Pennsylvania Fly Fishing

Pennsylvania offers fly fisherman multiple species of fish and some of the top destinations in the country. The limestone rivers and streams are treasured trout fisheries, and bass-filled lakes can be found throughout the state. Fly fisherman can also find opportunities on Lake Eerie, and the tributaries to the lake provide seasonal action for steelhead and trophy brown trout. Fly fishing destinations are found in nearly every region of the state, with multiple special regulation and trophy waters to satisfy local and visiting anglers.

  1. Little Juniata

    • The Little Juniata is a well-known trout fishery with consistent hatches and dry fly fishing. The river is located in central Pennsylvania and supports a healthy population of wild brown trout. Many of the fish are between 8 and 12 inches, but brown trout over 20 inches are caught each year. A large portion of the river is ruled as a special regulation, so wild trout fishery and anglers can only use artificial hooks and lures with a single hook. Although the river is primarily a trout fishery, you will also find smallmouth bass in some of the slower water.

    Spring Creek

    • Spring Creek is a central Pennsylvania trout fishery located in the same area as the Little Juniata. The creek has consistent hatches of mayflies, including baetis, sulphurs and tricos, and the wild brown trout can be regularly caught on the surface with the proper presentation. The trout in Spring Creek are pressured fish, so anglers should make a cautious approach. Light tippets and small flies are the standard when fishing the creek.

    Lackawanna River

    • Located in the northeastern part of the state, the Lackawanna River has rebounded from toxic pollution. The river is primarily a trout fishery with a majority of wild brown trout in the 12- to 16-inch class, but the occasionally fish over 20 inches are caught. Access along the river is good, with five miles of river managed as a trophy trout fishery. Surface action on flies can be found during hatches of sulphurs, drakes, hendricksons and march browns.

    Elk Creek

    • As a tributary to Lake Erie, Elk Creek supports runs of steelhead, salmon and brown trout. The steelhead run begins in late October and continues through the early spring. The creek offers fly fisherman the opportunity to catch these large fish on egg patterns and streamers. The brown trout will also enter the river system during the early fall and will return to the lake in November. Fly fisherman can target both steelhead and brown trout using the same egg and streamer tactics. The salmon appear in the early fall, but in fewer numbers than the steelhead. Anglers looking for early run browns may stumble on a few large coho but be prepared with an 8- to 10-weight rod.

    Walnut Creek

    • Walnut Creek is another Lake Erie tributary with an established steelhead run, small salmon run and small brown trout run. The seasons are the same as Elk Creek, but it pays to look for fish migrating ahead of the run. The stream has high fishing pressure and can be very crowded during the height of the steelhead run. Walnut Creek is much smaller than Elk Creek, and the steelhead and salmon are visible in the water. It is important to make a stealth approach to avoid spooking the fish.