Free Resource · Updated 2026

Kettle Creek Fly Hatch Chart

Month-by-month hatch timing and fly pattern recommendations for Kettle Creek in 2026. A remote Class A wild trout stream in Clinton County with strong mayfly hatches and light fishing pressure from April through October.

Wild Brown Trout · Wild Brook Trout Freestone Clinton County, PA Current Month Highlighted

About Kettle Creek

Kettle Creek drains the remote forests of Clinton and Potter counties in north-central Pennsylvania, eventually joining the West Branch Susquehanna. Long stretches of roadless water and light angling pressure make it one of PA's wilder trout streams.

The stream is designated Class A wild trout water. Wild brown trout populate the main stem. Native brook trout hold in the upper reaches and cold tributaries. Hatch timing runs late, tracking spring temperatures in the mountains.

Quill Gordons in April kick off the season. Green Drakes arrive in late May and into June. The stream also has a strong Light Cahill hatch in June that many anglers overlook. Autumn Caddis in October provides the last good dry fly fishing of the year.

See the full Pennsylvania Fly Hatch Chart for hatch timing across all of Pennsylvania's top trout streams.

Check Conditions Near Kettle Creek

What to Fish

Kettle Creek Key Hatches

Quill Gordon

Late April

Epeorus pleuralis

The first real hatch of spring on Kettle Creek. Afternoon emergence on cool, overcast April days. Freestone conditions mean timing varies by a week or more depending on spring temperatures. Fish the dun in broken water where browns hold in early season.

Recommended: Quill Gordon #12-14

Green Drake

Late May to Early June

Ephemera guttulata

Evening hatches of large creamy duns when water clears after spring runoff. The remote location means far less pressure than Penn's Creek during the same hatch. Kettle Creek runs this hatch 1 to 2 weeks behind Penn's Creek.

Recommended: Coffin Fly, Comparadun Drake #8-10

Light Cahill

June to July

Stenacron interpunctatum

A reliable June hatch that many anglers skip in favor of better-known streams. Evening emergence in riffles and tail-outs. Overlaps with Sulphurs in early June. Good action on a stream with minimal pressure.

Recommended: Light Cahill #12-14

Autumn Caddis

October

Neophylax sp.

Large orange caddis on warm October afternoons. Brown trout in peak fall condition. Kettle Creek in October is as quiet as it gets on a Pennsylvania trout stream.

Recommended: October Caddis #14