Tionesta Creek
The big-forest creek: 40 miles of Allegheny National Forest trout water ending in a dam outflow and a lake.
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Current conditions
Gauge: USGS 03017500 — Tionesta Creek at Lynch, PA
Reading baked into this page when it was last updated at 2026-10-14 21:00 — checking the live USGS feed now…
| Window | Reading |
|---|---|
| Too low | Under 110 cfs |
| Low and fishable | 110 - 230 cfs |
| Prime | 230 - 650 cfs |
| High - edges only | 650 - 1,000 cfs |
| Blown out | Over 1,000 cfs |
Forest freestone: the creek runs tannic tea even when clear. Green-stained and falling is prime; chocolate after a flood takes days.
Big forest basin: 2-4 days from flood to prime; the tributaries clear in a day and are the early play.
How the bands were set: Working bands derived from USGS daily discharge statistics for station 03017500, 10 years ending Oct 2026: percentiles p10 58, p25 120, median 310, p75 593, p90 986, p95 1,310 cfs. Lynch sits mid-system: the Sheffield water above runs lower, the dam outflow below is release-driven - trend over absolute numbers.
Gauge page: USGS monitoring location 03017500
Season playbook
Resolved from today's date — the current season is highlighted. On the live site this re-resolves in your browser.
Spring (Mar - May)
The water: The forest wakes late; hatches stack May into June.
Fish present: Stocked trout, wild browns in the tribs.
How to fish it: Nymph the runs; be there for the evening rises.
Summer (Jun - Aug)
The water: Hemlock shade keeps mid-creek fishable; lower creek warms.
Fish present: Trout up, smallmouth and walleye down.
How to fish it: Dawn trout, midday bass at the lake end.
Fall (Sep - Nov)This season
The water: Low, clear, tannic - spooky and beautiful.
Fish present: Browns on the move.
How to fish it: Streamers on drops; October caddis at dusk.
Winter (Dec - Feb)
The water: The dam outflow is the open water.
Fish present: Trout below the dam.
How to fish it: Tailwater midges, midday, release-checked.
On now — hatch & forage for October
- Blue-Winged Olive — BWO dun, Pheasant Tail
- Slate Drake — Isonychia nymph
- October Caddis — Orange sedge
Full calendar
| Item | Window | Size | Patterns | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Black Stonefly | Feb - Mar | #14-18 | Black Stonefly nymph | Forest riffles, first hatch. |
| Blue-Winged Olive | Mar - Apr and Sep - Nov | #16-20 | BWO dun, Pheasant Tail | Grey days on the big pools. |
| Grannom caddis | Mid-Apr - early May | #14-16 | Grannom pupa and dry | Morning pupa drifts. |
| Hendrickson and March Brown | Mid-Apr - Jun | #10-14 | Hendrickson dun, March Brown | The forest sequence, later than downstate by a week or two. |
| Sulphur | Mid-May - mid Jun | #16-18 and #12-14 | Sulphur dun and spinner | Evenings on the long pools. |
| Green Drake (larger pools) | Late May - mid Jun | #8-12 | Green Drake dun, Coffin Fly | Typical window per PA regional hatch charts; Tionesta's big pools see them on good years. |
| Golden Stonefly | Jun - Jul | #8-12 | Golden stone nymph | Big-riffle nymphing. |
| Slate Drake | Jun and Sep - Oct | #10-14 | Isonychia nymph | Bank-swum nymphs. |
| Terrestrials | Jul - Sep | #10-18 | Ants, beetles, hoppers | Hemlock shade lines. |
| October Caddis | Sep - Oct | #10-12 | Orange sedge | Fall dusks. |
Weather & conditions playbook
The row matching the live flow band is highlighted when the gauge answers.
| Condition | What changes | Tactics | Flies | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High and off-color (over 1,000) | The big forest basin takes days to come back. | Fish the tributaries' clear plumes or their upper reaches. | Streamers at the plumes. | Tribs, or wait. |
| Prime green (230 - 650) | Every pool in the system fishes. | Long walks, hatch-hour timing. | Season's sequence. | Go. |
| Low and clear (under 110) | Tannic gin; fish in the pools and shade. | Dawn and dusk; fine and far off. | Terrestrials, BWO, midges. | Technical. |
| Cold snap | Main creek locks at the edges; dam outflow stays open. | Below-dam session, release checked. | Midges. | Tailwater only. |
| Warm rain | Tributary browns drop to the main stem on the fall. | Fish trib mouths on day one of the drop. | Streamers and soft hackles. | Go - mouths first. |
| Summer heat (over 68 F) | Mid-creek coves warm; tribs and the dam outflow stay cold. | Thermometer decides: tribs at dawn or the outflow. | Terrestrials early. | Measure first. |
Access points
Sheffield reach (upper creek) · Map pin
Parking: Bridge crossings and Forest Service pull-offs around Sheffield; the creek follows Route 666.
Classic stocked water in the big woods, with wild-brown tributaries entering. Route 666 is the access spine for the whole middle creek.
Lynch - the gauge reach · Map pin
Parking: Bridge crossing at Lynch on Route 666.
Mid-creek gauge water: long pools and riffles; the reading online is this stretch.
Tionesta Dam outflow and Tionesta borough · Map pin
Parking: USACE recreation access below Tionesta Dam; borough of Tionesta at the creek's end and the lake.
Year-round approved trout water below the dam (PFBC), plus the lake and the Allegheny confluence at town. Release awareness applies at the outflow.
Access changes with postings and seasons — respect every sign, and confirm current PFBC regulations before fishing.
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