Lancaster Smallmouth

[trevor]

Where are some good small rivers to catch smallmouth in the Lancaster County Area? I know the Conestoga holds them near the Susquehanna, but does it hold them the whole way up? I would like to wade fish. I have been doing stream smallmouth, and just looking to up the size. Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[CPR]

Once the water levels recede a bit more the smallmouth here in South Central PA will begin to spawn. The water temps are right.

Please don't target smallmouth for the next few weeks.

That's why the PFBC stocks trout.

Thanks

Matt

 

[trevor]

Please don't take this as disrespectful or SA, but why not target them? Just taking them off their beds? I mean I do that with largemouth, but if it hurts them I'll stop. I see BASS guys do it, so I figured its OK, but again, I respect the fish and if its detrimental to their spawning, I can always fish for something else.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Trevor,

I been itching myself to do river smallie fishing but the water levels had not been good here to do so pre spawn. I would not target smallies till June because of the spawn myself. I doubt it would effect much but considering fair chase ethics, they are too easy to catch and its not very sporting.

All that said,

Im floating the Conestoga in May with 4 other boaters. Im breaking my own rule here but this is the only time we could all meet and do this so that is the date.

Smallmouth are all over the Conestoga River. You can catch them above Ephrata. The average size of the fish get smaller and smaller the farther away you get from the River. Not to say there are no big fish up that way.

Cocalico Creek and its tributaries are also good for bass. Chickies Creek is good for largemouth and smallies.

I have had a blast fishing for smallies the past few years here in Lancaster. Generally speaking the size of the fish are small. I take my 3 wt and throw big buggers and cross cut muskrat streamers and they hammer them. It is not totally uncommon to land a larger smallie in these streams. Last year I caught a pair of 17" fish in a small degraded limestone spring in Lancaster. The one thing to remember is they migrate. In that degraded Limestone Spring, its like there are no smallies right now. Come June and July.....it will be infested.

Your best bet is still the Conestoga River from Cocalico Creek downstream to the mouth. If you have a boat, float the water trail. If not the just wade.

I would fish with 6-12lb Fluorocarbon Leaders and keep a few very large streamers in your box, just in case you see that muskie sitting along Conestoga's edge.

 

[trevor]

Wow, thats just the kind of info I was looking for. Thanks a lot. And that would be sweet to catch a musky, never fished for one. Aren't they called the fish of a thousand casts or something?

 

[springer1]

Please don't take this as disrespectful or SA, but why not target them? Just taking them off their beds? I mean I do that with largemouth, but if it hurts them I'll stop. I see BASS guys do it, so I figured its OK, but again, I respect the fish and if its detrimental to their spawning, I can always fish for something else.

It can't hurt to leave spawning fish alone, after all the more successful the spawn is, the better.

Also, I don't mean to bust on bass fishermen because I also fish for bass a lot. But just watching how many (not all of course) handle the fish without respect is concerning.

I catch many largemouth with holes torn in their mouths by the large barbs on 4/0 and larger hooks, as well as black lesions from not wetting one's hands before handling the fish. Not to mention the use of braided lines that will never deteriorate, and go on to snag whatever critters get tangled in them year after year.

Again, I'm not saying all bass fishermen are like this & don't mean at all to offend those who fish responsibly. But for the guilty ... well tough. It's time to grow up a bit and get more accountable.

 

[springer1]

Hey Trevor, please don't take my previous post to be reflective of you, man. Don't mean it that way of all.

More toward the idiot I last saw on TV, who horsed the bass to the boat, hoisted it with his 15lb test onto the bone dry boat carpet where it flopped around a bit, picked it up by the jaw holding the fish straight out straining every mouth part the poor fish had.

Then wrenched the 5/0 spinnerbait hook outa it mouth with those snapping and popping noises that only barbs can make, then holds the fish straight horizonal again by the jaw while he's talking smack that the fish isn't worthy, and then tosses it 5 feet out into the water.

Sheeez. Sorry everyone, I guess I get carried away.

 

[CPR]

Trevor,

You can use google and gather a weeks worth of reading on the subject but here is the short of it:

Once the female lays the eggs in the redd the male moves and stays with them as protection until they hatch. Smallmouth eggs are a favorite of all forms of critters including sunfish, blue gill and rockbass. If you find an active bed you will usually see smaller fish circling the area. When the male is removed from the bed, be it from chasing off other predators or a fish hook and line, the predator fish will rush in an eat the eggs. At a certain point the male smallmouth will completely abandon the bed.

