Eastern Pennsylvania’s best spring bass lakes contain good numbers of fish -- and some big ones, too! Photo by Kevin Yokum.

Out of every three anglers in the United States, one fishes for largemouth bass, making largemouths the most popular game fish in America -- at least according to a recent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report.

In Pennsylvania, the devotion to largemouths is equally evident. Bass populations are generally stable or growing, and the Keystone State has a wide variety of bass lakes: everything from humongous impoundments to mid-sized municipal reservoirs and a sprinkling of small natural lakes. Many of these waters are occupied by the equally popular smallmouth bass as well. So whichever species of bass you enjoy, you can find it in the eastern half of the state.

Here’s a look at some of the best bass waters in eastern Pennsylvania:

LAKE WALLENPAUPACK
Spring action heats up first at both ends of Lake Wallenpaupack. The warming influence of tributary streams at the upper end, away from the dam, and the current movement in the lower end near the dam, get the bass fishing going early.

Spawning on Lake Wallenpaupack normally does not occur before early June, so spring anglers should work pre-spawn structure in the warmer regions of this 5,700-acre lake. Services and access are available at both end of the lake, in the southern third around Ledgedale and Ironwood Point and also around the northern third from Caffrey to Wilsonville.

Below Ledgedale, off Route 507, the East and West branches of Wallenpaupack Creek funnel into the lake. Though the stream channels are cavernously deep, their banks are wide and shallow before dropping off. This is good spring water to try.

The lower third of the lake can also be worked from the Ironwood Point access off Route 507 on the eastern side of the lake. Ironwood Point is close to a number of islands and their accompanying shallows.

The lake thins down in the zone around Cairns Island. Shallower water means that the spring bite heats up in early and lasts for weeks through the spawn. Other good island shallows include Burns and Kipp islands.

Lake Wallenpaupack gets fat in the area of Paupack, but narrows again north of Caffrey and Eppy Island. In this area, anglers will find a number of wide, shallow bays. Caffrey is the scene of many bass tournaments, so on weekends the for-fee launch facilities can get crowded.

East of Caffrey, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission maintains a free public launch near the tip of the lake at Mangan Cove. For the best early-spring action, head out of the bay and go west along the shoreline.

As the season progresses, fishing really heats up in the bay. Both the Caffrey and PFBC accesses lie along Route 590. A hard turn at a Y-intersection leads to the busy Caffrey site.

Many anglers travel across the lake to the points off Wilsonville. The light sand on the public beach attracts spring fish, as do the long rocky points that dominate the area. The rocks off Tafton Dam hold spring heat -- and bass.

BLUE MARSH LAKE
In summer, the bass in Blue Marsh Lake are often difficult to catch, but the spring fishery is a hundred times better. From mid-May to late June, the urge to spawn brings many deep-water fish into the shallows, and this makes them more susceptible to angler’s hooks.

Covering 1,150 acres, Blue Marsh is divided into numerous bays and coves, providing plenty of places to fish without crowding every boat into a single area.