Lower Susquehanna Bass Fishing

larkmark

larkmark

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Jun 11, 2019
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So how is the lower river treating you fellows this year? Another stellar season putting 4 pounders in your yaks? Abundant Rock Bass, Crappies, Walleye and Sunfish? Or like me, a whole evening spent to catch one 7" fish? Or maybe nothing? How about those tributaries? Bass fishing in my neck of the river has once again been terrible.
 
Had a decent evening on the lower end of the J in Perry County last weekend. Got a dozen in a couple hours on varying streamers, no one pattern worked appreciably better than any others. All the fish I caught were small.

My wife was along and fished small crankbaits on spinning tackle. She did better than I did numbers wise and caught two nice, mid-teens fish.

There were damselflies everywhere and some fish were obviously eating them, leaping clear of the water. Not a ton of rising fish, but some. I didn’t try any top water stuff but maybe should have. Fish were in the fastest water we could find.

I‘ve fished a mid-sized lower Susky trib twice this Summer and did not catch a Bass either time. Caught fairly good numbers of Sunnies, mostly Redbreasts, and Fallfish though.
 
I fished usual streamers and topwater. Son fished on top and underneath. Been out 6 times since beginning of July. Hardly any caught. Went upstream and did better. Saw some but they were not too active. Fished tributaries that were great at least for Rock Bass, Sunfish and smaller bass and caught 3 fish. We have a jet and can cover area and are just not doing well. Also wading and floating smaller creeks. Terrible. Not seeing chasing of anything until late evening if at all even way up river.
 
And even up stream above Harrisburg wasn't anything to write home about
 
If by lower Susky one means downriver of Harrisburg...

I've only been down there once and this was late June with Afishinado and we did poorly (as noted in report). My usual section I focus on is upriver vicinity Dauphin Narrows but this summer I haven't been able to get up there yet, nor the lower Juniata.
 
Same for me, not much happening with smallies on the lower river on multiple trips in several spots both wading and kayaking during the last 6 weeks. I'm not sure things will improve.
 
afishinado wrote:
I'm not sure things will improve.

Yeah - by this time of summer, and with the low water conditions suitable for wading, we should be hearing about more fishing success especially from the spin guys and river rat regulars.

Sal has a recent report from that section showing some good success.

 
I've been fishing the Marietta/Falmouth area and it's been turrrrible for smallies. Bear in mind I'm wading, so my range is somewhat limited. I've been following other people/pages and they are report poor catch rates as well. On the other hand, these guys have been bending my 8 WT enough to keep a smile on my face...


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Dave_W wrote:
afishinado wrote:
I'm not sure things will improve.

Yeah - by this time of summer, and with the low water conditions suitable for wading, we should be hearing about more fishing success especially from the spin guys and river rat regulars.

Sal has a recent report from that section showing some good success.


Yup.

Like I wrote in an earlier thread about the Susky, the river fished well in 2015 > 2016 and the smallie fishing in 2017 was almost like the "old days" back in the 90's.

2018 was a "wash" with all the high water.

2019 was pretty bad with only a few only okay trips, but the water was fairly high until the fall when I did a little better, so I still had hope for 2020.

This year things are really down. I fished different access areas and moved around in my kayak to key spots, plus I waded around in some spots. My success has been dismal. Plus talking to many other SMB anglers spin fishing, they pretty much told the same story.

I will say the flathead guys I run into launching near dark or returning in the morning after a night of fishing do have big smiles on their faces.

Any have some flathead patterns they care to share? I have my 11wt outfit rigged up and ready........ :oops:
 
I have a very small sample size this year. Its just too hot or Im too tired or busy...
But in my few trips i feel like ive done ok on the lower Susquehanna. I havent been skunked anyways.

The days ive gone have also been at less that favorable times or conditions.

