Susquehanna Report 6/25/08Smallmouth bass
fishing on the Susquehanna river below Sunbury is tough. That's the only
way it can be described. What happened to all the fish everyone was
catching early this spring??? Well, I guess it's like this. If you take
100 fish and put them in a back yard swimming pool they are going to be
pretty easy to locate. Now take that same 100 fish and put them in an
Olympic size swimming pool. They're still there but they are spread out
over a larger area and it's much more challenging to locate them. In the
spring the fish are in predictable areas preparing for the spawn. Even
those that don't actively spawn are in the same areas, spectators if you
will. The Susquehanna River smallmouth bass population is way down and
seems poised to continue the decline. The river at harrisburg is currently
at 3.6 feet and water temps are being measured from 77 tp 82 degrees. I
recently spoke to a PFBC biologist who informed me the recent levels of
dissolved oxygen are "scary". We need rain and we need it now to keep this
years recruitment class alive.
Fly anglers are having some luck working top-water poppers after the sun
sets. Spin anglers are doing well with top water offerings worked hard at
sun-up and sun down. Once the sun hits the water the bite is off.
Good luck and please contact the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
immediately if you observe any dead or dying smallmouth fry in significant
numbers.
Matt
Susquehanna Report 6/4/08
 The
smallmouth's have settled into they're post spawn funk and anyone who is telling
you that they are catching fish with regularity is telling you fish tales. It's
day by day. The weather has been making it a tough also. We have had some
strong fronts move through over the past week and some stronger winds that make
boat control nearly impossible. The one bright side is that by all accounts the
smallies did a great job making babies. I walked the shore in the Ft. Hunter
area and saw many ,many "clouds" of small fishes swimming in the shallows. I
can't say for sure yet that they are young of the year smallies but from past
experience I'd lay some money down that they are.
Now if we can just keep the floods and droughts away for the next two months to
give them some time to grow to a sustainable size we'll be in great shape.
Speaking of drought the river is very low and we need some rain. It's currently
at 4.0 feet on the Harrisburg Gauge and is predicted to rise slightly due to
some heavy storms upstate. The current forecast calls for steady hot dry days
for the the next 7 days. If you know a rain dance start dancing.
 Tuesday
was a strange one on the river. No wind and no current. Very weird as the
river was almost standing still. We threw everything we could but to no avail.
It will soon be fly flinging season. Get out the ol' 7 wt, a bag of clouser's
and the wading shoes it's a great time to be on the river. Hopefully in my next
report I'll be able to share some fly success.
Tight lines and as always be safe.
Matt
Susquehanna River
Report for April 25th 2008
I certainly hope that
all have been taking advantage of this fantastic spring weather. The Susquehanna
River has truly become a trophy smallmouth bass fishery. Which is good and bad.
It's good because the fish being caught are massive in size and fight. It's bad
because the extreme growth is due to a severely hampered population. The lower
main stem of the Susquehanna River has not had an above average recruitment
class of smallmouth bass for nearly ten years. The reasons and many and will
require a completely separate article to explain. The reduced population is
allowing the present fish population to eat at will and without any competition
for the available food resources.
This years spawn will be critical.
Below are some graphs
from the records of PFBC electro-fishing studies that targeting young of the
year smallmouth.
This will be my last report until the first week of June. The river temperature
is perfect and many fish have started to find they're way to the bedding areas.
The next full moon will bring about the first full wave of spawning activity. It
is extremely important that we do everything to ensure that those fish have a
successful spawn and create a successful recruitment class. If you do chose to
fish during the next few weeks please focus your attention to areas of current
using suspending or top water baits. Please avoid slack water areas on the back
side of mid river islands and along the shorelines. Although fish may bed
anywhere there are certain areas that are more conducive than others.
I must also add that it is illegal to fish beds in Pennsylvania.
The river is currently at 4.8 feet at the Harrisburg gauge. It's still muddy on
the east shore side and clear to slightly stained along the west side of the
river. The river is predicted to rise due to the rain forecasted for saturday
and sunday. Today we measured water temps of 65-66 degrees in the main river
below Harrisburg. All of our fish were caught in current which was a pleasant
surprise. We caught fish on spinnerbaits, rattle traps and suspending jerk
baits.
