Download / print this Cast (PDF)
Wallenpaupack: Friday Shower Edge, Crisp Sunny Saturday & Cool Partly Sunny Sunday
Lake Wallenpaupack · Fri Oct 2 – Sun Oct 4, 2026 · bank / kayak / boat · times ET
Wallenpaupack’s tourism lake gets a cooler early-October weekend — Friday’s mid-70s and afternoon shower likely, then Saturday’s sunny mid-60s with nights in the mid-40s when Poconos rock finally feels like fall. Fish Tafton and Ledgedale points at dawn before weekend boat wake fills the main lake.
WEEKEND OUTLOOK
NWS Binghamton (BGM) grid for the northern Pennsylvania corridor covering this water this Cast window (BGM 89,38), pulled Friday morning, sets up a cooler early-October flip: one unsettled Friday, then a crisp dry cool-down. Friday runs mostly cloudy with a high near 74°F, west wind 7–12 mph, and rain showers likely after about 1 PM ET (~62% chance; light totals). Overnight low near 47°F with leftover shower chances early evening. Saturday turns sunny and fall-like — high near 65°F / overnight low near 45°F, light north wind around 6 mph, and dry (patchy fog possible Saturday night). Sunday stays cool near 62°F under partly sunny skies, southeast wind 2–9 mph, and only a soft ~11% shower chance. No active NWS watches or warnings at the Friday-morning pull. Nearby METARs around 7:10 AM ET Friday: KAVP ~29.94, KBFD ~29.93, and KERI ~29.96 inHg — a firm high.
For black bass: protect Friday’s first light before the shower risk builds after 1 PM, then lean into Saturday’s cool, dry morning when nights in the mid-40s should pull bait and fish shallower on rock points and ledges. Sunday’s partly sunny cool look favors a steady mid-depth grind. Soft weekend recreational pressure expected — but this is still a tourism lake, so protect dawn. No named trail tournament pulled for Fri–Sun on Wallenpaupack.
Friday Oct 2
- Mostly cloudy, then rain showers likely after 1 PM
- Sunrise 6:59 AM · Sunset 6:40 PM ET
- Best bite: first light–~9:30 AM ET; midday shade structure; watch the afternoon shower edge
Saturday Oct 3
- Sunny · clean cool-down day
- Sunrise 7:00 AM · Sunset 6:39 PM ET
- Best bite: dawn through mid-morning on points and edges; midday transitions 6–16 ft
Sunday Oct 4
- Partly sunny · soft shower risk low
- Sunrise 7:01 AM · Sunset 6:37 PM ET
- Best bite: cool low-light windows; steady grind; protect any clear dawn pocket
Bite tie-in
Cool nights into the mid-40s plus Saturday’s dry high = morning bass on rock points and ledges where bait marks, then a midday slide as the sun climbs. Friday’s showers compress the dawn window; Sunday’s cool light favors a tube or dropshot if fish slide deeper. Keep a shad-profile soft bait ready when birds tip schools along main-lake walls. Watch afternoon boat wake on this tourism lake.
DAM & CURRENT / GENERATOR SCHEDULE CHEAT SHEET
Lake Wallenpaupack is a Brookfield Renewable / utility storage lake with recreation managed alongside power releases. There is no public hour-by-hour unit board published for anglers. Pool elevation boards were thin on the Friday USGS pull — honest thin, then failover to downstream Lackawaxen gages and the Wilsonville dam notices. Downstream Lackawaxen at Hawley (~154 cfs) is your honest release context while pool elev boards stay thin — confirm Wilsonville notices if you fish the dam end.
| Source | Live pull (Fri Oct 2 morning ET) | What it means this weekend |
|---|---|---|
| Pool elevation Wallenpaupack pool elev board | Thin / not live on Friday-morning pull No instantaneous pool elev in the Friday USGS bundle | Treat shoreline rock as normal early-October tourism-lake pool until Brookfield / lake pages post a live number. Confirm Wilsonville / lake notices before launch if levels matter to your ramp. |
| Downstream Lackawaxen @ Hawley USGS 01431500 Lackawaxen River at Hawley, PA | ~154 cfs · gage ~2.01 ft ~7:15 AM ET Oct 2 | Useful release-context flow below the project — modest, not a flush. Soft current story near the dam end if Wilsonville is passing water; main-lake rock still fishes as a reservoir pattern. |
| Lake / dam failover Wilsonville dam notices · lake recreation pages | Live notices · ramp hours Friday-morning Cast pull | Wilsonville and lake recreation pages drive access when pool elev boards are thin. Check live notices before you bank on a specific dam-end pattern. |
Failover before launch: USGS 01431500 · Wilsonville / Brookfield lake notices · Lake Wallenpaupack recreation info. Dam restricted zones stay off-limits. Soft current→bite only when release is visible; otherwise treat as still-water rock and points.
Wilsonville / dam end
If Wilsonville is passing water, fish soft seams and the first major rock points upstream of restricted water. Keep a safe buffer from the dam face. Smallmouth traffic often shows where bait stacks — especially Saturday morning after the cool night.
