Top 10 Trout Streams in PA (only name brands)

[wildtrout2]

Closed for the season, or closed period? They always seemed to be doing a decent business between subs and ice cream. Bummer if so.

Yes to Wellsboro House. Great bacon cheeseburger and salt/pepper fries. One of our favorite spots in Wellsboro. We like the Gas Light for wings. Tony’s pizza is good too.

We really like the Barrel in Ansonia too, cheesesteak tossed in wing sauce is great, but when we’re staying in town we enjoy walking to dinner. Wellsboro House gets a stop pretty much every time we’re up.

Edit: Found a WH pic. November 2023. Didn’t realize it’s been that long since I was there. Need to remedy that.

View attachment 1641239873

Burger looks awesome! Those fries could have been a bit more crispy though. 😉

 

[wildtrout2]

Well said Dave. I have always said that there are no more "secret spots". I you have fished it, so have many others!

True for the most part, but some streams are definately fished more than others. On several of the remote streams I fish most often, 40+ times each in 22 years, I can count on one hand the times I've encountered other fishermen on them.

 

[PennKev]

As for naming wilderness and brook trout streams, I have encouraged people to label them as “Unnamed” and list only the county. This is a guideline, not a rule. With the state publishing GPS coordinates for these streams, there’s no reason to lose your mind if someone names a brook trout stream in a forum. People don’t suddenly abandon their lawn-mowing duties and converge on a ten-foot-wide brookie stream 150 miles away just because someone mentioned “Laurel Run” in a discussion.

Context is important. If your area is poor in wild trout opportunities, it can be a big deal. The internet definitely affected my most local Class A.

It can change the fishing pressure on other streams too, even in good trout country.

While there is a wealth of information out there on just about every watershed you can think of, a youtube video of a guy catching brookies on every cast or landing a bunch of solid browns has different affect. Most people want a sure thing. Pictures, and now video are enough to convince people to drive a few hours, hike a couple miles, whatever it takes because they know for sure. Even worse, a well edited video can create the illusion of spectacular fishing when it is not.
On the other hand, bland trout stream lists or sifting through dry state agency reports is for the pretty hard core.

Look at how much attention ol' Dusty's videos get. You better believe that guys wouldn't be able to get to those streams fast enough if they could ID them with any degree of accuracy.

 

[goose54cdd]

Still an interesting thread. I have plenty of those around me.

 

[Swattie87]

Im going to reply to this, as I assume it is in reference to my comments.

I agree with you on many of your points. No, hoards of people aren't going to rush to a stream that is in the middle of nowhere in an area with no cell phone service and very little commodities around just because it is mentioned here. The reason I got upset is that the OP, who has a questionable history of fishing for information, actually went out of their way to mention to keep it name brand fisheries. Then, somehow the thread took a turn into discussing waterways that are mostly undiscussed, definitely not name brand, and from an area that is pretty near and dear to me. I just imagine myself showing up there this spring and seeing 1 or 2 anglers with go pros strapped to their heads and a microphone clipped to their Howler bros vest and the thought of that is disheartening to me. It actually already happened with a different channel doing a video in the same area and yes, I started seeing more traffic around there after that. It wasn't so much of "hey don’t talk about my creek", it was more of, "seriously, this area is coming up in this guys thread of all places?"

I just cant help but look at Traveling Trout Co's threads and seeing a guy that is playing the forum here like a fiddle.

To add, I also think that putting the names of these streams and areas here absolutely have more weight that most other places they are mentioned. If I see 5 or 6 creeks in an area on the PFBC maps, the first thing I do is search here for information to see if they have been mentioned here.

I’m pretty sure you’re referring to my mentioning of Wykoff Run and the Quehanna WA, and this area being near your camp. I mentioned those areas in reference to there being several streams in that area with “Draft” in their name. Nothing more. Reread it. Nothing was said about the quality of these streams, or whether there are wild Trout there. There are, but this area is very infertile geologically speaking, and anglers heading to this area for wild Trout are likely to be disappointed. Especially in comparison to what can be found an hour north or east. But, I get no one likes their home turf to be named. So, my apologies. Probably better served to just let threads like that fade, and not give them credibility by fueling the fire. My favorite stream gets named probably once every year or two on here. Usually someone relatively new asking a question about it. I don’t respond in those threads and they usually end up as one post wonders.

FWIW also, I’ve ID’d numerous videos on YT from this region already. Hardway Outdoors, Allegheny Native, and Wooly Bugged all have videos from this area on their channel. So the cameras are already there.

 

[Swattie87]

Burger looks awesome! Those fries could have been a bit more crispy though. 😉

It’s funny, I thought the same thing when finding and posting that pic. They were crispy in real life though.

