Poconos Fishing

The Poconos
Fishing

How Sweet It Is

Poconos fishing is varied, year-round, well-stocked, pentiful, and lots and lots of fun. There are 300 miles of streams and thousands and thousands of square acres of lakes in which to fish. You can fish all year, if you like to go ice fishing.

Special Events

Every year various social groups and institutions around the Poconos hold fishing contests. Lake Wallenpaupack is home to pickerel and bass competitions in May and June. Trout season begins with a children's trout-fishing contest, and several towns in the Poconos hold Shadfests.

The lakes, streams & rivers of the Poconos are teeming with fish:
trout brook trout pickerel walleye bass largemouth bass striped bass brown trout rainbow trout rock bass	muskellunge crappie bluegill salmon shad sunfish catfish eel turtles pike

The Seasons and Licenses

Beginning in March, you can go for striped bass, and for shad coming upstream on the Delaware River. Muskie and Walleye are also good on the River. Then trout in the streams in April, then shad and panfish start biting in May, then the big season begins on May 1 with muskie, pickerel, and walleye on lakes. You can fish practically year round for any of these fish on the Delaware River, but the lakes have rules and seasons. Bass season opens up in June.

Pennsylvania fishing licenses are available starting December 1 of each year and good until the end of the following year, which totals thirteen months. It's easy to get a license now, since the state runs a website from which you can order and pay for a fishing license. You could also go in person to a sporting good store, resort, or soem state offices. Some general stores will have them, too. The website will give you a list of places you can go to in person to get a license for fishing in Pennsylvania. If you plan to fish for salmon or trout, you'll need a special trout/salmon stamp if you want to fish in waters that contain these fish. You'll need the fish even if you're not intending to catch salmon or trout, but want to fish in those waters. The special stamp costs around $5 or$6 in addition to the fishing license itself.

There are two Fish for Free days each year, sponsored by the State of Pennsylvania. You don't have to have a fishing license to fish on these days. They are usually in June and September.

Poconos Ice Fishing

There are several public lake in The Poconos where you can go ice fishing in wintertime. They are listed here, but keep in mind that these lakes are not maintained. Therefore, you will want to call ahead and see if the lake has been deemed safe for ice fishing the day you want to go.

Promised Land State Park
Mauch Chunk Lake State Park
Beltzville State Park

You can call Beltzville and Promised Land, and the park official will tell you if you may go on the ice that day for fishing. People also call ahead to see about ice skating, too. Mauch Chunk Lake isn't allowed to tell you anything about the ice, so don't bother calling ahead if you go there. For insurance reasons, you fish at your own risk at Mauch Chunk Lake. Whereever you choose to go, you'll need to purchase a Pennsylvania fishing license for ice fishing, too.

Advisories

Lake Wallenpaupack. The entire lake is under advisory. Eat only one Walleye meal per month.
Delaware River, the West Branch in Wayne County. The entire lake is under advisory. Eat only two Brown Trout meals per month.
Prompton Reservoir. The entire lake is under advisory. Eat only one Largemouth Bass meal per month.
Tobyhanna Creek.The section from the mouth of the creek up to Pocono Lake dam is under advisory. Eat only two Smallmouth Bass meals per month.
Bushkill.The section from the mouth of Bushkill up to the confluence of Saw Creek is under advisory. Eat only two American eel meals per month.
Beltzville Lake. The entire lake is under advisory. Eat only two Walleye meals per month.
Promised Land Lake. The entire lake is under advisory. Eat only one Largemouth bass meal per month.

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