Upper Woods Pond

LEBANON TOWNSHIP - Upper Woods Pond is an 80 acre natural lake located within State Game Lands 159 in Lebanon Township in Wayne County. The average and maximum depth of the pond is reported as 29 and 66 ft. Upper Woods Pond was reclaimed in the early 1980s by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC), and the only game species restocked were salmonids. Currently, the PFBC annually stocks the pond with catchable and fingerling rainbow trout.

Fish species composition is changing in Upper Woods Pond. Over the past five years Waterways Conservation Officer (WCO) Kaneski has received increasing reports of anglers catching bass in the pond in addition to trout. During his patrols of the area, he has personally seen bass, primarily largemouth, being caught, confirming angler reports. On one occasion (24 May 2008) WCO Kaneski witnessed an angler catch and release a 21 inch, 7.5 pound largemouth bass. Reports of bass being caught by anglers and WCO Kaneski’s observations of increasing bass catch over the last five years lead to his request to have our office conduct a survey to see examine the status of the “new” bass population.

The origin or method of introduction of bass into Upper Woods Pond is unknown. Perhaps the bass species migrated upstream from Lower Woods Pond during previous high water events. Upper Woods Pond now provides a nice “little bass” fishery in addition to the Big Bass Program offered at the PFBC’s Lower Woods Pond.