Northwest Region
Get your license ONLINE – 2018 Fishing License go on sale December 1st: gonefishingpa.com/
REMINDER – Mandatory Cold Weather Life Jacket Wear began on November 1, 2017 and runs through April 30, 2018.
Learn more here: http://www.fishandboat.com/Boat/BoatingRegulations/Pages/MandatoryPFD.aspx
REMINDER The PFBC does not monitor ice thickness. Ice thickness and conditions can vary greatly across the lake. Use caution as you head out onto the ice. A life jacket and a set of ice awls can be extremely important if you fall though the ice. Remember SAFETY FIRST: fishandboat.com/Boat/WaterandIceSafetY
Butler County
Lake Arthur
Cold temperatures have made some good ice at the lake. Muddy Creek finger is a popular location for Largemouth Bass, Bluegill and crappie. For those who want to catch Northern Pike or Muskellunge, try using a dead minnow just under the ice. These fish tend to cruise just under the ice for an easy meal.
Harbor Acres Lake
Trout anglers are reminded that this lake was stocked in the last week of October. Ice fishing is usually productive here. This area can get breezy so be prepared for wind chill. Anglers are catching trout with steady success during pre-dawn/sunrise hours using minnows.
Central Erie County
Presque Isle Bay
The Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority Announces the Winter Activity at Donjon Shipbuilding & Repair
This winter season vessel arrivals and movements will take place within the inner harbor of Presque Isle Bay. Vessels will be berthed at Donjon Shipbuilding & Repair and Dobbins Landing. Vessel movement and ice breaking activities will take place throughout the winter months. We expect ice breaking activities to begin as early as January 3, 2018 with tentative ship arrivals as follows:
• Tug Defiance//barge Ashtabula – 1/9/18
• M/V St. Clair – 1/12/18
• Tug Dorothy Ann/Barge Pathfinder – 1/15/18
• Presque Isle – 1/15/18 – Mooring Main Channel
• Algoma Hansa – 1/19/18
• Van Ekenvort Tug and Barge – 1/23/18
Please note that weather will be a driving force as to actual arrival dates.
It is expected that the disruption of existing ice conditions will be limited to the eastern portion of Presque Isle Bay/East of Dobbins Landing. (This area should be avoided at all times). However, the public should be advised that all portions of the Bay could be impacted by this work. Extreme caution should be used at all times when accessing the Bay for any and all recreational purposes.
Warren County
Allegheny River
Anglers are catching good size Walleye and Northern Pike just off Oakland Drive around the railroad bridge in Warren County. Anglers are reporting that gliders that have the appearance of Suckers are doing very well with catching Northern Pike.
Northeasatern Region
Remember! From November 1st through April 30th there is mandatory wear for life jackets from on boats less than 16 feet in length and all canoes and kayaks. Wearing your life jacket is the best way to prevent a boating fatality and we recommend you wear one all year, not just during the mandatory wear period.
Reminder: The PFBC does not monitor ice thickness. Ice thickness and conditions can vary greatly across the lake. Use caution as you head out onto the ice. A life jacket and a set of ice awls can be extremely important if you fall though the ice. Remember SAFETY FIRST: http://www.fishandboat.com/Boat/WaterandIceSafety
2018 Pennsylvania Fishing Licenses are being sold now. Get your one, three, five or ten year fishing license now or purchase a voucher as a gift for someone this holiday season at gonefishingpa.com/
Luzerne County
Harris Pond
The cold temperatures have brought out ice anglers on area waterways. Harris Pond in Sweet Valley was one waterway were anglers were trying their luck the last few days with tip-ups and jigging tackle.
Northcentral Region
Get your 1, 3, 5 OR 10 YEAR FISHING LICENSE ONLINE NOW – gonefishingpa.com/
ICE is NICE! Learn more about ice fishing SAFETY and ice FISHING here – fishandboat.com/Fish/Fishing/Pages/IceWinterFishing.aspx
Learn more here: http://www.fishandboat.com/Boat/BoatingRegulations/Pages/MandatoryPFD.aspx
NOTE: PA Fish and Boat Commission does not monitor ice thickness. Make sure you test ice conditions prior to venturing out to ice fish and be sure to take safety precautions (e.g. wear a float jacket or life jacket).
Potter County
Lyman Run Lake
Anglers are catching trout using tiny jigs, tipped with wax worms or meal worms. Anglers are also catching fish using tip-ups with live minnows.
