Share your catch

Blue Marsh Lake Fishing Report

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

Reading’s reservoir: Blue Marsh holds bass, walleye and hybrid stripers in Berks County farmland.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
116 cfs
Air / High
83 / 83 F
Wind
WNW 10 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01470779, 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.

Blue Marsh Lake serves up more heat: the productive hours are the dim ones. The river is running 116 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind WNW around 10 mph, rising pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 83. Water sits around 84 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: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassFair

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

White bassFair

Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 77 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 Tulpehocken Creek near Bernville (inflow).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01470779.

5298143116 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp83 F
High / Low83 / 71 F
WindWNW 10-18 mph
Pressure1011.7 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain17% cloud, 26%
Sunrise / Sunset06:34 / 19:31
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 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, 83/71 F, wind 10 mph, rain 26%

Fair or better. A 10 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

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

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. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

When to come: the Blue Marsh 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
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
White bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 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 Blue Marsh Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 85 F, wind to 12 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 73 F, wind to 7 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 89 F, wind to 9 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. Bass, walleye and hybrid limits per current PFBC regulations; the Tulpehocken tailwater has special trout rules.

Access

Corps ramps and day-use areas including Dry Brooks and Stilling Basin; Tulpehocken Creek access below the dam.

About this water

A 1,150-acre Corps reservoir on Tulpehocken Creek near Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania.

Fishing Blue Marsh Lake: the full guide

A Corps lake near the city

Blue Marsh Lake covers 1,150 acres on Tulpehocken Creek northwest of Reading, a Corps flood-control reservoir that has become southeastern Pennsylvania’s busiest fishing and recreation water. It holds a productive warm-water fishery: largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, hybrid striped bass, crappie, catfish and panfish, supported by state stocking and fertile water.

Bass and hybrids

Largemouth relate to the wood, brush and coves: jigs, spinnerbaits and plastics through the seasons. Smallmouth hold the rockier points and riprap. Hybrid stripers school over the main lake chasing shad, providing surface action at dawn in summer and fall on slabs and swimbaits: they are the hardest-pulling fish in the lake.

Walleye and panfish

Walleye hold the channel edges and points, taking jigs and crankbaits at low light. Crappie stack the brush and the marina area in spring, and catfish work the flats through the warm months. Below the dam, the Tulpehocken Creek tailwater is a well-known trout fishery with a devoted fly-fishing following, fished year-round in the cold releases.

Berks County logistics

The Corps operates several ramps and day-use areas including Dry Brooks and Stilling Basin, with extensive trails around the lake. Summer weekends bring heavy recreational traffic given the proximity to Reading: fish early or in the shoulder seasons. The Tulpehocken tailwater below offers an entirely different fishery within minutes.

Common questions

What are the hybrids like?

Stocked hybrid striped bass that school over open water: the hardest-fighting fish in the lake, best at dawn in summer and fall.

Is the tailwater worth fishing?

Very: the Tulpehocken below the dam is a well-known year-round trout fishery with special regulations.

How busy does it get?

Very, on summer weekends: it is Reading’s recreation lake. Early mornings and shoulder seasons belong to anglers.

Is fishing good at Blue Marsh 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 River34 miSusquehanna River36 miBeltzville Lake38 miLake Nockamixon42 miBrandywine Creek49 miYellow Breeches Creek52 mi
Share your catch