The Poconos have bass and pickerel lakes, stocked trout water and one of the area's best-known trout rivers, the Lehigh. Many of our homes are in lake communities where you can fish close to the house, with the community's permit.
Anyone 16 or older needs a Pennsylvania fishing license, and fishing for trout takes a separate permit. Here are the 2026 fees, the trout season pattern and the waters near our homes.
Licenses and fees (as of 2026)
- Anyone 16 or older needs a license, residents and nonresidents alike. Kids under 16 don't need one.
- Nonresident tourist licenses: 3-day $31.97, 7-day $39.47. A 1-day tourist license is also $31.97 and includes the trout permit, but isn't valid from March 15 to April 30.
- Nonresident annual license: $60.97. Pennsylvania resident annual license (ages 16 to 64): $27.97.
- Trout permit (ages 16 and up): $14.97, required to fish for trout. Fees include agent and transaction fees, and 2026 licenses are good through December 31, 2026.
- Buy online at HuntFish PA or from about 700 license agents. You don't have to display your license, but you must show it if asked, and a photo on your phone counts.
- Pennsylvania sets Fish-for-Free Days each year, when no license or trout permit is needed. In 2026 they were May 24 and July 4.
Trout season
Statewide opening day for trout changes each year, so check the Fish & Boat Commission before planning a spring trip. In 2026 it was Saturday, April 4. Stocked trout waters close from mid-February until 8am on opening day, except on Mentored Youth Trout Day (March 28 in 2026) and on waters in the year-round program. The Commission's online stocking schedule can be searched by county.
The Lehigh River between White Haven and Jim Thorpe is a major trout river, stocked with brown and rainbow trout below Francis E. Walter Dam. The Army Corps schedules some dam releases each year for anglers, so check the release calendar before you go.
Where to fish near our homes
- Tobyhanna Lake, Tobyhanna State Park: 170 acres of bass, pickerel, yellow perch, catfish and sunfish, stocked with brook and brown trout.
- Gouldsboro Lake, Gouldsboro State Park: bass, pickerel, yellow perch, catfish, sunfish, walleye and crappie.
- Beltzville Lake, Beltzville State Park: 949 acres with trout, striped bass, largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, muskellunge and perch. Pohopoco Creek below the dam is stocked with trout.
- Mauch Chunk Lake, Jim Thorpe: a warmwater lake for unpowered and electric boats only.
- Sand Spring Lake at Hickory Run State Park doesn't allow fishing; the park's trout streams do.
- Emerald Lakes, Long Pond: a Pennsylvania license for ages 16 and up plus an Emerald Lakes fishing permit, $15 per person (as of 2026), from the Administration Office or The Lodge. All fish are catch and release, including every bass, and violations carry a $100 fine. The lakes hold bass, pickerel, carp, bluegill and crappie and are stocked yearly.
- Arrowhead Lakes, Pocono Lake: a Pennsylvania license for ages 16 and up, and state fishing rules apply. Renters need the community's access passes.
- Lake Naomi, Pocono Pines: fishing is a club amenity, so renters need a Lake Naomi Club Temporary Membership, which is strictly limited.
Ice fishing safety
Ice fishing is allowed at Tobyhanna, Beltzville and Promised Land state parks, but the parks don't check the ice. DCNR recommends at least 4 inches of solid ice for one person and 7 inches for a small group. Tobyhanna allows ice fishing on natural ice only. If you're unsure, stay off.
