Anyone Fishing Southwestern Pa?

[MrTexasRigs]

Anyone here fish in southwestern pa. Is the fishing around here good/bad. Are fish big or small and it seems that bass in the north are smaller than in the south. Which i'm pretty sure i know the reason, but i'm just wondering if anyone fishes the still waters up here (lakes,dams, reservoirs, etc)

[Rangerphil]

Once march hits I will be fishing as much as I can! The yough has some big smallies and even bigger largemouths but they are harder to catch. The mon river is ok can be tough sometimes but there are good numbers in some of the pools. There are also some smaller lakes like Dunlap that has good bass fishing. There is alot of good fishing around if you know where to look!

[Josh Sifuentes]

I fish the mon river mostly, occasionally cross creek lake North of Washington. I haven't caught anything amazing here but I've only been fishing it for about seven months. I can't wait for spring!

[Phish]

I used to fish all over Pittsburgh in the 3 rivers. I still fish them a bit in the spring. Plenty of decent smallie fishing opportunities on all 3, at least for numbers. I rarely break 2-2.5 pounds on the rivers. Most of the lakes in SW PA leave a lot to be desired. Arthur is tough and has a ton of pressue. Cross and Crooked Creek Lakes are hit or miss, I haven't touched them in years though. Getting further away, Wilhelm used to be solid for large mouth, and 3-4 pounders I've read were fairly common, with plenty of 5s each year. I had a few very good days numbers wise, and average fish was a good 2#s. I understand it's gone down hill thanks to over-population of gizzard shad. Pymie is supposedly pretty good, even great at times, but again that's not SW PA. Really for me in SW PA it's 3 rivers or bust, and the further North you go on the Allegheny, it seems the better the small mouth fishing gets. I guess overall bass fishing is SWPA is tough. I'm sure there are some nearby creeks and smaller rivers with better fishing - the Yough was mentioned - I've heard good things but only fished it once or twice. French creek I hear can really produce nice smallie and muskie.

 

Given the option, I'd rather take the 2 hour hike to Erie than spend anytime anywhere else... within 500 miles. 1000 miles even. Probably rather fish Erie than anywhere in the U.S., even if I had unlimited funds. In fact if I have a boat this year, I might fish nowhere but Erie, regardless of the travel time and expense. But on those weekdays after work or when the weather at Erie doesn't cooperate, it's still worth putting in a few hours on any of the rivers in spring in fall. Nothing wrong with catching 20-30 smallies up to 2#s in a few hours, just a few minutes from home and within city limits. And it's awesome to fish with that gorgeous city skyline as as a backdrop, especially dawn and dusk. Even fishing near PNC Park during Pirates games can result in some solid small mouth action and incredible atmosphere.

 

In the hottest months in the summer, I strongly recommend traveling far away from SW PA if you want a good chance at a productive day of bass fishing.  I don't even waste time on the rivers anymore in the summer. I'm sure well-experienced fisherman can still find active fish and have a nice day, but I'd much rather have a shot at multiple trophy smallies on Erie, and nearly guaranteed 30 fish days with 2-3# average.