Fishing Report For Lake Ontelaunee, PA

By Rick Seaman

June 1, 2025

Popular Fish Species Reports
Lake Ontelaunee Fishing Video
Available Fish Species
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Fishing Report Lake Ontelaunee, PA

Fishing Reports

Popular Fish Species Lake Ontelaunee, PA

Largemouth Bass

Current Report: Good To Very Good
Outlook: Good To Very Good

Because no boats are allowed on the lake, the lake receives very limited fishing pressure. Anglers willing to wade out into the lake, reaching areas not feasible from the bank, are catching some very nice bass. 4 to 6 pound bass are caught quite regularly, and plenty of 2 to 3 pounders to keep your interest. In open water, jerkbaits continue to take some nice bass. Lipless crankbaits are also popular for working closer to the bottom, around points and ledges. In areas with heavy vegetation, spinnerbaits and frogs are catching a lot of fish.

Channel Catfish

Current Report: Good To Very Good
Outlook: Very Good To Excellent

Like bass, the catfish here receive very limited fishing pressure. They are eager to bite most any catfish baits, nightcrawlers and cut bait. Fishing for channel catfish from the bank is often accessible flats, ledges and drop offs, especially if they have cover. Fishing late in the day until midnight often produces the best fishing activity as this is prime feeding time for channel cats. Spring, and again in Fall, are some of the best time of year. Road beds, creek channels and rocky points are all good places to begin. Anglers fishing from the bank, especially those wading out from shore to cast, are catching them. Good setups include slip sinkers, 3-way rigs, or Carolina rigs which keep the bait close to the bottom.

White Perch

Current Report: Very Good To Excellent
Outlook: Very Good

Fat white perch here feed on small fish and invertebrates. Fishing for them through the ice was good again this year using minnows, mealworms, maggots, and nightcrawlers. These baits continue to work now that the ice is gone. Anglers are catching them from the bank, in 4 to 10 feet of water around vegetation. As Summer warms the water, they will move a little deeper, and can be found 15 feet deep, or deeper. A healthy, stable population of white perch reside here, and are the most prominent species in the lake. Yellow perch are bonus, but are not here in big numbers.

Fishing Video

Fish species to fish for...

Guide to fishing for largemouth bass, channel catfish, white catfish, black crappie, white crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed sunfish, white perch and yellow perch at Lake Ontelaunee in Pennsylvania.

Lake Ontelaunee is a 1,100-acre reservoir with about 18 miles of shoreline. Boats are not allowed on the lake. However the lake has healthy populations of bass, crappie, catfish, sunfish and perch. So this is a great place for fishing from the bank. Ice fishing is popular in Winter.

Primary fish species to catch

Click images for fishing tips and details about each species.

Today's Weather & Forecast

Fishing License

Click here for a Pennsylvania Fishing License.

Map - Fishing & Access

Rick Seaman is a fishing enthusiast with over five decades of fishing experience, a retired tournament fisherman, author of numerous published articles on fishing, and co-author of the book "Bass Fishing - It's not WHAT you throw, It's WHERE you throw it".