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Beltzville Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

A Pocono foothills reservoir: Beltzville holds trout, walleye and bass in clear water off the Northeast Extension.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
87 cfs
Air / High
83 / 83 F
Wind
WNW 11 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01449800, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Beltzville Lake lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. The river is running 87 cfs, steady over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind WNW around 11 mph, rising pressure near 1011 hPa and a high of 83. Water sits around 73 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pikeGood

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Rainbow troutGood

Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Largemouth bassFair

Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 78 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Pohopoco Creek below Beltzville Dam.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01449800.

689211687 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp83 F
High / Low83 / 70 F
WindWNW 11-20 mph
Pressure1011.4 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain24% cloud, 30%
Sunrise / Sunset06:32 / 19:30
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 83/70 F, wind 11 mph, rain 30%

Fair or better. A 11 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Beltzville Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

When to come: the Beltzville Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Smallmouth bass
Largemouth bass
Northern pike
Rainbow trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Beltzville Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 88 F, wind to 12 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 71 F, wind to 6 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 88 F, wind to 8 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Pennsylvania requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Pennsylvania license plus trout permit for trout. Walleye and bass limits per current PFBC regulations; horsepower restrictions apply.

Access

Beltzville State Park ramps, beach and shoreline; tailwater access below the dam on Pohopoco Creek.

About this water

A 950-acre Corps reservoir on Pohopoco Creek in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, within Beltzville State Park.

Fishing Beltzville Lake: the full guide

A state park lake

Beltzville Lake covers 950 acres on Pohopoco Creek in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, a Corps flood-control reservoir wrapped in a state park. The water runs clear and cool enough to support stocked trout alongside a warm-water fishery: largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, striped bass hybrids, crappie, perch and catfish. Its position near the Northeast Extension makes it the closest quality fishing to the Lehigh Valley.

Trout and walleye

Pennsylvania stocks trout in the lake and the tailwater below the dam, giving spring and fall fishing from both shore and boat. Walleye hold the points, channel edges and rock at 12-25 feet: jigs at dusk in spring, trolled harnesses through summer. The deeper water near the dam holds fish through the warm months when the shallows heat up.

Bass and panfish

Smallmouth work the rocky points and the riprap, largemouth the coves and any wood. Clear water rewards finesse presentations and low light. Crappie and perch hold the brush and deeper structure, with the winter ice fishery drawing a following in cold years. Below the dam, Pohopoco Creek adds a small trout stream in the cold releases.

Beltzville State Park logistics

The park provides two ramps, a beach, trails and shoreline access, with a boat horsepower limit that keeps the water calm and fishable. Summer weekends bring swimmers and paddlers to the beach end: fish the upper arms or early mornings. Lehighton and Jim Thorpe are minutes away, with the Lehigh Gorge trout water a short drive north.

Common questions

Are there trout?

Yes: Pennsylvania stocks the lake and the tailwater below the dam, best in spring and fall from shore or boat.

Is there a horsepower limit?

Yes: the park restricts motors, which keeps the water calm and favors anglers over recreational traffic.

When is walleye best?

April and May at dusk on the rocks, then trolling the deeper structure through summer.

Is fishing good at Beltzville Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Lehigh River5 miMusconetcong River32 miLake Nockamixon34 miBlue Marsh Lake38 miLake Wallenpaupack44 miRound Valley Reservoir44 mi
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