Public Land Clarification

[flyguyfishing]

I’m pretty certain any stream/lake/water on any State Gameland, State Park, or State Forest is public and open to fishing. Is this correct? Any cabin on PA State Forest land is leased for the building(s) only - meaning no land included in the lease, correct?

Public land is also National Forest within the state?

I respect cabin lessees and do not go close. Some cabins seem deserted, so I have fished near them.

 

[salmonoid]

flyguyfishing wrote:
I’m pretty certain any stream/lake/water on any State Gameland, State Park, or State Forest is public and open to fishing. Is this correct? Any cabin on PA State Forest land is leased for the building(s) only - meaning no land included in the lease, correct?

Public land is also National Forest within the state?

I respect cabin lessees and do not go close. Some cabins seem deserted, so I have fished near them.

There are stream sections on some state land that are closed to fishing but you'll see signs indicating fishing is prohibited (think swimming areas in creeks, like the swimming area at Worlds End, or sections in dam spillways). But for the most part, public land with water on it is open to fishing. Same for National Forests (except, if they still exist, Refuge areas on some streams in the ANF - both Kinzua and Chappel Fork had them - on those, fishing was closed most of the year, but open during the summer, I think).

I've never actually read a cabin lease for public ground, but I've always assumed it was just for the space occupied by the structure and no buffer land was included in the lease.