Fishing in the South

Trout fishing enthusiasts find excitement in fishing Bob’s Creek and its tributaries. Streams within the park contain native brook trout along with stocked trout placed through a cooperative nursery program operated by the Pavia Sportsmen Club Inc. and the park. Fishing is good April through June and in early fall.

Buck Run flows through the park and provides a population of native trout for fishing enthusiasts.

The East Branch Conococheague and Rocky Mountain creeks and Carbaugh Run flow through the park and the surrounding state forest lands, offering many exciting places for anglers. Brown trout, rainbow trout, native brook trout and some warm-water game fish can be found in these streams.

Canoe Creek State Park

The beautiful 155-acre Canoe Lake is stocked with walleye, muskellunge, bass, trout, chain pickerel, catfish, crappies and other panfish. Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission laws apply.

Ice fishing is a popular winter activity during the extended trout season.

Codorus State Park

The 1,275-acre Lake Marburg is a warm water fishery. Popular species are yellow perch, bluegill, northern pike, crappie, largemouth bass, catfish, muskellunge and tiger muskellunge. Bow fishing is permitted in the shallow cove areas. Lake Marburg is in the Big Bass Program. Large and smallmouth bass must be a minimum of 15 inches long to be harvested and the daily limit is four fish of either species, combined. East Branch Codorus Creek, along Park Road, is an approved trout stocking stream.

Except for the ice skating area, all of the 1,275-acre Lake Marburg is open for ice fishing. Popular species caught through the ice are yellow perch, bluegill, northern pike, crappie, largemouth bass, catfish, muskellunge and tiger muskellunge.

The 3.5-acre Doubling Gap Lake has trout fishing.

Ice fishing is permitted.

Cowans Gap State Park

The 42-acre Cowans Gap Lake offers excellent trout fishing and also has bass, perch and panfish. There is an ADA accessible fishing pier. The South Branch of Little Aughwick Creek offers good trout fishing.

The lake is open for ice fishing except for the ice skating area.

Fowler Hollow Run traverses the park and provides trout fishing. The stream receives a pre-season stocking of brook trout.

French Creek State Park

Scotts Run Lake: This 22-acre cold water lake offers excellent trout and other cold water species fishing. Hatchery raised trout are stocked pre-season, during the season and in the winter.

Hopewell Lake: 68 acres of prime water presents a challenge for anglers. A wide variety of Pennsylvania warmwater species is found at Hopewell Lake, including: northern pike, chain pickerel, bass, walleye, muskellunge and many species of panfish. This lake is designated as a big bass lake and specific regulations apply.

Both lakes permit ice fishing.

Gifford Pinchot State Park

The 340-acre Pinchot Lake has largemouth bass, hybrid striped bass, muskellunge, catfish, carp, walleye, crappie and sunfish. Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission laws apply. Pinchot Lake is designated a big bass lake. Special regulations cover the minimum size and creel limits for all species of bass.

Ice fishermen most often catch largemouth bass. Occasionally, walleye, muskellunge, crappies and sunfish may be caught through the ice.

The six-acre Greenwood Lake is regularly stocked with trout.

Ice fishing is permitted.

Little Buffalo State Park

The 88-acre Holman Lake offers year-round fishing opportunities. This warm water fishery enjoys natural reproduction of largemouth bass, catfish and panfish. The lake is designated as a “Big Bass Lake.” Bass must be at least 15 inches long with a daily limit of four. Brook, brown, and rainbow trout, and fingerlings of tiger muskellunge are stocked several times a year. An ADA accessible fishing pier is by the Main Boat Launch.

Ice fishing is permitted on Holman Lake except in the ice skating area. The lake is noted for a high panfish harvest, along with trout and warm water game fish.

White Deer Creek has native trout.

Memorial Lake State Park

The 85-acre Memorial Lake supports warm-water fish species including bass, muskellunge, northern pike, yellow perch, white and black crappie, and various species of pan fish and carp. Anglers can access the lake from shoreline, by wading, or by boat. A shoreline fishing access area is along Hillside Trail. An ADA accessible fishing pier is in the Middle Road Day Use Area. No fishing zones include the boat concession area through mooring area, across the dam bridge and dam breast.

The lake is open for ice fishing except for the ice skating area. Muskellunge, northern pike, perch and catfish are common species caught through the ice.

The Susquehanna River has warm water and cold water fishing. Common species are smallmouth bass, panfish and catfish.

The West Branch of Antietam Creek flows through the park and offers excellent trout fishing.

Angelica Creek has native brook trout.

Standing Stone Creek has native trout.

The common fish in the 25-acre Laurel Lake and the smaller 1.7-acre Fuller Lake are pickerel, perch and stocked trout. Mountain Creek, which flows through the park, has brown, brook and rainbow trout.

Ice fishing is permitted in Laurel Lake.

Excellent trout fishing is available in Penns Creek, which flows by the Poe Paddy campground. Fantastic fly hatches emerge from Penns Creek. The nationally known Green Drake Hatch usually occurs in late May or early June.

Lake angling is popular, especially at the beginning of the trout season in mid-April. The lake is stocked with trout several times per season.Common game species include brown and rainbow trout, catfish, pickerel, sunfish and perch. For stream fishing, the famous Penns Creek and Big Poe Creek are within a short distance of the park.

Ice fishing is permitted.

The 1,635-acre Glendale Lake is a warm-water fishery with bass, pike and muskellunge as the most common game fish. There is also a good population of panfish that includes crappie, bluegill and perch. Killbuck Run is stocked with trout.

Common species caught through the ice are perch, walleye, pike and crappies.

The park is a cold-water fishery, stocked with brown, rainbow and brook trout. With the exception of the swimming area, the lake and its tributary streams are open to public fishing. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission stocks the lake and Rapid Run regularly during the season. Many anglers gather near the sandstone dam or the fishing pier.

Ice fishing is permitted.

Native and stocked trout are found in Honey Creek and smaller mountain streams like Reeds Gap Run. Hiking trails offer access to Honey Creek. The spring months offer the best angling.

Rapid Run is an excellent cold-water fishery. It is stocked annually with brook and brown trout.

Shawnee State Park

The 451-acre Shawnee Lake is stocked with warm-water game fish. Common game species are smallmouth and largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, muskellunge, pickerel, catfish, crappie, yellow perch, bluegill, sunfish, sucker, bullhead and carp. An ADA accessible fishing pier is by the Diehl Parking Lot.

Common species caught through the ice are yellow perch, northern pike, walleye and pickerel.

The 3,060-acre Lake Augusta is a popular bass and walleye area. Other game fish found in the lake are muskellunge, black crappies, northern pike and catfish.

Spring attracts many anglers to Trout Run; the park’s only trout stocked stream. Other cold-water tributaries within the park support native populations of brook trout. Warm-water fish like smallmouth bass and panfish can be caught in Swatara Creek. Wagners Pond provides opportunities to catch largemouth bass and panfish.

Stream fishing in Great Trough Creek provides a variety of fish including trout, smallmouth bass, rock bass, sucker and panfish. In recent years, smelt fish netting has become popular each spring when these fish enter tributaries of Raystown Lake to spawn. Lake fishing is available via a short walk along Terrace Mountain Trail to a sheltered cove of Raystown Lake. Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission regulations and seasons apply.

The Raystown Branch of the Juniata River provides excellent fishing opportunities for smallmouth bass, rock bass, muskellunge, walleye, catfish, eel, carp and sucker.

The 22-acre Whipple Lake and Laurel Run are stocked with trout by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission in the spring and winter months.

Ice fishing is permitted.