Tamarack Lake, Pennsylvania: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Out in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, sits Tamarack Lake. The surface lies 1,207 feet up. Roughly 590 acres of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. Shoreline length is close to 7.6 miles, and each section fishes a little differently. It is one of the larger waters we list anywhere in Pennsylvania. Head to Meadville, 4.2 miles away, for anything you forgot. For a city, Pittsburgh is 80 miles off. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Tamarack Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. Levels move with the draw rather than the rain on water like this. Crawford County records list common carp, largemouth bass, brown bullhead and walleye among the fish reported. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Fish Tamarack Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 23°F and July at about 69°F, the water has a wide range to work through. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around late March. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late March and starts locking again about late December. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. The season on Tamarack Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. If the gate is shut, Brawley Run at 5.9 miles is the nearest alternative. Treat Tamarack Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.