Somerset County's Cranberry Glade Lake contains a healthy largemouth bass population and provides anglers with the chance to fish a shallow, stump-filled lake.

Trout and bass account for an immense level of angler attention in our state. With this in mind, here's a look at two quality April fishing trips.

Nestled in a depression within the Laurel Ridge, Somerset County's Cranberry Glade Lake is highlighted by a fine population of excellent-sized largemouth bass.The 110-acre lake is extremely shallow, bottoming out at 7 feet. The average depth is 3 feet. The water is stained a tealike color, which is typical of swampy waters.As one might expect from a shallow, soft-bottomed impoundment, Cranberry Glade is rich in aquatic vegetation. The most prominent weed type in spring is floating vegetation, such as lily pads and spatterdock. Stands of submergent weeds like coontail also are present.The lake also features a substantial amount of standing and submerged timber. The upper half is interspersed with standing timber.Submerged stumps, some only inches under the surface, are common in this portion of the lake.During a Fish and Boat Commission sampling in the spring of 2009, 40 largemouth bass were captured during night electrofishing. Of the 40 bass captured, 75 percent were greater than 12 inches and 38 percent were greater than 15 inches in length. Trophy size fish were available, with bass of up to 23 inches being captured.Cranberry Glade is limited to electric motors. A boat ramp is provided near the dam.

This Centre County stream supports one of the highest quality wild trout fisheries in the Northeast, with more than 16 miles open to year-round trout fishing.Rich in limestone influence, Spring Creek drains a 144-square-mile watershed, flowing through State College and Bellefonte, then joining Bald Eagle Creek in Milesburg.The FBC manages 16.5 miles of the creek under the All Tackle Catch and Release program.As its name implies, anglers can use any type of tackle legal under standard statewide fishing regulations, but they must return all trout to the stream.In addition to the all-tackle project, Spring Creek also boasts a Fly Fishing Only area of eight-tenths of a mile, which is known as Fisherman's Paradise.The all-tackle waters extend from the Boalsburg Road Bridge at Oak Hall, upstream of Hanson Quarry, downstream to the mouth, with the exception of the special regulations area at Fisherman's Paradise and the Exhibition Area in Bellefonte.The Fly Fishing Only project waters flow from a point adjacent to the Stackhouse School Pistol Range downstream to the lower boundary of the Bellefonte State Fish Hatchery grounds.Stream surveys conducted in 2008 revealed wild brown trout up to 17 inches, with the bulk of the population being in the 10- to 12-inch range.Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.