Beltzville Lake - Catfishing Tips For This Lake

[NorthportTroller]

Any body catfish up at Beltzville. I dropped the boat in there a few times last September for the first time to do some bass fishing. Just wondering if the catfishing was any good. That place is very beautiful, I was really impressed, but the fishing is pretty tough. Any info would be appreciated.

[xnmcclurex]

where is beltzville lake?

[NorthportTroller]

where is beltzville lake?


Up past Allentown, next to Lehighton. East Central Pa.Where are all you East guys at? I am flying solo in the NHL forum too!:sad2:

[lendog]

i've had the boat up there a few times but we were catchin bass and pickeral, never catty fished there, i like to troll the ledge below the power lines along the weed beds, nice deep channel along there. that lake also has some nice stripers and musky

[wetflyguy]

I fished Beltsville,a few times .
Should be a spot we could hit from shore for Cats.
Any body do the big hole in the lehigh just down river
from Lehighton at the cement plant?
It's about a 40 min. East from me to Beltsville.

Wet

[NorthportTroller]

i've had the boat up there a few times but we were catchin bass and pickeral, never catty fished there, i like to troll the ledge below the power lines along the weed beds, nice deep channel along there. that lake also has some nice stripers and musky

Yeah, I know exactly where you are talkin'. The wind wasn't to cooperative when I was trying that, it kept blowing me into the shallows even with the trollin motor churnin'.:sad2:

[NorthportTroller]

Any body have any fishing news for this lake lately?:ooooh:

[lime4x4]

We always have good luck with catfish up there.Pulled 2 nice 26" channels last year.Were generally out there a few times during the week and on the weekends. One of the joys of living 5 miles from the lake

[finster31]

that is a deep lake. i think the deepest spot that i saw was between the dam and the beach, witch was around 127ft. how deep is that lake?

[lime4x4]

me depth finder showed 146 feet in frt of the dam. It's deep lake with some nice deep channels and coves

[finster31]

i've only been there once, it was in late november. we were going up the ne turnpike and the temp was around 33, then we get through the mountain and the temp was 27. we had to wait at the dock because the fog was so thick we couldn't see more than 30 ft. we trolled around the power lines and caught a bunch of pickeral on 6 in shiners, and a bunch of perch.

[NorthportTroller]

We always have good luck with catfish up there.Pulled 2 nice 26" channels last year.Were generally out there a few times during the week and on the weekends. One of the joys of living 5 miles from the lake
Boy are you lucky. :wink:If I only could put the time in there like I do down here on the Skuke! :sad2:

[NorthportTroller]

that is a deep lake. i think the deepest spot that i saw was between the dam and the beach, witch was around 127ft. how deep is that lake?
That seems to be right, around 130 or so. I got the depth map hanging in my garage. My last trip up there in September, caught a few nice Smallies up to 21". :roll_eyes:That place sure is a lot different heading back to the ramp in the dark!:ooooh:

[finster31]

i was really impressed with how deep that lake is, i'm just use to blue marsh. the marsh is 53-55 ft around the corner from the dry brooks launch.

[Scott Daw]

Ive never catfished there but have taken the rod along for a ride during the day. All the boat traffic pushes them deep during the day.

[NorthportTroller]

i've only been there once, it was in late november. we were going up the ne turnpike and the temp was around 33, then we get through the mountain and the temp was 27. we had to wait at the dock because the fog was so thick we couldn't see more than 30 ft. we trolled around the power lines and caught a bunch of pickeral on 6 in shiners, and a bunch of perch.
Man, that's awesome dude! I gotta do that!:tounge_out:See up there next November!

[lime4x4]

yeah coming back in the dark is a challange some nights.We have a 27 foot cabin cruiser that we use. Works ok for fishing and the wife and children have the comforts of home as well...We just had the boat out last night for some light fishing.Didn't catch anything water temp was 44 deg

[lime4x4]

There are a couple of good spots for catfish at Beltzville.The cove up by the Dam is pretty good at night for catfish.Last year on Labor Day Weekend we were anchored back there and using night crawlers and Power bait catfish attractant and caught 3 catfish within about an hour or so.Sizes ranging from 13 inches up to about 22 inches.Also back near Preachers Camp boat launch area is a great place for catfish.They bite on everything from minnows to chicken livers to night crawlers.There are so huge ones in that Lake.A couple years ago my wife went fishing on the shore with a friend and had her pole in a rod holder made of steel pipe.The holder was firmly pounded into the ground and she got a bite..well as she went to go take the rod out of the holder the fish pulled so hard, it yanked the rod holder and rod right out of the ground and it went into the water.My wife ran into the water to get the rod and the fish was so strong that it just took the hook and left her with nothing but the sinker..lol..We're heading out there today.

