Boating, Fishing and Hunting

Boating. The 2,400-acre Lake Aldred is popular for boating and water-skiing. PPL boat ramps for public use are available at the villages of York Furnace and Pequea. A public marina is located at York Furnace. Boaters are advised to stay about a mile below the Safe Harbor Dam and to be wary of currents at the north tip of Weise Island and on the east side of the Urey Island chain. Weise Island, in the middle of the Susquehanna River just north of Pequea Creek, has a natural sandy beach for day use only. Boaters at the southern end of Lake Aldred are warned of the Holtwood dam and its 55-foot spillway by a line of buoys. Boating is prohibited south (downstream) of the buoys. Below the dam, boating is restricted downstream to the Norman Wood Bridge.

Holtwood Boat Ramps Reopen, New Safety Signage Installed

PPL Holtwood has reopened the Pequea and York Furnace boat ramps to the public on the Susquehanna River and completed posting new safety signage for boaters.

"We have repaired 2 strobe lights on the dam, repaired signage, and installed new signage at the Pequea and York Furnace boat ramps. The new signs alert boaters to high river flows and to avoid the area downstream of the one-mile warning signs in the river and that the marker buoys 1,000 feet upstream of the dam are not installed," said John M. Levitski, PPL community relations director for the Lancaster region.

The signage also notifies boaters to use caution with portage access limited to the east shore of the river.

"We're still dealing with high flows that prevent us from repairing the final two strobe lights," Levitski said. "Hunters can enjoy the remainder of duck season in south central Pennsylvania, which lasts until Jan. 14, but it is very important that boaters be safe, follow the information on the new signage, and review procedures for cold-weather boating."

Updates will be available at www.pplholtwood.com, or from the Lower Susquehanna River Hotline at 800-692-6328.

Boat ramps operated by the nearby Safe Harbor and Conowingo hydroelectric plants remain open.

Fishing. Lake Aldred abounds in walleyes, bass, catfish, panfish and muskellunge. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission reports that the lake is one of the least-fished areas of the state. The Holtwood dam's "tailrace" - where river water leaves the power plant - is a favorite fishing site. Lighted walkways and stairs provide access to the water. Trout are stocked in Otter Creek. The Holtwood hydroelectric dam is home to one of this country's largest fish lifts - essentially, an elevator that carries American shad and other migratory species upstream each spring past the dam. The Holtwood fish lifts are a key ingredient in a public-private partnership that seeks to restore shad populations to the Susquehanna River.

Hunting. Hunting for waterfowl, pheasant, rabbit, squirrel and deer is permitted on 2,200 acres of land reserved for public use in a cooperative farm-game project sponsored by PPL and the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Most of this acreage surrounds Pinnacle Overlook and the Holtwood and Otter Creek recreation areas.

- View the Holtwood Preserve hunting land map - click here.

- Holtwood Preserve hunting land map - (print version)