Nominations for the Best Fly Fishing Town in Pennsylvania 2024

A recently resurrected topic has inspired me to explore the idea of the "Best Fly Fishing Town in Pennsylvania." This question was asked and a poll taken back in 2009, but it is time to see if it's time to crown a new town for the illustrious title.

I'm asking for nominations before I set up a poll to vote on the "Best Fly Fishing Town in Pennsylvania." Please feel free to post your favorite town and what makes it a special fly fishing town. Yes, it should be a town in Pennsylvania.

Some criteria for the best town could be:
Fly fishing streams
Nearby fly shops
Food options including restaurants, taverns, and bars
Overnight options for campgrounds, Airbnbs, or hotels
Travel distances to the town
or whatever inspires you for your favorite town

We will leave nominations open for a couple of weeks. Afterward, I will close the thread and tally up the top nominees. I will take the top five nominees and create a new thread with a poll to determine our winner.

Instructions: Post a reply to only this thread about the topic, include the Pennsylvania town at the top of your reply and reasons you might like to add for your reasoning. A reminder you must put a name in for nomination to count and only one nomination per person. Any towns nominated that are not in Pennsylvania will be deleted.

 

#1 Slate run…it seems like pine creek is the lifeblood of the area and no cell service adds to the charm.

Jim Thorpe not far behind for similar reason in that the Lehigh draws in the crowds.

Stroudsburg has great fly fishing history but doesn’t have that same vibe.

 

Millhiem. Elk, Penns, Fishing, and Spring all close. a locals bar, a great brewery, coffee shop, and just a mile down the road in coburn, a flyshop and a bamboo rodbuilder.
nuff said!

 

If Cross Fork, PA was a town I'd vote for it. But it's a village.

Dear Troutbert,

If Haneyville across from Fin Fur and Feather was a town it'd get my vote. I guess Lock Haven is the better choice though, just because it is a bigger town with more amenities. Both places are close to fishing for just about every fish in PA except for maybe stripers and steelhead.

Clinton County is southern God's Country to me!

Regards,

Tim Murphy

 

Dear Troutbert,

Clinton County is southern God's Country to me!

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Clever, I agree.

 

Why the love for Jim Thorpe? The actual small tourist trap of Jim Thorpe attracts thousands of tourists each day in summer or holiday season. There is plenty of interesting history and the women like the cluster of boutique shops, but the closest many of the visitors get to water is on a train ride. Yes there is fishing nearby, but flyfishing lore and support for the pursuit of flyfishing doesn't seem to be a focal point for local activity. Just my 2 cents.

I have family in Lehighton and avoid Jim Thorpe like the plague to avoid people congestion. I do like fishing the Lehigh a time or 2 a year, and some of the tribs, but nothing about Jim Thorpe itself makes me think of flyfishing.

 

Jim Thorpe makes me think of fly fishing indirectly...

Jim Thorpe the town makes me think of Jim Thorpe the athlete which makes me think of the Carlisle Indian School he attended which makes me think of Carlisle that makes me think of the Letort which makes me think of fly fishing...

However it takes almost as long to have Mauch Chunk make me think of fly fishing as it does to find a parking space when you are there...

 

I have to go with Jim Thorpe. Plenty of great trout fishing in the general area, both stocked streams and some great wild trout streams. Plus, this little town has lots of history to it as well. It's like going back in time when you visit this little storybook town. The railroad line offers some scenic trips along the Lehigh River too!

Last week I stopped in Pocono Fly Fishing finally. It was the store in Weisport that has now moved to Jim Thorpe. So they have a fly shop now.

 

Last week I stopped in Pocono Fly Fishing finally. It was the store in Weisport that has now moved to Jim Thorpe. So they have a fly shop now.

The only possible issue with that might be finding a parking spot.

 

If I'm not mistaken the new location is NOT in town but up the hill on 209 just past 903 so parking shouldn't be an issue.

 

Dear Troutbert,

If Haneyville across from Fin Fur and Feather was a town it'd get my vote. I guess Lock Haven is the better choice though, just because it is a bigger town with more amenities. Both places are close to fishing for just about every fish in PA except for maybe stripers and steelhead.

Clinton County is southern God's Country to me!

Regards,

Tim Murphy

It has one of the best places to eat!
Mountain Top and Provisions

 

I know it is not the sexiest choice, but I am going to have to say State College. So much fishing and outdoors in general within a short driving distance from fly shops and all the eateries and drinkeries one could ever need.

I do have many of other favorite little towns in the north central part of the state, but I will keep those gems to myself.

 

My favorite is Cross Fork. Kettle has all of the hatches. The surrounding streams also have excellent wild trout fishing. Kettle Creek Lake provides a warm water fishery close by as well as the West Branch Susquehanna River. Deb’s Place is probably the #1 restaurant mentioned in the “Grub Thread” on this forum. Two state parks are right on the water.

