Can you fish for trout in the winter in PA?


Sharing is Caring


Trout that are stocked during fall and winter can be fished for immediately, and anglers ages 16 and older must have a valid Pennsylvania fishing license and trout permit.

Can you fish in the winter in PA?

Winter bass fishing in general is tough. Fishing for smallmouth bass in winter is especially not easy, but if you plan your fishing days right and understand how to fish in cold water, you can be successful catching smallies on the River.

Can you fly fish year-round in PA?

You can fish year-round for trout in Pennsylvania. There are over 50 waters within the Commonwealth that are classified as stocked trout waters open to year-round fishing. During the “extended season” on these waters, however, no trout may be taken.

What can you fly fish for in the winter?

  • English Pheasant Tail Nymph sizes 18 and 20.
  • Disco Midge sizes 20 and 22.
  • Flashback Scud size 16.
  • Micro Stone size 14.
  • Vernille San Juan Worm.
  • ICSI (I Can See It) Midge.
  • Griffith’s Gnat.
  • Cannon’s Bunny Dun.

What can I fish in December in PA?

The Northern Pike, Chain Pickerel, Tiger Musky, and Muskellunge. These hunters have little regard for the cold water, and have no quarrels about actively hunting in the dead of winter. If you don’t have the patience for methodical panfish jigging, these are the fish for you.

What can I fish for right now in PA?

You can fish for Bass, Pike, Walleye, Muskellunge, Catfish, Carp, etc. by boat or by foot on rivers such as the Allegheny, Delaware, Susquehanna, Juniata, and many others.

Can you catch trout in winter?

Trout do feed in winter, especially if water temperatures climb above 40 degrees. If the law allows, try winter trout fishing in your area. Trout won’t be found everywhere, though, in fact they will probably be concentrated in just a few pools.

Is night fishing legal in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania State Parks provides great opportunities for this recreational activity. Night fishing is generally permitted in areas designated for fishing and non-whitewater boating.

How many trout can you keep in PA 2022?

The season officially opens at 8 a.m. on April 2, and anglers are allowed to keep five trout a day that are at least seven inches long.

What is the best trout stream in Pennsylvania?

  • Oil Creek – Pennsylvania’s Great Lakes Region.
  • Yellow Breeches Creek – Dutch Country Roads.
  • Slippery Rock Creek – Pittsburgh and its Countryside.
  • Cedar Run – Pennsylvania Wilds.
  • Youghiogheny River – Pittsburgh and its Countryside.
  • Spring Creek – The Alleghenies.

How many trout can you keep a day in PA?

Currently, the daily creel and size limits for trout during the regular season of trout (8 a.m. on the opening day of trout season through Labor Day) are five trout per day (combined species), only two of which may be lake trout, greater than or equal to nine inches in length.

How cold is too cold for trout?

Trout generally are more active when water temperatures are in their comfort range: 45 to 65 degrees. They can survive in water temperatures as low as 35, but rarely do mountain streams get that cold. Trout don’t hibernate, nor do they fast. They have to eat to stay alive regardless of the temperature.

How do you catch trout in the winter fly fishing?

  1. The trick to catching fish with flies in the winter boils down to four simple rules: Slow Down; Size Down; Tone Down; Present Down(stream).
  2. Slow Down.
  3. Tip 2โ€“Stalk Softly & Cast High: When trout are in the slowed down winter mode, the angler should slow down as well.

What flies to use for trout in December?

  • Zebra Midge, sizes 18-24.
  • Jujube Midge, sizes 18-24.
  • Egg Patterns, sizes 14-16.
  • Pheasant Tail, sizes 18-22.
  • Parachute Adams, sizes 20-24.
  • Tungsten Head Rainbow Warrior, sizes 18-22.
  • Brooks’ Sprout Midge Emerger, sizes 20-24.
  • WD-40, sizes 20-24.

What can I fish in January?

Spoons and minnow-tipped jigs will be your best bet in terms of getting cold-weather walleye to bite. Many anglers consider walleye to be the best and most edible freshwater fish because they have excellent food value.

Where is the best fishing in Pennsylvania?

  1. PRESQUE ISLE BAY. Erie. Presque Isle Bay is the oldest harbor on the Great Lakes.
  2. NESHANNOCK CREEK. Lawrence County.
  3. SLIPPERY ROCK CREEK. Portersville.
  4. CEDAR RUN. Cedar Run.
  5. SUSQUEHANNA RIVER. Wilkes-Barre.
  6. LAKE ARTHUR. Prospect.
  7. OIL CREEK. Oil City.
  8. SPRING CREEK. Spring Creek.

How do Creek fish go in the winter?

YouTube video

How many rods can you fish with in PA?

Code ยง 63.6 – Authorized devices for game fish, baitfish and fishbait. (a) It is unlawful to fish for game fish with more than three lines of any description, whether fished by rod or by hand, at one time except while ice fishing in accordance with ยง 63.10 (relating to ice fishing).

Do I need a trout permit in PA?

A current Pennsylvania trout permit is required to fish for trout in Pennsylvania waters. Permits are printed on the license. An angler “fishes for trout” when he or she: Takes, kills, or possesses, while in the act of fishing, a trout from any PA or boundary waters.

Is it legal to fish off a bridge in PA?

No person may fish from the drawspan of a regularly attended bridge, and no county may permit any person to do so. The authority granted by this section is subject to the authority of the Department of Transportation to prohibit fishing from any bridge on the State highway system. (1971, c. 690, ss.

How late can you fish in PA?

Trout and Salmon โ€“ Regular Season From 8 a.m. on the first Saturday in April (April 2, 2022), to midnight, Labor Day (September 5, 2022).

Are you allowed to fish on Sundays in Pennsylvania?

Sunday is one of Pennsylvania’s designated fish-for-free days. Anyone can legally fish a stream, river or lake with no license required. Trout and salmon permits and Lake Erie Permits also are not required.

What is the best bait for trout in winter?

Natural baits for winter trout include a wide variety of items, among them red worms, minnows, crayfish, fish eggs, mayfly, caddis and crane fly larvae, wax-worms and numerous other insect larvae.

What color do trout like in winter?

Trout tend to stay closer to the bottom during the winter so a subsurface nymph will produce more bites than a dry fly. The best colors to choose in the winter are dark hues such as olive, brown, and black.

Does fly fishing work in the winter?

Yes. Absolutely. There are prolific insect hatches even on the coldest trout streams. Granted, you’re not likely to see sizable bugs, but dry-fly fishing to trout rising to midges can be truly exhilarating when winter’s quiet cloaks the river.

Craving More Content?

Safe Harbor Fishing