At Pennsylvania's Pymatuning Lake it matters not if your only boat is a canoe or a johnboat. A lakewide 20 horsepower limit will keep anyone from blowing you out of the water. Plus, the fish use shallow cover all over the lake during spring and early summer, so there's no need to make any major runs. Cast toward stuff that looks like it should hold fish, and there's a very good chance you'll find crappie, bass, walleyes or some kind of sunfish.In truth, you don't need a boat at all. Shoreline access is outstanding all around this lake and includes fishing piers, riprap banks and a mid-lake causeway. Lots of cover lies within easy casting range of the banks, and the bank-fishermen tend to do well.Wade-fishing is also popular, especially during the spring. By wading the tops of points, anglers can access a lot of water and they commonly catch a lot of walleyes, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass.
Pymatuning supports strong populations of a big variety of game fish, and the lake's shallow nature, plentiful cover and narrow configuration make likely fish-holding spots easy to find. It's one of those really fun lakes where you can cast a small bait such as a Road Runner matched with a 2-inch SkippyFISH and expect to catch fish -- and you really don't know what variety of fish any given cast will produce.