Anglers seeking more aggressive fish species are having luck using spoons.
Tioga County
Ice fishing is great across the county!
Hills Creek Lake
Anglers are catching Yellow Perch, Bluegills, and Crappie, using waxworms or maggots. Glow, silver and gold jigs are working best.
Anglers are also catching bass and pickerel using tip-ups with live, fathead minnows or shiners.
Hamilton Lake
Anglers are catching trout, Yellow Perch, Bluegills, and Crappie, using waxworms. Tip-ups, baited with dough balls or live minnows are working great for trout!
Hammond Lake
Anglers are catching Crappie and Yellow Perch using waxworms and live minnows.
Beechwood Lake
Anglers are catching trout and Bluegill, using waxworms, maggots and mousees. Anglers are also catching pickerel using live shiners on tip-ups.
Union/Snyder/Northumberland/Montour Counties
Walker, Faylor and Halfway Lakes
Anglers are ice fishing! They are catching panfish using jigs with wax worms and meal worms.
Reminder, freezing and thawing events impact ice. Always check the ice before venturing out!
Lycoming County
Rose Valley Lake
Anglers are catching Yellow Perch and Chain Pickerel using a variety of techniques, including jigs with meal worms or wax worms and live minnows under tip-ups.
Clinton County
Fishing Creek
Water temperatures are in the upper 30s to low 40s. The water level is below average. Cold temperatures have created icy conditions along the stream edge, so watch your step.
Most of the trout have moved into deeper water. When the air temperatures creep into the mid 20s to low 30s a few trout can be seen rising to midges!
Anglers are catching trout using streamers (size #6-10). Nymphs are also working (e.g. iron lotus (#14-18); Frenchie (#14-16); goldbead pheasant tail (#12-18); prince (#12-16).
Make sure you dress in layers and be prepared to “de-ice” your rod guides every minute or so, it is COLD out there!
Centre County
Foster Joseph Sayers Lake
Anglers are catching lots of Yellow Perch, Crappie and Bluegill using jigs tipped with maggots and waxworms.
Anglers using tip-ups and live minnows are also catching Yellow Perch, Crappie and Bluegill.
The best location seems to be the Hunter Run cut area.
Black Moshannon Lake
Anglers are catching Yellow Perch and Crappie using wax worms, maggots and live minnows
Spring Creek
Water temperatures are in the mid-upper 40s to low 50s. The water level is low. With cold temperatures, ice has formed near the edges of the stream, so watch your step.
On warmer afternoons, trout are rising to midges. Anglers are also catching trout using nymphs (e.g. black zebra midge (#18-22); olive scud (#14-18); caddis larvae patterns (#14-16).
Anglers are also catching trout using Olive and/or black streamers (#6-10).
Southeastern Region
Get your 1, 3, 5 OR 10 YEAR FISHING LICENSE ONLINE NOW – gonefishingpa.com/
ICE is NICE! Learn more about ice fishing SAFETY and ice FISHING here – fishandboat.com/Fish/Fishing/Pages/IceWinterFishing.aspx
NOTE: PA Fish and Boat Commission does not monitor ice thickness. Make sure you test ice conditions prior to venturing out to ice fish and be sure to take safety precautions (e.g. wear a float jacket or life jacket).
Northern Bucks County
Nockamixon Lake
Southern Bucks County
With the drop in temperatures, fishing and boating activity has also declined in the recent weeks. After a successful stocking of Levittown Lake and Lake Luxembourg in October and November, anglers reported catching their limit using green and orange paste bait.
Last winter, the ice fishing was a bust in Lower Bucks County, but remember to be safe if you’re traveling elsewhere to ice fish. Visit our website for locations and safety tips at http://www.fishandboat.com/Fish/Fishing/Pages/IceWinterFishing.aspx
As a continued reminder, mandatory cold weather personal flotation device-wear remains in effect. Visit our site at http://www.fishandboat.com/Boat/WaterandIceSafety/Pages/default.aspx for more details.
Chester County
The White Clay Fly-Tying club will meet at 6PM on Thursday January 11th at the London Tract Meeting House in the White Clay Creek Preserve, located at the intersection of Sharpless & London Tract roads, Landenberg PA 19350, next to White Clay State Park Office. With the cold weather upon us, many of us are looking for a place to go or some activity to hold us over until we can wet a line again and this is the perfect thing. Fly tying materials are provided for those who do not yet have their own. Several flies are usually demonstrated and club members are happy to show you how it’s done, as well as spin a few stories about the last huge one that got away. Club mailing address is P.O. Box 762, Landenberg, PA 19350 for more information. Parking for club is behind the White Clay State Park Office.
