Letort Spring Run Pennsylvania Fishing Report: 04/28/24 Good condition exist. Stream levels are near normal and the mostly clear. There are good little BWO, Blue Quills, Quill Gordons, Hendricksons, Little Black Caddis and Cream midge hatches taking place. Our sculpin streamers are working good. Scuds and aquatic worms are also working good. Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations. We can get flies and gear to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. We will also gladly ship directly to your destination so your flies and gear will be there when you arrive. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Your can also call us at 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide what flies and gear to use. All orders are shipped free in the U.S. If under a $100 order requiring Priority mail is a charge of only $8.10. Orders over a $100 are shipped free via Priority Mail.
We also have custom Perfect Fly selections in 3 different price ranges for this stream that come with or without fly boxes. They make excellent gifts. Click Here To Order or Call us at 800 594 4726 or email us at sales@perfectflystore.com.
Type of Stream
Limestone Spring Creek
Species
Brown Trout (Wild)
Size
Small
Location
Southeast Pennsylvania
Nearest Towns
Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Season
Middle of April through February
(see special regulation rules)
Access:
Easy to Difficult
Special Regulations
“Heritage Trout Angling” Section
Non-Resident License
State of Pennsylvania
Weather
National Weather Service Link
Seasons:
There is really no best time to fish the Letort. It is fairly tough anytime.
Spring:
Spring is a good time to fish the Letort because there are more hatches and the fish seem a little more aggressive during the spring.
Summer:
Summer can be okay. There are some sulphur mayflies in the stream and there is a trico hatch that occurs in late summer in parts of the stream.
Fall:
There can be hatches of BWOs in the fall that are good.
Winter:
Warm winter afternoons can be okay on the Letort.
Recommended Tackle & Gear
Fly Line:
4, 5 or 6 weight
Leaders:
Dry fly: 9 to 12 ft., 5 or 6X Nymphing:
71/2 ft., 3 or 4X, Streamers 0-2X
Tippets:
Dry fly: 5 or 6X, Nymphing: 3 or 4X,
Streamer 0-2X
Best Fly Rods:
Perfect Fly Supreme Four, Superb Five
or Ultimate Six
Fly Reels:
For 4/5/6 fly line
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
Floatants, KISS Strike Indicators
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.
Copyright 2016 James Marsh
Fly Fishing Letort Spring Run Pennsylvania
The Letort Spring Run is a beautiful little limestone spring creek located right in the town of Carlisle Pennsylvania. In the upper section of the stream, it is so clear that you can look at it in some ways as not even being a stream because of the beds of cress. In places it looks to be only a few inches deep until you step into the water and find out it is two feet deep. It probably only averages about twenty feet wide. Some very large springs keep the water flowing cool even during the hottest part of the summer.
A mile and a half of the little stream is catch and release water only. The catch and release water tends to have more larger brown trout than the other water but it is more difficult to fish. The lower end of the stream has some runs and riffles areas and the faster water makes it a little easier to catch trout. It has some open areas that are easier to cast in and fish than the middle and upper areas of the stream.
Fly fishing the Letort Spring Run will force you to become extremely proficient in every thing you do. A bad cast and you will need to move somewhere else. Get a bad drift and you will need to cast to another location. Let the trout see you and you are finished in that area of the little stream. Hook a good fish and you have yet another problem. You usually have very light line and the brown trout has all the cover it needs to wrap around and break your tippet. They are very difficult to land in most places.
The Hertiage Trout Angling regulations (catch and release with barbless hooks) covers a mile and a half stretch from three hundred yards above the bridge at route 481, down to the Reading Railroad Bridge. The stream flows through Letort Spring Park just below the Hertiage Trout Angling section. It enters the Carlisle city limits just below the park. There is another area of the stream that provides good fishing upstream from where the Letort enters Conodoquinet Creek. The lower section of the Letort provides easier fishing.
Fly fishing Letort Spring Run is quite different from fly fishing just about any other stream, including most spring creeks. What makes it even more difficult than normal is the amount of aquatic vegetation in the water and the thick trees, bushes and undergrowth along the banks. It is more like fishing a jungle than anything I can think of. If they had trout streams in the Amazon Forest, that would probably be similar.
Fly Fishing Guide to Letort Spring Run
The water forces you to fish very light leaders and tippets. It also becomes very evident that the closer the fly you use looks and acts like the real thing, the better your chances of fooling a trout. The Letort’s brown trout have most likely seen about every fly and every angler that comes near its waters. They are not easy to catch. It is a very small stream with bushes and trees surrounding most areas. It is tough to cast in its tight conditions. The stream has large beds of cress that in some cases almost cover the width of the stream. The fish hold in very difficult places for you to get your fly to, much less get a good drift. The cress swirls the currents in a manner that creates conflicting currents just about everywhere.
