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Fly fishing report · Northeast
Pine Creek
A practical Pine Creek report for flows, hatches, flies, access, and trip planning through the north-central Pennsylvania gorge corridor.
Check flow & weatherToday's fishing decisionMost live data available
33
Skip today
Verify conditions before committing.
Current USGS flow is 456 cfs. It has risen about 100% over the past 6 hours. Today's flow is high for this date; the upper end of the normal range is near 232 cfs. Fishable water may exist, but do not rate it highly without a safe access, clarity, and wading or boat plan.
Best supported approachCheck the water first
Watch nextFlow: Current USGS flow is 456 cfs. It has risen about 100% over the past 6 hours.
Updated Aug 3, 1:16 AM UTCUsually refreshes about every 15 minutes
Before choosing how to fishCheck the water first
There is not enough reliable current information to recommend wading, bank fishing, or floating.
Check before you drive
Current flow and weather.
Look at whether the river is rising or falling, then check wind, rain, and storms. These can change both safety and fishing.
Loading current flow and weather.
Before you rely on this report
How current is this report?
Conditions can change quickly. Check these dates before you decide to fish, and open the official source when safety or rules matter.
- River conditions
- Checked Aug 2, 2026, 9:16 PM
- Fishing guidance
- Reviewed Jul 6, 2026
- Public access
- 1 public access point checked
- Rules and closures
- Official rule links checked
High confidence in the current score inputs.
7 sources are listed below for you to open.
4 public access records are listed. Private spots are never shown.
Source checked Jul 30, 2026
Plan your access
Know where you can enter.
These are public parking, launch, trail, or recreation areas—not secret fishing spots. We never show an angler's private pins, notes, or photos here.
- 1
- Shown on map
- 3
- No map pin
Location checkedDescription only
01Agency map location
Boat launch
Big Meadows Access Area (Ansonia)
A maintained Pine Creek Water Trail access with public parking at the north end of the gorge corridor.
Restrictions and seasonal notes
A public launch and parking area does not make adjoining shoreline or nearby private land public.
Use posted parking, launch, and state-forest rules.
High or rapidly rising water can make Pine Creek unsafe even when the access area is open.
02No map pin
Area description
Cedar Run corridor
Useful for checking the gauge area and planning access around the central Pine Creek corridor.
Restrictions and seasonal notes
Use marked public access and respect private property along roads, cabins, and camp areas.
The rail trail is valuable because it lets anglers spread out without relying only on road pullouts.
03No map pin
Trailhead
Slate Run area
A common planning base in the gorge corridor with nearby trail and creek access options.
Restrictions and seasonal notes
Use marked public access and respect private property along roads, cabins, and camp areas.
The rail trail is valuable because it lets anglers spread out without relying only on road pullouts.
04No map pin
Trailhead
Blackwell and rail-trail corridor
A practical area for combining walking or biking with longer exploratory fishing days.
Restrictions and seasonal notes
Use marked public access and respect private property along roads, cabins, and camp areas.
The rail trail is valuable because it lets anglers spread out without relying only on road pullouts.
How to fish it
Start with flow, temperature, and clarity.
Pine Creek can be excellent when flows are stable and water temperatures are trout-safe. Because the creek is large, conditions can change quickly after rain, snowmelt, or hot weather.
- Use the Cedar Run gauge before choosing a reach or wading plan.
- Carry a thermometer in late spring and summer; warm water should change the plan.
- Expect spring hatches to drive the most classic dry-fly windows.
- If the creek is high or stained, fish edges, softer inside seams, and streamer water instead of heavy mid-channel current.
Why the score looks this way
FlowUse caution
USGS shows 456 cfs with a rising about 100% over about 6 hours trend. Today's flow is high for this date; the upper end of the normal range is near 232 cfs. Fishable water may exist, but do not rate it highly without a safe access, clarity, and wading or boat plan.
Short-term weatherUse caution
The forecast has storm or heavy-precipitation risk, so timing and access matter more than the score alone.
