The two rigs that catch 90% of spring-creek trout.
EPHEMERELLA INVARIA
CHECK PA SPECIAL REGS
A · INDICATOR NYMPH
B · DRY-DROPPER
DRIFT DOCTRINE
Both rigs live or die on the DEAD DRIFT: cast up-and-across, mend line upstream, and let the flies travel exactly at current speed. Drag = refusal, every time. SET ON ANYTHING — the indicator (or dry) stalls, dips, twitches, hesitates: lift. Limestone takes are subtle; 'that was the bottom' is a trout half the time. Depth: indicator at 1.5x water depth; shot until you tick bottom every few drifts. Sulphur evenings (May-July): clip the whole nymph rig, single dry, 6X.
2Rig A: indicator 1.5x depth, shot 8" up, CL the scud; 16" of 6X off the bend, CL the midge.
3Rig B: CL the caddis; 18" off the bend, CL the beadhead.
FISHING IT
Fish UPSTREAM, short casts, more mends than you think. Pick one seam per stand; cover it in 2-ft lanes. Rig A for depth and cold months; Rig B when fish flash in the riffles or evening light comes on.
KEYS
Two-fly rigs tangle — cast open loops, slow tempo, and untangle with the forceps, not fingernails, or just rebuild (tippet is cheap, p34). Check PA special-reg water: barbless or fly-only rules vary by section. Wild browns: wet hands, in the net, six seconds of air.