Fisheries of the Stonycreek River Watershed

Stonycreek River Basin Fisheries

Fisheries Map

Stonycreek Canyon & Gorge
Beaverdam Run
Quemahoning Creek
Quemahoning Reservoir
Clear Shade Creek
Cub Run, Piney Run
Beaverdam Creek
Little Paint Creek/Elton Dam
Bens Creek
Lower Stonycreek River
MAP of Watershed Fisheries
Fisheries of the Conemaugh

This on-line SCRIP Fisheries Guide summarizes information in our pamphlet, which can be ordered for $4 from SCRIP, PO Box 153, Johnstown, PA 15907-0153. We'll give you the Fishing Guide FREE if you send in a $15 membership to the same address and note that you found us on the Web!

Stonycreek River
Description - The Upper Stonycreek River in the Upper Gorge is a classic freestone cold water fishery, with a superb riffle to pool ratio. Its characteristics resemble famous Pennsylvania trout streams such as Penns Creek and Kettle Creek. The best fishing is in the Upper Gorge, where access can be gained at five points: 1) Stoystown off Route 30; 2) the Kimmelton Bridge along Cemetery Road below the gorge; 3) Glessner's covered Bridge along Covered Bridge Road above the gorge; 4) Shanksville, just upstream of Glessner's Bridge and 5) a walk-in point on Highland Road. The Upper Gorge serpents for nine miles while dropping 500 feet in elevation. The stream itself is moderately wide with a very rocky bottom that makes wading difficult in most places. The river flows 43 miles to Johnstown, where it enters the Conemaugh River. The best fishing is from about Shanksville down through the Gorge. The fishery ends below Kantner, where acid mine drainage destroys the fishery. SCRIP's Oven Run Project expended the fishery about seven miles through Hooversville to the mouth of Shade Creek in the Stonycreek Canyon. Although the stream's gradient is not as steep through Hooversville and Hollsopple, it picks up substantially through the Canyon, which is very popular with whitewater boaters.

Fish - The Upper Stonycreek River is home to mainly trout and some smallmouth bass. The PA Fish & Boat Commission stocks the Upper Gorge from Shanksville to Stoystown with fingerlings only to present a wild fish type atmosphere for the fisherman. They stock the area upstream of Shanksville with adult fish. The trout in the Gorge are mostly holdovers from previous years and include Brown and Rainbows. Although there are no true wild fish in the Stony, a gentle line and patience are still needed to catch the spooky fish here.

Beaverdam Creek
Beaverdam Creek, a smaller stream, flows directly into the Stonycreek River just South of Stoystown. Beaverdam Creek, for the most part, flows along Dunmeyer Road, which makes the stream easily accessible. The stream is primarily an early season stream due to its smaller size and water quality.

Quemahoning Reservoir
Quemahoning Reservoir is a large body of water opened for public recreation only after it was purchased by the Cambria Somerset Authority to provide water to communities and businesses in the region. It can be fished from the shore in certain places, or boat access is available from a ramp located near Summer's Best Two Weeks Camp. The lake holds bass, walleye and an assortment of pan fish. Please visit BigDamFish.Net for more information.

Quemahoning Creek
Quemahoning Creek originates in a remote section of Somerset County near the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The lower portion of the stream was dammed in the early 20th Century to supply industrial water for mills in Johnstown. The Jenner Community Sportsmen's Club places fish in the upper reaches and in tributaries such as Card Machine Run, Pickings Run and Roaring Run. The stocking has become a major community event each spring since completion of the Jenner AMD Project, which substantially improved water quality, although several another project is in construction and other projects are planned.

