At the moment, fishing is a great option for anyone looking to get some fresh air while avoiding crowds. Of course, if you have any symptoms, or have been exposed to anyone who has displayed symptoms or tested positive for COVID-19, please stay home, and definitely don’t visit your local tackle shop.
Northwest Region
Get your fishing license ONLINE!
2020 Fishing Licenses are now available for purchase – Click here to purchase
REMINDER:
Mandatory Cold Weather Life Jacket Wear began on November 1, 2019 and runs through April 30, 2020 for anyone on boats less than 16 feet and in all canoes and kayaks. Learn more here
Erie County
Area Steelhead Tributaries
Steelhead smolts will be going into the streams this month. Please be careful with them as they are our future. Anglers are catching Steelhead throughout the tributaries.
Lake Pleasant
Lake Pleasant is now closed until the first day of trout season.
Presque Isle Bay
Anglers are getting their boats out and fishing Misery Bay for crappie’s in the back NE corner. Anglers are catching Yellow Perch in the head of the bay from boats. Shore anglers are catching some Yellow Perch of decent size, but not many off of Dobbins Landing.
Presque Isle State Park
The 2 basin ponds on Presque Isle State Park are Stocked Trout Waters and closed to fishing until opening day on Saturday April 18th.
Clarion County
Kahle Lake
Anglers are catching some bluegill and yellow perch.
Lower Clarion River
Anglers are catching some nice muskellunge and walleye near the confluence with the Allegheny River.
Allegheny River
Anglers are catching a few walleye between Emlenton and Parker.
Northeastern Region
Carbon County
Anglers should have no trouble finding fishing opportunities in the district’s Trout Stocked Waters Open to Year-Round Fishing. However, should you choose to take advantage of these opportunities, please remember it is unlawful to fail to immediately return those fish unharmed into the waters from which they came. There seems to be a lot of irresponsible fish handling in these waters this time of year. Anglers found mishandling fish may be prosecuted.
Also, please be reminded that a Trout/Salmon permit is required to fish rivers and streams listed as Stocked Trout Waters Open to Year-Round Fishing, regardless of the time of year. This does not apply to lakes and reservoirs.
Waters in the district which fall into this category include: FEW Reservoir, Lehigh River (section 6 only), Lily Lake and Briar Creek Lake. Check the website for additional waters, regulations and information.
With warmer weather recently, fishing and boating activity have increased on the Susquehanna River. Walleye and smallmouth bass are being caught. Anglers are reminded, that as of March 14, 2020 walleye season is closed and the creel limit is 0. Bass season changes to catch and immediate release on April 18, 2020. See the above comments pertaining to trout and apply here as well.
Boaters at Lily Lake should find comfort in knowing that plans are underway for the installation of a dock to be installed. Once installed, anglers are reminded that they must yield to boaters attempting to utilize the dock.
Northcentral Region
REMINDER:
Mandatory Cold Weather Life Jacket wear began on November 1, 2019 and ends on April 30, 2020 for all canoes, kayaks and boats under 16 feet in length. Learn more here
Tioga County
Anglers are reporting success fishing some of the class A wild streams in the area. With spring fast approaching, it is a great time to explore new angling opportunities while the stocked trout waterways are closed. Look for fishing to pick up at Hills Creek, as warming water temperatures will trigger the spawn of multiple species of Panfish found in the lake.
Clinton County
Fishing Creek
The water temperature is in the low 40’s. Anglers are reporting that the fish are starting to spread out and are actively feeding. Nymphing pocket water with caddis or stonefly imitations is still reported to be producing the most fish. Some anglers are reporting success fishing dry flies. Blue-winged olive hatches are currently being reported on warmer days. Streamers are also currently working to entice hungry, active fish.
Centre County
Spring Creek
The water temperature is currently in the 40’s. Warming temperatures are starting to bring out the bugs! Anglers are reporting blue-winged olives as well as, some small tan caddis and stoneflies below Bellefonte. Currently, sucker spawn and pheasant tail nymphs are working well when nymphing darker spots. Anglers are reporting success using dry flies and this will only continue to improve in the coming weeks.
Southeastern Region
Amid concerns regarding the spread of COVID-19, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) announced several changes to the 2020 trout season intended to protect the safety of the public and staff, while preserving the opportunity to enjoy the fun and recreational health benefits of fishing.
These changes, effective immediately, include consolidating the 2020 trout season schedule into a single, statewide schedule for all Pennsylvania counties; accelerating trout stocking operations and limiting volunteer participation; and adding more convenient ways to purchase fishing licenses online and display proof of a fishing license and boating documents on a digital device.
Statewide Mentored Youth Program and Opening Day
The PFBC will operate under a consolidated statewide schedule for all counties during the 2020 trout season. Under this revised plan, a single Mentored Youth Trout Day will occur on Saturday, April 11, and a Statewide Opening Day of trout season will take place on Saturday, April 18.
As a result of these changes, separate, earlier regional mentored youth and opening days will no longer occur in the 18 southeastern counties, including: Adams, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Franklin, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Perry, Philadelphia, Schuylkill and York. Anglers in these areas should revise their plans as necessary to adjust to the statewide schedule. These changes, made by the PFBC under direction provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Pennsylvania Department of Health, are intended to reduce large gatherings of people and the number of anglers traveling into the regional area (18 southeastern counties), which is already heavily affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Accelerated Trout Stocking Operations and Volunteer Participation
2020 trout stocking will be conducted on an accelerated schedule, and volunteers will not be permitted to assist with stocking activities. To complete trout stocking operations without the assistance of the public, the PFBC will modify stocking methods for this year. Many PFBC staff are being reassigned from their normal work duties to assist with stocking fish into lakes and streams. In some cases, pre-season and in-season allocations of trout will be combined into single stocking events to increase the efficiency of stocking trips. Initially, stockings will be prioritized to deliver trout to regions of the Commonwealth that are predicted to be affected most severely by COVID-19 that could result in restrictions on travel.
Moving forward this season, trout stockings will be announced upon their completion, rather than in advance on the FishBoatPA mobile app and PFBC website (www.fishandboat.com). The change in stocking procedures will not result in any reduction in the approximately 3.2 million trout scheduled to be stocked statewide in 2020, and stocking will occur seven days a week until further notice.
Chester County
Earlier this week, PFBC District 8 Commisioner Rick Kauffman, Sgt. Chase Rhoades, Waterways Conservation Officer Bob Bonney, Deputy WCOs Jim Yerter and Josh Ebensmeyer, Fish Culturist Cassie Miller, and area 4 maintenance employees Bill Carr and Kim Schorr helped stock trout in three Chester County streams; Pickering Creek, East Branch Brandywine Creek, and West Valley Creek.
