Linesville Spillway in Pennsylvania 2025
Thousands of carp rise to the surface to be fed by visitors. You've never seen that much fish in one place!
Best time: March–November
Linesville Spillway offers visitors a strange spectacle: ducks walk on fish! Located near a bridge in the Pymatuning Reservoir in Crawford County, northwestern Pennsylvania, this place isn't widely advertised, but it still draws over 300 000 visitors every year. This spot is the second most exciting tourist destination in all of Pennsylvania.
A famous spillway was built in the 1930s along with a dam and a reservoir to regulate the flow of the Shenango and Beaver rivers. It resulted in increased flow of fish food like larvae into the area. At the same time, people started to gather here to look at the fish and feed it. The spot also attracts many birds like Mallard ducks and Canada geese that come here in crowds.
Huge crowds of fish come to feed on bread thrown by visitors and fight for each little piece of it. The spillway is best visible from the bridge across the reservoir. The town of Linesville has also grown a lot due to this attraction. Once the government wanted to close this spot, but local people protested against this idea and saved the attraction, keeping it open for further visitors. It's best to feed the fish in spring, summer, or fall. In winter, fish may not be present because of icy and cold weather.