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.
Northcentral region Tioga County
Lake Nessmuk covers 60 acres in Tioga County, on PFBC-owned land. PFBC biologists last reported on it in October 2018. The 2026 advisory has no lake-specific row for it; the statewide one-meal-a-week advice applies.
Oct 2018 survey · 8 years ago
Gear: night electrofishing, boat electrofishing
PFBC's plan, in our words: PFBC will monitor fish populations and retain catch and release regulations until populations recover and become self-sustaining, then adjust regulations to allow harvest. (p. 2)
PFBC Biologist Report: Lake Nessmuk (2018), p. 1
Oct 2017 survey · 9 years ago
Gear: night electrofishing
PFBC Biologist Report: Lake Nessmuk (2017), 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.
Lake Nessmuk is not on PFBC's 2026 adult trout schedule (as published Oct 4, 2026).
No lake-specific advice for Lake Nessmuk 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.”
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.
2026 Summary p. 15
Panfish Enhancement here covers Crappie (9-inch minimum), Sunfish (7-inch minimum) and Yellow Perch (9-inch minimum): 20 a day of each, and no more than 50 panfish combined.
2026 Summary p. 11
Largemouth, Smallmouth and Spotted Bass: 15-inch minimum and 4 a day (combined) from Jan. 1 through April 10 and from June 13 through Dec. 31; catch and immediate release only from April 11 through June 12, with no tournaments. Other species follow inland rules.
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, 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
The 2026 advisory has no lake-specific row for Lake Nessmuk. The statewide advice — no more than one meal (1/2 pound) a week of sport fish — still applies. Not medical advice.
PFBC's October 2018 survey recorded: Black Crappie, Bluegill, Golden Shiner, Pumpkinseed, White Crappie, Yellow Perch. Surveys record what biologists caught with their gear on those days, not everything in the lake.
Yes. PFBC's special-regulation data and the 2026 Fishing Summary (p. 11) list it in the Big Bass Program: Largemouth, Smallmouth and Spotted Bass: 15-inch minimum and 4 a day (combined) from Jan. 1 through April 10 and from June 13 through Dec. 31; catch and immediate release only from April 11 through June 12, with no tournaments. Other species follow inland rules.
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