Northwest Region
Crawford County
Woodcock Creek Lake
Anglers are reporting a few Walleye and Muskellunge are being caught.
Woodcock Creek
Anglers are reporting a few Walleye which mostly are undersize, Muskellunge, and trout are being caught.
Canadohta Lake
Anglers are reporting crappie fishing has been slower than usually.
Forest County
Area Trout Waters
Trout anglers are catching trout by using worms on Beaver Run. Trout anglers using fly gear have been successful on the Tionesta Outflow using caddis dry flies and wet flies.
Allegheny River
Anglers are reporting excellent catches of Walleye on the Allegheny River from Tidioute to Tionesta.
Tionesta Lake
Crappie fishing on Tionesta Lake should start to become productive. Anglers generally find the crappie in the upper Slow No Wake area near the submerged stumps. Live minnows hooked through the tail under a stick bobber have been a successful method in past years. Anglers fishing from boats on Tionesta Lake, are reminded that they must wear a P.F.D. at ALL times, while onboard boats less than 16 feet in length and while onboard ALL canoes and kayaks, regardless of their length.
Northeastern Region
Southern Luzerne & Columbia Counties
The Susquehanna River has been running high, fast and muddy due to the recent rain. Fishing pressure has been light and the few anglers on the river have been finding it difficult, but not impossible to hook up with Smallmouth Bass and some Walleye. Try fishing the confluences with the creeks as the water seems to be a little clearer and fish your lures slow. Try using lures with a bigger profile and those that emit some vibration or sound. Also, scent is never a bad idea.
The district has wrapped up its in-season trout stocking and there are plenty of fish in the trout stocked waters to be caught. Anglers have been doing well on a variety of baits, lures and flies. Those venturing into the DHALO section of the Nescopeck Creek are reminded that the creel limit is zero and the possession of bait is prohibited, whether it is being used or not.
Anglers have been going out on a limb to get to trout this past week on local streams. Sometimes going the extra mile and using a ‘balanced’ fishing approach does have its reward. Trevor Dietz, age 9 from Fairmount Springs shows his reward for going the extra mile!
With the water temps being slightly colder than normal for this time of year, boaters are encouraged to wear a PFD, regardless of the size of boat or your swimming ability.
Maintenance personnel will be repainting lines at Lily Lake’s parking area sometime in the near future. When this occurs, the parking lot will be roped off and closed. Anglers and boaters will still be able to utilize the lake, but will be asked to park in the dirt lot across from the old bar room.
Northern Pike and Southern Wayne Counties
Fishing has been really good on Lake Wallenpaupack for Striped Bass and Brown Trout, mostly on live bait and slow trolling in the deep water. Some of the lake and ponds in the district are starting to turn on for crappies and perch, and all are good for bluegills.
As our boating season has already started due to the lack of ice this year, boaters and anglers are still to be concerned about the cold water temps and to be wearing their PFD’s. Cold water kills and even when the air temps are in the sixties and seventies.
Northern Wayne County
Perch and crappie are hitting at Belmont Lake using jigs and live bait. Seasons sizes and creel limits are still waived at White Oak and Miller Ponds. Anglers are catching crappies using pinheads from the shoreline and near boat docks in the region.
Northcentral Region
Tioga County
Fishing was fantastic prior to the cold weather that moved in over the last few days. With the cold weather, fishing has been slow this week. Water temperatures have dropped significantly. This pattern will continue through most of this week, until it warms up again.
So far, it seems as though the Crappie have not spawned yet. As soon as it warms up again, fishing will begin to improve.
Anglers who are catching Crappie, are catching them near habitat structures just off the lake shores.
Hamilton Lake
The lake was recently re-stocked. Anglers are catching trout using chartreuse, rainbow and orange doughbaits. Live minnows are also working.
Hammond Lake
Anglers are catching hybrid stripers using spinnerbaits.
Lycoming County
Pine Creek
Anglers are catching trout using olive or brown streamers and weighted nymphs. With the cold water temperatures, the trout are hanging tight to the bottom of the stream. Anglers are fishing their nymphs and streamers near the as close to the bottom as possible. Trout are also being caught using spinners.
Anglers are also catching and releasing Smallmouth Bass using streamers and spinners.
