Allegheny Reservoir Fishing Guides and Conditions, Pennsylvania

About the Allegheny Reservoir

The Allegheny Reservoir, which almost everyone calls Kinzua, sits behind Kinzua Dam in the Allegheny National Forest and reaches north into New York. It is long, deep and steep-sided, surrounded by public forest rather than houses, and it feels far more like a northern Canadian shield lake than anything else in Pennsylvania.

The depth and the cold give it an unusual species list for the state. Walleye are the main target and are fished hard in spring and autumn. Smallmouth bass on the rock are excellent and under-appreciated. Muskellunge and northern pike are both present, and the deep cold water supports brown trout that most anglers never see.

Because so much of the shoreline is national forest, access is a mix of good developed ramps and long stretches of undeveloped bank reachable on foot. That makes it one of the better big waters in the state for anglers without a boat, and an excellent place to combine fishing with camping.

Kinzua also has a tailwater below the dam that is a fishery in its own right. Cold water drawn from depth keeps the upper Allegheny below Warren cool through the summer, and that stretch supports trout and smallmouth in a river that would otherwise be too warm for one of them.

The New York end of the reservoir is fished under New York regulations, so anyone running north should know where the line is and what changes at it.

The gauge below reports pool elevation. Kinzua is a flood-control reservoir with a real seasonal drawdown, and on water this steep the practical effect is on ramp usability and on how far fish have shifted along the contour rather than on how much cover is flooded.

Access

Kinzua Beach and Kiasutha: Forest Service ramps and day-use areas.
Willow Bay: northern access near the New York line.
Elijah Run and Roper Hollow: quieter Forest Service ramps.
Dewdrop and Red Bridge: campgrounds with lake access.
Kinzua Dam area near Warren: bank access and the tailwater below.
Allegheny National Forest surrounds the lake, so shoreline access is extensive.
Note: the northern end is in New York and its regulations apply there.

Seasons

Winter: cold and quiet, with ice fishing in the sheltered arms in a hard winter.
Spring: the walleye run and the best fishing of the year.
Summer: smallmouth on the rock, deep walleye, and comfortable camping weather.
Fall: feeding walleye and muskellunge, and the forest at its best.