Northwest Region
Get your fishing license ONLINE!
2019 PA Fishing Licenses went on sale December 1st.
REMINDER – Mandatory Cold Weather Life Jacket Wear November 1, 2018 and runs through April 30, 2019. Learn more here.
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.
SAFETY FIRST: fishandboat.com/Boat/WaterandIceSafety/Pages/default.aspx
Clarion County
Kahle Lake
Ice anglers are catching nice yellow perch, bluegills, largemouth bass, and crappies throughout the lake.
Crawford County
Conneaut Lake
Anglers are catching crappie and bluegills on the south end of the lake.
Pymatuning Reservoir
Anglers are catching Walleye, crappie, and largemouth bass off Tuttle and Jamestown campgrounds.
Warren County
Allegheny River
Anglers are catching Walleye in the Allegheny River at the outflow of Kinzua Dam. Live bait such as creek chubs seem to be the most productive bait.
Northcentral Region
ICE FISHING IS HERE! LEARN ABOUT PA ICE FISHING AND SAFETY TIPS!
KEEPEMWET FISHING
Cold temperatures are not only dangerous for humans, but also fish. If you want a photo of a fish you catch and plan on releasing the fish to survive another day, KEEP the fish in the water.
CHECK OUT KEEPEMWET FISHING for tips on how to capture great photos of your fish “in water”
Tioga County
Ice anglers are having a wonderful ice season at Hamilton, Beechwood and Hills Creek Lakes. Frigid, winter temperatures are predicted to run for the next few days and will help continue to build ice on lakes across the County.
Anglers are also catching lots of fish on Pisgah and Lyman Run Lakes.
Hills Creek Lake
Anglers are catching yellow perch and bluegills using wax worms and soft plastics. Anglers are also catching bass using minnows and shiners. Anglers are also catching a few pickerel.
Hamilton Lake
Anglers are catching trout and panfish using wax worms, minnows and shiners.
Beechwood Lake
Anglers are catching panfish and trout using similar techniques as anglers on Hills Creek and Hamilton (e.g. wax worms; soft plastics; minnows; shiners)
Centre County
Foster Joseph Sayers Lake Spillway
Anglers are catching panfish using gold 3mm tungsten tear drops with spikes. A few anglers are having luck using live minnows and shiners as well.
Spring Creek
Water level and color is good. The stream temperature is holding in the low 40s, water color and level are just right.
Anglers are catching trout using streamers and nymphs! The following nymph patterns are working best – squirmy wormies #12; walt’s worm #12-16; olive scuds #14-18.
Streamer patterns that are working include, olive, black streamers #4-8.
Clinton County
Fishing Creek
Anglers are catching trout using small streamers and jigging them along the banks. Nymphs are also working well. Whether you fish nymphs for streamers, be sure to get them on the bottom. Cold water temps are keeping fish on the bottom.
Streamer patterns that are working include – sculpin patterns; sparkle minnows #4-8.
Nymph patterns that are working include – Flashback pheasant tail nymph #14-18; Frenchie #14-28; black or brown stonefly nymphs #8-12.
Northeastern Region
Wyoming County
Ice fishing throughout Wyoming County is ideal on lakes and ponds. Stevens Lake, Lake Carey, and Oxbow Lake anglers are having luck using live bait. At Stevens Lake anglers are targeting the deeper areas are having luck catching largemouth bass on live minnows. Although the overall fishing on Lake Carey was slow, some very nice sized yellow perch were caught on wax worms. Early and late in the day has been the best times for bigger fish. Area creeks and the Susquehanna River are high and muddy making for poor fishing conditions. For this week, ice fishing is the way to go if you are looking to catch some fish. As always anglers are encouraged to use every precaution when fishing on the ice.
Southeastern Region
REMINDER – Mandatory Cold Weather Life Jacket Wear began on November 1, 2018 and runs through April 30, 2019, while underway or at anchor on boats less than 16 feet in length and for all canoes and kayaks.
The 2019 PA Fishing Licenses are available! Buy now and be ready for the season!
Northampton County
The 2019 adult trout stocking schedule has been uploaded to our mobile app. Please come on out to help this spring as this is a great opportunity to see what lands are open to fishing, and to assist in the trout stocking. A couple angler features (such as rock deflectors) have been added to some streams in connection with bridge replacement projects. With good water levels last fall and winter, many anglers have reported catching many young of year fish, indicating a good reproduction year last year.
Lehigh County
Leaser Lake
Leaser Lake continues to receive a lot of ice fishing activity. Anglers report they are having successful catch rates for Muskie on jigging rods using small live shiners.
The PA Fish and Boat Commission does not monitor ice thickness. Prior to walking out on the ice take all safety precautions by testing the ice and wearing all safety equipment.
Please remember Leaser Lake is a Special Regulation all species except for trout- Catch and release/no harvest lake. The use of gaffs, spears, and gigs to retrieve fish through the ice is prohibited.
Eastern Schuylkill County
Locust Lake
Locust Lake has had good ice throughout the last few days and ice anglers have done very well. Good numbers of trout were caught on jigs tipped with wax worms near the beach area.
Tuscarora Lake
Tuscarora Lake has been tough for the ice fishermen this year but can be productive at times. Several trout are still being caught near the boat cove and along the beach. Perch and crappies are also being caught on occasion as well near the dam breast. Pickerel fishing is good for those willing to walk up to the shallow end of the lake near the mouth of Locust Creek. Large shiners have done well for pickerel.
The Little Schuylkill River
The Little Schuylkill River is still a good place for open water trout fishing. There is almost no fishing pressure and still a good number of fish throughout the stocked area of the stream.