Beech Lake in Sullivan County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Sullivan County end of Pennsylvania holds Beech Lake. The surroundings are mixed forest. Surface area runs to about 22 acres — small enough to read in one session. It sits higher than most water we list in Pennsylvania. The nearest town is Harveys Lake, 11 miles away. The big place round here is Allentown, 65 miles distant. You are close to a county edge here; who manages the access can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Beech Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. County-wide records name brown trout, brook trout, yellow perch and pumpkinseed. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Read Beech Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 66°F and January reads 21°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early April. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about early April until roughly mid December. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Beech Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. A carry of half a mile from the nearest parking is the price of fishing here. Ricketts Glen State Park takes in this water; protected-area rules will apply. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Failing this one, try Wild Fowl Pond, 3.1 miles away. The position on Beech Lake is worth confirming on the day.