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.

 

imo, State College is not fly fishing town. I lived there at one time, and I love it, but it’s not Pennsylvania’s #1 fly fishing town.

It’s certainly a college town. It might even be a football town, with a problem (I hear ya, @TimMurphy), or even a wrestling town without a problem, but a fly fishing town? I don’t think so.

 

imo, State College is not fly fishing town. I lived there at one time, and I love it, but it’s not Pennsylvania’s #1 fly fishing town.

It’s certainly a college town. It might even be a football town, with a problem (I hear ya, @TimMurphy), or even a wrestling town without a problem, but a fly fishing town? I don’t think so.

I couldn't agree more.

 

I would think that the number one priority of being a fly fishing town, would be great fishing. I don’t prefer to visit hipster resturants with one word names, all in lowercase on the side of the building. I also really don’t like fancy craft beer that smells like pine trees and tastes like cat urine. I’m content to eat a stream side sandwich and drink a Miller light.

So accordingly, I would have to nominate Warren as the best fly fishing town in PA. Centrally located near Chautauqua Lake, Presque Isle Bay, Lake Erie ports of Erie, Northeast, Dunkirk and Barcelona. Within spiting distance of the Allegheny River and Reservoir, a wild trout paradise in the ANF, and tons of stocked trout water.

While many of the nominations could certainly be the best trout fishing town in PA, the exceptional fishing near Warren for all species is why gets my nod.

 

So accordingly, I would have to nominate Warren as the best fly fishing town in PA. Centrally located near Chautauqua Lake, Presque Isle Bay, Lake Erie ports of Erie, Northeast, Dunkirk and Barcelona. Within spiting distance of the Allegheny River and Reservoir, a wild trout paradise in the ANF, and tons of stocked trout wawater.

I actually thought about Warren too.

 

I would think that the number one priority of being a fly fishing town, would be great fishing.

That is the number one priority, and I think that has been a central theme of every location recommended thus far.

No one has made a single primary recommendation based on anything other than great fishing, have they? The other things mentioned are just bonuses to the fishing.

 

The best flyfishing towns haven't been mentioned yet and I sure as heck won't be mentioning them.

 

I agree that State College is too big to be thought of as a fly fishing town. It's got a lot more going on. And agree that you could argue surrounding towns are just as well suited to sample the fly fishing of the area. Coburn/Milheim has an extremely fishy feel with the fly shop being the main business in town, Elk Creek cafe serving trout themed beer, etc, but its very Penns drainage centric and ignores LJR, BFC, Spring, all the history of fishermans paradise, the FF program at PSU, etc. Boiling Springs is also a really fishy feeling place for the South central area.

But it is the main town in the area that is the heart of PA's best water. If you ask someone from Wyoming where is Pennsylvania's best fly fishing area they're gonna say "the center of the state, around State College." And PA's most storied streams are jumbled up in that area. Yeah people have heard of Slate, Pine, Breeches, Letort, Lehigh, upper Delaware, and Erie tribs. But Spring, Penns, and LJR are our 3 most famous I think, not artificial at all (not stocked, not created by a dam), and all really close to each other. Plus BFC which is maybe a little less famous but every bit as good, and some small streams around.

Like I said, I can see an argument for Slate Run, in that its truly the identity of the town. But the area lacks large wild trout water. Its small stream wild trout, but the hatch scene on bigger water is primarily stockies. The face of such a fantastic wild trout state should be large streams with hatches and wild fish, IMO. I would never say the fly fishing center of Montana or Colorado or Idaho is some stocked fishery, or a collection of small streams. Not that those experiences aren't great, they're just not appropriate to carry the flag. Same with Erie, by pure angler interest Girard's gotta be up there, but its an artificial fishery. Missoula though is at the junction of 3 great trout rivers.

Put a town like Slate Run or Boiling Springs in Centre County and it runs away with the crown no questions asked.

 

Outside of the great fishing around State College it is also home to probably one of the most famous fly fishermen ever, Joe Humphrey's. It was also home to his mentor the late George Harvey and also home to the first ever fly fishing program which Harvey started and Joe propelled into greatness. I think those are some things outside of something other than great fishing.

It's nothing like it was when I went to college but like anywhere else in the country it's constantly growing, developing/expanding. It's still an amazing town, I lived in a few big cities in my life, I would have no problems living in State College, however I would probably pick something closer to Penns Valley at this point in my life.

