Donegal Lake

Donegal Lake covers 89.91 acres in Westmoreland County. Dependable maximum-depth and storage-volume figures were not found for Donegal Lake, so neither should be estimated from a similarly named lake.

What to Expect at Donegal Lake

At 89.91 acres, Donegal Lake is small enough to fish methodically but large enough for one shoreline to differ from another.

Fish and Useful Baits at Donegal Lake

Fish reported from Donegal Lake include black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, channel catfish, largemouth bass, longear sunfish, muskellunge, walleye, and yellow perch. Rainbow trout are also stocked in Donegal Lake.

Bass

Begin the largemouth search on Donegal Lake with a moving bait, then pick apart wood or weeds with a worm.

Crappie, Perch and Sunfish

A soft-plastic minnow or live minnow placed beside cover is a sound crappie approach on Donegal Lake. For sunfish on Donegal Lake, keep a cricket or tiny jig close to weed edges and shaded wood. For Donegal Lake yellow perch, work a light jig slowly along the first firm-bottom break.

Walleye and Larger Predators

A jig tipped with a minnow and a small trolling crankbait cover both slow and active walleye on Donegal Lake. Muskellunge in Donegal Lake call for stout tackle and large bucktails, jerkbaits or deep-running plugs.

A Simple Fishing Plan for Donegal Lake

Fish one protected section slowly before testing the windblown side, because the two banks can have very different water color on Donegal Lake. Then compare natural weed edges, shaded shoreline and changes from soft to firm bottom around Donegal Lake before searching the middle.

When to Fish Donegal Lake

Spring at Donegal Lake favors warming coves, feeder mouths and protected spawning banks. Once summer heat settles over Donegal Lake, work the deepest active cover instead of assuming every fish has moved to the bottom. Windblown points on Donegal Lake become worth checking when autumn baitfish move shallow.