Kish Creek, Mifflin County 11/28

[jifigz]

Fished from about 12-3 pm. Weather was roughly 40° and very windy.

I hit Kish for a bit on Thanksgiving. The water was all mine and I didn't see a soul. The weather was windy, causing my hands to be rather cold, but didn't bother the fishing aspect at all. I caught a good mixture of wild browns and stockie rainbows. Before I left I tied a nymph from my cat Tanner's fur which proved to be successful. Tanner is listed in the photos for his contribution. I saw a nice wild brown that most likely died from the stressors of spawning and I ran into two redds that caught my eye. This is well below where they PBFC acknowledges reproduction on the stream but I guess these trout missed the memo. The cat hair nymph performed well, a woolly bugger accounted for one, and on my walk back through I just drifted a pink San Juan and, as I expected, hooked up with quite a few rainbows. I also spotted a big leftover golden rainbow, which of course I faster to, but it didn't budge. Here are some pics from the day.

 

[gulfgreyhound]

That looks like a good day . GG

 

[troutbert]

jifigz wrote:

I saw a nice wild brown that most likely died from the stressors of spawning and I ran into two redds that caught my eye. This is well below where they PBFC acknowledges reproduction on the stream but I guess these trout missed the memo.

I'm surprised it's not on the reproduction list the whole way to the mouth.

Where do they draw the line?

 

[jifigz]

They draw the line right at the bridge behind the McDonald's/exit ramp for Electric Ave on 322 west. It's malarkey, there are wild browns and reproduction all of the way to the river. In fact, it is probably class a but, you know, don't want to add more water that could and should stop receiving stockings due to having too many fish.

 

[troutbert]

jifigz wrote:
They draw the line right at the bridge behind the McDonald's/exit ramp for Electric Ave on 322 west. It's malarkey, there are wild browns and reproduction all of the way to the river. In fact, it is probably class a but, you know, don't want to add more water that could and should stop receiving stockings due to having too many fish.

A long section of Kish Creek will probably be added to the Class A but still stocked category, as has been done with numerous other limestone streams.

 

[jifigz]

troutbert wrote:

jifigz wrote:
They draw the line right at the bridge behind the McDonald's/exit ramp for Electric Ave on 322 west. It's malarkey, there are wild browns and reproduction all of the way to the river. In fact, it is probably class a but, you know, don't want to add more water that could and should stop receiving stockings due to having too many fish.

A long section of Kish Creek will probably be added to the Class A but still stocked category, as has been done with numerous other limestone streams.

Troutbert, that's already happened to Kish several years ago. The class A water ends right where the natural reproduction ends. The only unstocked Class A is the original water. Everything added recently is stocked and Class A.

 

[Dave_W]

Good report and some good photos too.

Good to see Tanner taking it easy over the Holidays too. 🙂

 

[troutbert]

jifigz wrote:

troutbert wrote:

jifigz wrote:
They draw the line right at the bridge behind the McDonald's/exit ramp for Electric Ave on 322 west. It's malarkey, there are wild browns and reproduction all of the way to the river. In fact, it is probably class a but, you know, don't want to add more water that could and should stop receiving stockings due to having too many fish.

A long section of Kish Creek will probably be added to the Class A but still stocked category, as has been done with numerous other limestone streams.

Troutbert, that's already happened to Kish several years ago. The class A water ends right where the natural reproduction ends. The only unstocked Class A is the original water. Everything added recently is stocked and Class A.

You're right. I forgot they created a Class A, But Still Stocked section.

The booklet says this section ends at the Penn Central Railroad bridge.

Which bridge is that? There are so many old bridges. Is that the railroad bridge just above the steel mill?

 

[jifigz]

troutbert wrote:

jifigz wrote:

troutbert wrote:

jifigz wrote:
They draw the line right at the bridge behind the McDonald's/exit ramp for Electric Ave on 322 west. It's malarkey, there are wild browns and reproduction all of the way to the river. In fact, it is probably class a but, you know, don't want to add more water that could and should stop receiving stockings due to having too many fish.

A long section of Kish Creek will probably be added to the Class A but still stocked category, as has been done with numerous other limestone streams.

Troutbert, that's already happened to Kish several years ago. The class A water ends right where the natural reproduction ends. The only unstocked Class A is the original water. Everything added recently is stocked and Class A.

You're right. I forgot they created a Class A, But Still Stocked section.
.

The booklet says this section ends at the Penn Central Railroad bridge.

Which bridge is that? There are so many old bridges. Is that the railroad bridge just above the steel mill?

I believe it's that train bridge or the current road bridge that crosses from Yeagertown to Burnham. The GPS coordinates should make it clear which one. either way you are obviously a man that knows Kish Creek troutbert.

 

[acesedgley]

Kish is where I got inspired many years ago to take up fly fishing.
We were up in New Lancaster Valley for spring gobbler, and fished Kish all evening into the night with next to no hookups, but I had seen a guy come upstream of us with a fly rod and proceed to land one right away.
The next year I came prepared with a used fly rod from a flea market and went into Reedsville where there was a hardware store/fly shop. I remember asking what flies to use....Adams! was the reply.
Don't recall if I was successful that trip but have had some fun there since., and I know I have not seen 1/10 of the fishable water there. Gotta get back!!

