New to Pittsburgh...no boat...

Hello all. I am a recent transplant to Pittsburgh from the West Coast and excited to find such an active board. I didn't make it out fishing at all since I moved here last August and I need to get out fishing in a bad way. Now that the school year is over I have some flexibility and I intend to use it. However, I know next to nothing about the fishing in the area. I'm wondering if you can point me to some good resources (websites, books, etc) to begin learning about the opportunities around here. Catching fish isn't nearly so important to me as just getting outside and knowing there is at least a chance of tying into some good fish.

A little bit about me...I am predominantly a catch and release wade fisherman for trout and smallmouth. I do not have a boat, but love to canoe/kayak. I enjoy using a flyrod, but am equally happy chucking spinners and rapalas or drifting a nightcrawler through a deserving hole. And of course there is nothing like enjoying a tasty beverage through the whole process.

Can you guys point me to any resources to get me started learning about the fishing opportunities available to a guy like me around Pittsburgh? I don't have a boat so it will either involve fishing from shore, wading, or renting a canoe/boat. I am a pretty fit guy so I am willing to hike a bit or even bike to get away from the crowd. I am thinking of renting a boat to do the float trip on the Yough from Confluence to Ohiopyle (http://www.ohiopyletradingpost.com/fishing.htm) this weekend. Any opinions or other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

What part of the burgh?

http://www.fish.state.pa.us/water/county/pfbcmaps/west.htm
 
http://www.fish.state.pa.us/water/county/pfbcmaps/alle.htm

If you're looking for a quick trip from the frick park area just go to the highland park dam off of washington blvd (Rt. 8 north) (starts at the junction of penn and 5th).  Go straight at the end of Washington when you are looking at the asphalt plant in front of you; be in the right hand lane on washington.  you can wet a line in the allegheny there and talk to people to get to some other spots on the river (which holds  a lot of bass, carp, cats, eyes, and other fish.  you can also follow rt. 8 to get to pine creek.  there was another message on the board concerning pine creek and directions were given to this man.  if you start a google map from you home, follow rt. 8 (pine creek will be to the side of the road; they stock behind the wendy's on the left and burchfield pizza on the right.)  to duncan ave. in allison park area.  follow duncan to bryant.  at bottom of hill on bryant is delayed harvest area (usually some cars parked there on isde of road).  You can also follow bryant to sample and just go up the road a few yards.  follow pine creek up from there.  another great place is to go up to slippery rock creek gorge just off 79 north.  plenty of places to fish and explore in this part of the world.  you'll love it.  get out and see it all.  get up to the clarion river and pennsylvania's own little grand canyon.  steel head in erie this coming fall.  log in to the state's webaddress and you will find tons of places to go.  some of best trout fly fishing is in the middle of the state ltort  (spelling?) and yellow springs by mechanicsburg and fishermans paradise up by state college.  if you can find trader horn store on pine creek road in north hills they have a dated version of PA trout streams for $5.  tell your friends on the west coast how great it is here and to come on back east!!

Check out Raccoon Creek State Park, its not far from Pittsburgh and it's one of the nicer parks in the area. You should be able to catch a pretty wide variety of fish there.
 
There are tons of places to fish in the southwestern PA area, just keep checking these forums and you will learn quickly.
 
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/region_pittsburgh.aspx

People throw  bait and lures (and sometimes tires, nuts and bolts (make good cheap disposable sinkers for carp and catfishing) ) into the allegheny.  there are plenty of bass in the allegheny.  another place to consider is backchannel of ohio.  go to neville island firearms and bait and they will tell you what to use and how to get there.  if you are really interested in small mouth, tehn take a trip to harrisburg some weekend.  Susqhehanna is one of the best in the good old USA.  There should be a thread on that somewhere on this board.  Lake Erie is also one of the best small mouth fishieries in the world.  you would need to go on a charter (get a group of people together or sometimes they may have an opening for one person) or try one of the head boats (mainly for perch) operated up there. http://www.fishlakeerie.com/reports/pafish.htm
http://www.poorrichardserie.com/HTML/partyboat.html
 
  See if you can get to a library and look up old issues of pennsylvania fishing put out by the fish commission.  you can subscribe on their web site.  some very good info in there cncerning fishing throughout the state.  and don't forget about good old West by God Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and upstate new york. which are all within a days drive.  best of luck

Not too far up the Allegheny is great smallmouth fishing. Up in Freeport is where it starts to get good, but the farther up the river the better. Also, down on the Youghiogheny River (The Yough) is awsome smallie waters.
I like to use Rattle Traps and In-Line spinners.

I like the Allegheny river. It's close to the city and there's a lot of shore access.  That river is loaded with lots of big fish and many different species.  PM me sometime and we'll hook up.  We can go out in a boat.