Fishing at Number One Reservoir, McKean County, Pennsylvania

• Overview

  Number One Reservoir is set in McKean County, Pennsylvania. The country here is rolling bush. Small enough that any disturbance crosses the whole surface. It is one of the smaller waters we list in McKean County. Nearest town is Bradford, 4.4 miles off. Beyond it, Foster Brook at 6 miles and Salamanca at 14 miles. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Number One Reservoir

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Open biodiversity records for McKean County list brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout and largemouth bass. The county list is broader than any single water. On Number One Reservoir the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 21°F and July at about 66°F, the water has a wide range to work through. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early April. The water is typically free of ice between early April and mid December. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Plan around that when you fish Number One Reservoir.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Bradford City Number Three Reservoir, 0.6 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Rules at Number One Reservoir are worth checking on the day.