Smallmouth bass, like this one shown by Dan Brown, are increasing in population in Edinboro Lake. Jeff Knapp/Special to the Eagle

Pennsylvania has only a smattering of natural lakes, many of which are located in the northwestern part of the state.

And though the list of these glacially formed lakes is rather short, the inventory of the fishing they provide is comparatively lengthy. The 252-acre Edinboro Lake is one such lake.

Located in southern Erie County, Edinboro Lake is a case of clashing subcultures. For the angler that works his or her boat up one of the many fingers feeding the lake, the place is refreshingly wild.

In reality, Edinboro Lake is located right next to the town of the same name, one that contains a thriving state university and the busy commerce such institutions help support. Interstate 79 passes just a couple of miles to the west.

With no horsepower limitations, the lake sees plenty of recreational boating traffic, including jet skies. Anglers hoping for the best fishing experience should choose times that are least likely to intersect with the boating crowd. This includes the early- to mid-morning period and days of inclement weather. The fall season definitely fits into this category; happily, some of the lake’s best fishing occurs during autumn.

Edinboro contains a wild spectrum of panfish and larger gamefish. Panfish species include black crappies, yellow perch, bluegills and pumpkinseed. Bass are present in good numbers.

When the Fish and Boat Commission surveyed the lake last year, they found a good population of largemouth bass, which has been the case for many years. What was surprising was a significant upturn in smallmouth bass numbers, including fish up to 20 inches in length.

The agency stocks walleyes on a regular basis, resulting in a decent population of this species. The lake is also notable for a solid musky population – again maintained by the Fish and Boat Commission – and it receives plenty of attention for the musky fishing fraternity.

Unlike some northwestern Pennsylvania glacial lakes, which are somewhat featureless, sandy-bottomed depressions where submerged weedbeds provide the main “edge habitat,” Edinboro has a variety of cover and structure options for its various finned inhabitants.

There is plenty of weedgrowth, at a level well in balance with the overall acreage of the lake. During the summer and early fall months you will find areas of floating weeds in the form of spatterdock and floating lilies. By fall, though, a great deal of this shallow water floating weedgrowth will be gone or in the process of dying off.

The lake has its share of quality submergent vegetation, as well. This includes stands of pondweed and milfoil that grow out to depths of 8 to 10 feet. As you’d expect, when weeds extend out to such depths, the lake’s water is relatively clear.

In addition to the floating and submergent cover, Edinboro has plenty of submerged stumps. Like most of the natural lakes in the area, a low-head dam is present on outflow. The dam, which was constructed decades ago, elevated the lake elevation a few feet and maintains the lake at a stable level. Stumps, the remaining evidence of the trees that once stood along the lake’s original shoreline, lie just under the surface in many areas and are particularly attractive to Edinboro’s largemouths.

From the air, Edinboro is shaped much like an inverted pear, one where someone sliced a few slivers from the slender end. These slices, on the lake, are a series of ditches and canals that feed the lake from its northern end. Most of these are surprisingly deep (3 to 5 feet in many areas), given that you can easily cast from one side to the others.

Just south of Edinboro’s northern watery fingers is a large, shallow flat that features floating vegetation throughout much of the warmer months. As the shallow weeds die off, many of the bass that were using this shallow cover will relocate to remaining deeper weeds that rim much of the lake out to the 8-to 10-foot depths.

An irregular shoreline that features three significant points lies along the eastern shoreline. Stumps are present up in the shallows, particularly in the shallow bays tucked back inside the points. Some rocks can be found there, too, especially the bank stabilizing rip-rap where Route 99 comes close to the lake shore. Along with plenty of weed edges, there are numerous laydowns in Conneauttee Creek, which is the lake’s outlet.

Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.