Tionesta Lake
Fishing and stocking
Channel catfish and muskellunge water, stocked through the 2025 season program; 3,275 fish in the published allocation. One of 16 stocked waters on the Forest County record.
Forest County ยท Pennsylvania · see it on the national map
What swims here
Channel catfish
Muskellunge
Season program record
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission publishes this water by season or program window, not by dated schedule, so there are no truck dates to list; the rows below are the published program allocations. The Pennsylvania season shape statewide: mid-february into october.
Agency feed checked today.
| Season | Species | Size | Fish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 season | Channel catfish | yearling | 2,850 |
| 2025 season | Muskellunge | yearling | 425 |
When to fish Tionesta Lake
| Major periods (~2 h) | Minor periods (~1 h) | |
|---|---|---|
| Today | 9:55-11:55 am and 10:17 pm-12:17 am | 4:11-5:11 am and 4:27-5:27 pm |
| Tomorrow | 10:41 am-12:41 pm | 5:21-6:21 am and 4:50-5:50 pm |
Moon: waxing gibbous, 92% lit. These are solunar periods, the traditional feeding-time theory: majors around the moon's transit overhead and underfoot, minors around moonrise and moonset. Theory, not a measurement. Times are Eastern Time (EDT).
What the record actually says
- Stocked through the 2025 season program
Computed this evening, Oct 23 · Pennsylvania fishing forecast
Gear for this water
For the catfish (channel catfish on the season program here)
| Cut bait and prepared baits | fresh cut shad or chicken liver; scent is everything |
| Rod holders | catfishing is a waiting game; fish two rods where legal |
| Medium-heavy rod | 7 ft medium-heavy, 15 to 20 lb line, sturdy reel |
For the muskie and pike (muskellunge on the season program here)
| Steel or heavy fluoro leader | non-negotiable; pike and muskie cut everything else |
| Oversized landing net | a stocked muskie fishery deserves a proper release tool |
| Heavy casting rod | 7.5 to 9 ft heavy with 65 to 80 lb braid; these fish punish light gear |
Suggestions follow from what the state actually stocks here and what kind of water it is, nothing else. No sponsored placements.
Nearby stocked waters
The closest waters with stocking pages of their own, straight-line miles from this one.
| Water | Distance | Most recent |
|---|---|---|
| Coon Creek | 1.9 mi | Apr 17 |
| Tionesta Creek | 2.3 mi | May 14 |
| Ross Run | 5.0 mi | May 14 |
| Little Hickory Run | 5.8 mi | Mar 12 |
| West Hickory Creek | 5.8 mi | May 8 |
Follow Forest County stocking: RSS / Calendar (iCal) / Print the schedule