 

[Highstickdrifter]

Jifigz, you are a lucky guy to count Kish as a home stream! I fell in love with it about a decade ago, when I noticed how enticing it looked en route to State college streams. Nice report, nice pix! Those rainbows look like wild fish. I guess some are remnants of the fingerling stocking
that was done several years ago(?)

 

[troutbert]

acesedgley wrote:
Kish is where I got inspired many years ago to take up fly fishing.
We were up in New Lancaster Valley for spring gobbler, and fished Kish all evening into the night with next to no hookups, but I had seen a guy come upstream of us with a fly rod and proceed to land one right away.
The next year I came prepared with a used fly rod from a flea market and went into Reedsville where there was a hardware store/fly shop. I remember asking what flies to use....Adams! was the reply.
Don't recall if I was successful that trip but have had some fun there since., and I know I have not seen 1/10 of the fishable water there. Gotta get back!!

I never knew there was a fly shop in Reedsville.

For a couple years there was a fly shop in Burnham. It was downstream from the steel mill. It was on a back street. A nice guy ran the shop. But probably business was pretty slow there.

Kish Creek is a fascinating stream. There are lots of miles of it to explore. I fished it quite a bit some years ago. Not in recent years. I'm glad it's still doing well

One thing that often puzzled me was how many flyfishers who lived in that area really didn't fish it much, or at all.

 

[jifigz]

Troutbert, we have a lot of fly fisher-people here in the area for sure. Kish is my personal favorite and I fish it a lot and I rarely see other fly anglers. The reason behind that is because we are so close to Penns, Little J, Spring, etc. But especially Penns. If you're on Kish or Honey a short drive through Havice Valley or Treaster Valley and you're there. I think most look down upon Kish and choose to hit those other streams. As for me, I'd rather drive less and fish a stream that in its own regard fantastic.

I don't know of any fly shops ever in Reedsville. But as Troutbert said Kish Creek Outfitters was down a back road by Cora's restaurant, the steel mill, and just up from Kish Park. That guy was a huge advocate for the stream but obviously his business either folded or he chose to close it down..

 

[coyoterahn]

Jifigz, Your a lucky guy to live so close. I'm about an hour + from Kish and think it is one of the best streams in the area. I am a big Penns fan since my childhood many years ago but the Kish holds a close 2nd place. Keep enjoying it...…….love seeing those pics! Maybe someday we'll run into each other.

 

[acesedgley]

I think it was mostly a hardware store but I know the guy had flies there...don't remember if he had much else in the way of tackle, supplies,etc.

 

[mt_flyfisher]

Enjoyed your report and pictures, jifigz.

I used to fish the Kish, and a number of its tributaries, quite a bit back in the 1970’s. Our company had a plant in Belleville, and I was regularly able to schedule lengthy work assignments for myself there in the spring and early summer, so I could fish many evenings when I got off work.

There was a lot of pollution in those streams back then, both from our plant in Belleville as well as from a number of other sources. When I walked along the streams, I remember seeing many homeowners that ran their sewage right into the middle of the creeks. Much of that was cleaned up with the advent of the EPA.

For the past 18 years, I’ve spent my summers in Montana so I haven’t had much chance to fish that area, but I’m spending more time in PA now, so I’d like to get reacquainted with the Kish and other streams nearby.

John

 

[jifigz]

John, it is a good stream like many in this part of the state. The downside to Kish, and once again many other streams in central PA, is the sedimentation it receives from its upper course through farmland with virtually no riparian buffer. There are wild trout up there in the headwaters but with some trees/shade and vegetation to limit bank erosion it would be so much better.

 

[MKern]

I think the hardware store with flies is the one that is also closed right as you enter Reedsville from Yeagertown on old 322.

There was also a shop up by the old Dairyland right off the Reedsville exit. He sold archery stuff too. That folded like 4 or 5 years ago.

I often see a lot of empty buildings along the stream(s) in the area and think that a small fly shop with a cult following and a decent internet presence could be mildly successful. But that's a lot of "if's."

 

[Swattie87]

Since this thread is in the Stream Reports, and those are private to site members only now, I guess it's ok to say this...

Mifflin County IMO is on the short list of the most underrated wild Trout Counties in PA. A couple others come to mind...Schuylkill, Cambria, York perhaps...but Mifflin is high in the running. It gets lost in the shuffle with having Penns/Spring/LJR/BFC so close, and streams like Kish are often overlooked or passed by unknowingly on the way to/from those streams. Mifflin County is worthy of fishing on its own, and from where I live, cuts off a good 45 minutes of extra drive time in getting to the "Big 4."

Don't get me wrong, I'm fine with it staying that way.

 

[HopBack]

Leave York and Schuylkill counties out of this. If you want to go fish that cesspool in Yeagertown have at but please leave me some crumbs to work with ; )