[NorthportTroller]

There are a couple of good spots for catfish at Beltzville.The cove up by the Dam is pretty good at night for catfish.Last year on Labor Day Weekend we were anchored back there and using night crawlers and Power bait catfish attractant and caught 3 catfish within about an hour or so.Sizes ranging from 13 inches up to about 22 inches.Also back near Preachers Camp boat launch area is a great place for catfish.They bite on everything from minnows to chicken livers to night crawlers.There are so huge ones in that Lake.A couple years ago my wife went fishing on the shore with a friend and had her pole in a rod holder made of steel pipe.The holder was firmly pounded into the ground and she got a bite..well as she went to go take the rod out of the holder the fish pulled so hard, it yanked the rod holder and rod right out of the ground and it went into the water.My wife ran into the water to get the rod and the fish was so strong that it just took the hook and left her with nothing but the sinker..lol..We're heading out there today.
Your the man.:wink: Get out there and teach that lake who's boss.:smile2: I gotta get up there.:embarassed: Let me know when the water temp hits the mid-50's.:wink:

[mattr]

probably heading out to beltzille tonight for a few hours after work... we'll see how it goes... :cool2:

[NorthportTroller]

probably heading out to beltzille tonight for a few hours after work... we'll see how it goes... :cool2:
Good luck man.:smile2:

[mattr]

Skunked :sad2: not a hit...

[NorthportTroller]

Skunked :sad2: not a hit...
Aw snap!:embarassed: Hope you didn't waste too much time.:ooooh: Maybe I'll wait a few weeks before I come up. :confused2:I know the water down here isn't warming up at all, it's actually been holding or dropping.:sad2:

[mattr]

Aw snap!:embarassed: Hope you didn't waste too much time.:ooooh: Maybe I'll wait a few weeks before I come up. :confused2:I know the water down here isn't warming up at all, it's actually been holding or dropping.:sad2:

4 hours, soaked chicken hearts and liver on one pole, and crawler ball on the other, not even a bump

[Scott LEmons]

Is there good shore access at Beltzville Lake? i was thinking of driving up there last summer... just ran out of time.

[mattr]

Is there good shore access at Beltzville Lake? i was thinking of driving up there last summer... just ran out of time.

hello scott

beltzville is probably better fished from a boat, but there is plenty of shore access

there are two no wake zones located at pine run and preachers camp for non gas powered crafts and both have good fishing

there are plenty of trails surrounding the lake, admittedly i have not even come close of scoping every possible option of shoreline yet. but it's there

Check out the map
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/beltzville/beltzville_mini.pdf

I've also fished it from a boat and can confirm it gets fairly deep at spots, around the breast of the dam avgs about 120feet

the channels at preachers regurlaly hit 60-100 feet as well, very nice lake though, worth a trip.

[NorthportTroller]

4 hours, soaked chicken hearts and liver on one pole, and crawler ball on the other, not even a bump

I,ve had plenty of thosew nights.:embarassed:

[mattr]

tried me luck again the other night, had some cut creek chub i caught earlier in the day, soaked chicked liver and garlic shrimp in a new spot

Not a hit again...

have a few more spots that i want to try, hopefully one produces...

[NorthportTroller]

tried me luck again the other night, had some cut creek chub i caught earlier in the day, soaked chicked liver and garlic shrimp in a new spot

Not a hit again...

have a few more spots that i want to try, hopefully one produces...
Aww, man.:embarassed:

[lime4x4]

was out the other night not a single nibble but the water is starting to warm up it was 51 deg

[NorthportTroller]

was out the other night not a single nibble but the water is starting to warm up it was 51 deg
:embarassed:

[lime4x4]

going out this weekend and c what happens

[NorthportTroller]

going out this weekend and c what happensThat's it, go gettum man!:wink:

[mattr]

That's it, go gettum man!:wink:

Yea I will be trying my luck one day this weekend on beltzville, now that it has gotten warmer

I have gotten skunked 3 times there this year, im hoping to not make it a 4th :tounge_out:

[readingcatfisher]

are you goin for cats?

[NorthportTroller]

Is that water still in the 50's?:embarassed:

[lime4x4]

more then likely yes. Gonna find out tomorrow night

[NorthportTroller]

Hitting it with the boat tonight? It should start warming up today. It might get the fish moving a little.:wink:

[lime4x4]

yes we are

[lime4x4]

The main parts of the lake are around 50 deg the coves are in the high 50's
alot of fish activity on the fish finder. Didn't catch anything either. Me try going back out sunday afternoon for awhile

[NorthportTroller]

How did it go today up there? The Skuke raised up to about 67 degrees as of this time.:roll_eyes: Fishing was still slow though.:embarassed:

[NorthportTroller]

C'mon guys!:tounge_out: What the heck is going on up in that lake???:ooooh:Haha. No news??

