Bass season kicks off Saturday

While it may not get near the fanfare as opening day for trout season, Pennsylvania’s bass opener, set for this Saturday, June 16, has plenty of diehard disciples. Bass fishing remains highly popular throughout the state, in part because the Commonwealth is home to plentiful waters where anglers can catch hard fighting smallmouth and largemouth. From creeks and rivers to large ponds and lakes, Pennsylvania features more than 86,000 miles of streams and rivers and more than 4,000 lakes and reservoirs. The majority of these boast decent populations of bass.

From the Allegheny River in Western Pennsylvania to the upper reaches of the Delaware River in the East along with the storied Susquehanna and Juniata Rivers in between, bass fishing enthusiasts can explore plenty of productive places near and far in quest of both smallmouth and largemouth. The number of anglers fishing for bass in Pennsylvania is second only to those who fish for trout, where many anglers take advantage of public waters and state parks where families and kids can enjoy fishing along with other amenities, including camping, hiking and biking, and canoeing and kayaking.

Bass fishermen here in our southeastern corner of the state are equally blessed with plenty of places to wet their lines. In Chester County, bass anglers will find largemouths in Marsh Creek Lake and Chambers Lake. Both these lakes are Big Bass Waters, so the minimum size to keep a bass is 15” and the daily limit is 4. Three other popular bass waters here include the Coatesville Reservoir in West Caln Township near the Coatesville Country Club, Struble Lake in Honey Brook Township, and Octoraro Reservoir near Oxford in Lower Oxford Township.

If smallmouth bass are more to your liking, try the West Branch of the Brandywine Creek anywhere from Unionville’s Alex Patrone displays a nice largemouth bass he caught in a local farm pond. The bass, which was released, fell for Patrone’s crankbait. Mortonville south to the Delaware State line. Some of the best local bass fishing you’ll find in our region is on overlooked private farm ponds stuffed with bluegills and bucketmouths. If you can find one and get permission to fish it (more likely if you agree to catch and release only) you’ve got yourself a bass fishing gold mine.

In Berks County, Blue Marsh Lake, located on the Tulpehocken Creek northwest of Reading is definitely a hotspot for both smallmouth and largemouth bass and boasts many other popular species of game fish including crappies, muskies, perch, and hybrid stripers. But it’s Berks County’s Scotts Run Lake that still retains bragging rights for the state’s record smallmouth, an 8 pound 8 ounce behemoth caught by Rob Steelman back in 1997. The Schuylkill River here also holds significant numbers of smallmouth.

In Montgomery County bass fishermen will find largemouth in Green Lane Reservoir, Knight Lake, and Deep Creek lake which is stocked with trout, but also features largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, and catfish. Anglers looking for smallmouth will find them in Perkiomen Creek and, of course, the Schuylkill River.

Although most anglers tend to practice catch and release when it comes to these fish, in most waters during bass season, anglers are permitted to keep a daily limit of six bass which must be at least 12 inches in length. There are also lakes and rivers managed with higher length limits and lower creel limits, “Big Bass Program” waters, where the minimum size is 15 inches and the daily limit is four bass, as in the aforementioned Chambers Lake and Marsh Creek Lake.

In any case, serious bass fishermen stock their tackle boxes with every kind of lure imaginable, particularly spinnerbaits, crankbaits, topwater baits, plastic/rubber lures, and jigs. As in past seasons, my three favorites remain the Gary Yamamoto Yamasenko plastic worm, white spinnerbaits for top water fishing, and the Rebel Crawfish diving lure. But like any other bass fishermen, I’m always open to new things and fresh strategies. Right now I don’t have much spare room in my tackle box, but I’ll always manage to squeeze in any new-fangled, surefire lure du jour that promises to help me catch more bass.

For more information about fishing for bass throughout the Commonwealth, check out the PA Bass Fishing website at http://pabass.com/. BASS RODEO The West Chester Fish, Game, and Wildlife Association will kick off the season with their annual Art Colley Bass Rodeo set for Saturday June 16th from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Paradise Farm Camp, 1300 Valley Creek Rd in Downingtown. The event is open to all children age 15 and under and is free open to the public. Participants should register at the nursery upon arrival and should provide their own bait and tackle. Since this is a catch and release event, barbless hooks are required. Lunch will be provided as will free instruction for young anglers.