In Search of the Ultimate PA Fly Fishing Highway

[McSneek]

Toss up between the Schuylkill Expressway and the Parkway East. Capitol beltway around Harrisburg probably comes in 3rd after those two.

 

[klingy]

McSneek wrote:
Toss up between the Schuylkill Expressway and the Parkway East. Capitol beltway around Harrisburg probably comes in 3rd after those two.

Funny you should mention the capital beltway. I've had some amazing days of fishing on streams that run either under, or within spitting distance of the beltway. Just goes to show how spread out and varied the fishries are in PA.

 

[pcray1231]

And the skuke has Valley Creek, which isn't a bad little stream at all, and its how you go from Philthy towards the Poconos. I'm sure a lot of Philly guys do indeed think of this road as the highway to trout.

Can't say much for parkway east, though, cept that from Pitt it heads in the general direction of the Laurel Highlands.

You could give 79 as the worst in pa, as it stays just west of trouty areas in the NW, and goes through some trout desolate areas south of there. But then I remembered its how everyone gets to Erie and steelhead. Which, by the way, someone had mentioned route 6 as it runs through the northern tier. Well, 6 gets you pretty close to chrome as well.

 

[djs12354]

Depending on the distance allowed from the main route, I would say I-80.

 

[SBecker]

145 aka McArthur Road.

 

[mario66pens]

I find the worst trout highway more compelling. The parkway west would be my vote.

 

[tomitrout]

And your still missing the SC limestoners, which are perhaps the most storied waters as the respected old school writers focused on these parts.

See my post #4, RT 233 has those covered and more...

 

[pcray1231]

I find the worst trout highway more compelling. The parkway west would be my vote.

Solid contender.

Note, though, that I think you gotta use a route number. If using 376, you go up the west side of the Ohio the whole way to the Neshannock Creek area, not far from the Slimy Pebble, etc. These are half decent stocked fisheries. Even so, it's wild trout devoid and has only a handful of stocked fisheries, so it's certainly a contender.

If you use 22, you go the whole way through SC PA into Allentown and Easton!!!

If you use 30, well, you go through the heart of the Laurel Highlands and then through Chambersburg, then Lancaster/York/Chester, which aren't great but aren't devoid of trout either, and into the VF area and Valley Creek.

You could make an argument for route 28. The northern end from New Bethlehem, through Brookville, into Brockway isn't the best trout area, but it has some. South of there to Pittsburgh is pretty barren, though. Similar for 56. Pretty much Bedford through coal country to New Ken. Bedford ain't bad but from there on it's pretty bad.

 

[McSneek]

On a more serious note - 45, 144 and 6 all seem like really good choices to me. One I haven't seen mentioned would be 26. Take it from the Bedford area north along the Raystown branch. Catch Yellow Creek on your way without really going out of your way. 26 will take you through Huntingdon so you have the Little J and other nearby streams. Parallels much of Standing Stone Creek. Up over the mountain and into State College. On to Spring Creek from there.

 

[franklin]

csoult wrote:

dryflyguy wrote:
My favorite road though, would be route 45.
Crosses the little j, spring and penns - and comes very close to fishing creek. And countless smaller limestone streams too

This

Spruce, Elk, close to White Deer, Cherry Run, and Luther Run as well.

 

[pro4mance]

495 beltway in DC. Lots of wild Palominos down that way.

 

[LongLineRelease]

RT 220
Crosses Little J, parallels two different Bald Eagles Creeks, stones throw from Spring Creek, passes Sayer's Dam, crosses Marsh Creek, Big Fishing Creek, Susquehanna and Pine Creek.

Second vote is Rt. 120: Young Woman's, Kettle, First Fork, Driftwood, Main Sinnemahoning, and a bunch of brookie streams. Parallels Susquehanna.

Pretty hard to beat those two.

 

[Chaz]

There is not going to be widespread national exposure on streams you have to hike miles in to just start fishing. Kettle and Pine can be fished heavily in the spring and still have plenty of fish in the summer.
As for the small streams they just aren't that accessible. And you aren't going to be able to fish that section of 144 in a week, not with all the streams you have to hike into.