MAY
Striped Bass: Delaware River
Fishing is strictly catch-and-release for striped bass in the Delaware River below Trenton Falls during April and May, but Mike Kaufmann, a Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission fisheries biologist, rates the fishing as excellent.

Public boat ramps are generally close to good striper fishing.

Crappies: Pymatuning Lake
More than twice as many crappies were captured than in any year since 1989 in surveys conducted by biologists last year. Nets used to capture muskies for the hatchery consistently also catch huge crappies. Popular places for crappie fishing are in stumpfields toward the north end and near the causeway. More overlooked places might hold bigger crappies.

American Shad: Delaware River
Pound for pound, American shad are among the greatest of fighters. This is something every angler should experience. The key is mobility -- being on the right part of the river at the right time. New methods are being used, but the old standard shad darts in either yellow and red or orange and red still do just fine.

May is a tremendous month for fishing in Pennsylvania. Any of these three deserve a top rating.

JUNE
Smallmouth Bass: Juniata River
Nothing is sweeter than a sky-walking smallmouth bass, and there is no finer smallmouth fishing than in the Juniata River. Flowing through the middle of Pennsylvania, it is reasonably convenient to everyone in the state. Adequate boat access makes floats of various lengths possible. Float-fishing is the way to fish the Juniata River.

Muskellunge: Woodcock Creek Lake
Relatively little-known among the several great muskie waters in northwest Pennsylvania, Woodcock Creek Lake might now offer the best potential for catching muskies. This man-made lake in Crawford County is quite small, just 500 acres, so you can cover it all. You should not expect a 40-pound fish, but respectable muskies are abundant.

Trout: Schuylkill River
The upper Schuylkill River holds some wild brown and rainbow trout and is stocked with brown, rainbow and brook trout. Some of these wild browns exceed 20 inches. Improved water quality and attention by fishery managers means this trout water should continually improve.

JULY
Yellow Perch: Lake Erie
Yellow perch fishing at Lake Erie has been nothing short of fabulous for the past few years, and this year should be more of the same. The best part is that these perch are big, in the 9- to 15-inch class.

Most perch are caught in depths of 40 to 60 feet.

The better perch fishing, on average, has been off Walnut Creek. There is also great fishing out of Erie and North East. Expect to motor five miles or more from the Walnut Creek Access, only a few miles out of North East. Charter boats are available.

Channel Catfish: Delaware River
Look for channel catfish over gravel bottom areas below rapids, in the deepest pools, below bridge piers and even down into tidal water below Trenton Falls. Try cut bait with garlic scent added. Big live baits are also good.

Bullheads: Yellow Creek Lake
There might not be a better way to spend a summer evening than fishing for bullheads. One of the better places to do this is at Yellow Creek Lake in Indiana County. It holds both brown and yellow bullheads. Some of these bullheads get big, with 90 percent of those sampled measuring more than 12 inches. At least one measured 17 inches in length. That is a huge bullhead!

AUGUST
Smallmouth Bass: Susquehanna River
Smallmouth bass fishing heats up in the Susquehanna River once flows recede. Flowing out of New York far to the north, this can take some time, commonly into late June or July. During the past couple of years, there have been hardly any good summer flows. While that has made a shambles of smallmouth fishing, it also means that those fish that would normally have been harvested are still in there with a couple of extra years of growth. One of the reasons low flows are important is that wading is a popular way to fish this broad, shallow river.

Look for some exceptional smallmouth fishing this summer. Smallmouth bass fishing is great virtually all along the Susquehanna's course through Pennsylvania. Try the stretch from Sunbury to Harrisburg.

Lake Trout: Lake Erie
Lake trout fishing at Lake Erie requires a reasonably large boat and downrigging equipment to do it. But there are plenty of anglers with this kind of gear. This is a great opportunity to catch really big fish, possibly even a state record. The best fishing is close to the New York border. Our state-record lake trout is 27 pounds, 13 ounces; theirs, also caught from Lake Erie, is 41 pounds, 8 ounces. This clearly demonstrates the potential for record catches.

Channel Catfish: Struble Lake
Struble Lake in Chester County has the second-densest channel catfish population of any lake surveyed in the Southeast Region. A survey showed that many are longer than 20 inches. One recent specimen weighed 14 pounds.