Some of best striper fishing is from now until early June. What’s a trout?
Smallies
- Thread starter sreedy47
- Start date
jifigz
Well-known member
They are dainty, weak fish that easily die if your hooks have barbs, or if your hands aren't wet enough, or if the water is colder than 50° but warmer than 64° when you catch em, or if you hold em out of water for more than just 2 seconds. To top it off, they really don't even fight that hard.
They're pretty, though. And sometimes they like to eat stuff so small I can't even tie my fly on.....
I think that about describes them.
Bamboozle
Well-known member
Same section... 😀 That's too funny!!
Except my (our) bass just burrowed down...
There were also HUGE chub nests in the same beat that were a couple of feet high...!!! 😱
Nymph-wristed
Well-known member
I will post some pics later this week, but I got out with spinning gear and mostly tubes today on the Susquehanna in all that wind. We still picked up over 70 fish between the two of us. We launched out of Liverpool and fished mostly the W bank, islands, and creeks to get out of the 20 mph winds. Awesome late winter trip.
Nymph-wristed
Well-known member
Strike that. I found one fish pic on my phone. We caught maybe 3 over 18" but many more mid-teens. They are fat and awfully tight around the private parts too.
Winds chills were 38, so was the hood okay? 😉 Or what is worse gear or the hoodie??? 🙂
Winds chills were 38, so was the hood okay? 😉 Or what is worse gear or the hoodie??? 🙂
jifigz
Well-known member
Yeah, the fish are really chunky right now. I've been seeing some nice pics of bass from the J.
Nymph-wristed
Well-known member
Kind of hope that they don't settle down to procreate too early this year. I guess this week might help roll the clock back a bit, but water temps were 48-49 in the flats.
jifigz
Well-known member
When would you like them to spawn? I mean, they shouldn't be in full swing spawning mode for a month and a half or so. I'd say mid to early May....at least where I am familiar with. If you remember those islands just down from my parents when you were here last year, spawning bass utilize those downstream areas of those islands A LOT. There are beds all through there.
Nymph-wristed
Well-known member
We were on the main river today, so my comment was about the islands we fished on the Susky.
That said, how do you think the timing differs, if at all, between the Juniata and the Susquehanna?
jifigz
Well-known member
That's kind of what I was asking you, in a weird, roundabout way. I am very unfamiliar with the mainstem Susky. I'd say our peak smallie spawn is always May. They are finishing up early June, and then fishing usually sucks for a couple of weeks till mid-June till they shake their post spawn blues.
When is it on the Susky? I know the mainstem Susky near Harrisburg sees much warmer temps than the Juniata up my way in the summer, so maybe it warms a lot faster in the spring, too?
Nymph-wristed
Well-known member
Got you now. It was a long day...
I have ways to find out since the dude we fish with is out 4-5 days a week, even now. Up by Liverpool, there are several creeks that were definitely colder than the main river.
I would say May is normal, too, from my personal experience But I guess it depends on where the good spawning habitat is vs the other factors that would affect water temps. I saw the surface temp rise and drop in real time based on our proximity to the creeks and they often coincide with islands and bars.
bringthepain
Active member
Fresh water or salty?
Correct on both. They come out of the salt into fresh and then back to the salt
bringthepain
Active member
Yes sir. I was asking if you were fishing more in the river or in the ocean/bay
Oh sorry, both but mostly fresh because I'm only 20 minutes from the river and an hour and some to the salt and my boat is a river boat.
They are surely here. Most springs they are in the rivers before the rivers are fishable. When the water comes down, like it has this week, people get out and start catching them, and the reports start trickling out. The big ones typically are the earliest ones.
bringthepain
Active member
If i recall from talking to you previously you are above Trenton someplace right? I gotta find some time to get up that way and fish. I havent fished the river for stripers in a LONG time. I'm only about 8 miles away from the Point Pleasant PA portion of the river but i've never had time to explore fishing down there since being in this area
caddisflyer
Well-known member
6xAdams(Jones)
Well-known member
You forgot "safest unhook them in the water hold and release without a hero photo."
