Wild brown trout such as this one inhabit many of central Pennsylvania's limestone influenced streams. Jeff Knapp/Special to the Eagle

This winter’s weather pattern has not been overly kind to the angler.

Enough ice to eliminate most open water options; not enough to provide much in the way of safe ice for the hardwater angler, though this week’s cold snap should change that.

One exception, though, is the trout fishing available on the limestone streams of central Pennsylvania, which reminds me of a trip taken some years ago to Bedford County’s Yellow Creek.

“There’s no reason to be on the stream at the crack of dawn,” Tom Ference, a longtime veteran of the trout streams, confidently said. “The best time during cold winter days is usually between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., typically the warmest part of the day.”

Tom’s comment proved to be prophetic. My second cast into the tailout of a moderately deep run produced a 2-pound rainbow, a fish that took a Size 8 Woolly Bugger fished on a dead drift. It was the first of several trout — holdover rainbows and wild browns — we caught that delightfully mild early February day.

Spring creeks, which receive a significant portion of their volume from underground limestone aquifers, often provide wintertime trout fishing opportunities when nearby freestone streams are iced up.

“These streams rarely freeze due to the warmer water temperatures provided by the underwater springs,” Ference said. “The fish are more active. They remain in a feeding mode due to the more constant water temperatures and the available food sources.”

In addition to being warmer, spring creeks are relatively clear but they generally have a touch of tint, a situation Ference said is ideal for presenting offerings without spooking wary fish.

And since it’s winter, fishing pressure is either light or non-existent.

Due to the high-quality nature of spring creeks, they (or portions of) are often managed with special regulations, such as total catch and release, or certain tackle restrictions. So be sure to check the regulations that apply to any such stream you fish.

That being said, wintertime spring creek trout can be taken on a variety of presentations, with both fly rod and spinning rod. Regardless of the tackle choice, Ference said slow and deep is the rule, an approach that keys in on slower, deeper stream sections.

During our outing, Ference and I consistently scored by fishing weighted Woolly Buggers with a classic cross-current cast, where the mending of the line allowed the fly to freely drift down into the deeper, rock-protected pockets where the fish were holding. Many of the fish took the fly at the end of the swing, which is so often the case with this technique.

Spin fishing can also be very effective in the wintertime, especially if the angler incorporates some modification in his or her approach.

“Try casting a spinner with an upstream cast, and then retrieving it back downstream just fast enough so that the blade rotates,” Ference said. “This keeps the lure deep, and slows it down enough so that the fish feels confident it can intercept it. Another tip is to paint your favorite spinner all black.”

When fishing a spinner in the more conventional cross-stream or downstream manner, he adds a split shot so the lure can be fished deeper and slower. If there’s enough current, he’ll even simply hold the bait still and let it hang.

“Smaller-sized suspending jerkbaits can also entice fish, particularly larger fish,” he said. “And smaller-sized jigs rigged with twister-tail bodies are worth a try. Fish them slowly, as well. Providing too much lure movement will discourage a trout from reacting, feeling the prey is more likely to escape.”

Where regulations allow, natural bait can be used effectively to dupe winter time trout from limestone streams. The same dead-drifting tactics mentioned earlier can be employed with dead (but still fresh) minnows, salted minnows, maggots, meal worms and crayfish. Long spinning rods, such as those used by salmon/steelhead anglers, can be beneficial in keeping in contact with the presentation to detect bites.

Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.