Help on Pymatuning

shore fishing or boat

I will go wherever people tell me...1st time up there...I will be fishing from a boat....thanks!!

I'm definitely not an expert on this lake at all, but love fishing that place. I've done pretty well out of both Linesville and Jamestown (stayed at the campgrounds/cabins of each). Linesville has "The Stumps" an easy motor from the marina. Not sure exactly when these are best (think Spring) but a ton of cover. Sunken trees everywhere, probably $1M worth of tackle hung up in an acre... Jamestown has the dam closer, with a ton of sunken islands and small above water islands close, filled with nice drop offs. There is a pretty nice little inlet at the campground too if you don't want to take the boat out, or motor far. The lake is much deeper in general by Jamestown than Linesville. The "Causeway" is about half way between the two. I know that is kind of general, but all I pretty much know about the place and still managed to catch a few slabs and decent perch with other fish mixed in, just about any time that I go.

I would recommend fishing by the causeway whether your fishing from shore or a boat.  Try to stay close to the bridge.  If you are fishing from shore I would recommend going under the bridge and working around the pilers.  There is a lot of trees and rebar at the bottom so you watch out for snags.  I would use a jig tipped with a minnow (I hear crappie rigs work great too).  I have seen people catch 20 -30 crappie in two hours on Mr. twisters as well.  You might even pick up a walleye or bass.  There is a launch right next to the causeway so you will not have to take the boat to far. 
 
In the spring drift through the stumps up by Linesville. 

Fish the brush piles.  Jig and tail or minnows.   You can catch them this time of the year.  Try this site it will help.
 
http://www.fish.state.pa.us/water/habitat/mgmt_plans/lake/pymatuning.pdf

They vary in size.    Some are as long as 20 feet and 20' wide and some are as wide as 15 wide x 30 feet long and some just a few pellets together.   I found the ones in 15-20' the most productive year round.  I use some of them during the ice season and really do a number on the gills and crappies.   Last year I had one spot that produced smallmouth bass all through the ice season, somewhere close to 30 smallmouth came through the hole next to the brush pile, the pile wasn't much larger than a 10 x 10' area.