Spring Creek Fishing Guides
A Lehigh Valley limestoner that runs cold and clear all summer on spring flow, feeding the Little Lehigh west of Allentown with a gauge at Trexlertown reading both flow and water temperature.
Guides on the Spring Creek
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About the Spring Creek
This Spring Creek is not the famous one in Centre County, and anglers who arrive expecting Bellefonte will find something smaller, quieter and in its own way more instructive. It rises from limestone seeps in the Lehigh Valley floor west of Allentown and runs a short course to the Little Lehigh, and because almost all of its water comes out of the ground rather than off the hillsides it holds a narrow temperature band the whole year. That is the single fact that governs the fishing here. In July, when the freestone water an hour north is too warm to fish responsibly, this creek is still cold enough to hold trout that feed rather than merely survive.
The gauge at Trexlertown reports discharge, stage and water temperature, and the temperature reading is the one worth checking before a summer trip. Limestone water is remarkably stable, but the upper reaches run through farmland and suburb and the creek picks up heat where the canopy thins. Flow tells a different story: this is a small stream, and a modest rise turns it off-colour quickly while a long dry spell can pull it down to a thread between weed beds. The best conditions are unremarkable ones, steady flow and clear water, which the spring flow supplies more often than not.
Fishing is close-quarters work. The creek is narrow, heavily weeded in summer, and the browns that hold in it have seen a great deal of angling pressure from the Allentown and Bethlehem suburbs. Long leaders, small flies and patient approach are what the water asks for. Wild brown trout are the core of the fishery, stocked rainbows and the occasional brook trout fill in, and the sculpin and cress-bug life that limestone water supports means fish are in good condition.
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Access
Trexlertown - the village at the gauge, the most direct approach off Route 222 and the practical starting point for the middle creek. / Breinigsville - the upstream village, nearest the spring sources and the thinner water above the main road crossings. / Allentown - the nearest city, where lodging, fly shops and guides for the whole Little Lehigh system are based. / Little Lehigh Creek confluence - the downstream end, where the creek joins larger and better-known water. / Township road bridges - the several crossings along the valley give short bank access, though parking is limited to shoulders. / Wescosville - an eastern approach toward the confluence, suburban but with public road frontage. / Private farmland - much of the middle creek runs through working farms and permission should be asked rather than assumed.
Seasons
Spring: high water and stocked fish, with the best hatches of the year in April and May and the creek running full between the weed beds. / Summer: the reason to know this creek at all, cold spring flow holding trout while nearby freestone streams go unfishable, though weed growth makes casting close and technical. / Fall: low clear water and spooky fish, with brown trout colouring up and moving onto gravel late in the season. / Winter: steady spring temperatures keep the creek open and fishable through cold snaps that lock up other Lehigh Valley water.
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Questions
What is the current flow on the Spring Creek?
As of Oct 18, 5:30 pm, the USGS gauge Spring Creek at Trexlertown, PA reads 4 cfs, with water temperature 56.1 F. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Spring Creek?
Anglers target Blacknose Dace, Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Creek Chub, Fallfish, Rainbow Trout, White Sucker on the Spring Creek in Pennsylvania.
Where can you access the Spring Creek?
Trexlertown - the village at the gauge, the most direct approach off Route 222 and the practical starting point for the middle creek. / Breinigsville - the upstream village, nearest the spring sources and the thinner water above the main road crossings. / Allentown - the nearest city, where lodging, fly shops and guides for the whole Little Lehigh system are based. / Little Lehigh Creek confluence - the downstream end, where the creek joins larger and better-known water. / Township road bridges - the several crossings along the valley give short bank access, though parking is limited to should...
When is the best time to fish the Spring Creek?
Spring: high water and stocked fish, with the best hatches of the year in April and May and the creek running full between the weed beds. / Summer: the reason to know this creek at all, cold spring flow holding trout while nearby freestone streams go unfishable, though weed growth makes casting close and technical. / Fall: low clear water and spooky fish, with brown trout colouring up and moving onto gravel late in the season. / Winter: steady spring temperatures keep the creek open and fishable through cold snaps that lock up other Lehigh Valley water.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Spring Creek?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Pennsylvania agency site: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/fishandboat/fishing/regulations