Public alertUse caution
A Flood Watch is active near this forecast point, so the score is capped until runoff, clarity, crossings, and road access are checked. NWS alert: Flood Watch issued August 2 at 3:58PM EDT until August 3 at 2:00AM EDT by NWS State College PA.
SeasonHelps score
Early summer: Morning and evening windows become more important as water warms.
WeatherHelps score
The NWS forecast is about 71F with Showers And Thunderstorms.
Read the water
What changes the plan.
Pine Creek fishes best when flows are stable enough for safe wading and water temperatures support trout activity. Match tactics to season, clarity, and the insects you actually see on the water.
Low and clear
Lengthen leaders, reduce weight, fish early or late, and avoid unnecessary wading through likely holding water.
Stable medium flow
This is the most flexible window: dry-dropper rigs, nymphs, soft hackles, and hatch-matching dries can all be useful.
Rising or stained
Focus on banks, slow seams, and streamers. Skip unsafe crossings and avoid pushing into fast mid-channel water.
Warm water
Check temperature before fishing for trout. If temperatures are unsafe, switch species, fish colder tributaries where legal, or wait for cooler conditions.
Your trip plan
Know when to go—and when to skip it.
Best flows
Use the Cedar Run gauge trend more than a single magic number. Stable or slowly falling water is the most useful fly-fishing window; rising, stained, or pushy water should move you to bank work, streamers, or a safer plan.
When to skip
Skip trout fishing when water temperatures are stressful, crossings are unsafe, thunderstorms or muddy tributaries are affecting the corridor, or current PFBC reach rules do not match your plan.
Local plan
Pick the access style before picking flies: Cedar Run for gauge-area checks, Slate Run for a central gorge base, Blackwell for longer trail-linked exploration, and Big Meadows/Ansonia when you need the upper water-trail access context.
Backup water
If the main stem is too high, warm, or crowded, research Little Pine Creek, Cedar Run, or Slate Run only after checking current rules and access. If temperatures are the issue, switch species, move to colder legal water, or wait for better conditions.
Hatches & flies
Bring a flexible box.
TimingWhat to watchUseful flies
April to MayBlue-winged olives, caddis, early mayfliesBWO dries, soft hackles, caddis pupa, pheasant tails
Fly pattern · report suggests “pheasant tails”Pheasant Tail NymphThe pilot page distinguishes the sparse original idea from the bulkier American form. Both use pheasant-tail fibers and copper wire, but bead heads, peacock-herl thoraxes, legs, flashbacks, jig hooks, and soft-hackle collars are variations that must be labeled.See photos & how to fish it ↗
Fly family · report suggests “BWO dries”Blue-Winged Olive PatternsBWO describes a hatch group, not one fly. Nymph, emerger, dry, cripple, and spinner profiles must stay separate because they occupy different parts of the water column.See family guide ↗+ 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box May to JuneMarch browns, sulfurs, caddis, larger mayfliesMarch brown dries, sulfur comparaduns, hare's ears, caddis dries
Fly family · report suggests “March brown dries”March Brown Dry FliesThis family includes traditional hackled, parachute, and Comparadun-style March Brown dries. Each exact construction rides differently and should be named when known.See family guide ↗
Fly pattern · report suggests “sulfur comparaduns”Sulphur ComparadunThe fan-shaped upright deer-hair wing, split tail, low hackleless body, and Sulphur-specific color define this destination. A PMD Comparadun is related but not interchangeable by name.See photos & how to fish it ↗+ 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box SummerTerrestrials, ants, beetles, sporadic caddisFoam ants, beetles, small attractors, lightweight nymph rigs
Fly family · report suggests “Foam ants”Ant PatternsAnt patterns can be foam, fur-bodied, winged, or sunken. The narrow waist and paired body lobes matter more than one material recipe.See family guide ↗
Fly family · report suggests “beetles”Beetle PatternsBeetle flies range from simple foam shells to hair-bodied and sunken forms. A rounded back and compact profile distinguish the family from ants and hoppers.See family guide ↗+ 1 more reviewed guide in the Fly Box FallBlue-winged olives and midgesSmall BWO dries, zebra midges, slim nymphs, small streamers
