Tioga County Lakes, Pine Creek, & Surrounding Waterways Report
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- By Don
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Fishing Reports and info for Tioga County, Pine Creek, & Surrounding Waterways
Welcome to the new fishing report blog from Tackle Shack. Bookmark this page to easily reference fishing reports, ice conditions, and fishing updates for Tioga County and the surrounding waterways.
1/7/2025
Hills Creek has capped over completely again and is making ice! The center of the lake still had open water over the weekend, but that is all frozen again now. We will be posting Tioga County ice updates on Friday and it looks almost certain that we’ll be fishing a good majority of the local lakes this weekend!
Remember to ALWAYS check conditions yourself before venturing onto any frozen body of water. Conditions will be highly variable to start the season with the warm/thaw pattern we have experienced these past few weeks.
**1/3/2025 Tioga County, PA ICE Update**
Happy New Year! Unfortunately, warm weather early in the week has deteriorated conditions on the Tioga County Lakes, BUT cold weather is expected through the coming weeks and we will almost certainly be fishing next weekend on a good majority of the smaller lakes. Currently, all of the smaller lakes are mostly capped and should freeze solid again by the end of the weekend. We will report back again soon. Temps look great to have a wonderful January season on the ice very soon!
Don't forget to purchase your 2025 fishing licenses too!
***12/27/2024 Tioga County ICE Update***
These reports are for your reference only. ALWAYS check conditions yourself before venturing onto the ice. With snow last week and warmer weather expected this weekend, conditions are going to be variable with areas of thicker and thinner ice. The snow from last week has melted down and refroze in many spots creating a layer of soft white ice. Some spots are crusted over with a layer of slush, then a layer of ice. This will soften quickly as highs reach the mid 40’s, especially with rain on Sunday. There has been anglers fishing on Hamilton, Beechwood, and Hills Creek. If you go out, use a spud and constantly check conditions wherever you are planning to fish.
Beechwood- A few people were out today. Edge was solid at the launch with no issues accessing the ice. Near the launch, ice measured about 5” with roughly 3” of clear ice and 2” of cloudy ice over top. There are some wet spots with 3” of ice and 1-2” of slush/water on top. This could tighten up overnight but will begin to thaw quickly as it warms up again. Ice thinned farther from the launch towards the middle of the lake. Did not check the back side.
Hills Creek State Park - Edges at both launches are hard with no issues accessing the ice. Similarly here, the bottom 2-3” is clear with a layer of frozen slush over top. We measured 4-4.5” off the stumps end. Ice at the Pines launch was slightly thicker, measuring just over 5” near the dock and thinning to 4” farther out with a layer of slush on top.
Hamilton- The lake is frozen solid and we had no issue getting on at the dock. A few sled tracks were down closer to the dam, but we did not check this area. From the dock, we measured 4-5.5” ice with 3-4” of clear ice and a layer of frozen slush over top. With rain and snow melt coming, the lake will likely dirty and raise early next week.
Nessmuk- The edge is solid and accessing from the launch was no problem. We drilled a few holes straight out from the launch measuring just under 5”. No one has been fishing here and we did not have time to check more areas. This was the last of our smaller lakes to freeze completely.
Hammond is also frozen. We did not stop to check conditions.
Good luck fishing and be safe out there. We will report again next Friday after the warm spell.
For pictures and more info see our Facebook page here- https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18Kyp2MHBS/
***12/21/2024 Tioga County ICE Update***
Happy First Day of Winter and a beautiful one it is! Highs in the teens and lows near 0 will help build ice throughout the weekend, though a 2-3+ inches snow will slow the building. Highs are expected to stay near or below freezing through the next week in the region.
These Reports are for your reference only! ALWAYS check conditions yourself before venturing onto any frozen body of water.
Hills Creek State Park - Hills Creek is capped end to end. Edges are solid at both the Pines launch and the stumps end. Ice is thicker near shore and thins farther out. Conditions should continue to improve, but most measurements were still 3" or less and unsuitable to continue across the lake.
Beechwood - The parking lot and road is not plowed and is a bit slippery. The edge is solid, but we only measured just under 3" here with a bit more snow than the other lakes.
Hamilton- Hamilton appears to be up a little and there is open water by the dock. The edge on the dam end is thin and weak. We were unable to access the lake.
Nessmuk- There is a large patch of open water towards the middle of the lake. This should lock up this weekend.
We will report back again after Christmas. Pictures and more can be found on our Facebook page here- https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15mAQMMCBB/
**12/16/2024 Tioga County ICE Update**
The Lakes are primed and we're a few cold days away from ice fishing. Heavy snow came down last night, blanketing all of the lakes in a few inches of snow/slush. Warmer weather these next few days will melt this off and frigid temps this weekend should continue to help conditions improve.
These reports are for your reference only. ALWAYS check conditions yourself before venturing onto the ice.
Hills Creek State Park- We stopped at the beaver huts launch (stumps end) and found close to 3.5" of ice near shore, but that quickly tapered to 2.5" a few feet past that. The lake is nearly completely frozen with a nice base of clear ice. It shouldn't be too much longer till we are fishing here if the weather cooperates.
Beechwood- The lake is frozen solid except for a few wet patches along the dam area. At the boat launch, the edge is frozen, and ice a few feet out measured just under 3" of clear ice. Again, it shouldn't be too much longer till we are fishing here.
Nessmuk- There is still a patch of open water around the middle of the lake. Birds and wind helped keep that open.
Hamilton- The lake is mostly frozen with wet spots on the road side shoreline and scattered throughout the main sheet. The creek mouth is also partially open. This warmup will likely open up some holes and cracks in the next few days.
Think cold thoughts and let's get out on the ice soon! Be patient and be sure to ALWAYS check conditions yourself before ice fishing. We will check back again later this week.
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