Beaver Lake in Potter County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Potter County in Pennsylvania is where Beaver Lake sits. It sits at 1,568 feet above sea level. With some 133 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Some 3.7 miles of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. Wellsville lies 8 miles from the water. After that come Bolivar at 9.3 miles and Shinglehouse at 10 miles. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Beaver Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Potter County records list brown trout, brook trout and rainbow trout among the fish reported. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Anyone new to Beaver Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 20°F in January and 66°F in July. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Ice-out usually falls in early April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The open-water window runs from around early April to about mid December in an average year. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. It holds true on Beaver Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. A launch point is recorded some half a mile off. Parking within half a mile means no long carry with tackle. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Amity Lake, 14 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Where Beaver Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.