Wade fished vicinity Dauphin Narrows from about 3pm till dark.
WEATHER: Sunny, breezy, mild temps.
WATER: Very low: 3.0 at Harrisburg, crystal clear, 65 degrees F confimed by thermometer. Algae heavy in frog water, but rocks are clear in current. Most grass beds are gone or shrunken.
HATCHES/FORAGE: Not much happening; some white(ish) mayflies at 6:30pm; large numbers of very small, roughly one inch, minnows in frog water; flipped some rocks and saw dense numbers of mayflies, caddis and snails (this is normal) but I was somewhat surprised to see the most prevalent nymphs on the rocks were damsel nymphs which were about an inch in length and olive colored. Some rising fish here and there, but sporadic.
With the water at nearly lowest level wading is easy right now on the big river (If you are new to the Susky, especially the Dauphin area, be careful. Even under low flow conditions it is tough wading and I wear cleats, use a wading staff and move cautiously). Large sections normally submerged are dry and sun bleached right now.
Fishing was fair to middlin and a steady pick. Saw no other anglers but I was in an area that is very hard even for kayaks to navigate so it gets less angling pressure - plus it's hunting season.
Took one bass in a riffle on a stonecat but with the shallow water and the need for long casts I stuck mostly with topwater. Fish were very skittish and shy. Oftentimes, when my popper would hit the surface, there would quickly be a wake, sometimes two of them, as bass rushed the fly... but then no take. Usually when you see a wake it's almost a guaranteed strike but not last night. There were several bald eagles soaring overhead and perhaps this may explain the skittish fish(?).
I was mostly fishing in water that averaged 1-2' in depth. Things picked up a bit as the sun set with a steady popper bite - perhaps a hit every four or five casts. All the fish I took today were small with many long line releases. Generally speaking, the fish were in typical summer holding positions, particulary favoring tail outs with some current that squeezed between boulders.
WEATHER: Sunny, breezy, mild temps.
WATER: Very low: 3.0 at Harrisburg, crystal clear, 65 degrees F confimed by thermometer. Algae heavy in frog water, but rocks are clear in current. Most grass beds are gone or shrunken.
HATCHES/FORAGE: Not much happening; some white(ish) mayflies at 6:30pm; large numbers of very small, roughly one inch, minnows in frog water; flipped some rocks and saw dense numbers of mayflies, caddis and snails (this is normal) but I was somewhat surprised to see the most prevalent nymphs on the rocks were damsel nymphs which were about an inch in length and olive colored. Some rising fish here and there, but sporadic.
With the water at nearly lowest level wading is easy right now on the big river (If you are new to the Susky, especially the Dauphin area, be careful. Even under low flow conditions it is tough wading and I wear cleats, use a wading staff and move cautiously). Large sections normally submerged are dry and sun bleached right now.
Fishing was fair to middlin and a steady pick. Saw no other anglers but I was in an area that is very hard even for kayaks to navigate so it gets less angling pressure - plus it's hunting season.
Took one bass in a riffle on a stonecat but with the shallow water and the need for long casts I stuck mostly with topwater. Fish were very skittish and shy. Oftentimes, when my popper would hit the surface, there would quickly be a wake, sometimes two of them, as bass rushed the fly... but then no take. Usually when you see a wake it's almost a guaranteed strike but not last night. There were several bald eagles soaring overhead and perhaps this may explain the skittish fish(?).
I was mostly fishing in water that averaged 1-2' in depth. Things picked up a bit as the sun set with a steady popper bite - perhaps a hit every four or five casts. All the fish I took today were small with many long line releases. Generally speaking, the fish were in typical summer holding positions, particulary favoring tail outs with some current that squeezed between boulders.