 

[dudemanspecial]

I’m pretty sure you’re referring to my mentioning of Wykoff Run and the Quehanna WA, and this area being near your camp. I mentioned those areas in reference to there being several streams in that area with “Draft” in their name. Nothing more. Reread it. Nothing was said about the quality of these streams, or whether there are wild Trout there. There are, but this area is very infertile geologically speaking, and anglers heading to this area for wild Trout are likely to be disappointed. Especially in comparison to what can be found an hour north or east. But, I get no one likes their home turf to be named. So, my apologies. Probably better served to just let threads like that fade, and not give them credibility by fueling the fire. My favorite stream gets named probably once every year or two on here. Usually someone relatively new asking a question about it. I don’t respond in those threads and they usually end up as one post wonders.

FWIW also, I’ve ID’d numerous videos on YT from this region already. Hardway Outdoors, Allegheny Native, and Wooly Bugged all have videos from this area on their channel. So the cameras are already there.

It was turning into a good discussion about the area in general.Someone else threw a name out, not you. Again, it was more of "in this particular thread" that triggered me more than it being mentioned in general.

And yeah, I do agree that people looking for wild trout will be disappointed there. Hell Wykoff run is stocked.

 

[jifigz]

And yeah, I do agree that people looking for wild trout will be disappointed there. Hell Wykoff run is stocked.

Some of the absolute best wild trout streams are stocked.

 

[wildtrout2]

Some of the absolute best wild trout streams are stocked.

Can you provide some examples? 😉

 

[DaveKile]

Im going to reply to this, as I assume it is in reference to my comments.

I agree with you on many of your points. No, hoards of people aren't going to rush to a stream that is in the middle of nowhere in an area with no cell phone service and very little commodities around just because it is mentioned here. The reason I got upset is that the OP, who has a questionable history of fishing for information, actually went out of their way to mention to keep it name brand fisheries. Then, somehow the thread took a turn into discussing waterways that are mostly undiscussed, definitely not name brand, and from an area that is pretty near and dear to me. I just imagine myself showing up there this spring and seeing 1 or 2 anglers with go pros strapped to their heads and a microphone clipped to their Howler bros vest and the thought of that is disheartening to me. It actually already happened with a different channel doing a video in the same area and yes, I started seeing more traffic around there after that. It wasn't so much of "hey don’t talk about my creek", it was more of, "seriously, this area is coming up in this guys thread of all places?"

I just cant help but look at Traveling Trout Co's threads and seeing a guy that is playing the forum here like a fiddle.

To add, I also think that putting the names of these streams and areas here absolutely have more weight that most other places they are mentioned. If I see 5 or 6 creeks in an area on the PFBC maps, the first thing I do is search here for information to see if they have been mentioned here.

Don't take it the wrong way, but not sure I was actually replying to any of your posts before. I simply took it as an opportunity in general to get on my soapbox about spot burning since I run one of the largest spot burning sites in the state.

If Dusty put GPS coordinates to a ditch he hauled out a 20" brown, yes people would go there. All I'm saying is everyone knows the top 100 streams in Pennsylvania and there are a lot more that are readily known because of the many, many new sources that were not available 30 years ago.

There are levels of information about a stream. PFBC offers mostly raw data with no quality of fish. (Yes a know there is more details from the PFBC, the average Joe doesn't even know where that data is. It's only for the nerds) When you start getting in other sources finer details of locations and "big fish" become seen. Broad strokes here, but forums, blogs and written information offer general more information than PFBC. Some YouTubers you can get downright detailed as to where they go. Get on Goolge Maps and match up there stream, it's pretty easy to find where they are at. But it's still work. Most people are pretty lazy and would be happy to go to Kettle Creek fire up the grill and just go fishing with a beer cooler 10 yards away.

Agree 100% with you about TC. he's playing the posts every time he drops a bomb.

 

[wildtrout2]

Don't take it the wrong way, but not sure I was actually replying to any of your posts before. I simply took it as an opportunity in general to get on my soapbox about spot burning since I run one of the largest spot burning sites in the state.

Love it! hahaha

 

[DaveKile]

To add, I also think that putting the names of these streams and areas here absolutely have more weight that most other places they are mentioned. If I see 5 or 6 creeks in an area on the PFBC maps, the first thing I do is search here for information to see if they have been mentioned here.

I wanted to reply to this last paragraph. I do the same. I spend more time looking for new locations and under the radar places that not well known, but research them here or elsewhere. To think about it, probably 40% of the streams I fished last year were hardly if at all mentioned.

I'm working on some plans for this spring and spending a lot more time with PFBC sites and Google maps more than anything else. Mostly to find some gems and new spots. Not trying to brag, but most fly fishing anglers don't have the knowledge or the time to do the things some of us do here to expand to new streams. Still the best way I learn about those new hot spots is word of mouth and not anything I read on the Internet.

 

[jifigz]

Can you provide some examples? 😉

If I trust you would I share this information while sitting around BS-ing or actually by taking you fishing? Of course, and without ever actually meeting you, Jeff, I do trust you! Just as I have with many people I have met and become friends with throughout this site, I will graciously share information that I have, and I would expect them to do the same. It has been a two-way street for basically everyone....except for one user.....but I will keep that in mind in the future if that person ever needs any other advice.