Where Would You Spend the Spring / Summer Trout Fishing in PA?

Letort

Letort

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Most people live where they do for a reason - family, employment, heritage, etc and make the most of our fishing given the location.

But if you were to pick a county or area in PA only based on fly fishing for trout, where would you pick? I would be interested in a mix of spring, freestone and most importantly, natIive class A water.

Thinking Clinton, Lycoming, Potter, Sullivan or NE PA.

What would be your pick?
 
If I could pick only 1, Centre.

If you're asking what I would do if I could go wherever I want, say, devote a year to fishing and choose a home base only for that. I'd probably be in Centre winter-spring till the drakes hit. Then re-locate to NC PA. Yeah, Clinton, Tioga, Lycoming, Potter area for June through July. I might stay there all summer or go to the Pocono's in August and early fall before returning to central PA for the late fall and winter.
 
Most people live where they do for a reason - family, employment, heritage, etc and make the most of our fishing given the location.

But if you were to pick a county or area in PA only based on fly fishing for trout, where would you pick? I would be interested in a mix of spring, freestone and most importantly, natIive class A water.

Thinking Clinton, Lycoming, Potter, Sullivan or NE PA.

What would be your pick?
I live in the Philly suburbs, but I fish Carbon, Columbia, Sullivan, Clinton, Potter, and occasionally Venango county.
 
I would pick Emporium area. Initially I chose Potter Co. but low flows can really curb summer troutin'. Emporium is within 45 minutes of a bottom release fishery for those days.
 
Lock Haven, Jersey shore area is a great home-base. Big stocked trout streams in relatively short drive in Pine Creek, Bald Eagle, Lycoming Creek. Loyalsock and Kettle under an hour. Penns, spring creek, fishing creek, bald eagle all in a short drive. Tons of small to medium wild trout streams. You could never fish them all within an hour radius.
 
Most people live where they do for a reason - family, employment, heritage, etc and make the most of our fishing given the location.

But if you were to pick a county or area in PA only based on fly fishing for trout, where would you pick? I would be interested in a mix of spring, freestone and most importantly, natIive class A water.

Thinking Clinton, Lycoming, Potter, Sullivan or NE PA.

What would be your pick?
Lock Haven, Jersey shore area is a great home-base. Big stocked trout streams in relatively short drive in Pine Creek, Bald Eagle, Lycoming Creek. Loyalsock and Kettle under an hour. Penns, spring creek, fishing creek, bald eagle all in a short drive. Tons of small to medium wild trout streams. You could never fish them all within an hour radius.
Centre county, Huntingdon county. Anywhere in the central part of the state.
 
I would have said Centre, but lyco and joe make a good case. I have fond memories as a kid in that region of the state and don't get there often enough.
 
Kettle Creek area. Not because that's the "best fishing" area necessarily. I just like that area.
 
I'd probably go with Clinton for best variety of the different types of streams listed in the OP.
 
This area looks nice. Far enough away to keep the front platers away ;)
 

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If I were picking a single "home base" for wild trout fishing, I would go with Lock Haven (Clinton). It's a quaint little town that sort of takes one back in time. There are so many wild streams in the area, you'd be hard pressed to fish them all. If I were much younger I'd probably be living there.
 

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Gonna go against the grain here, but Schuyllkill County. You're not far from the Lehigh Valley (wintertime spring cricks) and there's an abundance of freestone streams in Schuylkill County. Many of the streams are on the rebound from years of AMD pollution. The southern part of Da Skook is bearable (south of Schuylkill Haven) - nort of da mountain, not so much. But Da Skook is a hidden gem in my opinion!
 
Right where I live in Mifflin County is pretty much ideal.....so I'll stay put.
In Mifflin County you have the Juniata River for smallmouth, which is a big plus for flyfishers.
 
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