Clinton County
Fishing Creek
The stream level and color is perfect! Water temperatures are currently in the low 50s.
Anglers are catching trout using nymphs (e.g. bead head pheasant tail; dark stone flies; bead head prince nyph) mid-morning into the late afternoon hours. Keep an eye out for the hatches and be prepared to do some dry fly fishing! Hatches you might see include blue wing olives, caddis, hendricksons, sulphurs, blue quill, and march browns.
Anglers using the dry-dropper technique (e.g. rig = dry fly with a nymph about 2 feet below the dry fly) are having the most success. Using the dry-dropper technique provides anglers with a chance to catch trout on the surface and/or under the water!
Centre County
Penns Creek
The water level is a little below average, color is green and the temperature is currently in the low 50s.
During late morning into late afternoon hours, anglers are catching trout using small dark nymphs (e.g. rubberleg stoneflies; bead head hares ear; bead head pheasant tail; caddis larvae). Anglers are also catching trout using streamer patterns and spinners.
During hatches, trout are being caught on the water surface. Hatches occurring mid-afternoon include sulphurs, tan caddis, hendricksons, and midges.
Spring Creek
Water color is great. Water temperatures are currently in the low 50s.
Anglers are catching trout using light and dark sulphur nymphs in the riffle/broken water areas. Trout are being caught using sulphur dry flies in the late afternoon and late evening hours. The later the better!
Nymphing seems to be producing the best catches throughout the day (e.g. black zebra midge; walt’s worms; olive scud; hot spot sow bug; bead head pheasant tail; caddis larvae).
With the water being a little off color, a few anglers are catching trout using olive or brown streamer patterns.
Hatches to be prepared for while on the water include sulphurs, blue wing olives, tan caddis, and midges.
Anglers are also catching trout using spinners on lower Spring Creek.
Southeastern Region
N. Chester County
Marsh Creek Lake
Bluegills and crappies are taking the usual baits; mealworms, wax worms, minnows and small brightly colored jigs. Bass will take jigs, spinners and crankbaits. Use large black, purple, dark green and pumpkin seed rubber worms. The best live baits are crayfish, minnows and night crawlers. The bass are on redds now and it is illegal to target them there.
Streams
The French, Pickering, East Brandywine, and West Valley Creeks are in excellent condition and offering the best fishing opportunities of the season thus far. The fishing pressure has been very light for this time of the year, which means there is still a lot of trout left to fish for. Water temps have been hovering around the mid 50’s, which makes for really good fishing. Spin anglers have been doing fair with spinners, and a few are having great success with small crank baits. Bait anglers are doing equally well with minnows, small wax and mealworms. Fly anglers have reported taking trout on black caddis, stoneflies, and midges. Small pheasant tail and hares ears nymphs are also producing good results.
S. Chester County
For those who think that the trout are all gone here in Chester County, think again. Anglers are still catching nice fish in the West Branch Brandywine Creek as it meanders through Hibernia County Park. Many of the anglers are catch and release; however, some leave with full stringers and other anglers are reporting that they caught and released from one to ten trout. This stream has fast moving water with deep holes as well as some long wide, deep and slow areas if the fast water is too much of a challenge or for anglers looking to teach someone how to fish. Don’t forget the Children’s Fishing Pond in the park is stocked with trout if you are looking to take a youngster trout fishing.
There were still plenty of trout found in Buck Run recently, and few anglers have been spotted on the stream. There have been 3 to 5 fish spotted at each hole. Buck Run is a small stream that was running very clear, so get to a spot, catch a fish or two, and then move on to the next spot, because it is hard to hide from the fish. You will catch one and then the fish are spooked for a while, so you have to either move on or, wait till they settle down again. Take along mealworms, worms and fathead minnows, as the trout may be picky. This isn’t a great stream for using spinners on.
N. Montgomery County
Deep Creek Lake in Green Lane County Park: Anglers fishing along the shoreline last weekend near the West Shore Boat Launch area were able to get Bluegills fishing with bobber and worm rigs while fishing at the Southeast Region Family Fishing Festival. One young angler was spotted pulling a 14” Largemouth Bass from the shoreline with the same setup. Anglers in kayaks have been able to paddle out to the channel to get at the stocked trout in the lake. Try suspending minnows, mealworms and paste baits.