The weather is brutal this winter! Trout season is still many weeks away, but getting closer. March 31 is the “Regional Opening Day” here in the Southeast. You could try ice fishing to hold you over till then. Some years we do not have any measurable ice; however this last record breaking frigid weather snap has frozen up the local lakes once again. Make sure to check the ice conditions onsite before going out. If you don’t have all the equipment you need, the time to get some super deals on ice gear is in the spring, there are some big discounts that are available at the end of the ice fishing season in some of the favorite big box stores. Of course, once you have snagged your deals on ice fishing gear, you will have to store it for the next season. Anglers here in Chester County are having luck on Marsh Creek, Struble and Coatesville Reservoirs. You are not permitted to ice fish on Octoraro Reservoir or Chambers Lake. One of the most productive ways to fish is through the ice. Fish are usually found in the deeper waters of the lake where the water temperature is warmer than the shallow areas. Ice that appears to be thick enough to safely walk on in one spot can be dangerously thin just a few feet away. Ice thickness is not monitored in Pennsylvania you will have to learn how to determine what is “safe ice” for yourself and you should always take along someone who is familiar with the lake and with ice fishing. Next, you will need some very warm clothes. There are usually no trees or structure to shelter you from the wind while ice fishing so you will have to dress for the cold. A float coat will help to keep you warm while fishing and it will keep you afloat if you fall through the ice. You should also have a set of ice awls for this same reason. Ice awls are jabbed into the ice and allow you to pull yourself out of the water. With safety gear covered, here are some of the common items you will need to fish on the ice. A sled can be helpful for taking your gear out on to the ice. Bring a camp chair or bucket along as well. A bucket with a cushion top is great for storing gear and gives you a place to recover after chopping holes into 12-inch thick ice. You can use ice shanties or a shelter on Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission Lakes, Struble Reservoir in Chester County, but it must be removed at the end of your fishing day. Shelters can be purchased rather inexpensively and range from a simple material lean-to type to a rather heavy structure with skids on the bottom that slide across the ice. You can also build your own, and there are many plans available online.
You will need a tool to break holes in the ice. An ice bar works well and the advantage of the bar is that swinging it will warm you up. They are also inexpensive. A hand auger is faster and easier than a bar, or you can even purchase a gas-powered auger. Keep the auger blades sharp! In Pennsylvania, the ice-fishing hole can be no wider than 10 inches measured at the widest point. You will need something to remove ice pieces from the holes. An ice scoop, skimmer, or a small dip net will work for this.
Let us talk about tackle. In Pennsylvania, each person fishing can use up to five tip up devices. Each device can hold only one line. Each line can have no more than three hooks. Remember that your lines and tip ups must be under your immediate control while fishing in the Commonwealth and individuals 16 and over must have a valid Pennsylvania Fishing License. You can use standard fishing rods but you will find that they are awkward to use because of the length. Short Ice fishing/jigging rods are better suited to the job and are very inexpensive. You can also use ice fishing tip ups. These are a horizontal X shaped device that sits flat over your hole, with a vertical bar mounted in the center of the X. The top of the bar has a flag on it that you bend down and set, which then releases when a fish pulls line from a reel mounted at the bottom of the bar releasing line and triggering the flag.
For bait, try mealworms, small fatheads, shiners and jigs. For the jigs, simply tie them on to your ice fishing rod, then lower them to the bottom, take up about a foot of line, lift, and drop your rod tip a few inches to a foot. Try this with different motions and vary the amount that you jig the rod tip and change colors if you do not have any action or bites. For live bait, put your mealworm, fathead or shiner on a hook and lower it to the bottom. Then either pull your line up about a foot or set your tip up so that your bait is suspended about one foot from the bottom of the lake and wait for a strike.
Remember safety first! Follow the rules, have some fun, catch some fish and do not forget your thermos! For ice safety, go to http://www.fishandboat.com/safety.htm.
The meeting of the coaches, teachers and judges for this year’s Chester County Envirothon will be held on Tuesday January 9th at 9 PM at the Government Services Building at Building 601 Westtown Road, West Chester, PA. 19382. If you are interested in finding out more or entering your school in the competition, contact the Chester County Soil Conservation District at 610-925-4920 or email gcriswell@chesco.org