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| Great Blue Heron Enjoying Some Lunch |
As the crow flies;
Brady’s Lake is just over 10 miles from Moscow, PA. To get there via vehicle, it
becomes a little bit of a longer journey; 17.5 miles from the intersection of
PA-435 and the Clifton Beach/River Rd in Clifton township. It might take close
to a half-an-hour to get there, but Brady’s Lake is large enough to warrant
several hours of exploration and/or good fishing.
Getting There:
Looking at a map, Brady’s
Lake appears to be just a hop-skip-and-a-jump from the several communities in
southern Lackawanna County. While it is in Monroe County, it lies close enough
to that corner of the world where three counties meet, thus acting as a draw
for people from all three areas. While woods roads that cut through State Game
Lands #127 seem like shortcuts, they are gated and usually locked. If towing a
trailer or toting a boat on roofracks, those roads aren’t going to be of much
good anyway. From the intersection of PA-435 and Clifton Beach/River Rd, drive
towards Thornhurst and then bear right on to Locust Ridge Rd. and follow that
until it ends on PA-940. Travel 1.3 miles East on PA-940 to Brady’s Lake Rd, a
gravel road, and then follow that for about 3.0 miles until reaching the
parking lot.
On The Water:
The launch is solid
asphalt ramp and can allow for trailers to unload. Powered boats are allowed,
but must run electric engines only. Paddlers can enter at the same place as
well and getting going is easy. The dam which contains the lake dates back to
1915 and can be viewed before heading up-lake. Stubbly remains of saplings
protrude along the west side of the lake and can cause some havoc for kayaks
and canoes and should be avoided by larger boats. It’s best to stick to the
center. The lake narrows about a 1/3 of the way back and after that the
shoreline in the west opens up more and getting close to the edge is easier and
offers more opportunity to view wildlife and plants. On the east side, lilies
and other emergent plants can become thick in places but a keen eye might spot
a wading heron or sunning turtles. Scanning the trees, it’s not out of the
question to see an eagle perched, looking for a meal. An eagle nest is also
located among the branches closer to the north end of the lake as well. Should
eaglets or juveniles be present, their shrill cries are easy to identify and
can be heard often. A camera, especially one that has a good zoom lens, would
be worth bringing as would be binoculars. If fishing, the waters hold bass and
panfish. Murky and brown from the high amounts of tannin, seeing anything below
the water is tough. Submergent plants such as Coontail can provide good cover
for fish, but can also swallow lures, so use caution when casting and reeling
in the bait.
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| Bald Eagle Taking Flight |
Round trip distance on
the lake is about 3.5 miles. Whether fishing or spotting wildlife, allow for at
least three hours, but it is very easy to spend more there if the fish are
hitting and the birds are flying. Many people visit the lake simply to explore
by foot or fish from shore, so a packed parking lot may not signify great traffic
on the water. The three mile dirt road approach and the accessibility of other
public and private lakes in the area probably deter many casual outdoorsmen,
but don’t be daunted. Go explore and enjoy Brady’s Lake.
