Indian Lake, Westmoreland County

smfine -
 
i happened to fish there last saturday, for the first time in about 10 years.  it had been stocked with trout the day before, but i saw very few guys catching trout.  i caught one small crappie in 2 hours.  the guys who were catching trout were fishing near the dam right by the parking lot, which is probably where most of 'em got dumped. 
 
don't know if anything is still going on there, but back in the day there was a lake at the penn township municipal park by penn trafford high school.  it used to get stocked with trout for kids (you were allowed to keep 3 a day), and it used to be full of big channel cats and carp that were catch & release only.  when i was in high school, i caught two flatheads there that were over 40 inches.  it's been about 5 years since i've fished there, so you might want to call the municipal building there and find out what's going on, but it was always a very fun place.  freshly cut up bluebills were always the best bait there, followed by crayfish, minnows and chicken livers for the big cats. 
 
oak hollow park in north huntingdon is loaded with bluegills that were always very easy to catch.  if your guys are little, they might enjoy that.  had my kids there once last year, and each of them caught at least 20 bluegills a piece.  used to be some nice bass in there too, and lots of brown bullhead catfish.
 
good luck,
dave

The penn twp municipal lake is definatley usually a good time.  As far as I've ever know though, everything is catch & release.  Lots of huge carp and catfish.  be sure to take a net if you want to land them.
As far as Indian lake, I fished there last year and it was horrible.  I wont be going back.  Have you thought about Twin lakes park?  I personally dont care for it because I consider it a "old mans or little kids lake"  but there are many who love it.  I just never felt the connection myself.  Oak Hollow is good for bluegills.  If you need directions to any of these places, just let me know.

I fished Indian lake last Friday evening with a few buddies (stocked that day). I only saw maybe 3-4 other people catch fish. We caught 10-12 each. I got two trout, a bass, and a bunch of small crappie.. those things were hitting as it hit the water. Water color was murky at best. I've only fished that place twice before. One time caught one okay rainbow and the other time skunked (both about two years ago). The place might be worth your while, at least worth a shot. We used flatheads and waxworms.. crawlers weren't working.

Catfishslayer -
 
Have you fished the municipal park lately, like within the last year or so?  I've been wanting to take some youngsters there there that love fishing and would love that place if it's still good.  I live in Saxonburg now, but grew up in North Huntingdon and used to fish that place all the time when I was in high school.  You can PM me if you want.
 
dave

thanks catslayer.  that helps a ton.  sounds like things haven't changed too much there over the years.  i've used all that stuff there in the past, but seems i always did best on cut bluegills or live crayfish for the cats.  caught a few flatheads in there MANY years ago that were real fun.  secret for those bad boys was to fish right at dusk with big bait (half bluegill or 4 or 5 inch creek chub).  wonder if any of those big boys are left?  guess i'll have to find out in a month or two. 
 
dave

smfine -
 
here ya go: 
http://www.co.westmoreland.pa.us/parks/cwp/view.asp?a=3&q=619937
 
twin lakes is a great place to fish.  used to go there almost every day in college.  if your boys are old enough for a boat ride, i've always done real well there trolling in a paddle boat with rooster tails or hus lures in the lower lake.  you can rent boats there for a pretty reasonable price, but can't bring your own.  the boathouse also sells bait and tackle.  there are also plenty of bass and panfish in both lakes to keep youngsters interested.
 
have fun,
dave

never could get into the indian lake thing. even way back when before they siezed it from that drug dealer who originally owned the land i would go by there and think what a mudhole it was. im sure it has its fan as we can see but it just feels so manufactured or something.....just cant get into it. especially when the yough is right down the street....kinda