Good luck and God Bless.
Matt
River Report for
4/17/08
 More
of the same. I can't really say more that I wrote last week. The smallmouth bite
is fantastic. The beginning of the week was a little better than the past two
days but still not to shabby. Today (Thursday) we found fish in both slack water
along the shore and in mild current. Tubes and jerk baits have been the ticket
all week. We did get two of our fish today on Case Magic Sticks. Focus your
efforts in water with better visibility and remember big fish eat big baits.
The river is expected to be 5.1 feet at Harrisburg on Friday and will slowly
fall over the next few days. The unseasonably warm weather is certainly
effecting the water temps and today we measured temps of 53-55 degrees in the
river below Harrisburg. The females are fat with eggs and will soon be moving to
the beds so please handle them gently and release them as soon as possible.
I haven't been able to find them yet but I have told of many walleye roaming the
river. I also heard of a big Musky being caught in the New Cumberland area.
As always good luck and be safe.
Matt
HOT NEWS. 4/10/08
That’s the only way
the smallmouth action on the Susquehanna river can be described. The river has
been holding steady in the 6 feet range (Harrisburg USGS gauge) and is predicted
to remain steady through the weekend. The weather may be the biggest variable.
The temperatures on Friday are to be in the high 60’s however there is the
chance for a thunderstorm later in the day. As of this report they are calling
for the chance of rain on Saturday and Sunday.
Anglers have reported fantastic success on tubes and the hard jerk bait bite is
here. On Wednesday we boated all of our fish on tubes however, another group
fishing the same area had success on both tubes and LuckyCraft Flash Minnows.
Tubes need to be worked slowly as they are not quite yet active enough to chase
them. Keep alert and watch the line as the takes can be very subtle.
As usual the water is stained on the East side and clears up nicely as you move
West. I would suggest staying in the clearer water. Wednesday water temperatures
were measured from 43-45 degrees.
Please practice Catch and Immediate release as the females are fat with
eggs. Good luck and be safe.
|
 |
 |
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Look at that egg
sac, looks
like she swallowed
a baseball. |
With a stiff
upriver wind sometimes
it's hard to know
if your on the
Susquehanna or
Lake Erie. |
Up to the Minute River Report for
4/3/08
 The
conditions on the river this past week have been puzzling, to say the least.
The biggest hurdle was the weather. Once again the weathermen were clueless in
they're predictions. For instance, heavy rain with thunder storms were
predicted for Tuesday. They never arrived and Tuesday afternoon was an awesome
spring day with temps hitting 60 degrees. The front did come through however
and although it didn't bring rain to the Harrisburg area it did bring severe
winds and cold temperatures. The temperature at 6pm on Tuesday was 61 degrees.
The temperature at 6am Wednesday morning was 32 degrees. Talk about shutting
the bite down. Nothing will freeze up the jaws of smallmouth like a 30 degree
temperature change in 12 hours. The river level and flows have also been manic.
The below chart shows the roller coaster ride anglers have had to deal with.
Anglers fishing Monday and Tuesday had considerable success with most fish
taking hard jerk baits and tubes. Work the tubes slow in eddy's and backwater
areas.
 The
weather for the upcoming weekend is to be clear with cooler temperatures. The
river levels will be more of an issue for anglers than weather. The river is
predicted to be at 8.0 feet on Friday and 8.4 feet on Saturday (Harrisburg
gauge). This morning (Thursday) the river was flowing high and dirty with
considerable amount of debris. Here is a shot of the Canal lock ramp which is
just below Middletown. The first photo is to show the water level compared to
the ramp and the second is a view North towards the Turnpike bridge.
If you visit the river this weekend please use caution and were your PFD's. The
river is fast, swift and still cold enough to pose a considerable hypothermia
risk.
Good luck and be safe.
