Independent site — not affiliated with or endorsed by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) or the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Official sources are linked on every page.
Northeast region Columbia County
Briar Creek Lake covers 50 acres in Columbia County, on PFBC-owned land. PFBC biologists last reported on it in June 2022. It has 4 dates on PFBC's 2026 adult trout schedule, as published Oct 4, 2026. The 2026 advisory has no lake-specific row for it; the statewide one-meal-a-week advice applies.
Jun 2022 survey · 4 years ago
Gear: night electrofishing, boat electrofishing
“Largemouth Bass were the only black bass species captured.”— PFBC biologist report, p. 2
PFBC Biologist Report: Briar Creek Lake 2022 Black Bass Survey (2022), p. 2
Findings are our short summaries of one survey at one time. Every number was checked against the cited page of PFBC's report. We don't rate lakes.
2026 schedule · as published OCT 4
As published Oct 4, 2026 · PFBC: “All stocking events are subject to change without notice.” PFBC schedule
Add Columbia County lake dates to your calendar (.ics)
Open to year-round fishing; no trout may be kept from February 16 until the opener (2026 Fishing Summary, p. 23).
No lake-specific advice for Briar Creek Lake in the 2026 list.
Statewide advice: “Pennsylvania has issued a general, statewide health advisory for recreationally caught sport fish: eat no more than one meal (1/2 pound) per week of sport fish caught in the state’s waterways.”
“People who regularly eat sport fish, women of childbearing age and children are particularly susceptible to contaminants that build up over time.”
“Fish stocked from PFBC state fish hatcheries are subject to the blanket one-meal-per-week consumption advisory that applies to recreationally caught sport fish in Pennsylvania.”
DEP: “The advisory listing was current at the time this summary went to press. Fish consumption advisories may have been issued or lifted since that time.”
DEP fish consumption advisories Before you go: check DEP's harmful algal bloom page
Quoted word for word from the advisory for the year shown; advisories may have been issued or lifted since. Not medical advice.
No lake-specific program in PFBC's special-regulation data (Mar 2026). Commonwealth inland waters rules apply (2026 Fishing Summary, p. 10).
Summarized. The current Pennsylvania Fishing Summary, 58 Pa. Code and posted signs govern.
PFBC habitat-improvement map (PDF) — PFBC's map of fish-habitat structures placed or proposed in this lake.
Check posted rules and current conditions before you go.
On PFBC's ice-fishing destination list (retrieved Oct 4, 2026). Species PFBC lists for ice fishing here: Largemouth Bass, Trout (stocked), panfish.
This site has no ice reports; conditions change daily; never assume ice is safe.
Sponsored · advertiser-supplied · not verified by this site; not affiliated with or endorsed by PFBC
PFBC lists Briar Creek Lake on its adult trout schedule for 2026: 4 dates, as published Oct 4, 2026. Dates can change; check PFBC's schedule.
As published Oct 4, 2026: Mar 24, 2026; Apr 21, 2026; May 5, 2026; Oct 8, 2026. PFBC: “All stocking events are subject to change without notice.”
The 2026 advisory has no lake-specific row for Briar Creek Lake. The statewide advice — no more than one meal (1/2 pound) a week of sport fish — still applies. Not medical advice.
PFBC's June 2022 survey recorded: Largemouth Bass, trout, crappie, Yellow Perch, catfish, Common Carp. Surveys record what biologists caught with their gear on those days, not everything in the lake.
Sources for this page: PFBC Lakes_Point (Oct 4, 2026); PFBC biologist reports (area pages, Oct 4, 2026); PFBC adult trout schedule (as published Oct 4, 2026); DEP/PFBC fish consumption advisory (2026 list, updated Feb 27, 2026); PFBC special-regulation data (Mar 2026); 2026 Pennsylvania Fishing Summary. All sources
Last data import Oct 5, 2026