May 2026 Lake Nockamixon Fishing Report
- Anthony Awgul
- Jun 11
- 10 min read
Hey everyone, Captain Anthony Awgul, the Lake Nockamixon fishing guide here! As part of my mission to help anglers catch more and bigger bass on our local fishery, I publish free monthly Lake Nockamixon fishing reports at the beginning of each month from April through November while guiding this lake full-time.
Want even more detailed information? I also post daily fishing reports and in-depth weekly recaps exclusively for subscribers of the Lake Nockamixon Fishing School. You can learn more and subscribe at www.awgulfishing.com/nockamixonfishingschool.
Important Note:
As a full-time fishing guide for the past 5 years, I conduct guided fishing trips many days throughout the year on Lake Nockamixon. Because questions often arise regarding bass fishing during the spring spawning season, I want to clearly explain both the regulations and the conservation practices I follow before sharing our May 2026 fishing report.
From the second Saturday in April through the second Saturday in June (April 11–June 12, 2026), Pennsylvania’s Bass NO HARVEST Season is in effect. During this period, all largemouth and smallmouth bass must be immediately released. However, bass fishing itself remains OPEN statewide. The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission states in the 2026 Pennsylvania Fishing Summary Book (Page 10) "It is not a violation of the bass regulations if a bass is immediately returned unharmed to the waters from which it was taken. It is unlawful for an angler to cast repeatedly into a clearly visible spawning nest or bed in an effort to catch or take a bass"
Throughout May, every single bass caught on my guided trips was immediately released unharmed. At no point did we intentionally target visible spawning beds, nor do I use marine electronics or visual sight-fishing techniques to locate and target bedding bass.
As someone whose livelihood depends on the long-term health of this fishery, I strive to hold myself to a standard that goes beyond simply meeting the minimum requirements of the law. During the spawning season, I make every effort to handle fish carefully, minimize air exposure, and return bass to the water as quickly as possible. When we encountered areas where significant spawning activity appeared to be taking place, I often chose to reduce pressure on those locations rather than repeatedly fishing through concentrations of spawning fish.
Additionally, during this No Harvest Season, I intentionally limited the amount of pictures we took of the fish we caught to ensure quicker releases (Which is why this fishing report has less fish catch images included than usual) and I stopped posting fish catch pictures on social media in order to reduce pressure on vulnerable fish and spawning areas. I believe anglers have a responsibility not only to follow the regulations, but also to exercise good judgment and stewardship of the resource.
Because conservation and compliance are important to me, I discussed my guiding practices directly with Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission personnel at the beginning of the month to ensure my methods remained fully compliant with regulations. I was advised that, "Guiding for bass during the No Harvest Season is lawful provided bass are released."
Lake Nockamixon is a unique and exceptional fishery, and protecting its future is a responsibility shared by every angler who enjoys it. Whether you're fishing from the bank, a kayak, or a bass boat, I encourage everyone to respect spawning fish, handle bass carefully, and release them quickly so this incredible fishery can continue producing quality bass for future generations.
Remember that Pennsylvania’s Bass NO HARVEST Season remains in effect through June 12, 2026, and all bass caught during this period must be immediately released.
Introduction:
May 2026 was one of the most unique spring bass fishing months I can remember during my 17 years of fishing Lake Nockamixon. The month of May historically has been a month of consistent results and excellent catching for the Awgul Fishing Guide Service, but that wasn’t always the case this past month. In many ways, it felt like the lake was running behind schedule for the first half of the month, then suddenly trying to catch up all at once in the second half. We saw major swings in water temperature, huge shifts in weather, thickening vegetation, and strong moon-phase windows that seemed to move fish shallow in waves.
From a numbers standpoint, the month produced some excellent fish. We caught 4 largemouth bass over 6 pounds and 7 largemouth bass over 5 pounds, with the biggest fish of the month weighing 6 lbs 12 oz. While we didn't catch any bass over 7 pounds in May, we had many quality fish throughout the month and the lake continues to show why it has such a strong reputation for producing big largemouth.
