WEATHER: Bluebird skies, bright sun, 80something, no breeze.
WATER: 3.2' at Harrisburg, as clear as you'll see the Susky, 78 degrees in current. A fair number of anglers and boaters this Saturday afternoon.
HATCHES & FORAGE: Various and sundry mayflies of unknown make and model, mostly light colored, emerged in the evening. No significant fish activity till right at dusk with a few swirls. I did not see many crayfish at dark. No minnow busting. The river was quiet with respect to feeding activity.
Wade fished vicinity Dauphin Narrows from 4pm to dark. The river is dead low and ideal for the wading angler right now. I could wade hundreds of yards and never get deeper than my knees. Even the deer were not deterred and I saw several far from shore just casually walking around the rocks and riffles as they moved from a wooded island back to the shoreline. That was strange but neat to see. Saw an eagle, kingfisher, and various wading birds.
Of particular note: the river grass levels seem to increase every year on that part of the Susky and billowing clumps were prevalent, even in shallow riffle areas. Usually by mid September, these clumps are breaking up and this can cause difficult fishing with all the junk on the surface. I did not see drifting grass last night, thankfully, as this phenomenon has apparently not yet begun. I would guess the next increase in flow will break up the grass, however.
I fished poppers (larger sized, no deep hooked fish tonight, thankfully). The bright sun seemed to have shut the river down. Fish were very skittish in the shallow areas I was fishing and long casts were necessary. Very slow fishing, got a few dinks. I took a long break and drank a lot of water. I had hoped that, by evening, things would pick up but this didn't really happen until right at dusk when the river awakened, fish became aggressive, and I had a flurry of action, including a very strong 17" fish that by the time I got him to hand, it was just about dark. Overall, it was a slow fishing day. Some clouds might have helped.
On a side note: I fish this section by accessing a wooded trail down to the river bank and I have known for decades that finding the trail after dark is very difficult. In the 1990s I usually cracked a chem light at this trail if I wanted to fish into the evening. I didn't bother last night and, sure enough, I could not find the trail in the darkness. After stumbling around the shoreline with my small headlight, I decided I'd have to bust brush. Fortunately, a small wristband compass saved the night for me and I was able to get through the woods fairly easily. Speaking for myself, navigating through a dense forest at night in a straight line is almost impossible. In these situations, I always remember what I was told at Ft Benning: "Trust your compass."
Note to Dave: keep that little compass and don't forget a chem light next time dumba$$.
WATER: 3.2' at Harrisburg, as clear as you'll see the Susky, 78 degrees in current. A fair number of anglers and boaters this Saturday afternoon.
HATCHES & FORAGE: Various and sundry mayflies of unknown make and model, mostly light colored, emerged in the evening. No significant fish activity till right at dusk with a few swirls. I did not see many crayfish at dark. No minnow busting. The river was quiet with respect to feeding activity.
Wade fished vicinity Dauphin Narrows from 4pm to dark. The river is dead low and ideal for the wading angler right now. I could wade hundreds of yards and never get deeper than my knees. Even the deer were not deterred and I saw several far from shore just casually walking around the rocks and riffles as they moved from a wooded island back to the shoreline. That was strange but neat to see. Saw an eagle, kingfisher, and various wading birds.
Of particular note: the river grass levels seem to increase every year on that part of the Susky and billowing clumps were prevalent, even in shallow riffle areas. Usually by mid September, these clumps are breaking up and this can cause difficult fishing with all the junk on the surface. I did not see drifting grass last night, thankfully, as this phenomenon has apparently not yet begun. I would guess the next increase in flow will break up the grass, however.
I fished poppers (larger sized, no deep hooked fish tonight, thankfully). The bright sun seemed to have shut the river down. Fish were very skittish in the shallow areas I was fishing and long casts were necessary. Very slow fishing, got a few dinks. I took a long break and drank a lot of water. I had hoped that, by evening, things would pick up but this didn't really happen until right at dusk when the river awakened, fish became aggressive, and I had a flurry of action, including a very strong 17" fish that by the time I got him to hand, it was just about dark. Overall, it was a slow fishing day. Some clouds might have helped.
On a side note: I fish this section by accessing a wooded trail down to the river bank and I have known for decades that finding the trail after dark is very difficult. In the 1990s I usually cracked a chem light at this trail if I wanted to fish into the evening. I didn't bother last night and, sure enough, I could not find the trail in the darkness. After stumbling around the shoreline with my small headlight, I decided I'd have to bust brush. Fortunately, a small wristband compass saved the night for me and I was able to get through the woods fairly easily. Speaking for myself, navigating through a dense forest at night in a straight line is almost impossible. In these situations, I always remember what I was told at Ft Benning: "Trust your compass."
Note to Dave: keep that little compass and don't forget a chem light next time dumba$$.
