Smith Pond in Luzerne County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  You will find Smith Pond in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The surface lies 1,158 feet up. It covers about 16 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. The closest town, Back Mountain, is 4.4 miles distant. Nanticoke follows at 5.2 miles, then Plymouth at 5.2 miles. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Smith Pond

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Records held for Luzerne County cover brown trout, brook trout and largemouth bass. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Treat Smith Pond as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 23°F and July at about 69°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Ice is part of the season here, ending near late March. The water is typically free of ice between late March and late December. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. At Smith Pond the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. The nearest mapped parking is 0.9 miles away, so the last stretch is on foot. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Pikes Creek Reservoir sits 1.4 miles off and takes the overflow. None of that is settled for Smith Pond in what we hold.