 

What about Roulette? It has the mighty Allegany River flowing through! The Friendly Inn for food & drinks.
A General Dollar for all of your supplies. The Allegany River Campground to spend the night. https://alleghenyrivercampground.com/

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I would think that the number one priority of being a fly fishing town, would be great fishing. I don’t prefer to visit hipster resturants with one word names, all in lowercase on the side of the building. I also really don’t like fancy craft beer that smells like pine trees and tastes like cat urine. I’m content to eat a stream side sandwich and drink a Miller light.

So accordingly, I would have to nominate Warren as the best fly fishing town in PA. Centrally located near Chautauqua Lake, Presque Isle Bay, Lake Erie ports of Erie, Northeast, Dunkirk and Barcelona. Within spiting distance of the Allegheny River and Reservoir, a wild trout paradise in the ANF, and tons of stocked trout water.

While many of the nominations could certainly be the best trout fishing town in PA, the exceptional fishing near Warren for all species is why gets my nod.

I agree with you about Warren and the nearby area having exceptional fishing, a lot of which is fly fishing, but is it really Pennsylvania's best fly fishing town? I would like to think it may be, but I’m not sure.

My family roots go deep in Warren County, and the surrounding area. My great grandparents immigrated from Switzerland to US in the late 1800’s, and eventually moved to Warren. My great grandfather was a fisherman. So was my grandfather, as was my father, and naturally me too. My great grandfather hand carved a fisherman from wood over 100 years ago. I still have it and it’s my most prized fishing related possession.

I was born in Warren and began fishing there as far back as I can remember. I fished the Allegheny year round and Conewango right in town, and rode my bike to fish as often and as far away as my mother would let me go on my own. Our family also had a summer home on Chautauqua Lake, 2 homes actually, where I also fished extensively. I was there when the Kinzua reservoir was built and first filled with water, and fished in the river right below the spillway which was allowed at the time. Over the years, I’ve also fished a number of other places in that area, and caught a wide variety of the fish available to catch there.

I began tying flies in our basement when I was 12 years old using my father’s table vise, and caught my first trout on a fly I tied in Brown Run, not far upstream of the Glade Bridge east of town. From that time on I have continued to fly fish. However, in and around Warren I also continued, as a had first begun, to fish with spinning gear, using both lures and bait.

I’ve moved away from Warren many years ago, and our family sold the home at Chautauqua about 30 years ago, but I still fish the area from to to time, although not as often as I’d like. In my mind, however, I think of Warren and the area around there as a great fishing place, but do not think of Warren primarily as a fly fishing town. I wish I felt otherwise, because I think of myself primarily as a fly fisherman, albeit one with lots of bad habits. 😊

p.s. I recently discovered that I had this rod in my possession for the past 30+ years, but never recognized it for what it is. I found the rod in the attic of our home at Chautauqua. I wish it was a fly rod, but it’s actually a boat rod.

 

That is the number one priority, and I think that has been a central theme of every location recommended thus far.

No one has made a single primary recommendation based on anything other than great fishing, have they? The other things mentioned are just bonuses to the fishing.

I think that all of the locations mentioned offer decent fishing, but some are really a reach to be considered the best.

I’d really have to think long and hard about fishing a stream in someone’s backyard, just so I can drop $100 bucks on a meal of something that I mow down on my property, to keep up with appearances.

 

I think that all of the locations mentioned offer decent fishing, but some are really a reach to be considered the best.

I’d really have to think long and hard about fishing a stream in someone’s backyard, just so I can drop $100 bucks on a meal of something that I mow down on my property, to keep up with appearances.

So is it about the fishing then or the atmosphere of the stream? Are those two things synonymous? A lot of love for State College, do those waters offer amazing surroundings too, or are we still in people's backyards?

I only highlighted that restaurant because it is a unique place and by far the best dining experience I have ever had. I didn't think you all would be so critical of it, but apparently I was wrong. People are funny, though.

You can't go there anyways. Their reservations for the season went online over the weekend and three months worth of reservations were booked and sold out in less than 10 minutes.

Oh, and one more edit: Why is a meal at a restaurant like that "keeping up with appearances?" Why can't it just be an incredible experience and something worth experiencing in life?

