Fishing regulations to change at Lower Woods Pond in Wayne County, Pa.

Harrisburg — Pennsylvania Fish & Boat commissioners voted to approve a change in fishing regulations at Lower Woods Pond, a Fish & Boat Commission lake located in Lebanon Township, Wayne County.

Under this changes, the 91-acre impoundment will be removed from the Big Bass program to allow for management under the Catch and Release Lakes program, which was approved by the board during the commission’s July 2024 quarterly business meeting.

Lower Woods Pond was partially dewatered in 2012 to complete dam and spillway repairs and modifications ordered by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection dam safety standards.

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Following completion of these repairs and modifications, the lake was refilled in 2024. The commission began stocking the lake in late summer 2024 with fingerling plants of select fish species to establish a high-quality, warm-water and cool-water fishery. 

Staff recommend managing the lake under the Catch and Release Lakes program to facilitate the most rapid development of a balanced warmwater and cool-water fish community, while offering acceptable levels of recreational angling. 

Once fish populations can sustain limited harvest, the lake will be recommended for removal from the Catch and Release Lakes program and moved to one or more of the commission’s existing regulation programs. 

This designation will go into effect upon publication of a second notice in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.