Tulpehocken Creek
The stream section of Tulpehocken Creek below Blue Marsh Dam provides excellent winter stream trout angling for fishermen from southeastern Pennsylvania.

With the exception of the first few hundred yards below the dam, the first four miles of the creek are managed as a Delayed Harvest Area. Two more miles of stocked trout water exist below the special regulations area, and are managed as standard Approved Trout Waters.

This area is stocked with trout during fall, and the fish carry over well into the winter.

Holdovers from previous spring plantings will likely be present as well, as the stream keeps its low temperatures through the summer.

Access is good because public land surrounds the stream, which is near Reading.

Scotts Run Lake
Scotts Run Lake in French Creek State Park sits at a higher elevation than most nearby southeastern Pennsylvania lakes, offering a bit more of an ice-fishing season.

Last season, Scotts Run Lake received two winter stockings in addition to a fall trout stocking. Winter plantings took place in mid-December and early February.

French Creek State Park lies in Berks and Chester counties off Route 345 south of Birdsboro and north of Route 23.

Tuscarora Lake
Schuylkill County contains Tuscarora Lake as well as the state park of the same name. This 96-acre lake is stocked with trout in fall. Last season, it received a mid-December stocking.

Survey work by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission confirmed that trout from these stockings hold over well and that come spring, plenty of fish remain.

This lake, which is limited to boats with electric motors, lies off Route 54 at Barnesville.

Kaercher Creek Dam
A small 30-acre pond in Hamburg, Kaercher Creek Dam is part of the Berks County park system. Though the impoundment isn't stocked in winter, few fish are harvested from the fall stockings that take place there, so plenty of fish remain for wintertime angling.

This lake is off Route 78 along old Route 22. A ramp is provided, and boats are limited to electric motors only.

Anglers must remember that limiting regulations are in place during the winter season. Consult the 2008 Summary of Fishing Regulations supplied with your license, or log on to the commission's Web site for details regarding waters you plan to fish.

Find more about Pennsylvania fishing and hunting at PAgameandfish.com