If you go in May you will likely see a bear and an elk. If you go in June, July or August you might get to see a rattlesnake. If you go there in Sept/Oct you might hear bugling elk. A John Fave (Maxima12) sighting is also possible in May and June. There is usually a Bluegrass Festival or two close by during the year. I haven’t kept up to know if they still hold the festival every year at the campground on the hill south of Cross Fork. I’m assuming it’s still a thing.

 

Being a PSU grad I want to say State College however over the years I have gravitated to Penns Valley.

My vote goes to Millheim. In the early 2000s there was nothing there now it's an awesome location. Close to Penns Creek, Fishing Creek and Spring Creek; not to mention all of the great free stone streams in Bald Eagle State Forest. It's a little more of a hike to the Little J but it's not that bad of a drive.

Elk Creek Cafe + Aleworks has great food and fantastic beer, there is a winery, coffee shop and the locals are always nice.

 

To add a couple more incentives to my selection in Post #3 of Reedsville (I know it won't win, thank goodness)

It is also a short drive back through the mountains to Penns. Also, there is now a Holiday Inn, a Dunkin Donuts, a Sheetz...what more do you need?

I have actually often thought whether I could make a living if I opened a fly shop there. I think it is a beautiful and fitting location for a shop, and I have the local knowledge of the streams, but then I would have to offer guide services to really make it work....I kind of have something against that, the guide service thing, that is.

I know it is not the sexiest choice, but I am going to have to say State College. So much fishing and outdoors in general within a short driving distance from fly shops and all the eateries and drinkeries one could ever need.

I do have many of other favorite little towns in the north central part of the state, but I will keep those gems to myself.

Sorry dude.. State College is getting way too over-developed.. It's getting ruined.

 

The only possible issue with that might be finding a parking spot.

They have a small private lot. Maybe enough for like 10 cars.

 

Sorry dude.. State College is getting way too over-developed.. It's getting ruined.

I agree in the sense that I wouldn't want to live there.

Like I said, there are other places I love, but just like my favorite fishing spots I will decline to share them.

 

To add a couple more incentives to my selection in Post #3 of Reedsville (I know it won't win, thank goodness)

It is also a short drive back through the mountains to Penns. Also, there is now a Holiday Inn, a Dunkin Donuts, a Sheetz...what more do you need?

I have actually often thought whether I could make a living if I opened a fly shop there. I think it is a beautiful and fitting location for a shop, and I have the local knowledge of the streams, but then I would have to offer guide services to really make it work....I kind of have something against that, the guide service thing, that is.

Sorry dude.. State College is getting way too over-developed.. It's getting ruined.

I wish I could agree with your recommendation for Reedsville, Josh, because there is a lot to love about the surrounding area. I used to spend a lot of time in Reedsville and fished all of the streams you mentioned (including Coffee creek, which you didn’t mention) but these days I rarely even stop in Reedsville except to wait for an occasional red traffic light to change to green.

When I go to Penns Creek I get off Rt 322 at the Reedsville/Belleville exit without going through downtown Reedsville. On my way home from Penns I almost always stop at the Boulevard Station car wash in Burnham (that would get my vote as the BEST car wash in the country, if we were voting on car washes 😊) and I could drive through Reedsville to get there but I think taking the highway can be quicker.

I’ve never eaten at the Revival restaurant in Reedsville, which you mentioned, but when I looked at it’s $100.00 per person menu, that seems to be a bit pricey for a Best Fly Fishing Town in PA recommendation. By its name only, Reedsville’s Stonefly Cafe seems to fit the bill better, but I’ve never eaten there. (I used to enjoy eating at the former Honey Creek Restaurant in Reedsville and watched Honey Creek flow by, but I haven’t been there for years and I see it’s now mainly a pizza and OIP place, not that that’s bad just different than when it sported a trout stream’s name.

 

I actually think Lock Haven is the best choice..I vote Lock Haven. Scratch my suggestion.

 

I actually think Lock Haven is the best choice..I vote Lock Haven. Scratch my suggestion.

Giving this more thought, Lock Haven just might be a better choice than my Jim Thorpe suggestion. Are we allowed to change? If so, I'm going with Lock Haven as well. After all, as TimMurphy stated about Clinton County, "it's the southern God's Country".

 

I find it comical that many are talking up Lock Haven, I agree it's a great area to call home for outdoor enthusiasts and trout anglers in particular, but there is a vocal contingent complaining about current pfbc trout management. Particularly making streams class a and cessation of stocking one example here https://www.lockhaven.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/2024/03/why-baker-run/

The city and county economic and tourism folks also make little to no effort to promote trout angling opportunities, they are all about atv riding though.