I first visited the Linesville Spillway at Pymatuning State Park in far western Pennsylvania during the pandemic when we were in search of outside activities to do. My husband, who grew up in the general vicinity, had been there several times over the years and was familiar with it. We took my son, then three, to feed the fish that literally spill over into the spillway when there’s lots of water. I was surprised by just how many fish there were – hundreds and hundreds of common carp.
We fed them bread, which I know is often frowned upon or not allowed. But here it’s encouraged – it dates back to a tradition of feeding the fish bread that started in 1934 when the Spillway was built. To this day, there are nearby venders that sell the bread, and it’s one of the few places where the state allows it. In addition to the fish, seagulls, ducks and geese also gather around hoping for a piece of bread.
I went back in August 2025 to feed the fish again and see how it’s changed – still the same, except a bit drier. I also read up on common carp, which are native to Eurasia but were brought to the states in the 1800s for food. But people in America apparently don’t have a taste for carp and prefer other fish to eat. So, they then became an invasive species, often crowding out other fish and animals. But at the spillway, they are beloved with their big pink sucker mouths sucking in food and grime alike, spitting out what they can’t digest.
