Smallie Fishing Harrisbirg Area

[littlejuniata]

No talk here as in other years, is there any fishing on the river systems? Water levels and temps should be about right?

 

[jayL]

The Harrisburg area has been a huge skunkfest for me the last few years. I doubt I'll even make it over there this year.

I'd be curious to hear a few reports.

 

[2bonthewater]

don't want to hijack the thread, but has anyone fished near Sunbury or Selinsgrove area lately??? Might be heading there this weekend..........have not fished that area of the River in almost 10 years...........

can you fish the base of Fibre Dam ( i think it is posted and you are not allowed within 200 feet upstream of the dam and not allowed within 100 feet on the downstream side of the dam---did they finish the fish ladder on the Sunbury side yet?) and is the PPL property still off limits to anglers??

 

[shipnfish2006]

The smallie fishing in the capital area has been pretty bad. My buddy and I caught 8 in 2 afternoons of fishing, fishing some of my favorite stretches too. I was using the fly and my buddy twisters. We caught a couple of nice ones between 15 and 18". There is not many, but what is here is VERY nice.

 

[TimMurphy]

Dear 2be,

In over 30 years of fishing at the Flubberdam I've never seen anyone hassled for fishing either above or below the dam. You can't go around the security fence and walk out onto the dam but you can surely fish within 10 feet of it.

The best access and fishing is on the Shamokin Dam side. Come up 11/15 from Harrisburg and once you leave the highway and you come into the strip mall region T/R in front of the Sheetz store and follow the old trail for about 4 miles until you see a big old house that looks like a an old apartment building and a bridge on your right. T/R and cross the bridge, you can park on the concrete breastworks of the Flubberdam because this area is a Town Park.

As long as the river is below 8 feet at the Flubberdam you can wade but lower is better. It is currently about 6.75 feet so you can get around good. Just be careful you don't wade out too far and bag blows up on you! :-D

Regards,
Tim Murphy

 

[2bonthewater]

thanks tim.......I know the area well............and all the exclusion zones around a run of the river dam can be mute....as long as you are not in the water........you can't get a ticket......the is a loophole in the law.........at least there used to be......have not worked in over a year....so they might have changed it, but I highly doubt it..........

I lost a st.croix fly rod there with a loomis reel many many years ago.......I was wading below the dam and slipped...normally I just drop the rod and pick it up when I gain my footing.....my friend was laughing when I fell.........what's so funny I said....your rod is gone.......NO NO I dropped it on purpose so I wouldn't break it......I'll get it....welp.........3 hours later and good use of my snorkeling gear still left me without my rod.........what a crappy day....we spent the morning on Penns and I think I caught one trout........stopped at the river on the way home and lost my darn rod!!!! the loomis reel was brand new........brand new reel, brand new line, brand new backing!!!!

oh well..........

thanks for the info though.........not sure if I want to fly fish or just toss jigs or stickbaits.........might not have long to fish....I need to take the family to Knoebels..............

thanks

ps....the FLUBBERDAM that is funny

heard a good one the other day in referance to all the fly guys who buy lots of high end gear........

TACKLE TARTS

that was funny...........not sure if I am a tackle tart, but I spend what I can afford to have the best..........

 

[TimMurphy]

Dear 2be,

I have family in Sunbury and the Flubberdam was always what they called it.

I wasn't kidding about a bag blowing out though, that actually happened in the late 1970's. I think they found the one dude around Millersburg.

I've had some awesome days on the Shamokin Dam side of Flubber. I mean days where my arm was tired from casting and my hands were wrinkly and bloated from handling so many smallies.

Unfortunately I haven't had a good day's fishing on the river since 2002. I live 8 miles from the river in Harrisburg and I sold my jet boat because it wasn't worth wasting my time dragging it down to the river to drink beer.

Regards,
Tim Murphy

 

[TimMurphy]

Dear 2be,

I have family in Sunbury and the Flubberdam was always what they called it.

I wasn't kidding about a bag blowing out though, that actually happened in the late 1970's. I think they found the one dude around Millersburg.

I've had some awesome days on the Shamokin Dam side of Flubber. I mean days where my arm was tired from casting and my hands were wrinkly and bloated from handling so many smallies.

Unfortunately I haven't had a good day's fishing on the river since 2002. I live 8 miles from the river in Harrisburg and I sold my jet boat because it wasn't worth wasting my time dragging it down to the river to drink beer.

Regards,
Tim Murphy

 

[2bonthewater]

I started fishing that area back in Highschool........early 90's were awesome.........skip school and go fish..........have not fished there since about 1999 or so.........military, college, fish commission or whatnot........I am from Mt. Carmel originally so it was just a ride over the mountain to get there.........I too have had days like yours.........it was mostly jigs back then......caught so many smallies there it was unreal..........the PPL plant was also fun to fish.........I am jacked about getting back there to fish.....but I might have unreal expectations..........just tied a few crayfish and leech patterns for saturday afternoon / evening.....with all luck--I will make it there and catch me a fish.....caught some honker rock bass there...........I was told that the shad run is strong in the spring..........

thanks for the updated info..........Sunbury has gone way downhill since I lived in the area........not sure if it was the prisons or what it was..........lots of drugs........tisk tisk........then again......that is about anywhere you live nowadays!!!!

Millersburg........quite the drift for a stiff

 

[tabasco_joe]

TimMurphy wrote:
Dear 2be,

I have family in Sunbury and the Flubberdam was always what they called it.

I wasn't kidding about a bag blowing out though, that actually happened in the late 1970's. I think they found the one dude around Millersburg.

I've had some awesome days on the Shamokin Dam side of Flubber. I mean days where my arm was tired from casting and my hands were wrinkly and bloated from handling so many smallies.

Unfortunately I haven't had a good day's fishing on the river since 2002. I live 8 miles from the river in Harrisburg and I sold my jet boat because it wasn't worth wasting my time dragging it down to the river to drink beer.

Regards,
Tim Murphy

Moral is if you hook the dam with your fly don't pull too hard!

 

[2bonthewater]

I didn't hook into the flubberdam..........fished for 3 hours on saturday evening...........caught one 10 inch smallie--very healthy and chunky..........and one 14 inch fallfish.........I was busted off twice........or snipped off.........used a woolhead sculpin pattern with a grizzly yellow piece of rabbit strip..........then at about 9pm the white flies were everywhere............there were only a few fish rising to them..........I was fishing a teeny sink-tip......tried a few white bugs ...but nothing doing..........that was the first time in 10 years or so that I was in the middle of the white flies.........there were millions of them.........I still probably have a bunch in my vest!!! my buddy fished minnows........nada...then he caught 2 on jigs.......we fished the sunbury side near the base of the dam........I waded out to the second bag from shore......that is where I had my most action and was snipped off twice...............