See every public fishing venue in Pennsylvania on the map, with boat ramps, camping, parking and full rules for each one.
West Branch French Creek is a public river in Erie County, Pennsylvania, managed by Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission. You can fish it on a Pennsylvania fishing licence (plus a Trout Permit for trout, a Lake Erie Permit for Erie waters). Pennsylvania has no general right of stream access — bank and wading access is at PFBC easements, state forest, park and game-land frontage and public bridges; away from those, the streambed may be private, so check current signage or ask permission. Public access confirmed via PFBC warmwater/coolwater fishery.
A big Pennsylvania smallmouth river (Juniata, Allegheny, Monongahela, Conemaugh) — smallmouth bass, walleye, muskellunge, sauger and channel catfish in warm, wadeable-to-floatable water.
It runs roughly 15 miles through the Northwest PA region. Anglers here mostly fish for muskellunge, northern pike, rock bass, smallmouth bass; walleye are also on record. Live flow and gauge height come from the West Branch French Creek near Lowville, PA USGS station shown below. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are Lake Pleasant and Howard Eaton Reservoir.
Species from PiscaMaps water-type profiles, the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission trout-stocking records and hand research.
Night fishing: No statewide night-fishing closure in Pennsylvania on most waters; stocked trout waters have specific in-season closures around opening day and stocking, and some special-regulation areas post their own hours — check the current PA Fishing Summary.
Boats: Most Pennsylvania trout streams are wade or bank access; the Susquehanna, Juniata, Allegheny and Monongahela are floated by drift boat, jet boat or kayak; only the big reservoirs and Lake Erie take a trailered boat.
Bank & bivvy camping: You can fish this water on a Pennsylvania fishing licence (plus a Trout Permit for trout, a Lake Erie Permit for Erie waters). Pennsylvania has no general right of stream access — bank and wading access is at PFBC easements, state forest/park/game-land frontage and public bridges. Check current signage.
Tackle: Statewide trout, bass and panfish limits apply unless posted; a large number of PA streams carry Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only, Catch-and-Release Fly-Fishing Only, Keystone Select Stocked Trout or Class A Wild Trout special regulations. Check the current PA Fishing Summary for this water.
Camping: 1 site mapped nearby — Campsite.
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors.
Loading live flow & gauge height…
Live from USGS gauge 03021410 — West Branch French Creek near Lowville, PA. Full gauge data →
Anyone 16 or older needs a Pennsylvania fishing licence — the resident annual is about $28, the non-resident annual about $61. A Trout Permit (about $15) is required in addition to fish for or keep trout, and a Lake Erie Permit (about $11) — or a combo — for Lake Erie and its tributaries. Pennsylvania residents 65 and older can buy a discounted senior lifetime licence; under-16 fish free. Buy from the PFBC at HuntFish.pa.gov. A Pennsylvania fishing licence covers this water — it's a PFBC-surveyed warmwater/coolwater fishery.
Every water carries species, bank & boat access, current regulations and live water conditions — and members get Swim Mapper, Catch Logger and Trip Planner. It's the only US map with a dedicated carp-water layer.
Open the Pennsylvania map Start your free trial