[lime4x4]

didn't make it out sunday.Gotta put a new engine in the boat. So i'll probably not get back out to the lake till memorial weekend..ALso the lake also has a nick name "the dead sea" lol

[mattr]

havent been up to beltzville in a couple weeks, maybe this weekend...

last I heard they were doing good with stripers

[NorthportTroller]

I wanted to head up there tonight, but I think it's going to be a wash out.:embarassed:

[NorthportTroller]

Man, that lake must really be beat.:embarassed:No new posts:confused2:, just from the guy who can't get up there yet. Maybe I shouldn't>:ooooh:

[mattr]

Haven't had time to get there, I've gotten skunked there quite a bit early in the season, I'm fishing other places where I've had better luck in the past.... I'll hit it up more in a week or two.

[FTL6]

Have never fished the lake ,but I have read a paragragh on a web site that list whats in different lakes and the one for Beltsville DOES NOT list any catfish????? Is this false? Haven't read of anybody catching any there.

http://www.epfr.net/Themes/babylon/images/on.gif (http://www.epfr.net/index.php?action=unread;board=23.0) Beltzville Lake (http://www.epfr.net/index.php?board=23.0)
The 949-acre Beltzville Lake is stocked with warm-water and cold-water game fish and panfish. Favorite species are trout, striped bass, largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, muskellunge and perch. Below the dam, Pohopoco Creek is stocked with trout.

[NorthportTroller]

I am surprised it listed ANY fish!:ooooh:Hahaha.:smile2: She is a tough place!:confused2:

[mattr]

no they actually have stocked channels in there for quite some time, fingerlings....

not sure of the site, but they did a shock survey on beltzville not too long ago, and there we some decent sized channels had... still the most abundant fish up there are the smallmouth, it's really what the lake is known best for...
and wipers as well..

ive also seen pictures in the fish and game reports with 12 pound channels, i believe they were caught by the beach closer to the dam...

i myself have never gotten a nice catfish out of there, i also never fished catties from a boat on beltzville keep in mind...

[NorthportTroller]

Yeah, sounds like something to try, around that beach area, should be soft bottom. Last time I was up there nailed a 21" Smallie right near the dock area on a shiner on a jig-head.:wink:

[mattr]

Yeah, sounds like something to try, around that beach area, should be soft bottom. Last time I was up there nailed a 21" Smallie right near the dock area on a shiner on a jig-head.:wink:


some reallll nice smallies at that lake, its like a mini lake eerie... jig heads for smallies up there, and you cant go wrong...

[NorthportTroller]

Yeah, that's about right. All the bass I have caught there were on jigs. Nothing on rapalas or spinner baits, but I have only fished there 3 times.:ooooh: I am sure with time, you learn the water. Wish I could get in there every day after work with my boat.:embarassed: And really disect that place:wink:.

[mattr]

whats the word boys, im still waiting for a catfish catch outta here... i may be trying this again this weekend... we will see

[NorthportTroller]

Sounds like the dead sea bro, not even that mutch on the EPFR site.:ooooh: Either nothing going on, or lips are zipped!:embarassed:

[lime4x4]

we were out last night may 24th caught a couple of 10 to 12 inch bull heads

[delawareriver]

know a alot of guys use liver for the stripers, a few cats here and there but ur better off taking a road trip the big D

[River Hobo]

Have never fished the lake ,but I have read a paragragh on a web site that list whats in different lakes and the one for Beltsville DOES NOT list any catfish????? Is this false? Haven't read of anybody catching any there.

http://www.epfr.net/Themes/babylon/images/on.gif (http://www.epfr.net/index.php?action=unread;board=23.0) Beltzville Lake (http://www.epfr.net/index.php?board=23.0)
The 949-acre Beltzville Lake is stocked with warm-water and cold-water game fish and panfish. Favorite species are trout, striped bass, largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, muskellunge and perch. Below the dam, Pohopoco Creek is stocked with trout.

They don't list catfish because normal people don't fish for them..... Just us really smart people' :wink: :big_smile:

[NorthportTroller]

They don't list catfish because normal people don't fish for them..... Just us really smart people' :wink: :big_smile:
That's right Mike!:wink:

[NorthportTroller]

Anybody up there can tell me what the water temp is at Beltzville?

I might come up this weekend with the kiddies.