August is the hottest month for Pennsylvania trout fishing in at least one way -- the daytime temperature is certainly up there! Yet, late summer can be an excellent time for trout anglers because they can expect to have a lot of water to themselves. By this time of year, most trout streams will not average one angler per week, and trout lakes do not get much more attention than that.

For anglers who look closely, opportunities abound. This is the time for flyfishermen to drift terrestrials where cool creeks flow through open meadows. At a few of the deeper lakes, anglers who understand the thermocline may find good fishing. And, at some cooler lakes, tributary streams provide enough cold water to hold trout through summer.

NORTHWEST REGION
Chapman Lake
At Chapman Lake, a 68-acre man-made lake in central Warren County, anglers can catch trout toward the head of the lake even through the dog days of summer. Some flyfishermen use nymphs retrieved very slowly. Others cast spoons, spinners or stick baits. The action is sustained by the cool in-flow of water from West Branch Tionesta Creek.

Generally, fishing pressure here is light, although local anglers occasionally take advantage of the situation. Renovations have been underway at the state park, so there have not been many campers. But under normal circumstances, overnight anglers enjoy trout fishing in the lake and in the creek above the lake.

West Branch Tionesta Creek is stocked with trout and it is fed by small streams that hold wild brook trout.

The warmer the temperature the more trout tend to move upstream. Some trout move into tributaries that are so small they cannot turn around without bending, a fact verified by electro-shocking surveys.

These small tributaries are shaded by hemlocks, which helps keep their waters cool. The effect is felt all the way to the lake even though West Branch Tionesta Creek flows through a savannah-like valley where trees have not grown back since timbering followed the forest fires of the late 19th century. Throughout this open area, there are grasses along the banks where trout are accustomed to feeding on terrestrial insects. Large grasshopper patterns can be very effective, although small black ant patterns probably will catch more trout over the long run.

Anglers may get to Chapman State Park by turning on U.S. Route 6 east of Warren and then taking Chapman Dam Road at the only traffic signal light in Clarendon.

The park has a campground, but extensive renovations are underway and reservations are not available.

For current information, contact the Chapman State Park office, 4790 Chapman Dam Road, Clarendon, PA 16313; or call (814) 723-0250.

Lake Pleasant
Another of the better summer trout fisheries in the Northwest Region is Lake Pleasant, a 60-acre lake in northern Erie County. It is glacial in origin, one of relatively few natural lakes in Pennsylvania. Nearly all of Pennsylvania's natural lakes are in the glaciated portions of the northwest and northeast corners.