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Pymatuning Reservoir Fishing Report

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

The two-state walleye commons: Pennsylvania and Ohio share a shallow prairie-style reservoir famous for walleye, crappie and carp that eat bread from your hand.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
77 / 77 F
Wind
SW 10 mph

Sources: 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.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Pymatuning Reservoir lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. Today brings cloud cover, wind SW around 10 mph, rising pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 77. Water sits around 66 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

WalleyeExcellent

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Smallmouth bassExcellent

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

Northern pikeExcellent

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

Yellow perchGood

Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

Tomorrow: Similar at 74 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.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp77 F
High / Low77 / 66 F
WindSW 10-15 mph
Pressure1012.9 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 64%
Sunrise / Sunset06:51 / 19:50
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 77/66 F, wind 10 mph, rain 64%

Fair or better. Cloud and a rain chance can stretch the morning bite well past breakfast: keep moving baits tied on.

Species guide

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

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

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.

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.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Good most of the year

The great lakes and northern panfish staple. Schools tight to bottom; where you catch one there are fifty. Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

When to come: the Pymatuning Reservoir 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
Walleye
Smallmouth bass
Northern pike
Yellow perch
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 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 Pymatuning Reservoir 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 the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye led the card at good. High of 85 F, wind to 20 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 90 F, wind to 15 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 88 F, wind to 10 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

PA or OH license valid lake-wide (reciprocity). Walleye 15-inch/6 typical: check both commissions for current. 20-hp limit historically: verify current.

Access

PA: Jamestown, Espyville, Linesville ramps. OH: Padanaram. State parks both sides.

About this water

17,088 acres on the PA-OH line, Crawford County PA / Ashtabula County OH. The shared walleye commons since 1934.

Fishing Pymatuning Reservoir: the full guide

The border lake bargain

Pymatuning straddles the PA-OH line with a reciprocal-license deal: either state's license fishes the whole lake. The water is shallow, stained and fertile: a Midwest-style walleye factory transplanted into the East, with crappie schools, perch, and muskie history filling the calendar around the gold.

Walleye the old way

This is jig-and-crawler country: drift the stump flats off Tuttle and Jamestown in 8-15 ft, troll harnesses along the old creek channel, and work the causeway riprap at dusk. May's post-spawn scatter and October's re-school are the peaks: the lake's walleye culture predates electronics and still out-fishes them some days.

Crappie in the stumps

The flooded timber that walleye anglers curse is the crappie fleet's map: spring fills the stump fields at 4-8 ft with slabs on minnows and hair jigs. The Ohio-side bays (Padanaram, the causeway coves) warm first; summer moves schools to the channel-edge stumps at 12-16 ft: spider-riggers work them politely around the drifters.

The spillway spectacle

Pymatuning's oddest fame: the Linesville spillway, 'where the ducks walk on the fish': tourist bread launches carp into writhing carpets. Beyond the spectacle, the lake runs serious fisheries in every direction: muskies (the PA program's historic heart), channel cats on the flats, and perch schools that fill winter buckets through the ice.

Common questions

Which license do I need on Pymatuning?

Either: PA and OH honor each other's on the whole lake: shore and boat. Follow the rules of the state whose ramp you launched from for anything ambiguous.

Is the walleye fishing still good at Pymatuning?

Cyclical but real: strong hatches keep restoring it, and the stump-flat drift bite each May proves it. It remains both states' most reliable walleye water within family-trip range.

Is fishing good at Pymatuning Reservoir right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Mosquito Lake25 miConneaut Creek26 miElk Creek30 miWalnut Creek36 miGrand River39 miPresque Isle Bay41 mi
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