Linesville, Pennsylvania: Where the Ducks Walk on the Fish

This was such a fun stop! And yes, we saw the ducks running across the fish! It was at once comical and kinda gross watching the writhing mass of fish fight for hunks of bread. I loved it!

The Spillway in Linesville is such a great FREE attraction [RA: It's "Where the Ducks Walk on the Fish" to eat bread hurled by visitors]. Referring to January 2009, if the government officials of the area wants to make money by saying that pellets should be sold to feed fish, then they should check into having visitors take a bus tour there. There are families that can not afford to pay for a family fun-filled attraction, and by visiting the spillway they can have a family outing free.

In the summer of 1936, I was six years old. It was the first time my dad and his friend took me to Pymatuning Dam. He had a 1935(?) Ford coupe; I rode in the rumble seat. My mother packed us a lunch. We stopped on the dam and walked to the edge to see the fish in the spillways. I ran back to the car and got a sandwich. I tossed a small piece of bread to the fish. The fish went wild for the bread, so I started tossing in more. Pretty soon a crowd of people were at the rail watching. Before I came along, no one was tossing anything to the fish. I threw most of my sandwich to the fish. A year later we returned to the dam and there were guys selling bread on the dam. I like to believe I started it.

In the restricted fishing waters of the PA Game Commission Fish Hatchery, At the Linesville Dam, the large carp and water fowl compete for the bread and other items tossed in to feed the creatures. Try to get the fish to follow a piece of bread, over the head of the dam. Watch the ducks and geese "walk on water" walk on the bodies of the fish.

Visitors Center just up the road from the feeding station gives details about the PA Fisheries program and seasonally available are tours of the hatchery, you may be lucky enough to see small fry, little fish or those ready for release into the waters of PA. Newly renovated "feeding station" visitors center sells bread for feeding and small memorabilia.

It is always a fun day when you get to see the carp at the Pymatuning spillway. I snapped photos when we went to visit. It is truly amazing. I think the spillway is closing for the balance of the summer, but will reopen next spring. I hope they still allow feeding fish when it does reopen.