Susky near Harrisburg, 9-10-14

[HJS]

I fished the Susky near Harrisburg, Wednesday, 9-10-14, 9:30am-4:00pm. That’s a looong time for me to be in my canoe. The first 2.5 hours were so slow that I was thinking of taking out and going somewhere else. But then the proverbial switch flipped and action ramped up markedly. The action kept getting hotter and hotter, so much so that I just couldn’t leave when fish were biting like they were. All total I caught 23 SMBass ranging in size from 10” to 19”. Lots of them were in the mid-teens. Also caught a few smaller than 10” that were not part of the total count. Keep tract of the time stamps on the pics and you will see have fast the action was at times… and I didn’t take pics of all of the nice bass… just too busy catching fish.

Nearly all were caught on my standard lures for the Susky, especially the bigger bass. I used either a 4” Saltwater Shad Bass Assassin splittail or the 4” Bass Assassin paddletail, both in opening nite. All were fished weightless on the surface.

The only other boaters I saw were two kayakers far off in the distance. Judging from their movement I’m guessing they were fishing too.

Susky, 9-10-14 A.jpg
Susky, 9-10-14 B.jpg
Susky, 9-10-14 C.jpg
Susky, 9-10-14 D.jpg
Susky, 9-10-14 E.jpg
Susky, 9-10-14 F.jpg
Susky, 9-10-14 H.jpg

[dpreller]

you and i must be on the same schedule,lol. i fished up there yesterday too but from about 3 til dark. tried a new stretch for me and the wind was blowing pretty good straight up river. started out slow but the started catching them on senkos wacky weightless, and swim baits. got 2 about 16 and several 12-13s. caught about 15 total. also caught about an 8lb cat that hit a swim bait. i thought i had a giant smallmouth for a minute but when i didnt jump i figured it was a cat. he gave me a good susky sleigh ride though!

[HJS]

dpreller - We must be have the same thought process when it comes to fishing. It's always said that great minds think alike. But if that's true than it would also be true that demented minds also think alike... I'll go with the former. I went yesterday because of the heavy cloud cover and the flow was just right for the area I had planned to fish when using a canoe... oh, and it wasn't the weekend. Also, due to the fact that I always put-in and take-out at the same location regardless of where I fish on the river, I much prefer a light upriver breeze that helps me hold position against the current and I don't end up way the heck downriver. Since I always fish by paddling/proceeding in an upriver direct an upriver breeze keeps the canoe facing upriver. And last, I can cast light lures farther upriver when I have a tail-wind.... although I gotta admit yesterday's south breeze was a bit much at times.

I've never stayed on the river until dark. Is there any sort of hatch of insects on the river as dusk approaches?

[dpreller]

yeah i went yesterday because the flow was down finally this year and i couldd get out of work at noon. like you i usually have to put in and take out at the same spot so any flow above 4 can be problematic. yes there are some insect hatches in summer near dark. last week when i was there alot of mayflies were hatching looked like maybe slate drakes the fish didnt pay them much mind until right before dark. i noticed them dimpiling and put on a small popper(theyre not usually selective) and caught two around 12" in about ten minutes. yesterday i didnt see many flies but again right at dark i saw fish rising i then noticed a fair amount of caddis around but since it was windy and the dark i didnt het the fly rod out.

[DanMarino]

Wonderful fish there Howard. I've never fished the Susqy.

[CAGE RATTLER]

Nice smallies. I targeted them once this year with no luck and want to back out there soon.

[dpreller]

You guys should get I touch with me and come on up.some good fishing coming up.

[Poolz1]

Very nice outing, HJS!

Has anyone here ever fished the stretch between the Conowingo Dam and down river about 4.5 miles? I see there is a ramp below the dam and then another (take out) directly across from Port Deposit. Looks like a nice float but just curious if anyone has fished this area.

Matt

[reel-em-in]

Very nice outing, HJS!

Has anyone here ever fished the stretch between the Conowingo Dam and down river about 4.5 miles? I see there is a ramp below the dam and then another (take out) directly across from Port Deposit. Looks like a nice float but just curious if anyone has fished this area.

Matt

Yeah there are several of us here that fish that area. It's a really good area for smallmouth bass, catfish, and striped bass. You just have to make sure that the conowingo dam is running four small units or less or it can get pretty dangerous.

[YaknBass]

You guys should get I touch with me and come on up.some good fishing coming up.

i would be all in to fish for some smallies BUT my days available are most wednesdays and sundays if anyone would like to get together im in. pm me if anyone wants to fish. HJS & dpreller it would be great if you guys could show me the ropes for a minute or two, i would be most greatfull. anytime you have the chance to hookup with double digit #'s of smallies

[reel-em-in]

Also I forgot to mention that this area is really suited for paddle kayaks and not pedal ones. You would probably destroy the drive system of any pedal yak as it is pretty shallow with lots of rocks.

[Poolz1]

Thanks, reel. Very good advice! I assume there is a website that shows the current flow through the dam? I can do some Google searching but if you know of a site and want to pass it along....it would be appreciated. I fished a long stretch of the susky, north of Harrisburg, in the spring. Very healthy river and awesome fishing! Just looking for something closer to home.

Just paddling....

[reel-em-in]

(888) 457-4076. Call this number after 5 pm for the next day. Though it's always "subject to change".

[sparky1423]

Great Smallies Howard!! Looking forward to your Harbor Hospital reports coming soon....tis the season!

[dpreller]

I'd be happy to show you the ropes.( what little I know anyway) I'm always looking for someone to fish/shuttle with.I'll give you a pm next time I plan to go.I'm out this weekend I have my son.but I'm itching to get back up while the river is at a good level.