What stood out most was how clearly the fish responded to moon phases and major weather shifts. The first big push shallow came around the full moon at the start of the month. Another wave moved up around the new moon in the middle of the month. Then the final full moon at the end of the month appeared to trigger another excellent shallow bite. In between those windows, the bite was sometimes extremely tough, and the fish seemed scattered, pressured, and inconsistent.
Early May Slugfest: 5/1 – 5/3:
The month started with water temperatures in the 56–60 degree range after a cool (and surprisingly difficult) finish to April. Water clarity was lightly stained in the middle of the lake and moderately stained at the north and south ends. High air temperatures were mostly in the 50s and 60s, which made for a cool start to the month, but the full moon on 5/1 seemed to trigger the first meaningful wave of fish moving shallow to spawn in 2026.
During this short window, we experienced our best day of fishing of the year so far. We had one day that produced about 20 bass, and the fish were often quality sized. In just these few days, we caught two bass over 6 pounds and four bass over 5 pounds, and many fish were finally showing signs of spawning (bloody tails and sores on their bellies), which was our first clear sign of the year that the spawn was underway (we did not catch any bass in April showing spawning signs, which was unusual).
The most important pattern during this early-May window was power fishing shallow submerged vegetation. A couple of moving baits that consistently produced were vibrating jigs (Menace Baits Vibrating Pulse Jig) and paddle tail swimbaits (Menace Baits 5" Alive Minnow). Similar to April 2026, bluegill color patterns seemed to produce best.
Surprisingly, we were not catching these fish in the typical spawning areas (like protected backs of coves or obvious spawning pockets). Instead, many of the better fish were showing up on main lake points and secondary points, which suggested bass were still transitioning out of winter and prespawn areas toward shallower spawning grounds.
Early Month Grind: 5/4 – 5/10:
The next stretch of the month was one of the toughest weeks we’ve had yet this year. Water temperatures only edged up slightly to around 58–61 degrees, and the lake remained stained in the middle with heavily stained water at the north and south ends. Weather was also uncooperative, with several cold nights in the 30s and a couple rainy days.
Fishing was incredibly difficult. It was the hardest week of the year by far, and nothing really clicked. We caught plenty of smaller fish, and while quantity improved as the week went on, quality simply was not there. The biggest bass we landed all week was only about 3.5 pounds.
A major change during this week was how much the vegetation had developed. Despite the cool weather, milfoil grew in extremely thick around the lake (possibly the thickest I have ever seen it). Lily pads were also growing in, which started tightening up the shallow bite and made lure selection more important.
Every fish we caught during this week was clearly a prespawn fish—healthy, chunky, and with no spawning signs yet.
Mid-May Increase in Activity: 5/11 – 5/17:
After one of the toughest stretches of guiding I’ve experienced in a while, the next week finally brought slightly improved fishing. Water temperatures climbed into the 60–63 degree range, and weather stabilized with highs in the 60s and 70s, despite a few cool nights and a windy stretch later in the week.
We began to see a more noticeable push of fish shallow. The bite still wasn’t easy, but it improved compared to the previous week. We continued to catch mostly 1–3 pound bass (potentially smaller and more aggressive male bass), but we also landed a 6.34-pound bass, our first true standout in a while.
One of the most surprising patterns was the success of topwater techniques. Historically, we don't usually get onto a consistent topwater bite until postspawn (late May or early June usually), but topwaters like the Menace Baits Freaky Frog produced consistently all week. Earlier in the week, wacky rigged worms (Menace Baits 5" Silly Stick) worked well in emerging lily pads. As vegetation thickened, Texas-rigged plastics became more effective. We also saw scattered success on moving baits like vibrating jigs (Menace Baits Vibrating Pulse Jig) and paddle tail swimbaits (Menace Baits 5" Alive Minnow), but they were less consistent than topwaters and soft plastics.
This was the first week where the lake began to feel more like typical spring Nockamixon fishing again. The bite became a little more predictable up shallow, and we finally saw better daily consistency. Friday 5/15/2026 stood out as the best day of the week with a stronger shallow push and improved overall bite (lining up with the new moon lunar phase on 5/16/2026).
