Allegheny River, Forest Co., 6/26/18

[Dave_W]

Spent an afternoon and evening prospecting around the river vicinity Tionesta and points downriver.

WEATHER: Very nice with partly cloudy skies and highs in the 70s. By evening temps dropped, breeze picked up with frontal system approaching.

INSECTS and FORAGE: Nothing of note; a few caddis, no surface activity. Sparse crayfish and baitfish around shoreline and willow grass beds, but not a lot of forage visible. Picked some rocks in a riffle and there were good numbers of mayfly nymphs present.

WATER: Stained, 72 degrees F. Some emergent weeds in pool areas and some trouble with floating grass in eddies.


I'm not familiar with the Allegheny as I don't get out to western PA often and had limited time to fish. Mostly fished streamers down low and slow, both in a nice section of deeper pool and also some fast, shallow water. Very little luck: got a couple bumps and one small bass. Saw a couple freshwater drum and carp but very few bass were visible. The stable weather and approaching front usually makes me an optimistic river rat, but today things just didn't happen. Perhaps the river is still in post spawn or still on the cold side.

As often happens when we're out fishing across PA, we bump into other PAFF folks. This trip I was lucky to meet Flyswatter and we had a nice chat.

 

[Fly-Swatter]

Dave: I enjoyed meeting you, too.

I had the same feeling about the weather.

With high hopes I put my canoe in at the ramp below Kinzua Dam and fished that pool for 2+ hours from 7 until dark. I only got 1 bump from a mid-sized pike.

Regarding the bass, the guy who gave my family and me a tour of the National Fish Hatchery at the base of the dam (and fishes the river a lot from a jet drive boat) said the smallies were tough due to being in post spawn mode.

 

[afishinado]

Fly-Swatter wrote:
Dave: I enjoyed meeting you, too.

I had the same feeling about the weather.

With high hopes I put my canoe in at the ramp below Kinzua Dam and fished that pool for 2+ hours from 7 until dark. I only got 1 bump from a mid-sized pike.

Regarding the bass, the guy who gave my family and me a tour of the National Fish Hatchery at the base of the dam (and fishes the river a lot from a jet drive boat) said the smallies were tough due to being in post spawn mode.

After fishing for river smallies for many years, fishing in June right after the spawn is pretty much universally tough every year.

If the flow and weather cooperate, things usually pick up later in the summer into July and through August.

Of all the seasons, I find the fall to be be the best fishing for smallies, again if the weather and flows are favorable.

So the best fishing is ahead of us for the next few months....good luck to all.