The Spillway
Every state has its curiosities, those weird places that people are just drawn to visit. One of my favorites is the Pymatuning Lake Spillway in Linesville, PA. The spillway was created in 1934 at the upper portion of the lake and is a catch-all for thousands of carp. Visitors bring their families to see the thousands of fish thrashing in the water each day.
Where:
Pymatuning Lake is on the border of Ohio and Pennsylvania. State parks on either side, both named Pymatuning State Park, provide recreation activities, including boating, fishing, and camping. Located at 12318 Hartstown Road, Linesville, PA, the spillway is about 15 minutes north of Jamestown, PA, 15 minutes east (and north) of Andover, Ohio, 4 minutes south of Linesville, PA, or 15 minutes west of Conneaut Lake, PA, depending on which direction you’re coming from.
When:
The Spillway is open year-round; however, the concession stand is only open in the warmer months.
Admission:
Admission is free! Anyone can come and view or feed the fish. Bread is available for purchase; usually it’s $1.00 per loaf. Sometimes on weekends, you can find roadside vendors selling it cheaper on the way there. Snacks are also available for purchase along with souvenirs such as postcards and t-shirts.
The spillway is known as the place “where the ducks walk on the fish,” and it’s not really an exaggeration. The fish are so thick here that visitors have actually seen it happen.
When spectators throw bread into the water, the carp whip into a frenzy of motion with their mouths gaping open. I truly believe they could gum you to death if you fell in. If you want to see true thrashing, throw an entire slice of bread in without ripping it up. A bagel will last even longer as the carp jockey into position for a bite of it.
The spillway provides entertainment for all ages. It’s a place multiple generations of the family can enjoy.
If you’re looking for more to do in the area, travel fifteen minutes south to Pymatuning Deer Park. Click here for more information.
For more information about Pymatuning State Park in Pennsylvania, click here.
As weird of a place as you think this is I have actually been to Pymatuning Lake Spillway. We were driving back across the state and did one of those searches for something to do and this came up. My girls were young and I can attest to the HUGE amount of fish in the water.
This looks like a wonderful place to visit with family! I prefer natural surrounding with flora & fauna.
Love all the family pictures, it helps me to imagine my family and I being there.
Hi it’s Brenda from RubyHemMinistries.com We were just there in the beginning of June and are about to go back at the end of this month. It’s one of my favorite places to visit in this area (I’m from Pittsburgh).
Wow! That’s crazy! I’m from upstate NY and I’m surprised that I’ve never heard of this. We may make a trip when we visit back home.
What a fun place to take the family for an afternoon. And I would seriously like to see some duck walk on the fish.
I love finding free or nearly free activities while traveling. Great read!
Oh my goodness, that is crazy!! And yes, they are walking on the fish!!
How interesting! What a site to see.
Wow! So many fish!!! That looks pretty cool though!
The very idea of ducks walking on fish. Lol
I’ve seen fish like that when I was little…salmon. Times have changed but it’s a nice glimpse as to how it used to be.
Wow! That’s a crazy amount of fish, ducks, and geese!!
That is a lot of fish! I wonder if the ducks fight them for the bread!
Oh, they do. The ducks are smart enough not to go down in the bowl though.
Cool! My 2 year old would love this!
That is awesome. Carp are huge fish.
I love learning about unique little places like this! Thanks for sharing, I’ll be sure to check it out if we are ever in the area.
Your posts always tempt me to get on a plane to visit the places you describe so well. Thanks for sharing.
The nickname alone caught my attention. What an interesting place!
Oh my goodness, I’ve never heard of this lake – it’s so cool! And kinda crazy!!
Great read and I like the way you explain “WHERE”. So many fishes and ducks. I love to see them in real.
I’ve never seen so many fish in my life! The fact that the ducks are actually on top of them is crazy! Must be quite the site!
Oh my goodness I’ve never seen so many fish! That’s quite the site!
Wow, what a sight! That’s a lot of fish >.<
It must be very interesting to see!
I’ve been only in Philly, but I have to consider see other places, too. This one looks interesting for a day walk.
Thanks for sharing!
I love to see places I’d normally never get to visit on blog posts like this. That really is a crazy amount of carp!
Oh my goodness…so many fish..:)