West Branch Susquehanna float trip

[Mwheaps32]

I'm planning a weekend drift fishing trip this June from the bridge at Hyner down to Lock Haven. I've drove by this section of the river a few times and have always thought it looked very nice. I've got a small drift boat that we will be using.

Has any anybody here ever fished or floated this section of the river? Any feedback with regards to what to expect will be appreciated. It looks like there are several small islands we'll be able to use for camping. I've caught some smallmouth in Renova and farther down towards where rattlesnake run dumps in but that's as far as I've been below Hyner.

Thanks

 

[fly_flinger]

I cannot comment on the fishing but you might want to make sure you are know at what CFS it's floatable. I've driven by that section for about 20 years heading to our Potter County cabin and have seen it really skinny. Like you'll be dragging the boat through sections skinny. I have friends that used to do that float in canoes on Memorial Day weekend and they never seemed to have problems with the river itself as far as dangerous water. Can't say they didn't have a few incidents due to over indulgence of adult beverages. Good luck and I'm a little envious. I've been thinking of doing that float for years.

 

[troutbert]

There are smallmouth all through there.

But I agree about checking into what flow levels will be suitable for your boat.

I've never seen a drift boat on it. What is the "draft" of a drift boat vs a canoe?

The West Branch is popular for canoeing. I've canoed it further up a fair bit. Even with canoes, you have to be sure you have enough flow, you have to check the gauges.

In typical years, it's often too low for canoes in the summer months. Flows get very low.

I've done some canoe dragging on the West Branch and that isn't fun. I've never done any drift boat dragging, and don't care to.

If the flows are good, though, it should be fun.

 

[bigjohn58]

You guys can float it but I certainly wouldn't waste my time. That area is still polluted enough to only really have fish where the cleaner streams dump in. Closer to Lock Haven you will have more fish spread out. I know there's a lot better places to be going that's for sure. Now maybe in another 10 or 15 years things might be different but I still somehow doubt it.

 

[tomgamber]

WE HAVE A CAMP WHERE THE SINNEMAHONING DUMPS IN. WE HAVE BEEN CATCHING MORE FISH THEN EVER IN SUSQUEHANNA. AS JOHN SAID THE FRESH WATER INPUTS ARE YOUR BEST BET BUT YOU CAN FIND FISH. ITS REALLY A BEAUTIFUL FLOAT. YOU SHOULD VISIBLY BE ABLE TO SEE WHICH IN FLOWS ARE WORTH TRYING BASED ON THE COLOR OF THE WATER. ITS INCREDIBLY CLEAR WATER.

AS HAS BEEN MENTIONED BEFORE, THE FLOWS HAVE BEN SUPER LOW THE LAST FEW SUMMERS. AT THE SINNEMAHONING CONFLUENCE I WAS ABLE TO WALK ACROSS THE SUSKY WITH NO PROBLEM.

HAVE CAUGHT GOOD SIZED SMALLMOUTH, CHANNEL CATS, FALL FISH, ROCK BASS AND THE OCCASIONAL TROUT IN THE SUSKY DOWNSTREAM FROM THE SINNE INFLOW.

I REALIZE YOUR FLOAT IS A BIT BELOW THIS SO JOHN MIGHT BE MORE FAMILIAR WITH THAT STRETCH BUT I WOULDN'T LET IT SCARE YOU OFF UNLESS FISHING IS THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY OF THE FLOAT.

 

[bigjohn58]

tomgamber wrote:
WE HAVE A CAMP WHERE THE SINNEMAHONING DUMPS IN. WE HAVE BEEN CATCHING MORE FISH THEN EVER IN SUSQUEHANNA. AS JOHN SAID THE FRESH WATER INPUTS ARE YOUR BEST BET BUT YOU CAN FIND FISH. ITS REALLY A BEAUTIFUL FLOAT. YOU SHOULD VISIBLY BE ABLE TO SEE WHICH IN FLOWS ARE WORTH TRYING BASED ON THE COLOR OF THE WATER. ITS INCREDIBLY CLEAR WATER.