I didnt get back out that next day. Couldnt wake up. I did go a few days after that and caught a half dozen or so. Largest was 17"
 
Nice catties Miller. A friend of mine Dad that lives on the river has said the bass fishing on the lower river has been poor. He also stated that he is actually awaiting for the snakeheads to come up and improve the fishing . One of the other things he said is that he has not seen many bass or carp around and that bowfishing is running rampant on the river with dead fish being thrown on the banks at the boat ramps.
 
Didn't think of that as a potential cause, but I did have a large, dead Carp float by on the J the other night.
 
A once world class Smallmouth fishery becomes a catfish and bowfishing destination. Great.
 
Instead of floating the west shore like I had planned we wade fished down from Bainbridge. I caught 1 on an olive bugger with dumbbell eyes and 3 on a chartreuse and white Clouser. I swear each one got an inch bigger- 7, 8, 9 and 10. Buddy got 4 also on the spinning rod and my brother did well with 11 and had the biggest at 14.5. Started at 8 and fishing got better once the sun got higher and it got hot. Fished until about 11:30. I haven't fished the river for years. Used to frequent the Falmouth stretch quite a bit. Water was clear and surprised we didn't see many fish at all. No carp or catfish. Minnows fairly abundant. Did not see may crayfish other than a few near the mouth of the Conoy. Many people enjoying the trail. One good thing about the pandemic is more people out enjoying nature. One bad thing is more people out enjoying nature.
* My brother also posted this in stream reports.
 
It has always been a catfish and walleye destination, and now from York Haven Dam down to Bainbridge/Haldeman Riffle it has one of the best river Muskellunge populations in Pa.
 
Mike was that Bainbridge/Haldeman Riffle we were fishing? We were above the White Cliffs.
 
Fredrick wrote:
Nice catties Miller. A friend of mine Dad that lives on the river has said the bass fishing on the lower river has been poor. He also stated that he is actually awaiting for the snakeheads to come up and improve the fishing . One of the other things he said is that he has not seen many bass or carp around and that bowfishing is running rampant on the river with dead fish being thrown on the banks at the boat ramps.

Thanks, man. I had just swtiched over to a black/blue Clouser when the sun dipped behind the Shock's Mills bridge. Next thing I knew, the line went tight and it slowly started to move around the pool. Weird. Then it dawned on me... Cattie! I was just blind fishing for whatever hit, so it was definitely different to get into a pod of catfish.

You went there with the snakeheads...lol I won't even get started about bow "fishing". The fact that 50 fish a day (carp, catifsh, etc.) can be "harvested" is appalling. And we all know they are just being disposed of. Not sporting at all and a waste of the resource! Soon the bowfishers will be crying there aren't any fish to shoot. Hmmm.... Wonder why!
 
wgmiller wrote:
I won't even get started about bow "fishing". The fact that 50 fish a day (carp, catifsh, etc.) can be "harvested" is appalling. And we all know they are just being disposed of. Not sporting at all and a waste of the resource! Soon the bowfishers will be crying there aren't any fish to shoot. Hmmm.... Wonder why!

Yep
 
wgmiller wrote:

Thanks, man. I had just swtiched over to a black/blue Clouser when the sun dipped behind the Shock's Mills bridge. Next thing I knew, the line went tight and it slowly started to move around the pool. Weird. Then it dawned on me... Cattie! I was just blind fishing for whatever hit, so it was definitely different to get into a pod of catfish.

You went there with the snakeheads...lol I won't even get started about bow "fishing". The fact that 50 fish a day (carp, catifsh, etc.) can be "harvested" is appalling. And we all know they are just being disposed of. Not sporting at all and a waste of the resource! Soon the bowfishers will be crying there aren't any fish to shoot. Hmmm.... Wonder why!

Bowfishing is not fishing its hunting and should be regulated like every like any other hunting activity in the state, there should be an open and closed season and it should only be only conducted during the day time with no use of spot lights. They should have to take a safety course and buy a hunting license for hunting fish .
 
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