Tea Creek, Mifflin County, 9/30/2013

[jeremymcon]

I was hoping to hit Kishacoquillas creek tonight, just downstream of Reedsville, but I absolutely could not find an access point that wasn't posted! It was a little disappointing. So instead of exploring Kish Creek, I decided to give Tea Creek another try. The last two times I was there, the water was low and clear, and the only fish I saw were hunkered down at the bottom of a clear pool.

This time the water was still fairly low and very clear, so I used a 12 foot leader on a 3 weight line rather than the 9' leader of a 4 weight that I used previously.

All of that extra effort didn't help very much. That pool was still completely unfishable. Even the plunk of a lightly weighted nymph was enough to disturb those fish! In some of the faster water I did manage to get a couple takes on a small tan elk hair caddis, and brought in one small brook trout (he spit the hook as I was lifting him out of the water, so I'm counting it!).

There were lots of tiny, light colored flies hatching (cream midges or lightly colored BWO's?), some tan caddis (about size 14-16), and some light grayish mayflies (about size 16-18). I saw a sporadic rise here or there, mostly to the caddis flies, I believe.

I'm hoping to fish this stream again when the water is higher and stained so that the fish are easier to approach.

 

[troutbert]

Try a terrestrial pattern, such an ant or beetle or green inchworm.

 

[hammertime]

Jeremy, for Kish try the park at the bottom of Meadowfield drive. Or the big parking lot at the new bridge in Yeagertown. Or any where around Derry park.

That should be all the access you ever need.

 

[LetortAngler]

Always wanted to try fishing Tea Creek after reading about it in Pennsylvania Streams and Hatches by Charlie Meck.