Tafton · Ledgedale · mid-lake
Tafton, Ledgedale, and mid-lake rock points fish a classic early-fall pattern: bait on points early, then sliding toward deeper ledges as the sun climbs. Friday’s showers favor covering water; Saturday’s sun favors deeper rock after 10 AM; Sunday’s cool light can keep fish shallower on protected banks. Watch afternoon boat wake on this tourism lake.
HOW TO FISH IT — BANK / KAYAK / BOAT
Bank
Shared: Friday’s shower risk wants a light shell after midday; PFDs on wet rock; dam restricted zones stay off-limits. Start on posted Tafton day-use shoreline before picnic traffic, then rotate to Ledgedale and other posted public banks where rock meets walking water. Saturday’s cool, dry morning is the banker’s best window — walk a shadowed rock bank with a tube or Ned at first light, then slow a dropshot or small swimbait along visible ledges once the sun climbs. Sunday’s cool partly sunny look favors covering water with a spinnerbait if wind puts a ripple on the bank.
Kayak
Launch Tafton or Ledgedale for short paddles to rock points and ledges without a long open-water crossing. On calm Saturday mornings, work the lee side with a ⅜-oz chatterbait or tube, then slide a small swimbait through bait showers if birds tip schools. Friday’s west wind and any shower chop can rough the main lake — hug protected coves and give big boats the main tourism lanes after late morning.
Boat
Tafton and Ledgedale put you closest to classic fall transitions: main-lake points, rock walls, and ledges where bait pulls smallmouth. Idle the first hour on a topwater or waking bait along slicks — especially Saturday after the cool night — then slide to 8–20 ft on rock with a tube, jerkbait, or football jig as the sun climbs. Confirm Wilsonville notices if you plan the dam end; Lackawaxen context is ~154 cfs. Weekend tourism traffic builds by late morning even without a trail blast-off, so protect the dawn idle.
LURE BOX
Top
- Walking bait (bone / chrome) over slicks
- Buzzbait on shaded banks
- Popper at first light in calm pockets
Mid
- Suspending jerkbait (clear rock water)
- ⅜–½ oz chatterbait (wind / stain)
- 3–4" swimbait on a jighead for bait schools
- Spinnerbait (white/chart) under clouds
Bottom
- Tube or Ned on rock transitions
- Football or hybrid jig (green pumpkin / brown)
- Dropshot when fish suspend off points
- Texas-rig creature in wood and cove mouths
Stain / clear match: Darker profiles in stained pockets after Friday showers; translucent smoke, shad, and green-pumpkin on clearer main-lake rock. Tie colors to baitfish and crawfish first.
BASS LIFE STAGE
Early-fall transition on Wallenpaupack. Cooler nights into the mid-40s and Saturday’s dry cool-down should pull smallmouth onto rock points and ledges and keep largemouth honest around wood and cove edges. Fish are not on a winter deep stack yet — treat this as morning-shallow, midday-slide, with Friday’s showers compressing dawn and Sunday’s cool light stretching shallow activity. Skip the spawn talk; that chapter is closed.
What’s on the menu: Dated hatch reports for this exact window are thin. Most-likely forage this week is shad-class baitfish and young panfish wherever birds tip you off, with crawfish on rock once the sun climbs, and bluegill still around shallow wood. Start on baitfish imitators; keep a craw-colored tube ready for rock transitions midday.
ALSO HOT / ALSO IN SEASON
Wallenpaupack’s mixed-bag reputation holds when bait balls tighten — keep a trolled crank or soft swimbait ready on main-lake walls. Soft language only; confirm seasons and creel on the live PFBC page before you keep fish.
Crappie and panfish matter on brush for mixed bags, especially low light Saturday dawn and Sunday’s cool first hour. Same access rules as bass — legal bank and ramp water only.
No named Tri-State Bass Circuit, PA B.A.S.S. Nation, or PSBA trail event pulled for Fri Oct 2 – Sun Oct 4 on Wallenpaupack. Expect normal weekend tourism and recreational traffic — earlier launch still beats the boat-wake crowd by late morning Saturday.
Looking ahead (next 1–3 weeks): After Sunday’s cool partly sunny look, NWS leans cooler and clearer early week (Monday high near 61°F, night in the upper 30s) — classic October mornings if nights stay crisp. Confirm Wilsonville notices before any midweek dam-end plan. Next Cast: Monday window Mon–Wed.
Pure-Gas.org E0 · this water
Ethanol-free stations near the Tafton / Hawley / Honesdale corridor (no pump prices).
- 507 Country Store — 507 Country Store, 288 Rt 507, Tafton, PA (Ethanol-free CITGO 91)
- Hawley Sunoco — Hawley Sunoco, 2541 Route 6, Hawley, PA (Ethanol-free SUNOCO 90)
- Highhouse Energy — Highhouse Energy, 466 Hamlin Hwy, Hamlin, PA (Ethanol-free SUNOCO 90)
- Kellam's Service — Kellam's Service, 300 Willow Ave, Honesdale, PA (Ethanol-free GULF 91)
Stations reused from Pure-Gas.org PA list for this water. Listings move — verify literal E0 / ethanol-free grade at the pump. No pump prices in this Cast.