# Pymatuning quick tips for a first trip



## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

We are doing a short camping trip to Pymatuning next week for a couple of days and hauling the yaks to fish. I know it is a huge lake especially from ayak but does anyone have any good tips. Target species is about anything that bites. I know my boy will prefer to chase bass and muskie. I am thinking of taking some worms along to hopefully get something for the campfire, and I am not referring to fried worms. So are we as well off just working the area from the campgrounds or is it worth driving to another put-in location? What are the go-to baits for bass in July? Senkos, swimbaits, cranks,etc. Is it worth targeting panfish on the fly rod? Thought maybe I would give that a shot as well. Thanks in advance. Brian


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## flyphisherman (Jul 7, 2009)

I fish Pymatuning from a yak.........Trolling always produces fish.....but if you have a perfect drifting wind it's tough to pass that up. Drift some jigs tipped with cralwers or minnows and you'll be catching in no time. You should be able to round up some action near the campgrounds.


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## Eyecrosser (Apr 10, 2016)

I haven't fished with a fly rod for a while but I use to fish the edges of the weed beds with foam spiders and clobbered the gills and occasional crappie. If you go down near the dam there are a lot of places to put in and your close to all types of structure. A little jaunt and you can cross the lake and fish the islands. It's good when the wind is blowing from every direction except north or northwest wind.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

Thanks for the feedback! Wind could be a great reason to do a move at some point. Campground area doesn't seem too suitable to a north or northeast wind. Is there any species that would warrant a significant location change on the lake? I imagine we will start out in campground area unless wind gets us.


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## PymyBone (Jan 12, 2014)

Are you staying in the state park campground? If so there is a huge weed bed a hair south of there. Weed bed is full of crappie, blue gill and perch. Also there are quite a few coves which produce panfish with in paddeling distance. As for walleye if that's what you're after good luck lol


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

I haven't been to Pymatuning in years so I can't speak current information, but if it were me I'd launch down by the dam. Jamestown PA I believe. Plenty of action down there. Smallmouth, largemouth, perch, cats. muskie, you name it. It's not terribly wide so would be easy in a kayak. If it's windy you can get out of the wind.

Anyhow...... that's where I would head.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

Thanks to all for the info. Yes we are goimg to be at the state campgrounds. I will try to give a report next week.


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## lawrence p (Sep 3, 2015)

I am at the campgrounds right now walleye bite is slow I'll be here for two weeks


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## chaunc (Apr 11, 2004)

Crappie and bluegill bite is good all over right now.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

Thanks Chaunc! That is great to hear. I figured you would still be chasing those slabs! I suspect that they will be somewhat mid-depth on weeds still? Are the deep weedbeds visible from the surface?


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## chaunc (Apr 11, 2004)

They are both, shallow and deep. Blacks are shallow, whites are deep. From eight ft to twenty two ft deep. Put sixtyfive in the cooler with two friends in two days. Some very nice gills too. Still squirting too.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

What are the water temps??? Fish down around here I am pretty are all done.


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## Eyecrosser (Apr 10, 2016)

72+.


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## matticito (Jul 17, 2012)

I just went wednesday night and thursday morning. It was pretty wavy on the south side. You might have to head north of the causeway. There were plenty of boats fishing north of the causeway. 

They put plenty of structure in the lakes and give coordinates for the cover. You find it with gps and fish over the cover. I don't have any vessel and strictly fish the causeway. It was tough the last trip. 

If you go north there are plenty of places to put in. If you want to fish around the islands in the stumps up the far north end, I think people mostly use wilson, linesville and tuttle launches. You can also launch just north of the causeway on the PA side at the Espyville launch.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

Not familiar at all with lake. I don't see the causeway on the map. Where exactly is that?


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## chaunc (Apr 11, 2004)

Route 85


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## tcbridges (Dec 30, 2016)

chaunc said:


> Route 85


The campground you guys are referring to is that the one down by Jamestown off of Rte.322


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## tcbridges (Dec 30, 2016)

can anyone tell me where the bait shops are near Jamestown and towards the state park launch area


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## Eyecrosser (Apr 10, 2016)

Boat house opens at 6 on weekends and 6:30 week days. When I stop for I only stop there. Richters has bait just before you enter the park but I refuse to go there.


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## ya13ya03 (Sep 21, 2010)

Duck n drake bait ship
7038 Pymatuning Lake Rd, Andover, OH 44003
It's the best place over there. It's the only place I go when I fish there. Always friendly. Great bait. And a huge tackle assortment.


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## tcbridges (Dec 30, 2016)

Eyecrosser said:


> Boat house opens at 6 on weekends and 6:30 week days. When I stop for I only stop there. Richters has bait just before you enter the park but I refuse to go there.


Where is the Boat House bait shop at. I can't find it on google. I would like to find one down towards Jamestown since I come up from 19


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## PymyBone (Jan 12, 2014)

The boat house is right there at the jamestown boat launch. He has all of the bait you would need.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

Well we got back this afternoon from a short trip to Pymie. Although we didn't really get in to many fish it was a great time. I found that locating fish on a lake as large as Pymie with a kayak is not easy. The campgrounds area is very shallow and required a good bit of paddling to get out of water less than 6 feet. We caught a few fish of various species on fly rod but all were small. I caught a few fish in the cove near the camp boat ramp by dipping jigs in the weeds. Biggest bass was 15". I also discovered that the lake is full of carp as they were all over in that cove. 

We were going to haul the kayak to another area yesterday but instead opted to make a drive a see the Grand River. We waded down from the Harpersfield Bridge. Caught a few small bass in there.


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