far from TCO. Not sure if it’s still open.

This part of PA has many other trout streams in the area. Within an hour drive, you can fish Penns Creek, Little Juniata, Eagle Creek, and Spruce Creek. So, this is a good area to become familiar with.

As mentioned earlier, we will initially fish in a section known as Fisherman’s Paradise. This is a special regulated section, about 2 miles, that is a Catch and Release Area and Fly Fishing Only. At the parking lot, and downstream, the stream is a No Wading area and does hold a fair number of trout. Just a little upstream, there is a sign where wading starts and is allowed. A good wide path follows the creek. At some places the wide path ventures away from the creek, but you can follow a narrower path near the creek. The farthest I have gone is at least a mile up the path, past the Gun Firing Range (pop, zip, duck), to a foot bridge that crosses the creek. Crossing the bridge gives better access to the creek.

After fishing in the Fisherman’s Paradise section on Friday, we can fish the other sections of the creek on Saturday and Sunday but still target the evening spinner hatch. One suggestion is at Benner Spring Fish Hatchery off Shiloh Road. A large parking lot is on the north side of creek. Most fishing during the day can be tough, since most of the trout have their stomachs full from previous evening hatch and are waiting for the sulfur spinner fall in the evening. So we don’t have to start fishing too early, but I have seen hatches during the afternoon with rising brown trout and don’t forget there is sometimes a large BWO hatch.

I suggest staying at the Econo Lodge (about $80-100 per night) at 3482 Benner Pike, Bellefonte, PA. This Hotel is close to the creek, outside of State College, and not too expensive. You may also find many motels/hotels in State College, but they are somewhat expensive. There is a KOA campground in Bellefonte PA, which do have some small, rugged cabins. So, start making your plans and reservations now and finding your roommate if desired. There is a New Tru Hilton on Benner Pike, few blocks from Econo Lodge, in $150 range. Other options are the Sleep Inn at 111 Village Drive, or the Best Western Plus on 115 Premiere Drive. If you make room reservations, make sure you can check-in after 11:00 PM, for we may be late. Go to Hotels-for-Spring-Creek.pdf for other accommodations. 

Directions: The drive is about 3 ½ hours from Silver Spring. Take I-83 N to York and Harrisburg PA. At Harrisburg stay on I-83 N/E around Harrisburg. Take exit 51A to I-81 S/US 322 W to Carlisle/Lewiston. Take exit 67B to US 22 W/US 322 W to Lewiston. Continue on US 322 W to State College. At State College take the exit for PA 26 N/E College Ave. Will see TCO Fly Shop on right after 2-3 lights. Further on merge left onto Rt 150 (Benner Pike). Will see Brothers Pizza on left. Follow Rt 150, go under I-99, shortly afterwards at the light turn left onto Paradise Hill Rd. At the end of the road, turn left onto Spring Creek Rd to the Fisherman’s Paradise parking area.

Meeting Area:  We will meet at Fisherman’s Paradise (115004 Spring Creek Road, Bellefonte, PA) at 5:00 PM on Friday. You may want to eat something because we will be fishing late.

Fly Fishing Guide:

1. Required: A Pennsylvania fishing license and Trout Stamp.
2. Bring a light: head lamp, for night-time.
3. Rods: 4 or 5 wt., 9 ft rods should be good.
4. Recommended Flies: Sulfur dry fly (#14-#16), BWO dry fly (#16-20), emergers, spinners (rusty spinner), nymphs, soft hackles including partridge and orange, hares ear nymph, and pheasant tail nymph. This is a spring creek so don’t forget scuds and cress bugs. Also, there can be a good hatch of hydropsyche caddis #16 (tan and olive).
5. Lunch: You may want to bring your lunch for Saturday and Sunday.

During the outing, please take pictures of fish caught, people, the stream, nature, etc. and send them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. I have seen more Baltimore Orioles at Spring Creek than I see at home in Baltimore.

As with all our outings, we welcome new members and those new to fly fishing to come and join us. We also encourage everyone to bring their friends and family members. There will be seasoned fly anglers available to happily offer assistance to any new members. 

To Sign-up for the Outing: Please fill out the Registration/Liability form for the Outing. Go to the PPTU website at https://pptu.org/events/outingregistration and select Spring Creek, PA.

Hope to see you there. If you have any questions, please contact Lou Reichel.

Lou Reichel
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
cell 443-745-0313