When you wade you have to be extra careful because the water is clear, basically shallow and the trout are difficult to approach. When you do get into the right position, you must make a very accurate presentation.
You only have an area of a few inches to land your fly in at times in order to get the drift you need to get. You have to be very good at fishing very small flies. When something is hatching and the fish are rising to it, you must capitalize on it. You want to take advantage of the hatch because it is probably the easiest time you are going to have to catch trout. You can catch them in deeper water on nymph, cress bug and scud imitations but it is usually more difficult than it is fishing a hatch.
Cloudy days are always the best days to fish the Letort. Bright, clear days add another problem to the already tough fishing situation. The trout will hide in heavy cover out of the sun and that makes it just that much more difficult to catch them. You are far better off fishing low light conditions. Early morning, late evenings and cloudy, rainy days are best.
Letort Spring Run Hatches and Trout Flies;
Our information on aquatic insects is based on our stream samples of larvae and nymphs, not guess work. We base fly suggestions on imitating the most plentiful and most available insects and other foods at the particular time you are fishing. Unlike the generic fly shop trout flies, we have specific imitations of all the insects in the Letort Spring Run and in all stages of life that are applicable to fishing. If you want to fish better, more realistic trout flies, have a much higher degree of success, give us a call. We not only will help you with selections, you will learn why, after trying Perfect Flies, 92% of the thousands of our customers will use nothing else. 1-800-594-4726.
There are few aquatic insect hatches on the Letort Spring Run. Most of the food for the trout consist of scuds and sowbugs. There are also some sculpin and minnows.
The first hatch that takes place in some sections of the creek are the Blue-winged Olives. This occurs about the first of April and generally last about the entire month. From all we can gather, this is not a large hatch.
There is a minor Sulfur hatch that takes place in some sections of the stream in May and June. This is not a huge hatch and according to many anglers we have talked to, doesn’t even exist anymore. We have talked to some that disagree and say it still occurs. I think it may be just a matter of the location on the stream.
Midges hatch throughout the year and maybe the most important aquatic insect. You should have imitations of their larvae, pupae and of the adult midges.
We think streamers are important flies to have with you. I would suggest small to medium size one that imitate sculpin and baitfish.
The most important flies, according to the local anglers, are terrestrial imitations. Ants, grasshoppers and beetles are all present and eaten by the trout. Some of the patterns for these flies were developed on this trout stream. Another local favorite fly is the Jasid or leaf hopper.
We hope you will try our “Perfect Fly” trout flies here. We have the best scud and sowbug imitations you can buy. Our Trico imitations cover every stage of the hatch and include flies for the male and females that are different colors. If you haven’t done so already, please give them a try. You want be disappointed.
Tricos are the most important mayfly hatch that takes place. It starts in June and last through the most of September but it depends largely on the location.
The main food are the sowbugs and scuds. They are very plentiful. You want to be certain to have imitations of these.
Fly Fishing Gear for Letort Spring Run, Pennsylvania
This stream has some big brown trout in it, so you don’t want to fish with too light of a fly rod and tippet. Although light tackle is fun to fish we don’t suggest you go to light.
Fly Line:
We suggest either a 4 or 5 weight fly line for most of the fly-fishing. Most all of your fishing is done using small flies. You will also be using a lot of scud and cressbug (sowbug) imitations. We recommend a 6 weight line for streamers.
Fly Rod:
You should have a fly rod for each of the above line sizes. The four, five and six weight rods should be nine feet in length. A medium fast to fast action would be our suggestion.
Fly Reel:
The reel for either of the three rods should have a good drag. You don’t want to hang a large trout and loose it because of a lousy drag.
Leaders:
You should use at least a 7 12 foot leader anywhere and anytime on the Letort. A twelve foot length and even longer may be wise in some situations. You should have them in sizes ranging from 0X for streamers, up to 6X for small dry flies.
Tippet:
Carry extra tippet material in sizes ranging from 0X to 6X.
Waders:
You should not wade unless it is necessary to get the fly to places the trout may be feeding or hiding. However, you do suggest you wear them.
Wading Boots:
Felt soles would be our first choice. The new rubber soles may work well. We haven’t tried them there yet.
Flies:
We always recommend “Perfect Fly” Trout Flies. Our scud and sowbug imitations are the most realistic imitations commercially available. We have specific imitations of all the major insects that exist in Letort Spring run . We hope you give them a try.