HFC, fishing this place is usually a "miss" on bigger fish and I mostly catch the 12'ers and 13'ers. Get yourself a belly boat and you will do much much better here. The shoreline gets pounded by anglers through the year pushing off the fish shortly after the spawn starts. (Yes, anglers work them right off the nests).
West Lake...heavy weed bed makes shore casting difficult but if you focus on the "pockets" an angler can get a few in the deeper water. Look for the areas where most don't fish. Weedless gear like the senko style worms or grubs are a good choice.
Tabor...Bass are caught from shore here and the vegetation is substantially less. Spinnerbaits, crankbaits and even spoons in yellow, green or firetiger can be worked here and cast far. This is the best option for the shore angler on Tabor in my opinion.
Bass Lake...heavy sedimentation, near deadpool, just keep walking.
Prospect Lake...Poor water quality. Mostly carp and cats. Don't fish here unless you plan on re-spooling when you get home.
Most important at PPL...mental attitude. My first year here was horrible. I seemed to be fighting everything. If I wasn't frustrated by trash, leash-less dogs wading in front of me, I was hung up in the weedbed. Relax, take it easy and keep expectations low. Precision casting to the wood structure on Tabor is also key in my opinion.
If you are willing to put in your T.O.W. (time on water) just about any urban spot will give up some GREAT fish. Not everytime...not even most of the time...but it will happen.
My name is Matt and I'm a fishaholic.
