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Fishing Lake Arthur: what the data says
3,225-acre reservoir near Portersville. the centerpiece of Moraine State Park north of Pittsburgh, a shallow, fertile lake famous for muskie and largemouth. The lake tops out around 35 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Muskellunge fishing at Lake Arthur
Spring muskellunge on Lake Arthur hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 16 ft of water that rates prime for muskellunge in fall. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a double-10 bucktail or a topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Smaller bucktail (#8 blades), 6" glide bait |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Double-10 bucktail, Topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | midday & dusk | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), 10"+ glide bait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Large rubber, crawled slow |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Arthur
Spring largemouth bass on Lake Arthur hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Walleye fishing at Lake Arthur
Spring walleye on Lake Arthur hold shallow, usually 4 to 15 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 15 to 35 ft, and winter fish settle into 11 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in spring. Best bite is the evening and early morning. Summer baits: a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 11 to 35 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 11 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Crappie fishing at Lake Arthur
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 30 ft that scores prime in winter. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Arthur
Spring channel catfish on Lake Arthur hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 11 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in spring. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 11 to 35 ft | midday |
White Bass & Hybrids fishing at Lake Arthur
Spring white bass & hybrids on Lake Arthur hold shallow, usually 3 to 15 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 11 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Creek inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 11 to 35 ft | midday | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 30 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 16 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 9 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 9 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 8.658001815219968 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 7 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 5.370226003218359 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 4.780669123468877 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 4 ft
- Shannon Run inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 4 ft
- Dock / pier line: dock line, around 4 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake Arthur?
Lake Arthur is about 35 ft (11 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
What fish are in Lake Arthur?
Anglers target largemouth bass, walleye, crappie, channel catfish, muskellunge, white bass & hybrids on Lake Arthur.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Arthur?
Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 16 ft of water that rates prime for muskellunge in fall. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Lake Arthur?
For muskellunge, the summer bite is best in the evening and early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Shenango River Lake · Conneaut Lake · Pymatuning Reservoir · Allegheny River · Lake Erie - Presque Isle Bay · Youghiogheny River
See how Lake Arthur stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Pennsylvania · best walleye lakes in Pennsylvania · best crappie lakes in Pennsylvania · best channel catfish lakes in Pennsylvania
Browse all Pennsylvania fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.