Fly pattern · report suggests “zebra midges”Zebra MidgeLook for a very slim tapered thread body, evenly spaced contrasting wire rib, a small bead, and no tail or wing. The reviewed classic is black with silver wire and a silver bead. Red, olive, brown, glass-bead, jig-hook, resin-coated, or tailed forms must remain labeled variations rather than replacing the classic identity.See photos & how to fish it ↗Fly family · report suggests “Small BWO dries”Blue-Winged Olive PatternsBWO describes a hatch group, not one fly. Nymph, emerger, dry, cripple, and spinner profiles must stay separate because they occupy different parts of the water column.See family guide ↗+ 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box WinterMidges and occasional tiny olivesZebra midges, small pheasant tails, RS2-style emergers
Fly pattern · report suggests “zebra midges”Zebra MidgeLook for a very slim tapered thread body, evenly spaced contrasting wire rib, a small bead, and no tail or wing. The reviewed classic is black with silver wire and a silver bead. Red, olive, brown, glass-bead, jig-hook, resin-coated, or tailed forms must remain labeled variations rather than replacing the classic identity.See photos & how to fish it ↗Fly pattern · report suggests “small pheasant tails”Pheasant Tail NymphThe pilot page distinguishes the sparse original idea from the bulkier American form. Both use pheasant-tail fibers and copper wire, but bead heads, peacock-herl thoraxes, legs, flashbacks, jig hooks, and soft-hackle collars are variations that must be labeled.See photos & how to fish it ↗+ 1 more reviewed guide in the Fly Box 01
Start with the gauge. Rising or stained water favors streamers and larger nymphs; falling, clearer water favors dry-dropper rigs and lighter presentations.
02
Fish edges, softer seams, and broken pocket water before stepping into the main current.
03
Carry a thermometer during warm periods and stop trout fishing when temperatures are unsafe.
04
Use the hatch chart as planning guidance, then let current insects on the water decide the exact fly.
05
On bright, low water days, cover water quietly and prioritize shade, depth changes, and broken surface texture.
Rules & closures
Check the official rules before you go.
Open the agency page to confirm the exact river section, species, season, tackle rules, limits, and emergency closures.
Official links checkedRules for this river or sectionNo special rule found
We did not find a special rule for this river.
We checked the state source but did not find a clearly supported exception for this river. Check the official rules for the exact section you plan to fish.
Rules checkedJul 30, 2026
Report a correction ↗Always follow the official rule
This summary helps with trip planning. The linked agency rule is the one you must follow.
Updates from anglers
What anglers are seeing.
Recent observations from general areas of Pine Creek. We review every update before it appears and never publish exact fishing spots, private access details, or photo locations.
Angler updates are not loading right now.
You can still use the river plan above. Check back later for recent observations from other anglers.
Where this report comes from
Open the sources we checked.
Fishing guidance checked: Jul 6, 2026
Site check: Jul 14, 2026. We regularly test report links, live scores, flow and weather data, and page loading. The content date changes only when the fishing guidance or its sources change.
flowUSGS gauge: Pine Creek at Cedar Run, PAregulationPennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission fishing regulationssafetyNational Weather Service forecast point near Cedar RunregulationPennsylvania Fish and Boat CommissionbackgroundPFBC Pine Creek fisheries management planaccessPA DCNR Pine Creek TrailaccessPA DCNR Pine Creek Water Trail
Common questions
Before you leave.
Is Pine Creek good for fly fishing?+
Yes, Pine Creek can be very useful for fly anglers, especially when flows and temperatures are right. The key is choosing the right reach, checking current regulations, and matching tactics to water conditions.
What gauge should I check?+
Use USGS 01548500, Pine Creek at Cedar Run, as the primary flow reference for this report.
What flies should I bring?+
Carry BWO and caddis patterns, sulfur and March brown options in spring, terrestrials for summer, small nymphs, soft hackles, and a few small streamers.
Can I fish from the Pine Creek Rail Trail?+
The rail-trail corridor is one of the most practical access tools for planning, but anglers still need to use legal public access, respect private property, and confirm any local restrictions.