AS HAS BEEN MENTIONED BEFORE, THE FLOWS HAVE BEN SUPER LOW THE LAST FEW SUMMERS. AT THE SINNEMAHONING CONFLUENCE I WAS ABLE TO WALK ACROSS THE SUSKY WITH NO PROBLEM.

HAVE CAUGHT GOOD SIZED SMALLMOUTH, CHANNEL CATS, FALL FISH, ROCK BASS AND THE OCCASIONAL TROUT IN THE SUSKY DOWNSTREAM FROM THE SINNE INFLOW.

I REALIZE YOUR FLOAT IS A BIT BELOW THIS SO JOHN MIGHT BE MORE FAMILIAR WITH THAT STRETCH BUT I WOULDN'T LET IT SCARE YOU OFF UNLESS FISHING IS THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY OF THE FLOAT.

I grew up in Lock Haven and honestly you can probably thank my brother and I for a lot of those fish above the dam. When we were kids in the 90s we were catching them below the dam in Lock Haven and throwing a lot of them up above the dam. Mostly rockbass back then. I'm sure there's some fish around Bakers Run and Farrandsville. Once you start hitting the slack water from the dam in Lock Haven you'll be able to pick some up around peoples boat docks. I don't think I'd even bother fishing much until you get down to Farrandsville. Enjoy the float and get a little more serious from there down with the fishing. I just wouldn't expect too much however.

 

[Dave_W]

Mwheaps32 wrote:
I'm planning a weekend drift fishing trip this June from the bridge at Hyner down to Lock Haven.

Agree it's a beautiful section but I've never fished it. Good luck with your trip. Let us know how you made out. We don't get many warm water fishing reports from that area.

 

[Mwheaps32]

Thanks for all the advise guys. We have a little flexibility with our dates so hopefully we can get some decent water. I love exploring new water so if the fishings not that good I'll deal with it. Hooking up with a bunch of small fish will be good enough for us. This is just a section of the river we have driven by on several occasions and finally said we gotta float it.

My nephew will be graduating from High school and I thought this would be a good camping/ fishing trip together.

I'll be sure to update you all after the trip.The west Branch of the river is actually pretty awesome when you figure you can be going after brookies on a tumbling stream off the mountain and walk 100yds down to the river and catch a smallmouth.

Thanks again everyone

 

[bigjohn58]

Make sure you give an update! I'm very interested to hear how you do. I'd love for you to prove some of my information false because this would means the West Branch is cleaning up and thriving more then I realized it has.

 

[afishinado]

Here's a WB Susky report on here from back a few years and the general consensus is the fishing is better now!

WB Susky Report

 

[bigjohn58]

afishinado wrote:
Here's a WB Susky report on here from back a few years and the general consensus is the fishing is better now!

WB Susky Report

I am 99.9% sure that fishing report came from the section from somewhere below Lock Haven down to where it dumps into the main branch. That water has some good fishing and it gets better and better the closer to the main branch you get. The good fishing pretty much stops at the dam in Lock Haven. Above there it is still effected by the mine acid although it has greatly improved.

 

[kobalt335]

I agree with John. Once you get below the dam in Lock Haven the fishing is pretty good. Above that I've never had much luck, and you rarely see others fishing it. I hope that the fishing has gotten better above the dam though, that will open up a lot more options.

 

[lycoflyfisher]

The water quality is vastly improved, I had the same sentiment as many have posted and floated the stretch in question a number of times without fishing. I decided to take fishing gear one day while kayaking from Bakers Run down to Lock Haven and I all I can say is the fishing is terrible and I suggest you just leave it to the brave souls that fish in "polluted" waters... all joking aside some nice smallies were brought to hand. The comeback of the West Branch is one of the best conservation stories in our state in my opinion.

For floating advice, there are a few long and shallow stretches in this area that will most likely lead to lengthy drags if flows aren't good. Every stream coming in from the east has wild trout so that is always another fishing option.