Mahoning Creek Lake
Fishing and stocking
Channel catfish and muskellunge water, stocked through the 2026 season program; 5,700 fish in the published allocation. A 586-acre reservoir, and one of 15 stocked waters on the Armstrong County record.
Armstrong County · Pennsylvania · see it on the national map
Water temp 53 °F at Mahoning Creek at Mahoning Creek Dam, PA, 5 km away USGS site 03036000 · read 8:15 pm this evening
What swims here
Channel catfish
Muskellunge
Season program record
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission publishes this water by season or program window, not by dated schedule, so there are no truck dates to list; the rows below are the published program allocations. The Pennsylvania season shape statewide: mid-february into october.
Agency feed checked today.
| Season | Species | Size | Fish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 season | Channel catfish | yearling | 1,400 |
| 2026 season | Muskellunge | yearling | 200 |
| 2025 season | Channel catfish | fingerling | 2,700 |
| 2025 season | Channel catfish | yearling | 1,400 |
When to fish Mahoning Creek Lake
| Major periods (~2 h) | Minor periods (~1 h) | |
|---|---|---|
| Today | 9:54-11:54 am and 10:17 pm-12:17 am | 4:11-5:11 am and 4:26-5:26 pm |
| Tomorrow | 10:40 am-12:40 pm | 5:19-6:19 am and 4:50-5:50 pm |
Moon: waxing gibbous, 92% lit. These are solunar periods, the traditional feeding-time theory: majors around the moon's transit overhead and underfoot, minors around moonrise and moonset. Theory, not a measurement. Times are Eastern Time (EDT).
What the record actually says
- Stocked through the 2026 season program
- Water 53 °F at a gauge 5 km away
Computed this evening, Oct 23 · Pennsylvania fishing forecast
Getting on the water
| Access point | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Milton Loop | boat ramp | no fee |
| Sportsmans | shore fishing | no fee |
Access points from PA Fish and Boat Commission access records. Ramps, fees, and hours change; check before towing a boat a long way.
Gear for this water
For the catfish (channel catfish on the season program here, stillwater)
| Rod holders | catfishing is a waiting game; fish two rods where legal |
| Medium-heavy rod | 7 ft medium-heavy, 15 to 20 lb line, sturdy reel |
| Circle hooks on a slip-sinker rig | 2/0 to 5/0 circles on a Carolina rig; let them load up |
For the muskie and pike (muskellunge on the season program here, stillwater)
| Oversized landing net | a stocked muskie fishery deserves a proper release tool |
| Heavy casting rod | 7.5 to 9 ft heavy with 65 to 80 lb braid; these fish punish light gear |
| Large bucktails and gliders | big profile baits; finish every cast with a figure-eight |
Suggestions follow from what the state actually stocks here and what kind of water it is, nothing else. No sponsored placements.
Nearby stocked waters
The closest waters with stocking pages of their own, straight-line miles from this one.
| Water | Distance | Most recent |
|---|---|---|
| Little Mahoning Creek | 2.3 mi | May 6 |
| Little Sandy Creek | 8.8 mi | May 15 |
| Leatherwood Creek | 9.9 mi | Apr 27 |
| Scrubgrass Creek | 10 mi | May 13 |
| Keystone Lake | 12 mi | 2026 season |
Follow Armstrong County stocking: RSS / Calendar (iCal) / Print the schedule