Most fish were still prespawn, but the transition was clearly underway.
Late May Heat Wave: 5/18 – 5/24:
The third full week of May was the most dramatic stretch of the month. Water temperatures suddenly spiked from the low 60's all the way to 79 degrees early in the week, with some reports of 80-degree surface temps in backs of coves thanks to an intense heatwave! Shortly after, temperatures settled back into the low 70s and upper 60s as cooler weather and rain systems moved through.
The bass slowly reacted to warming conditions. Carp spawning became a major factor, with large numbers of common carp bulldozing through the shallows and thrashing around vegetation (Yes; all those fish jumping around the shallows are probably just carp). That activity stirred up shallow areas, but often overlapped with where bass were positioning for their own spawn.
The best areas appeared to be emerging lily pad flats and shallow vegetation edges. We saw some action around matted milfoil, but not deep inside it. The best lures were Texas-rigged soft plastics and topwater frogs. Frogs were excellent for covering water, while Texas rigs were the best finesse option around high-percentage areas.
This was the week that most closely resembled typical late-April or early-May fishing, except the vegetation made everything more difficult to fish effectively. Still, results were strong. Friday, 5/22, was the best day of the year so far, producing about 25 bass including one over 6 pounds and five over 4 pounds.
We also saw all phases of the spawn in the fish we caught—prespawn, spawning, and postspawn fish—all in the same week. This week, we started seeing hatched bass fry around milfoil grass too, further suggesting the spawning season was finally progressing.
End of Month Wind: 5/25 – 5/31:
I went away on vacation the final week of the month, but received dozens of fishing reports from subscribers of my Lake Nockamixon Fishing School. The final week of the month stayed active but was less consistent than the previous week. Water temperatures settled into the 66–72 degree range, with most readings around 68–70. Water clarity remained stained, but strong winds made several days challenging.
While the bite was a little bit tougher than the previous week, fish were still present. Wacky rigs, Texas-rigged plastics, and topwater frogs continued to produce around shallow vegetation.
Carp spawning activity remained widespread. The biggest development came at the end of the month as the full moon occurred. Another wave of prespawn fish appeared to move up shallow, and fishing improved significantly by the final days of May. This reinforced one of the strongest takeaways of the month: fish seasonal movements appeared to align closely with moon phases.
Monthly Takeaways:
May 2026 felt like a late spawning month defined by instability. The first half of the month was unusually cool, holding fish back (not to mention we had an intensely cold winter that probably influenced a later spawn). Then a rapid warm-up in the third week triggered a major movement shallow.
A few clear patterns stood out:
The best big-fish days appeared to coincide with major moon phases, especially early, mid, and late month.
Prespawn bass were being caught all month long, suggestinga later-than-average spawn. The second half of May saw a mix of spawning and postspawn fish as well.
Aquatic vegetation growth exploded in May, especially milfoil, making shallow fishing both more productive while simultaneously more challenging.
The lake continues to show strong health and consistent quality bass production.
Looking Ahead:
Based on how May unfolded, early June should continue to offer a mix of spawning, postspawn, and lingering prespawn fish (especially after the full moon at the end of May). Since we still have prespawn fish moving up at the end of the month, I expect there to still be strong shallow fishing opportunities.
As always, the key will be paying close attention to how fish respond to weather changes and seasonal patterns in the coming weeks. Many bass will inevitably adjust and reposition into their postspawn and summertime seasonal patterns soon, but plenty of bass could potentially hang around their spawning grounds for weeks to come to efficiently replenish body mass lost during the spawn.
If you’re interested in booking a guided fishing trip with me in 2026, I still have a few openings remaining. I’m currently booking into September and October, so be sure to check availability and reserve your date online at www.awgulfishing.com. I’d also recommend joining the cancellation list on the bottom right corner of the website to be notified of last-minute openings. And if you want to stay fully dialed in with the most up-to-date fishing information, plus connect with a growing community of local anglers, be sure to subscribe to The Nockamixon Fishing School at www.awgulfishing.com/nockamixonfishingschool.
Tight lines, and I’ll see you out on the water.
—Captain Anthony Awgul
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