 

So is it about the fishing then or the atmosphere of the stream? Are those two things synonymous? A lot of love for State College, do those waters offer amazing surroundings too, or are we still in people's backyards?

I only highlighted that restaurant because it is a unique place and by far the best dining experience I have ever had. I didn't think you all would be so critical of it, but apparently I was wrong. People are funny, though.

You can't go there anyways. Their reservations for the season went online over the weekend and three months worth of reservations were booked and sold out in less than 10 minutes.

Oh, and one more edit: Why is a meal at a restaurant like that "keeping up with appearances?" Why can't it just be an incredible experience and something worth experiencing in life?

For me, I placed emphasis on quality and diversity of fishing, then atmosphere. What restaurant I have a meal at isn’t factored in.

Is the “dining experience” expensive because of the quality of the food, or is it expensive because of high demand?

Is the demand high because of the cost? Do people want to eat there because of the difficulty of obtaining reservations?

Why is it when my grandmother would cook fiddleheads, mushrooms and nettles, we were considered poor hillbillies, but when it’s put on a funny shaped plate and you charge out the wazoo for it, it’s now a “one in a lifetime experience.”

 

I guess the definition of fly fishing town is different for everyone.

I don't want to be in a town while I am fishing. I consider the town a basecamp. A good flyfishing town to me is a central location with multiple good fishing opportunities within an hour in any direction and a variety of amenities available if I want or need them. State College was my choice because it offers that to me.

 

Much of fine dining (ex. French Cuisine) evolved due to the peasant class learning to prepare less desireable cuts of meat and coarse root vegetables. Now these meals command high prices.

 

The spirit of this thread involves more than just fishing, as explained by the OP
And is interesting

Personally, I choose fishing spots by the quality of the fishing
But do enjoy some nice amenities if they happen to be thee also

 

The spirit of this thread involves more than just fishing, as explained by the OP
And is interesting

Personally, I choose fishing spots by the quality of the fishing
But do enjoy some nice amenities if they happen to be thee also

Thanks for pointing that out. Yes I didn't ask for the the best creek or county, just a town (village) that people like when they go fly fishing. If you don't like towns (villages), you may not have a dog in this hunt.

My favorite places are small locations that probably don't qualify as a town. Once I name a couple I'm sure someone will explain to me technically I'm wrong. But even with that threat hanging over my head, I like hamlets like Cross Forks or Millheim. I feel they have the right amount of fly fishing close at hand, available lodging, bars, food and size. If I'm lucky there will be no cell coverage. A gas station is good.

There's only two things I hate about people in some villages: those who are intolerant of other people's cultures, and the Amish.

 

There's only two things I hate about people in some villages: those who are intolerant of other people's cultures, and the Amish.

There are only two things I can't stand in this world: People intolerant of other peoples' cultures, and the Dutch.
-Nigel Powers

 

I don't know about the rest of you, but having the ability to have something better than a Sheetz MTO after a long day on the water has made more than a few fishing trips, memorable experiences and more than a few fishing towns extra special.

One of the most frustrating things to me about fishing in North Central PA during the time of year when I'm rarely off the water before dark is that all the somewhat "decent" restaurants are no longer serving dinner or are closed by the time I could even get to them.

My naive wife always says to me, "well, just quit earlier..."

Silly girl...

Like "Freewheelin' Franklin" once said, (I think):

"Good eatin' will get you through times of no fish better than fish will get you through times of no good eatin'..."

Or something to that effect.

 

I don't know about the rest of you, but having the ability to have something better than a Sheetz MTO after a long day on the water has made more than a few fishing trips, memorable experiences and more than a few fishing towns extra special.

One of the most frustrating things to me about fishing in North Central PA during the time of year when I'm rarely off the water before dark is that all the somewhat "decent" restaurants are no longer serving dinner or are closed by the time I could even get to them.

My naive wife always says to me, "well, just quit earlier..."

Silly girl...

Like "Freewheelin' Franklin" once said, (I think):

"Good eatin' will get you through times of no fish better than fish will get you through times of no good eatin'..."

Or something to that effect.

I don't always want a hot meal and a cold beer at a restaurant after I fish, but when I do, I do.

I am also perfectly fine with packing peanut butter sandwiches and granola bars for the day.

Its all situational.