Carbaugh Reservoir Fishing near Fayetteville, Pennsylvania

• Overview

  Carbaugh Reservoir sits in Adams County, out in Pennsylvania. It stands 1,286 feet above sea level. The water measures roughly 21 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. On size it sits at the modest end of our Adams County list. Fayetteville sits 6 miles from here and is the nearest stop. It is 60 miles to Baltimore, the nearest city. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Carbaugh Reservoir

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Look for where the old bank line still shows under the surface. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. County-wide records name brown trout, brook trout, bluegill and yellow perch. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Read Carbaugh Reservoir before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 71°F and January near 28°F. Temperature moves within a narrow band, and so does the fishing. It is not guaranteed from one year to the next. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. Carbaugh Reservoir fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Carbaugh Run Natural Area covers ground next to the water; its rules will apply on that side. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Should this one be busy, Caledonia Water Company Pond is 2.9 miles off. Where Carbaugh Reservoir is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.