I haven’t been posting on paddling lately because I haven’t been doing much serious paddling. But I have been canoe fishing from various Pennsylvania waters, Lake Nockamixon being one of my favorite canoe fishing locations.  

The Nockamixon State Park sits on approximately 5000 acres located in the scenic country of Bucks County. Lake Nockamixon is 1450 acres of fishing and boating pleasure, although it’s actually more like boating pleasure because the fishing is so often uneventful that the local fisherman named Lake Nockamixon the “dead sea”.

There is a tremendous amount of fishing and boating activity on the lake, and on just about any day throughout the summer you’ll encounter lines of boaters waiting to use the boat ramps or hell-bent racing across the water to hit as many secret spots on the lake as possible.  

Some fisherman do have fish catching success at Nockamixon using artificial bait, read about it here - http://www.paanglers.com/forum/index.php?topic=4390.0 While others, including myself, have more success at Nockamixon using live bait.

Selecting the right camping gear can mean the difference between a good or bad canoe camping experience. And with most outdoor hobbies if your first experience is bad you probably won’t do it again. Camping tents are one of the most important considerations when purchasing your canoe camping equipment, while there are many versatile tents to choose from , the dome tent is probably the best selection for most canoe campers. Dome tents are compact and take little space inside the canoe, the are generally easy to set-up, and offer plenty of room inside provided you make the right size selection.

The number of occupants is the first consideration when choosing a dome tent . Remember that tent sizes are generally overestimated, so if you are the only occupant you may want to consider selecting a 2 person tent to accommodate you and your gear comfortably. If there are two occupants you may want to select a tent rated at 3-4 occupants. Many canoe campers do short one night trips with young children and elect to bring along certain luxuries such as air mattresses and pillows, and with young children these could be more like necessities, and if you are in this category of  canoe campers you may want to go all out of a good family sized tent. They are not so cumbersome for a one or two night trip if you have others to help you set it up.

One final consideration is cost. In most weather conditions a three season tent is adequate, and you don’t have to purchase the most expensive tent, but don’t buy the cheapest either. You need something that is waterproof, windproof, and will last for years to come.

More information on camping tents.
The dome tent.
Camping tent designs.