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.

 

I find it comical that many are talking up Lock Haven, ...

You said basically the same thing about Jim Thorpe.

 

Stroudsburg, PA

Brodhead, McMichael's, Bushkill, a gazillion small wild trout streams in a reasonable distance, the Delaware for shad and other warm water opportunities and a rich fly fishing history that is only rivaled by the Catskills.

There are also numerous restaurants and places to stay or camp, a fly shop in town and two on the outskirts, plenty of shopping if you need other supplies and lots of other stuff to do if the weather doesn't cooperate.

Agreed! Will any of those streams be open to fish before opening day? I'll be up in the area for a family trip. Trying not to get in trouble.

 

Agreed! Will any of those streams be open to fish before opening day? I'll be up in the area for a family trip. Trying not to get in trouble.

These are open right now to fishing with NO harvest:

Delayed Harvest stretch on McMichael's Creek (Section 5)
Fly Fishing Only stretch on Bushkill Creek (Section 4)
Brodhead Creek below 2nd I-80 Bridge (Section 5)
Delayed Harvest stretch on Tobyhanna Creek (Section 4)

Not to mention all of the other streams and stream sections that are Class A or with wild trout populations that DO NOT appear on the Stocked Trout Waters List in the Summary Booklet for Monroe and the surrounding counties.

 

These are open right now to fishing with NO harvest:

Delayed Harvest stretch on McMichael's Creek (Section 5)
Fly Fishing Only stretch on Bushkill Creek (Section 4)
Brodhead Creek below 2nd I-80 Bridge (Section 5)
Delayed Harvest stretch on Tobyhanna Creek (Section 4)

Not to mention all of the other streams and stream sections that are Class A or with wild trout populations that DO NOT appear on the Stocked Trout Waters List in the Summary Booklet for Monroe and the surrounding counties.

I appreciate your response. With 2 little kids, I don't get out much. Tight lines.

 

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!

I was waiting for this logical nomination.

 

For the love of Zeus, I would never except a village as a nomination. Villages are the ruin of the state.

So... You have something against village people?

 

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.

I read that article and agree with author. It’s time for him to hang up the rod.

I’m usually pretty able to see both sides of most arguments and believe that in most scenarios in life, compromise and a solution somewhere in the middle is often the best one. Though sometimes I post comically on here, I do sincerely try to not be a jerk, and don’t care if someone else enjoys fishing with a spin rod and bait as long as they’re enjoying themselves. But that article was bad.

 

There's been several other articles and letters to editor in lock haven paper with the same sentiment. The attitude that without stocked trout, there is nothing to fish for is what holds progress back in communities like Clinton Co. They literally have people traveling in from all over the country to fish for wild trout and local govt does little to nothing to embrace it.

 

There's been several other articles and letters to editor in lock haven paper with the same sentiment. The attitude that without stocked trout, there is nothing to fish for is what holds progress back in communities like Clinton Co. They literally have people traveling in from all over the country to fish for wild trout and local govt does little to nothing to embrace it.

That's probably a good thing, unless they want their towns to turn into State College.

After reading the part of that article where the old guy mentions the Hammersley, and says, "what does it hurt to stock this easily accessible stream?", he lost all credibility with me!

Does he think the old 8 trout limit is some sort of secret that nobody knows about? He is, or was, just a truck chaser.

 

I get and sympathize with the sentiment that as you age, you are less able to hike into and fish remote places. That day will come for us all. But the streams he’s mentioning as losing their stockers, are generally rough, remote hike in streams, by any reasonable measure…HF, arguably the most remote stream in the state, by distance from a road. The “roads” along Baker Run and Shingle Branch need gates on them. Hard to even call either of those roads. They both look like roads where they begin, but try going back either of those without a high clearance 4WD. HF at the ford for that matter too. Give out keys to the cabin owners.

There are plenty of places in Clinton County and it’s surrounding counties that are appropriate for stocked Trout, and stocked Trout angling, if that’s your thing.

At the author’s age, for starters, I simply hope I am alive. Two, I hope I am in good enough health to fish, anywhere. Even if that means driving my truck to DE and chucking lead and bait on the beach. Three, if I am still physically able to fish for Trout, I hope I am satisfied with stockers in places that are appropriate for stockers, and/or wild Trout in the places I can still safely get to.

Not trying to be overly critical or harsh, and I kinda feel like I am. That article is full of horse s**t though.

 

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.

The Honey Creek restaurant moved to a larger location in between Milroy and Reedsville years ago. It's a popular place, and they needed more room.

Yeah, Revival is expensive, and you need to make reservations months in advance, but it's a dining experience unlike any I've ever had. I'll boldly say this: without a doubt, it's the finest cuisine I've ever eaten. I didn't think "too expensive" and "fly fishing" could be written together. $4,000 bamboo rods, $300 wading boots, $1000 waders, Home waters Club....seems like people paying too much/elitism is often paired with the hobby.

Not for me, though, I wear $100 Frogg Riggs waders and fish Redington Classic Trout rods and pack bologna sandwiches in a cooler when I go fishing.....

Actually John, I'm glad you and others don't stop in Reedsville. That's the best part of Mifflin County. You highlighted it. I appreciate it when everyone drives past.

 

Actually John, I'm glad you and others don't stop in Reedsville. That's the best part of Mifflin County. You highlighted it. I appreciate it when everyone drives past.

I hope it’s still okay to briefly stop at an OIP in Burnham or Milroy for a Super Italian Sub to take out on my way to Penns Creek?

Thanks for the heads up about the Honey Creek restaurant relocating. I hadn’t been driving on the old highway there in a number of years to realize where they were and are still in business. I may just stop there too, with your permission of course 😊, to see if their pies are as good as I remember them.

P.S. I read on Honey Creek restaurant’s Facebook page that Honey Creek, at 3.5 miles long, is the shortest stream in the country. I don’t know if that’s true about being the shortest, but it is interesting.

 

I hope it’s still okay to briefly stop at an OIP in Burnham or Milroy for a Super Italian Sub to take out on my way to Penns Creek?

Thanks for the heads up about the Honey Creek restaurant relocating. I hadn’t been driving on the old highway there in a number of years to realize where they were and are still in business. I may just stop there too, with your permission of course 😊, to see if their pies are as good as I remember them.

P.S. I read on Honey Creek restaurant’s Facebook page that Honey Creek, at 3.5 miles long, is the shortest stream in the country. I don’t know if that’s true about being the shortest, but it is interesting.

You know I'm just messing with ya. Busting your chops. Stop here any time.

Well, I think they are full of baloney. What constitutes something as a stream? I know springs right here in MiffCo shorter than Honey at 3.5 miles. Plus, Coffee Run from it's cave emergence to Kish is less than 3.5 miles I would wager.

And, I'm sure you're aware, but Coffee isn't too easy to gain access to. All of it is posted, and some of it is trout club water.

 

Wellsboro can't beat it

 

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.

Adding 2 items to my nomination of Cross Fork…..

They have a very nice kids area (also can be used by anyone physically challenged with no age limit).

Also a very handy fly shop within a few miles.

 

BELLEFONTE

 

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

Really @jifigz this is not a restaurant you can't just send your order back.

 

Well, I think they are full of baloney. What constitutes something as a stream? I know springs right here in MiffCo shorter than Honey at 3.5 miles. Plus, Coffee Run from its cave emergence to Kish is less than 3.5 miles I would wager.

Do you think the story of how Honey Creek got its name may bee 🐝 true?
(Watch where you put your hives, Josh.)

 

Wellsboro can't beat it

Ansonia

 

Wellsboro