Pennsylvania bass water
The smallmouth rivers the Fish & Boat Commission manages, from the Susquehanna, Juniata and Delaware to the Allegheny and French Creek, with its Best Fishing Waters, bass lakes, access areas and water trails for floats.
- Bass rivers & creeks
- 115
- Miles of bass water
- 3,005
- Bass lakes
- 207
- Best Fishing Waters
- 23
- Access sites
Check before you fish. Access, stocking and regulations here come from Pennsylvania's own data and can be out of date. Posted signs and landowners' wishes come first, and private land needs permission. The rules that apply are in the Pennsylvania Fishing Summary, and you need a valid fishing license.
Filters
Filter waters
Map layers
Background
Layers
Public land is shoreline context; on the big rivers the water itself is open to fishing. Access sites are the agency's own.
Water types · Pennsylvania
- Water trails (floats)
- Largemouth water
- Smallmouth water
- Best Fishing Waters
- Bass lakes
- Best Fishing Water lakes
- Public land
Legend & map details
How to read this map
Bass water, rules, access and sources
Smallmouth and largemouth water are the warmwater fisheries the Commission's biologists define for each species, by stream section. Best Fishing Waters are the sections and lakes PFBC names as the best for the species. Each section in a river's details gives its ends, length and the rule that applies, linked to the Fishing Summary: for example, catch-and-release bass on parts of the Juniata and Susquehanna.
Lakes are mapped as one point near the middle. Access sites are PFBC access areas (ramps, shore fishing, parking) within reach of the water. Water trails (off at first; turn them on under Layers) are PFBC's mapped floats.
On the big rivers the water is open to fishing, but the banks often aren't: get in from an access area or public land, and respect posted land. There are no river gauges on this map yet; check the flow before a float.
The trout map for the state is at /pa/.
Sources
- Bass fisheries, Best Fishing Waters, access areas and water trails: PA Fish & Boat Commission GIS, downloaded October 25, 2026.
- Public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1, fee-owned parcels marked open access. Counties: US Census TIGERweb.
- Map tiles: OpenFreeMap and OpenStreetMap contributors.
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