Things to do / Travel Guide
Eastern Pennsylvania's network of rivers, streams, and over 100 lakes makes the region an ideal destination for a fishing trip of freshwater fishing, fly fishing, fishing from the shore, or boat access fishing. Two major rivers, the Susquehanna and the Delaware, are home to many species of both natural and stocked fish, such as trout, largemouth bass, perch, and flathead catfish.
A Pennsylvania fishing license is required at all fishing locations for anyone over age 16, and costs anywhere from $25-$50 for out-of-state residents, depending on length of stay. Special fishing restrictions apply in many areas due to conservation measures, so visit the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission to check the rules before leaving on your fishing trip.
Luzerne County
Located northwest of Wilkes-Barre is Harvey's Lake. At 658-acres, the lake is one of the larger ones in northeastern Pennsylvania. Though it is less well-known than other fishing spots in the region, it features approximately nine miles of irregular shoreline with plenty of structures from which to fish.
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River, which runs the entire length of eastern Pennsylvania, is an ideal habitat for smallmouth bass and is considered by fly fishermen to be one of the best fishing spots east of the Mississippi River for a fly fishing trip. The Susquehanna River runs through Harrisburg, Duncannon, Lancaster County, York County An ideal spot is from Harrisburg's Dock Street Dam downstream to Holtwood Dam, from June-October.
Pike County
Lake Wallenpaupack is the largest of many lakes in eastern Pennsylvania's northern mountain area and is teeming with fish. The lake holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, walleye, pickerel, muskies, brown trout, and rainbow trout.
Monroe County
The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area has a wide variety of habitats for both warm-water and cold-water fish. The area, which straddles both sides of the Delaware river and straddles both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, is abundant with small lakes and ponds provide great bass, panfish, catfish, and pickerel fishing. Brook and brown trout are found in most streams, and an excellent brown drake hatch makes for prime fly-fishing. The Delaware River offers opportunities to catch American shad, smallmouth bass, muskellunge, walleye, catfish, and panfish.
Also located in Monroe County are Tobyhanna Lake and the immediately adjacent Gouldsboro Lake. The commonly caught fish from the piers at these two lakes are bass, pickerel, yellow perch, catfish, and sunfish. Less common are brook trout, muskellunge, walleye, crappie, sucker, and fallfish.
Lehigh River
Between Monroe County and Bucks County, the Lehigh River is home to brown, rainbow, and brook trout, which are known to grow quite large (fish in the 14”-18” range are the norm). Smallmouth bass is popularly caught too, along with pickerel, rock bass, and fallfish.
Bucks County
The 1,450-acre Lake Nockamixon, which is found about an hour's drive north of Philadelphia, is a warm-water fishery. Commonly-found species in the lake include walleye, muskellunge, pickerel, smallmouth and largemouth bass, striped bass hybrids, channel catfish, and carp.
Lake Galena covers a 365-acre area in the Peace Valley Park. Boat motors are restricted to electric only at the lake. Fisherman can expect the chance to catch bass, walleye, catfish, bluegill, carp and other species.
Neshaminy Creek is yet another fine location for fishing. Anglers can fish along the banks of Neshaminy Creek or from a canoe. Warm-water species include sunfish, black crappie, carp, smallmouth bass and other panfish.
Chester County
Just south-southwest of the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the 535-acre Marsh Creek Lake provides good to excellent fishing conditions for warm-water species. Anglers have in the past landed 40-inch-long tiger muskies. Other species include largemouth bass, channel catfish, black crappie, and walleye.
Near Harrisburg
Another great fishing trip can be found at Blue Marsh and its tributaries, just east of Harrisburg, are home to many fish species, including largemouth bass smallmouth bass, striped bass, tiger muskellunge, walleye, channel catfish, white catfish, yellow perch, black crappie, carp, American eel, brown trout, rainbow trout, brook trout, alewives, bluegill, and pumpkinseed sunfish.
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