The Upper St. Clair Fly Fishing Club -- Streams


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Local Area Streams

This page is a "work in progress" and its growth depends on you. If you have a stream you'd recommend to the attention of our members, please email directions and any comments and we'll get them up on the website.

Chartiers Creek		Neshannock Creek
Dunbar Creek		Oil Creek
Dutch Fork Creek		Pine Creek
Linden Creek		Slippery Rock Creek
Loyalhanna Creek		Youghiogheny River

Chartiers Creek: The stocked portion of Chartiers Creek lies below the dam at Cannonsburg Lake. From the intersection of Route 19 and Mclaughlin Run Road, travel South 5.4 miles on Route 19 to West McMurray Road. Turn right and continue 0.6 miles. Turn left on the dirt road immediately before crossing the bridge over the creek.
Dunbar Creek: Dunbar Creek has a regulated Fly Fishing Only section and is approximately 90 minutes from Upper St. Clair. Take I-70 East to the New Stanton interchange of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Watch for signs for Routes 119 and 66. Take Rte. 119 South, crossing over the Youghiogheny in Connellsville. Continuing South on Rte. 119, watch for signs to Dunbar and turn left on SR1053. Once in Dunbar, look for SR1055; the stream runs along the right side of the road. There are numerous areas to pull over and park. Continuing to follow SR1055, the road will branch with the main road bearing left and T782 which leads to State Game Lands #51 following the stream to the right. Some of the most attractive water containing lots of plunge pools separated by riffles is in this section.
Dutch Fork Creek: Take I-70 West toward Wheeling and exit at Claysville. Take Route 40 West and in three miles you'll see the Delayed Harvest signs posted on trees to your left. Parking is difficult; be careful if you park on Rte 40. The stream is down a steep embankment and flows through the narrow strip of land between Rte 40 and I-70. Safer parking is available along the road to Dutch Fork Lake (watch for State signage) where the stream crosses under Rte 40. The regulated area extends upstream from here.This is fishing for stocked trout and once the water gets too warm or the fish have been poached out (both are annual events!), fishing's done for the season.
Linden Creek: This is the second closest piece of stocked water to Upper St. Clair after Chartiers Creek below Cannonsburg Lake and the lake itself. Take Rte 19 South past Waterdam Plaza. At the next light (Kings Restaurant and Texaco at this intersection), turn left and then bear to the left on Galley Road. Follow Galley and make the first right turn. Continue until you see the creek and Lindenwood Golf Course on your left. The stocked water begins on your right as you cross an iron bridge over the creek and continues upward to the next iron bridge. Again, this is fishing for stocked fish and the water is open to all bait and artificials so the fish are gone pretty quickly.
Loyalhanna Creek: The Loyalhanna runs for miles, much of which is within walking distance of Route 30 in the area between Latrobe and Ligonier. The state stocks a good portion of this water and there is a 1.5 mile Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only section which runs from the intersection of Rte 711 downstream to SR2045. From USC, take I-70 toward the Turnpike exchange at New Stanton but don't get on the Turnpike. Take Exit 91 toward Rte 711 and Ligonier then exit left on Rte 31 for just a short distance. Turn left on Rte 711 and follow it for approximately 13 miles to Rte 30 in Ligonier.
Neshannock Creek at Volant: Neshannock Creek is in close proximity--approximately 8 miles--to the Grove City Outlet Mall. Take I-79 North to the Grove City exit and, at the top of the exit ramp, make a left on Rte 208. Follow Rte 201 to Rte 19. Make a left and then a quick right to continue on 201. Follow into Volant. As you enter the town, you'll cross a bridge over the stream. Parking is available adjacent to Volant Mills (public restrooms across the street). This is catch and release fishing and it holds up well through the season due to the state stockings as well as the efforts of the crew at the Neshannock Creek Fly Shop which overlooks the stream. They maintain a "lunker fund" and make sure there are fish in the stream.
Oil Creek: Oil Creek is one of the biggest trout streams in Pennsylvania and the state stocks approximately 33 miles of it. A 1.6 mile Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only section begins at Petroleum Center in Oil Creek State Park and runs downstream. The stream is reported to contain excellent early season hatches and large fish although it warms significantly by summer. Rte 8 parallels much of Oil Creek, but at a distance. Easiest access is from Petroleum Center which is about 4 miles north of the town of Oil City. Take I-79 North 62 miles to I-80. Exit heading East and continue about 10 miles to Exit 29 toward Barkleyville. Turn left on PA-8 and continue 16 miles. Where Rte 62 merges, make a right and continue to follow the combined Rtes 8 and 62 for just over 7 miles to Oil City. The state park and Petroleum Center are approximately four miles north of town.
Pine Creek: This is catch and release fishing in the northern reaches of Pittsburgh. This portion of Pine Creek is a stream improvement project of the Penns Woods West Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Take the West End Bridge and follow the I-279 signs. Stay to the right as you pass PNC Park and take the Rte 28 exit. Follow this until you reach Rte 8 and then take Rte 8 north toward Butler(be aware of ongoing road construction in this area). In approximately 5 miles you'll see a large BP station on your left. Turn left at the station and follow the road to the second stop sign. Make a right turn and you'll soon see an open field separated from the road by railroad tracks on your right. In 1/4 mile make a right turn over the tracks into the parking area. The catch and release area begins here and continues downstream for 1 1/2 miles.
Slippery Rock Creek (Fly Fishing Only section): The State stocks approximately 15 miles of Slippery Rock Creek on a put and take basis. There is a half mile section which is managed under Fly Fishing Only regulations. Within an hour of Upper St. Clair, this is the closest such project water. To reach this section, take I-79 North to the Portersville exit (Route 488). At the top of the exit ramp, make a left and travel about 1/4 mile to the intersection of Route 19. Make a right on Route 19 and make the first left hand turn. Brown's Restaurant, an excellent breakfast stop comes up shortly on the right. Follow this road 3.4 miles to a cross road sign and make a right turn on Heinz Camp Road. Follow Heinz Camp road downhill approximately two miles to the stream. There is a fisherman's parking area on the right just before the bridge over the stream. This is BIG water. Slippery Rock Creek is 80-100 feet across in this area and gets its name from the big, slick rocks you'll encounter when wading. Spring flows can be high and treacherous so many fisherman carry wading staffs. For an excellent article on fishing Slippery Rock Creek, click here.
Youghiogheny River (Dam Outflow): This is the "Middle Yough," running from the dam outflow area in Confluence approximately 8 miles downstream to Ohiopyle. This is big water but is the one stream that maintains a constant, "trout-friendly" temperature year-round thanks to the bottom-releases from Youghiougheny Lake. Take I-70 East to I-43. Take I-43 south to Rte 40. Take Rte 40 through Brownsville and continue approximately 40 minutes until you reach signs for Nemacolin Resort. After passing Nemacolin, watch for signs to Confluence on your left. Once in Confluence, you may park at the Outflow Campground parking lot and fish directly below the dam or take the road directly opposite the entrance to the outflow area which will lead you to the Ramcat Access Area in about a mile. This will allow you to walk downstream along the old railroad bed which is now a trail. The first mile below the dam is stocked by the state with mature fish and is open to all manners of fishing. Below this, the state manages the stream as Trophy Trout water and stocks thousands of fingerlings annually. Each year, this portion of the stream is yielding some very large fish. Again, this is "big" water so be cautious with your wading.