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Tionesta Lake
Mon Oct 26 – Wed Oct 28, 2026 · Eastern Time · Smallmouth
- Shallow cover, points, creek mouths
- First light (7:41 AM EDT) → ~9 AM
- Use any ripple as cover
- Shade lines, docks, deeper edges
- Electronics for bait height first
- Slow down once the sun is overhead
- Revisit shallow shade as sun drops
- Topwater if the surface lays down
- Weekday traffic is lighter — work quiet pockets
Early fall feed on Tionesta Lake. As the water cools, smallmouth leave their summer pattern and move toward cove mouths, outside weed edges, and points to feed heavily before winter.
What's on the menu: We do not have a dated forage report for this window. Most likely, small baitfish and young sunfish and perch are the main meal along the weed edges and points, with crayfish on rocky banks and around wood.
Muskellunge. Muskellunge have been stocked here, and surveys report a good fishery.
Weekday traffic — lighter than the weekend. Fish early, give ramps and swim areas room.
Fixed Dam-controlled water. No shared generation/level feed this cycle — check the agency page the morning you fish; releases and pool levels change daily. Stay outside buoyed restricted zones.
| Item | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Permit / regs | Unpowered boats need a registration or a launch permit. | |
Expect cool starts, near 37 to 40 degrees mornings, so dress in layers and plan for the bite to build by mid-morning. Fish from the shoreline near the Nebraska launch and the Kellettville area at the upper end. Rocky points within reach of shore are good for smallmouth.
Launch at the Nebraska launch and fish the upper lake and creek channel. The Kellettville campground area offers a takeout upstream. Rocky points near the launch are a good first stop for smallmouth on a tube or jig.
Launch at the free public Nebraska launch near Nebraska Bridge. There is no horsepower limit, so you can run down the lake to the rocky points and the deeper water near the dam. Early, work wind-blown points and weed edges with spinnerbaits and squarebills.
Walking bait over weed flats on the warmest afternoon. Buzzbait along shady banks at first light. Hollow-body frog over matted weeds.
3/8 oz spinnerbait on wind-blown points. Squarebill crankbait along weed edges and wood. Paddle-tail swimbait for suspended fish.
Texas-rigged creature bait along weed edges. 3/8 oz jig on points and wood. Drop shot on deeper edges.