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Home › Waters › Pennsylvania › Allegheny River below Kinzua Dam
Tailwater · Northwestern Pennsylvania, Warren County, the Allegheny National Forest country immediately below Kinzua Dam and the Allegheny Reservoir · Pennsylvania

Allegheny River below Kinzua Dam Fishing Guides

Pennsylvania's best-known coldwater tailwater, released from the bottom of Kinzua Dam into the Allegheny National Forest, holding trout through summer and big walleye and musky below.

A concrete dam releasing water into the river below it
Gauge location. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Guides on the Allegheny River below Kinzua Dam

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About the Allegheny River below Kinzua Dam

The Allegheny River below Kinzua Dam is the tailwater that Pennsylvania anglers mean when they talk about year round trout water on a big river. Kinzua Dam impounds the Allegheny Reservoir on the New York line and releases from depth, so the water entering the river below it comes out cold even in August. That single fact transforms a river which above the reservoir is an ordinary warmwater stream into a coldwater fishery for the reach below the dam, and the gauge at the dam reads discharge, stage, water temperature and dissolved oxygen so that anglers can see exactly what is being released.

Flow here is managed rather than natural, and that is the central thing to understand. Releases change with power generation, flood control and downstream needs, and the river can rise substantially within an hour. Anyone wading below the dam needs to know the schedule and watch the level, because this is a large river and the change is not gradual. When flows are moderate the wading is excellent over gravel and cobble, and a drift boat opens the reach considerably.

Brown trout and rainbow trout hold in the cold water nearest the dam, supported by stocking and by the thermal refuge the release provides through summer. As the water warms downstream the fishery shifts, and the Allegheny below Warren is celebrated in its own right for smallmouth bass, walleye and musky. That progression from trout to warmwater over a modest distance is unusual and it means a visiting angler can fish two quite different rivers in a day.

Access is good through the Allegheny National Forest, with pull offs, boat launches and Warren close by for services. Pressure is real near the dam and thins downstream.

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We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

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Posting to Allegheny River below Kinzua Dam.

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Reader photo license v1.0 — the short version:

  • You grant Guided Floats, LLC a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish, resize and crop your photo on guidedfloats.com and in GuidedFloats’ own social posts and apps. You keep the copyright and can use the photo anywhere else.
  • You confirm that you took the photo yourself, that publishing it does not infringe anyone else’s rights, and that anyone recognisable in it (or a parent or guardian, if they are under 18) is happy for it to appear here.
  • Credit is printed beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, using the credit name you give us. Leave it blank and we use your name; write “Anonymous” for no name. Your email address is never published.
  • Withdrawing is one email to hello@guidedfloats.com naming the photo. It comes off the site within 7 days.
Read the full license

Version 1.0, dated 6 September 2026. Applies to every photograph submitted to GuidedFloats through the contact form, a species page, or the community board.

1. What you give us

By ticking the box on the form you grant Guided Floats, LLC (“GuidedFloats”, “we”) a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, copy, resize, crop and display your photograph on guidedfloats.com, in GuidedFloats’ own social media accounts and mobile apps, and in material that promotes the site itself, in connection with the fish, water or community feature you sent it in for. The license lasts until you withdraw it (section 4).

You keep the copyright. The license is not exclusive, so you can use the photo anywhere else and license it to anyone else. We will not sell your photo, license it on to anyone else on its own, or use it in paid advertising for a third party.

2. What you confirm

You confirm that you took the photograph yourself (or otherwise own the rights to it), that you have the right to grant this license, and that publishing the photo does not infringe anyone else’s copyright, privacy or other rights.

If any person is recognisable in the photo, you confirm that they have agreed to its being published here, and that a parent or guardian has agreed on behalf of anyone under 18. Please do not send photographs of other people’s catches, screenshots, or pictures copied from other websites or social media.

3. Credit

We print the credit name you give us beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, and record it as the photo’s creator in the page’s structured data. If you leave the credit blank we use the name you gave us on the form. Write “Anonymous” if you prefer no name at all. Your email address, phone number and the exact spot the photo was taken are never published.

4. Withdrawing the license

You can withdraw the license at any time by emailing hello@guidedfloats.com, or by using the contact form, and telling us which photo you mean. We will remove the photo from guidedfloats.com within 7 days of receiving your message and stop using it in anything new. Copies that are already outside our control — search-engine caches, social posts that have already gone out, printed material already produced — may take longer to disappear or may not be recallable, and we are not responsible for those.

5. What we may do

We choose which photos to publish and may decline any submission without giving a reason. We may crop, resize, sharpen or colour-correct a photo for display, and we may remove a photo at any time. We will not alter a photo in a way that misrepresents the fish, the water or you.

6. Your details

We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

7. Versions

The version of this license you accepted is stored with your submission and printed with the photo. A later version does not apply to a photo you have already sent unless you agree to it.

Access

Warren - the town a short way downstream, with lodging, food, tackle and guides.
Kinzua Dam - the release point and the top of the tailwater, with parking and access below.
Allegheny National Forest - the public land surrounding the river, with launches and camping.
Allegheny Reservoir - the large impoundment above the dam, a separate fishery in its own right.
Boat launches between the dam and Warren - the practical access for drift boats and jet craft.
Conewango Creek - the tributary entering at Warren, marking the shift toward warmwater.
Bradford - a regional town to the east with additional lodging and services.

Seasons

Spring: high managed flows and cold water, with trout near the dam and walleye moving through the reach below.
Summer: the release keeps the upper tailwater cold while the rest of the state warms, and this is when the river is most valuable.
Fall: falling flows and cooling water bring the best fishing of the year, with brown trout and strong smallmouth action downstream.
Winter: the tailwater stays open and ice free near the dam, and dedicated anglers fish it through the cold months.

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Questions

What is the current flow on the Allegheny River below Kinzua Dam?

As of Sep 24, 4:00 pm, the USGS gauge Allegheny River at Kinzua Dam, PA reads 1,900 cfs, with water temperature 68.5 F. Conditions update every 15 minutes.

What species can you catch on the Allegheny River below Kinzua Dam?

Anglers target Brown Trout, Channel Catfish, Musky, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Sucker, Yellow Perch on the Allegheny River below Kinzua Dam in Pennsylvania.

Where can you access the Allegheny River below Kinzua Dam?

Warren - the town a short way downstream, with lodging, food, tackle and guides. Kinzua Dam - the release point and the top of the tailwater, with parking and access below. Allegheny National Forest - the public land surrounding the river, with launches and camping. Allegheny Reservoir - the large impoundment above the dam, a separate fishery in its own right. Boat launches between the dam and Warren - the practical access for drift boats and jet craft. Conewango Creek - the tributary entering at Warren, marking the shift toward warmwater. Bradford - a regional town to the east with additional...

When is the best time to fish the Allegheny River below Kinzua Dam?

Spring: high managed flows and cold water, with trout near the dam and walleye moving through the reach below. Summer: the release keeps the upper tailwater cold while the rest of the state warms, and this is when the river is most valuable. Fall: falling flows and cooling water bring the best fishing of the year, with brown trout and strong smallmouth action downstream. Winter: the tailwater stays open and ice free near the dam, and dedicated anglers fish it through the cold months.

Where are the fishing regulations for the Allegheny River below Kinzua Dam?

Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Pennsylvania agency site: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/fishandboat/fishing/regulations