Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - July/August 2023 - 5
BEGINNER
A Guide to
Bass Fishing
in Pennsylvania's
Urban Areas
by Carl Haensel photos by the author
P
ennsylvania has abundant bass fishing throughout
the state. Even many urban areas have excellent
fishing for Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass,
and Spotted Bass. Fishing these areas offers easy access,
ample casting opportunities, and trophy fish. Make plans
today to visit an urban fishery and hook up with some
exceptional bass.
Finding your way to the water
When you're fishing in a city, you may need to be
a little more resourceful at first to find your fishing
spots. A lot of excellent fishing is accessible without
even launching a boat. Public parks and green spaces
dominate many of Pennsylvania's larger cities and help
make fishing easier. Most cities have good maps of their
parklands, which are an excellent place to start your
urban search. Plan to use hiking, walking, and biking
trails to get to some of the best fishing spots. Bridges and
roadways offer additional access points on public land,
along with good fishing structure. If you have a boat, it
improves your options. Look for boat launches upstream
of urban areas to float through some of the best waters
on rivers in the state. Paddling a canoe or kayak is a
great way to explore many urban fisheries and helps with
launching or taking out at public access sites that don't
feature ramps.
Gear and tackle for urban fishing
If heading out on foot, use a backpack or sling pack
to keep everything with you at all times. It can also
help with concerns of leaving your fishing equipment
unattended in a high traffic area. If you're spin fishing,
a 6-foot, two-piece fishing rod is a good option. A
spinning reel spooled with 8- or 10-pound-test line will
handle most situations you encounter. Fly anglers should
use 7- or 8-weight rods. While bait is useful in some
cases, urban fishing lends itself to lure presentations.
Casting minnow plugs, spinnerbaits, or swimbaits may
produce bass and help anglers cover a lot of water while
searching for the next hotspot. Fishing with jigs or
weighted plastic worms works well when bass fishing
near bridges and other deep water urban areas. Topwater
poppers, chuggers, and buzzbaits are vital in urban areas
when subsurface debris is abundant and leads to snags.
July/August 2023
5
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - July/August 2023
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - July/August 2023
Contents
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - July/August 2023 - Cover1
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - July/August 2023 - Cover2
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - July/August 2023 - Contents
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - July/August 2023 - 4
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - July/August 2023 - 5
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - July/August 2023 - Cover3
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - July/August 2023 - Cover4
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