[DIY] Guide to the Best Fly Fishing in Pennsylvania

The state of Pennsylvania is just brimming with fabulous opportunities for outdoor adventure and recreation year-round, and fly fishing is no exception. You're never far from a great lake, stream, or river, it seems, and all of them are easily accessible from towns and cities across the state.

While some lakes may be private fishing lakes, there are many others that are open to the public. The most common of the fish you'll be catching are trout, which is available all across the state. If you're looking for blue ribbon waters, Pennsylvania has a number of them.

With so many quality trout streams in Pennsylvania one could spark a serious debate about where the best trout fishing in Pennsylvania is.  Let's take a look at some the leading candidates.

North-Central Pennsylvania contains some of the most fabled fly fishing waters in the Commonwealth including Fishing Creek, Penns Creek, Slate Run and Spring Creek. But that's not all. There are also 36 other special regulation trout streams that provide excellent fly fishing opportunities in north-central Pennsylvania. Why not check one out?

There are over 22 regulated trout streams in Northeast Pennsylvania including Catch and Release sections on Hickory Run, Roaring Brook, Tom’s Creek, and Catch and Release Fly Fishing Only sections on Bushkill Creek, Dyberry Creek, and Bowman Creek.

If beautiful wild brook trout get you going then check out Jeans Run and Kistler run where a Wild Brook Trout Enhancement Program is helping restore this native beauty.

Northwest Pennsylvania has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to opportunities to fly fish for rainbow, brown and brook trout and here are 11 of them: Slippery Rock Creek, Caldwell Creek, Little Sandy Creek, Oil Creek, East Hickory Creek, Cool Spring Creek, Neshannock Creek, Piney Creek, Shenango River, West Branch Caldwell Creek and Tionesta Creek.

Nestled in the northwest corner of the state, all of these streams have special regulation sections including Catch and Release fishing on the West Branch Caldwell Creek, and Catch and Release Fly Fishing Only fishing on Little Sandy Creek and Caldwell Creek.

If it's steelhead that you're after then of course the tributaries to Lake Erie in Steelhead Alley are where you need to go.​

Check out our Steelhead Alley Fishing Guide for maps, stream gauges and all you need to know to about fishing Steelhead Alley.

​Pennsylvania fly shops, fly fishing guides and outfitters are listed by region below. Be sure to stop in at your local shop to get the latest fishing report and pick up any fishing supplies you may need.

Note: If you own a fly shop or guide service and would like to be listed below, please contact us.

Northeastern PA - Delaware River and Lehigh River watersheds

Southeastern PA - Delaware River and Schuylkill River watersheds

Northcentral PA - Susquehanna East & West Rivers watersheds

There are a number of excellent books and guides available on fly fishing in Pennsylvania.  A few that I highly recommend are listed below:

• ​New! Flyfisher's Guide to Pennsylvania by Tom Gilmore
• Trout Streams and Hatches of Pennsylvania by Charles Meck
• Flyfisher's Guide to Eastern Trophy Tailwaters: 40 Great Trout Waters from Maine to Georgia by Tom Gilmore
• Pocketguide to Pennsylvania Hatches by Charles Meck & Paul Weamer
• Pennsylvania Atlas And Gazetteer by Delorme