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Bens Creek, South Fork of Bens Creek
Description - The Bens Creek and its South Fork are small yet reliable streams for catching trout. They flow along Route 985 for several miles making the stream easily accessible. Numerous points of access include turn-offs and bridges with the last point upstream on 985 being the Casa Nova bridge, where the South Fork turns up to the Laurel Ridge. The North Fork of Bens Creek is interrupted by a reservoir owned by Greater Johnstown Water Authority. Some North Fork feeder streams contain wild rainbow trout, but flowing down from high on Laurel Ridge are difficult to get to. Both forks and the mainstem of Bens Creek are excellent cold water fisheries with superb water quality. Bens Creek is home to SCRIP's first acid mine drainage project, which substantially improves the stream's water quality. The Mountain Laurel Chapter of Trout Unlimited has done substantial habitat improvement project aimed at increasing the number of fish that Bens Creek can hold.

Fish - Bens Creek contains brook, browns and rainbows. Some of these fish are stocked while wild species can be found in headwaters. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Bens Creek is that the headwaters or North Fork are home to wild reproducing rainbow trout, which is exceedingly rare in Pennsylvania.

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Clear Shade Creek
Description - Clear Shade Creek flows through the village of Ogletown and passes under Route 56 east of Windber. Clear Shade is a medium to small sized stream with very good water quality. Access is difficult because most of the stream is enclosed in Gallitzin State Forest/Clear Shade Natural Area. However, the stream can be reached via a dirt road named Clear Shade Road, which turns off Route 56 near the Ranger Station and leads to the Fisherman's Path, part of the John P. Saylor Trail; via township road 816, a dirt road at the village of Ashtola; and where Route 160 crosses the stream south of Windber. Although Clear Shade Creek has only limited access it is one of the best cold water fisheries in the basin due to its phenomenal water quality and excellent insect population.

Fish - Clear Shade Creek is stocked by the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission and the Windber Sportsmen's Club. Clear Shade offers wild brook and brown trout, as well as the stocked fish.

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Cub Run & Piney Run
Cub Run and Piney Run are small, delicate tributaries to Clear Shade high on Allegheny Ridge. Piney Run is a wild trout stream due to its inhabitants and its flow through isolated and private forest land. Cub and Piney Run both contain wild reproducing brook and brown trout, no rainbows. The insect population on both streams is extremely diverse and mounteous. The vegetation on these streams is very lush, so proper equipment is needed. Access to Cub Run can be obtained via Township Road 816 in Ashtola, which also crosses Clear Shade Creek. Top of Page Beaverdam Run
Beaverdam Run originates just west of the Bedford County line high on Allegheny Ridge. It flows through woodland to Dark Shade Creek just north of Central City. The water runs cold all year and despite the diminutive size aquatic insects, the crayfish and bait fish are abundant. The Upper reaches hold a fine population of wild brown trout, but because the waterway is small and surrounded by a lush vegetation coupled with wary trout, the angling can be challenging. The lower section holds stocked fish year round and is more angler accessible. Top of Page Little Paint Creek and Elton Sportsman's Dam
Elton Sportman's Dam is located off Route 160 on a dirt road behind the Ridgeview Development near Salix. The dam is a small body of water but is one of the only dams in the county that can be legally fished. The dam contains a plethora of warm water as well as the cold water fish species. Little Paint Creek is a small stream flowing through Elton Sportsman's Dam. It flows south along Route 160 through Elton and enters Paint Creek at Scalp Level. Access to the stream is readily available because it is close to 160 and Scalp Level.

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Lower Stonycreek River
The Lower Stonycreek River has become a fishery only since about 2000, when the fourth of the six Oven Run Project sites was finished. This section of the river is still extremely fragile, but it holds trout in some sections, particularly below the mouth of Bens Creek near the community of Riverside. The lower portions of the river were stocked for the first time in 2001 by local sportsmen's groups with SCRIP support. In 2002, the PA Fish & Boat Commission began to stock the river here with bass. The stockings have planted smallmouth bass and rock bass, not trout, because the Fish Commission feels this section of the river will be too warm to sustain a good cold water fishery. Top of Page

Scrip Contact List:
SCRIP
PO Box 153
Johnstown PA 15907-0153

cccd@co.cambria.pa.us
somersetcd@wpia.net
scrip@pa-conservation.org