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Lake Nockamixon: Fishing One of Pennsylvania's
Great Southeastern Lakes
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Sailboats on Lake
Nockamixon
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Lake
Nockamixon can be a favorite picnicking
spot, a place to ride horses, a place to
sail, and a place to catch quality fish. To the
Lenni Lenape Indians, the first inhabitants
of the area, Lake Nockamixon was
called "nocha-miks-ing" meaning "place of
soft soil". This meaning may have
derived from the area's sedimentary rock,
formed by river floodplains. Other "soft soil"
areas exist such
as Quakertown's marsh and the various creeks
that feed Lake Nockamixon's primary water source,
Tohickon Creek. By the mid 18th
century, settlers had replaced the Lenapians
and were developing the land, building
homes, community structures, and
mills. Fast forwarding to 1961, Dr. Maurice Goddard,
the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department
of Forests and Waters, pushed for the
formation of the now 1,450 acre warm water,
man-made lake. The lake opened in
1974.
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Lake
Nockamixon is nested in northern Bucks
County's "Nature" region and is approximately three miles east
of Quakertown and three miles west of the
Delaware River. The lake is bordered
by route 313 from the south, 563 from the
west, 611 from the north, and Ridge and
South Park Roads from the east. Access
to the lake can be made by several smaller
bisecting roads.
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Rules
& Regulations:
There
are a few things to know before making your
first cast. Lake Nockamixon is open
all year, day-use areas close at dusk while
boat launching facilities remain open 24
hours a day. Boat motors are
restricted to 20 hp and standard
Pennsylvania Fish and
Boat Commission (PFBC) rules apply regarding boat
registration and fishing licenses.
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Big
Bass Program regulations apply. From Jan. 1 through April 11 and June 14
through Dec. 31, 4 (combined species) with a
minimum size of 15 inches may be kept.
No harvest with immediate release (no tournaments
permitted) occurs April 12 through June 13.
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The
Fish:
Scan
PFBC's website or the IGFA Record book and you'll
find quality fish have been caught from Lake
Nockamixon. The fly angler can expect to
catch panfish and largemouth bass with
relative ease, hybrid bass, walleyes and
pickerel with work, and muskies with time.
PFBC records show they have stocked Lake
Nockamixon with over 12 million fish
(combination of fry, fingerling and adults)
from 1991 to 1996. The numbers seem
staggering but are included in the table
below.
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Lake
Nockamixon: Estimated Number of
stocked fish, 1991-1996 |
Species |
Number |
Black
Crappie |
505,637 |
Brown
Bullhead |
7,000 |
Chain
Pickerel |
14,760 |
Channel
Catfish |
261,000 |
Muskellunge |
11,600 |
Tiger
Muskellunge |
86,576 |
Smallmouth
Bass |
31,895 |
Striped
Bass |
4,516,488 |
White
X Striped Bass |
67,130 |
Walleye |
7,301,375 |
Yellow
Perch |
10,600 |
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Topographical
Map:
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Images courtesy
of the USGS, click on image to enlarge.
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Image
series (west to east): 1
2
3
4
.
.
Aerial Map:
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Images courtesy
of the USGS, click on image to enlarge.
.
Image
series (west to east): 1
2
3
4
.
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The
Fishing:
Lake
Nockamixon receives heavy fishing pressure
at times. Combine that with finicky
fish and a multitude of places for them to
hide and it's no wonder many anglers feel
fishing Lake Nockamixon, or "Nock"
as anglers call it, is difficult. I
too find myself in this category
occasionally, but over the years I've found
some things that work. Give the
following a try.
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Tohickon
Creek, the major tributary to the Nock is
worth fishing. This doesn't mean that only
the entry and exit points should be fished. The
creek's stream-bed winds through the lake
and is visible via topo maps. Try
fishing the stream-bed with weighted lines, particularly
as it nears points. Additionally, the
Nock offers many coves which provide
excellent cover for largemouths and pickerel.
Access to these areas is best by boat or
kayak, as shore fishing can be difficult.
.
Time
of year can be key. Cooler months seem
to be more productive for walleye and hybrid
bass while warmer months seem better for
largemouth and panfish. Walleye (and occasionally
carp) can be found in early spring staging
near the tributaries. Also, in early
spring or late fall, try the fishing pier or
other rocky areas. The rocks will
heat-up during the day and will transmit the
heat to the surrounding water.
Sometimes the subtle temperature change is
enough to turn fish on.
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While
you're fishing, constantly scan the water
for fish activity. I have either seen
feeding or spawning activity on roughly half
of my Nock excursions. These visual
cues dictate my fly selection.
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The
Gear:
Gear
selection runs the gamut when selecting
flies, tippet and lines. These all
change depending on the species you're
after. My rod selection remains
consistently a 7 to 9 weight rod. I
typically use a floating line with sinking
leaders or a Scientific Angler Quad Tip,
adjusting the tip to the fishing
conditions. Occasionally, I'll use an
intermediate line. I fish 6 to 20
pound tippet with 12 pound a good reference
point. Flies range from size 16 to
4" Deceivers. Pickerel, hybrid
bass, largemouth and muskies all take
Deceivers, Vineyard Minnows and bunny
flies. I usually fish these flies
weighted in both bright and natural
colors. If fishing is slow, I'll
switch to fishing for panfish. Most
standard panfish flies work, although I
prefer using size 16 caddis larvae fished
tandem.
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USGS Realtime
Data:
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Lake
Nockamixon Observation Well
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Tohickon
Creek near Pipersville, PA
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While you're in
the area, try Lake Towhee just northwest
of Lake Nockamixon or Lake Galena to the
south. Both are smaller in size and
receive less
pressure.
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Lake Nockamixon Photographs
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8
pound hybrid striper |

Lily
pad cover |

The marina |

Weighted
Deceiver for Nockamixon |

Weighted
Deceiver for Nockamixon |

5-8
pound walleye |
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Contacts:
Park
Office................................................215-529-7300
Park
Email (George Calaba, Manager).........nockamixonsp@state.pa.us
Boat
Rentals.............................................215-538-1340
Cabin
Rentals............................................888-PA-PARKS
............................................make
online reservations
Angler's
Pro Fly
Shop................................800-934-4862
Dave's
Sport
Center...................................215-766-8000
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References:
•
History
of Lake Nockamixon
by the
Pennridge School District, retrieved:
January 13,
2008.
•
Lake
Nockamixon (Trap Netting June 19-21,
2007), Fisheries Management
Field Report
by Pennsylvania
Fish & Boat Commission
•
Lake
Nockamixon: A Warmwater Gem
by Ron Steffe
•
Lake
Nockamixon State Park Brochure
by Carl Haensel, Pennsylvania Angler
& Boater,
July-August 2006
•
Lake
Nockamixon State Park Map
•
Pennsylvania
Trail of Geology by Bureau of
Topographic and Geologic Survey
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