This also the most stressful event a smallmouth bass will ever face. They go for days without food or rest as they must endlessly protect the bed. The stress causes their slime layer to fail and they are very susceptible to skin infection and bacteria. Many times a fish hook in the mouth and handling by rough hands in more than they can take. Angler related mortality is heightened during this period.

The studies are divided on the effects of fishing to the overall population during the spawn but one this is for sure the effect to the individual fish and nest is certain and defined. Also, the smaller the water more larger the effect.

Fish for trout over the next few weeks. That's why their stocked.

 

[trevor]

Yeah that makes sense, I won't fish for them. Slammed the carp today, though. They can keep me busy. And I agree about some bass fishermen and their disrespect for the fish. I used to do it to and not even question it, but now that I've learned how bad it can be towards their health, I always try to treat them gently.

 

[iceyguides]

Kinda off topic for this thread, but i feel like there is a major double standard about fishing for certain species while spawning. Crappie/panfish, steelhead, salmon-all perfectly acceptable to fish for while spawning. Bass, trout, etc-not ok to fish for while spawning.

 

[sniperfreak223]

iceyguides wrote:
Kinda off topic for this thread, but i feel like there is a major double standard about fishing for certain species while spawning. Crappie/panfish, steelhead, salmon-all perfectly acceptable to fish for while spawning. Bass, trout, etc-not ok to fish for while spawning.

Well, with a migratory species like salmon and steelhead, which spend most of their lives in the ocean or great lakes, the only real opportunity to fish for them is during the spawning run. With panfish, they'll overpopulate a body of water very quickly, so a little spawning mortality is acceptable (even though I still release everything I catch off the nest), bass and trout are a very delicate resource, where annual reproduction is low when compared to the aforementioned panfish, so the increased stress of the spawn, combined with the mortality rates from the stress of being hooked and fought on top of that leading to increased mortality in adults and increased egg loss, can have a significant impact on a fishery in their cases. So sure, a double standard may exist, but given the varying circumstances of the spawn in the species you mention, the standard is well grounded.

 

[McSneek]

I'm going to take a contrary position to some of the other posters. The mouth of the Conestoga used to be good but when the big river went dead so did the Conestoga in that area IMO. I can see the Conestoga from my back yard and have fished it on several occasions with nothing more than rock bass and pumpkin seeds to show for my efforts. This was mostly downstream of the West Earl Township park. Certainly plenty of "fishy" spots but I've only connected with a handful of very small smallmouths. In the summer it gets pretty low and fills up with a lot of ugly algae. There are also a lot of heavily silted areas. It's really degraded by agriculture. My conclusion is it's not worth the effort and again, I can walk to it. I hope your efforts produce better results.

 

[roosters977]

Thanks for the info about not to fish for them during spawn. But i always wet my hands and keep the fish in the water the whole time other that the 5 second snapshot. And i always support the fish.
But if it helps the fish not to fish for them.. by all means i wont. I respect the fish!

 

[jdaddy]

5/0 spinnerbait hook. Right.

 

[pennsadventures]

I'm going to take a contrary position to some of the other posters. The mouth of the Conestoga used to be good but when the big river went dead so did the Conestoga in that area IMO. I can see the Conestoga from my back yard and have fished it on several occasions with nothing more than rock bass and pumpkin seeds to show for my efforts. This was mostly downstream of the West Earl Township park. Certainly plenty of "fishy" spots but I've only connected with a handful of very small smallmouths. In the summer it gets pretty low and fills up with a lot of ugly algae. There are also a lot of heavily silted areas. It's really degraded by agriculture. My conclusion is it's not worth the effort and again, I can walk to it. I hope your efforts produce better results.



I completely disagree with you about the smallmouth in the dstogie. I have had 30 to 50 fish days a bunch of times. Just on sunday my buddy and I each had over ten a piece. What part do you live in and you should think about getting out of your back yard and move up or down stream to find them. This is one of the best smallmouths streams in the state by far

 

[dann]

Also check out the little Conestoga in mid July, I've caught many 15" small mouth in the lower little Stoggie. The water runs cooler and clearer, you can see and feel the the differance where the little and big meet. I fish this area at times 3 to 4 times a week for close to 20 yrs and have caught all types of fish. If the bassin and walleye are slow there are aways big carp to sight fish when the water is low. And always the chance for Muskie. My great uncle's use to catch them from time to time back it the day, and I just had a resent phone conversation with some one at PA fish and game that gave the Conestoga a thumbs up for muskie fishing as they are stocked starting at Cocalico.

 

[CPR]

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/pa/nwis/uv/?site_no=01576500&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060,00010

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

I looked at it today and its flowing nice Cant wait for the float.

Penns your spot on w/ your post