Warm water fishing in the winter

skeeter

skeeter

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Sep 11, 2006
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I am just curious to find out if anyone has ever fished below or within warm water effluent during the winter. The effluent I speak of may be associated with power plants, waste water treatment plants etc. I have had sporadic success at a place I go to on the Potomac with bass and walleye in the past. Just wondering if anyone has tried this and had the luck that I’ve had for warm water fishes in the winter?

-Pat
 
Skeeter,

I know that here in Pgh., I often see bass boats and the like hovering around some w.w. discharges and I've read reports of some nice smallmouth and hybrid striper catches. In your region you should do a googls search for a man named Mike O'brian, he offers guide service just for carp! I know that there are those that travel great distances to flyfish for carp in the Susquehanna every year and battle some absolute pig size fish. I am myself going to start targeting them on the Yough River this summer while casting for smallies as I often see them rooting and sunning in the clear shallow flats. Good luck!

JA
 
Wing,

Well, to be honest, I am really suggesting that by targeting these areas, success may be had in the winter for warm water fishes. The place I speak of just 2 weeks ago on the Potomac had 79 degree water, my feet were warm while a stiff breeze chilled my upper body, I caught a 10" walleye and a number of smallies ranging from 8-16". Not a bad day. I find it rather funny that I avoid this section of river in the summer which is about 95 degrees while it produces so well in the winter.

-Pat
 
skeeter wrote:
I find it rather funny that I avoid this section of river in the summer which is about 95 degrees while it produces so well in the winter.

-Pat

Makes a lot of sense to me...
 
Tom,

By funny I mean, which was taken out of context, while these areas of w.w. discharges get a bad rap they can be very rewarding. "Funny how,......How am I funny to you" ooo Pesci...what ever happened to that guy anyway!!! :-D

-Pat
 
The warmwater discharge below the Brunner Island power plant (York Co.) is a good spot through early to mid April depending on how fast the river itself warms up. Ususally by May it gets too warm for the best of fishing.
 
I talked to the WCO the other day and 2010 might be the last year for Brunner Island. PPL is putting in a cooling tower and the water will end up being only a few degrees warmer in te winter then the main river. Such a shame because I caught many a fish there over the years including a nice musky and striper.
 
When I was mostly a warmwater angler on the Monongahela, the wastewater discharges were always hotspots for me. This was also true in the lakes near Knoxville, TN when I lived down there. Not only do you have the temperature thing, but you have fertilizer, hence vegetation, hence baitfish, along with oxygenation from the turbulence.
 
I fish a warm water discharge near me from a power plant and it has really paid off. It's a little weird though catching smallmouth, largemouth, and walleye and they are fiesty with a foot of snow on the ground. With the power plants you can tell if there is smoke coming out the stacks they are discharging warm water. I only know this b/c I knew a guy that worked at the one I fished at and that is what he told me. Bring a thermometor to make sure. The fish really congregate at these warm water discharges!
 
There was a PPL plant on the susquehanna in Selinsgrove which used to be awesome to fish..........after 9/11 they did not let anyone back there to fish......I think it is empty now and you might be able to fish there.....don't know for sure, have not been there in a few years.........but there were: bass, carp, musky, walleye, gills, rock bass......etc........everything was there and they were usually hungry...........what made the discharge even better was there is a dam right at the outflow and you get the migrating fish to stop right there...........oh the fun we used to have fishing there......we did not always use flies though.......jigs were great!!!!!
 
2bonthewater,

Jigs do seem to be the ticket at them. My friends dad use to use little chartruese jigs for carp and boy were there some big ones there. Crappies too. I never really gave the fly rod too much time there but I think I might this coming winter!
 
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