I had a couple hours this afternoon and decided to check the Susquehanna up in the Dauphin Narrows, a favorite section of mine back in the 90s. I haven't fished this section in probably at least two years. Felt soles and a wading staff are a must. I saw no other fishermen. Even though a Monday afternoon, this area used to be packed back in the day. I stood up on some of the large rock outcroppings and with the sun high and polarized glasses I expected to see at least some small bass but it was pretty barren. I tried poppers, nymphs, and clousers - no strikes. To be sure, had I been able to fish till dusk things likely would have been better but I was still disappointed. Saw only two bass (and a few YOY fingerlings) and a handful of sunfish. There were however a lot of hog suckers (usually indicative of decent water quality) and shiners. I got out the seine and kicked some rocks and logs near the shoreline. The river is crawling with crayfish and I got various swimming nymphs and some huge hellgrammites in the riffles. There's plenty of food - just very few bass. A decade ago the ledge rock and gravel in this section of the river was swarming with bass.
Susquehanna at Harrisburg, 7/28/2008
- Thread starter Fishidiot
- Start date
I used to fish Dauphin Narrows a couple times a year too, even though it's pretty far from where I live.
How far upriver and down does this sad state of affairs exist? Does anyone have a sense of that? What sections of the river are still worth giving a shot, and which aren't?
How far upriver and down does this sad state of affairs exist? Does anyone have a sense of that? What sections of the river are still worth giving a shot, and which aren't?
troutbert,
The consensus is that the further upriver you go, the better the fishing seems to be. From the confluence with the Juniata down to the MD line the bass fishing is mediocre. From Sunbury up the main stem and West Branch the fishing tends to be better from what I understand. For the Juniata: get upstream of Lewistown for best results on smallies.
The consensus is that the further upriver you go, the better the fishing seems to be. From the confluence with the Juniata down to the MD line the bass fishing is mediocre. From Sunbury up the main stem and West Branch the fishing tends to be better from what I understand. For the Juniata: get upstream of Lewistown for best results on smallies.
