Pennsylvania has no shortage of big-name fishing lakes. Raystown pulls in around 1.5 million visitors a year with its trophy striped bass, and Beltzville State Park draws roughly 500,000 people annually to fish its 949-acre lake. Tucked near the New York border, 67-acre Beechwood Lake offers a far quieter alternative — and arguably better fishing per acre.

Beechwood sits in Tioga County, deep in the Pennsylvania Wilds, a region with more than 2 million acres of public land and only about 40,000 residents. It's a man-made reservoir, created by a dam built in 1963, and managed by the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission — which is why the stocking programme is so good here. The lake gets rainbow and golden trout several times a year, plus fingerling walleye, and it also holds largemouth and smallmouth bass, chain pickerel, yellow perch and black crappies.

Go prepared, because this is a bare-bones operation. There's a single boat ramp on the eastern shore (via Beachwood Place off Ackley Road) with a small parking lot and zero facilities — no restrooms. Only unpowered boats or electric motors at wake-free speed are allowed, and your boat needs to be registered or carry a current launch permit. Shore fishing is possible, though the roadside bank can get weedy, so a boat is the more dependable bet. Fishing is open year-round, including ice fishing in winter, but check Pennsylvania's regulations for season, size and catch limits before you go.

The remoteness is the point, but it means most people should plan an overnight. Campgrounds and a few hotels cluster around Gaines, about 20 minutes south, where Smitty's Sports covers any forgotten tackle. Wellsboro, a genuinely charming small town about 40 minutes away, has more places to stay. Buffalo and Harrisburg are each roughly a three-hour drive.

Timing depends on your target. Trout fishing peaks from the April season opener through June, before warm water pushes fish deep. Walleye respond best in spring or on summer nights, while spring and autumn suit bass. And even if the fish aren't biting, the mountain scenery makes it a solid kayaking spot — or just a place to catch a sunset.

Anyone combining this with a Finger Lakes trip is in luck: Beechwood is only about 60 miles south of Watkins Glen State Park, and the Tioga County Welcome Center on the way offers standout views of the Tioga-Hammond Dams. For anglers tired of sharing water with a million other people, this little lake near the New York line is worth the drive.