Matt
Up to the Minute
River Report for 3/28/2008
The past week was one of question on the river. The weather people had the
forecasts wrong just about everyday. Some anglers had fantastic success and
while others struggled. The key was to "run and gun" and cover a lot of water
to find fish. The anglers who found the fish did very well. Once you find the
fish stay put don't leave fish to find fish. The river is forecasted to be at
6.0 feet (Harrisburg) on Saturday. A cold front has been moving through and
will bring colder air with a moderate breeze.
The water along the East side of the river is still stained while the water from
mid-river West has 2-3 feet of visibility. The water temperatures have been
consistently in the low 40's and today (Friday) it was 44 degrees. Many of the
ramps are still coated with mud and debris. If your not towing your boat with a
four wheel drive you may need to shop around for a ramp. Tubes and hairjigs are
still the ticket but the hard jerkbait bite should be turning on.
Here is a picture I took on Tuesday from
the West side of the river looking East. The mudline on the far side of
the river can be seen.
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Although the forecast was for rain it never
materialized leaving us with overcast conditions and smooth as glass
water. The problem was the air temps dropped through the day and you
could literally feel the change. Unfortunately, the fish also felt the
change.
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This cold water pre-spawn time can very tricky. A good guide can be invaluable
especially if your not familiar with the river. The Susquehanna is so vast that
there are literally acres of non-productive water. A guide is your best way to
get to the good water fast. Please patronize resident Pennsylvania guides.
Feel free to contact me for a list of quality guides that you can trust with
your investment and day on the water.
Good luck and be safe.
Matt
River
Report as of 3/20/08
by Matt Dotts
Well, there's not too much I can say as the following graph says it all. The
heavy rains that drenched the Eastern part of the state over the past days is
pushing the river to the cautionary stage for the weekend. The river is
predicted to crest at over 10ft on Saturday. There is also a clipper system
coming out of the Northwest that will bring some colder air and the chance for
light snow. There's no reason to be on the river. I know there are some
tournaments planed but it just irresponsible to hold a competition in the
current conditions.
The anglers who did venture out to face the challenge last weekend had good
success when they could find areas of slower water along the shoreline. Heavy
dark hair jigs seemed to be the ticket for most seeking smallmouth action. I
spoke to a friend who fished from the shore in the area of the Juniata mouth on
Saturday. He landed several walleye working a Bass Pro XPS jerk bait through
the seam where the Juniata meets the main river.
Over all it appears to be a good weekend to stay home and catch up household
chores so you'll have free time when the river clears up.
Good luck and stay safe.
Matt
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A typical Susquehanna
River bronze back |
Bass Pro XPS jerk baits
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Susquehanna Recovers from Storms
The big river is still recovering from last weeks flooding but looks pretty good
all thing considered. The level at Harrisburg is at 9.4 feet (Thursday 7am) and
is predicted to be 8.1 feet on Friday. The Juniata at Newport should be around
6.9 feet on Friday morning. The color isn't that bad on the West shore but still
looks like coffee with light cream along the East shore. The current weather
forecast calls for rain on Friday followed by high winds, however, this will no
doubt change as the weekend nears.
The levels are still a little high to be out in a small craft when the water
temperatures are taken into consideration. There is also a lot of floating
debris and other dangers (newly deposited logs, dumpster, and refrigerators to
name a few) due to the recent flood. If you do decide to take your boat out
please stay in familiar water and wear your PFD.
Now is a great time to walk the banks and target shoreline eddy's with tube
baits and hair jigs. If the water continues to recede and we have some mild
temps the river will be prime next week.
Here are some photo's I took this week. Here is the view at the base of the
Marysville Ramp.
|
This one shows were the water line was when the
river crested at just a little over 17 feet last week. The property
owners have to love removing all that debris. |
Another problem we will be facing over the next
few weeks is the mud
and debris deposit at the public ramps due to the flood.
|
Use this down time to tune up your tackle and get your things in order.
The pre-spawn bite is very close.
Thanks for taking the time to read my report and check back next week.
My goal is to have this report updated by Friday morning so you will
have up-to-date information to better assist in planning your weekend.
As always, please feel free to
email me with any questions or concerns.
Matt |
Here is the parking lot at
the West Fairview public boat launch. Just a
little muddy. |
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