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Lake Nockamixon Fishing Report

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

Bucks County’s big water: Nockamixon holds muskie, hybrid stripers and bass an hour from Philadelphia.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
235 cfs
Air / High
83 / 84 F
Wind
WNW 9 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01459500, 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.

Lake Nockamixon serves up more heat: the productive hours are the dim ones. The river is running 235 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind WNW around 9 mph, rising pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 84. 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 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 Tohickon Creek near Pipersville (inflow).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01459500.

56127197235 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp83 F
High / Low84 / 72 F
WindWNW 9-20 mph
Pressure1011.5 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain9% cloud, 36%
Sunrise / Sunset06:31 / 19:28
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, 84/72 F, wind 11 mph, rain 36%

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 Lake Nockamixon: 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 Lake Nockamixon 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 Lake Nockamixon 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 87 F, wind to 12 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at excellent. High of 71 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 86 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. Muskellunge 40-inch minimum statewide, hybrid striped bass limits per current PFBC regulations.

Access

Nockamixon State Park launches (electric motors only for private boats); extensive shoreline access along park roads.

About this water

A 1,450-acre state park lake on Tohickon Creek in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, impounded 1973.

Fishing Lake Nockamixon: the full guide

A state park lake with teeth

Lake Nockamixon spreads 1,450 acres across the rolling farmland of upper Bucks County, the largest lake in southeastern Pennsylvania and the closest serious fishing water to Philadelphia. The state manages it aggressively: muskellunge and hybrid striped bass are stocked, largemouth and smallmouth work the points and timber, and crappie, walleye and channel catfish fill out a card that punches well above the lake’s modest size.

Muskie and hybrids

Muskellunge are the trophy draw: work the weed edges, points and the deeper timber with bucktails and big rubber from spring through fall, with October and November producing the largest fish. Hybrid stripers school in the open water chasing shad, blowing up on the surface at dawn in summer: keep a swimbait or slab ready. Both fisheries depend on stocking, and both reward anglers who work the whole lake rather than one bank.

Bass and panfish

Largemouth relate to the standing timber in the upper end, the points and any remaining vegetation: jigs, spinnerbaits and soft plastics through the seasons. Smallmouth prefer the rockier main-lake structure near the dam. Crappie stack in the brush and around the marina, best in spring and fall, and channel catfish work the flats on cut bait through the warm months.

Nockamixon State Park logistics

The park operates two launches with electric-motor-only rules for private boats and rental pontoons available in season: the horsepower restriction keeps the lake quiet and the fishing pressure moderate. Shoreline access is extensive along the park roads and trails. Quakertown and Doylestown supply everything, and the park’s trails, marina and cabins make it a straightforward family destination.

Common questions

Can I use a gas motor?

Private boats are restricted to electric motors: the park rents pontoons with motors in season. The rule keeps the lake calm and fishable.

Are the muskie real?

Yes: stocked and managed, with fish past forty inches taken each season, most reliably in October and November.

When do the hybrids school?

Summer through fall, chasing shad in open water: watch for surface activity at dawn near the main lake.

Is fishing good at Lake Nockamixon 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

Round Valley Reservoir23 miMusconetcong River25 miBeltzville Lake34 miLehigh River36 miBlue Marsh Lake42 miLake Hopatcong47 mi
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