NORTHEAST REGION
Bass anglers in Bradford County can anticipate a good year of fishing at Stephen Foster Lake. Biologists gleaned an impressive catch rate of 93 bass per hour last June in night electro-shocking. Forty-eight percent of the bass exceeded the minimum legal size limit of 12 inches, and some were considerably larger

Stephen Foster Lake is in Mt. Pisgah State Park. Boats may be powered only by electric motors.

Smallmouth bass fans should note that the YOY indices for the Delaware River were exceptionally high last year and well above average in 2001 and 2002. Fish hatched in those two years will now be of decent size. This might result in some of the best river bass fishing in the commonwealth.

For hot smallmouth action on the Delaware River, start in the Damascus area and work downstream. The Delaware Water Gap is one of the best stretches for smallmouths and it offers plenty of access.

SOUTHEAST REGION
The Southeast Region has relatively few trout streams. Most waters are warmwater fisheries, and one reliable place for largemouth bass is Lake Ontelaunee.

This Berks County lake, owned by the city of Reading, is fairly deep and has a lot of rocky bottom with few aquatic plants. Boats are not allowed.

"It's not a lake where a lot of bass anglers go," biologist Brian Chikotas noted, "because you can't put a boat in it."

Bass generally don't require a lot of management other than fishing regulations. Given the right habitat, they do well. One lake that was designed with good bass habitat in mind is Chambers Lake, which has a lot of standing timber. If things go according to the usual cycle, the hot spring bass fishing will taper off soon.

When the lake was built, all the timber was flooded with the intention of creating good fishing, especially in the upper end, Chikotas noted.

Chambers Lake is in Hibernia Park in Chester County.

For more information about fishing for bass in Pennsylvania, contact the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, P.O. Box 67000, 1601 Elmerton Avenue, Harrisburg, PA 17106-7000; or call (717) 705-7800.

For statewide travel information, contact the Pennsylvania Office of Tourism, Room 404, Forum Building, Harrisburg, PA 17120; or call (717) 232-8880 or 1-800-VISIT-PA.