Susquehanna River SMB - NJFishing.com Your Best Online Source for Fishing Information in New Jersey

bulletbob · #1 10-28-2018, 02:07 PM

... Got out twice this past week, once from shore, once from my little pickup bed flat bottom Jon boat... same results.. Madness.. Almost a fish on every "cast".. All it entailed was dropping the jig 2 feet from shore and not move it, it was instantly picked up by a keeper size bass.. Got a few around 10-11 inches, but the vast majority were 12 inches , with some really nice big shouldered bronzebacks as well.

Most of the susky up here is a shallow muddy mess, that runs through farmland, and smaller cities , and its not all that productive in a lot of places.. the fish key in certain spots with large submerged rocks, current breaks, upwellings, and gravel.. I know of one spot thats just lights out, for about 1/4 mile, and 100 good size SMB, fishing from a few rocks on shore is not exceptional for a good jig fisherman.

All summer, most of the spring, and early fall till mid October, I have days here when you can't get a hit with anything.. Live bait might buy a SMB or two, but more likely a Carp or channel cat will get it first. After mid May the water turns a sickly green/brown and for me at least fishing gets poor...
You see almost NO one fishing the river, telling me I'm not alone.. The May flies turn the surface of the water white , and accumulate inches deep on the surface, as well as the land around the river..However, once the first
frosts come, and the river clears up to a kind of opaque green with at least some clarity, and cools off, certain spots hold SMB in numbers that are beyond comprehension.. Time of day doesn't matter either, they bite like crazy all day, into the dark and at night as well... After an hour of big, leaping tailwalking SMB nailing anything you tie at the end of the line it actually becomes boring, and I seldom stay more than a few hours.. Sometime around mid/late Nov, the fish become more lethargic, although they still are caught pretty readily.. The fast runs, leaps, and tail walks stop, and they feel more like a submerged boot with a wiggle than a game fish.. Most years, they are done by early Dec, depending on the weather.. They can shut down totally, but 2 or 3 sunny, windless, mild days turns them right back on.. Its just insane fishing.. Be great if it wasn't so seasonal and localized, but I am thankful for the 5 or 6 weeks its available.. We used to do well with walleyes this time of year, but each year there are fewer.. this fall I have caught none, and only one other guy has caught any and it was only one... Years ago, 6 or more in a few hours between say 4 PM and sunset was common.. The Bass seem to be capitalizing on the decline of the Walleyes...

Some day, I would love to show a member or two here at NJF this fishery, because most have just never witnessed Smallmouth fishing of this magnitude. Not sure if it exists in other places.

I don't usually take SMB to eat, but I did this fall on a hunch, as the water cooled off fast the past few weeks, and they were really good this year, very clean tasting, firm, and without a hint that "river bottom" taste that these fish have so often.... bob

bulletbob · #2 10-28-2018, 02:15 PM

Forgot to mention , Multi colored shad dart, small twister tails on light jig heads, Sluggo types, tiny tubes, tiny crayfish bodies, bucktails all caught fish as soon as they touched bottom.. best colors were Chartreuse, and any natural shades such as Pumpkinseed, Motor oil, brown, tan, reddish brown, they all caught fish.. White bucktail caught some nice fish as well.

A small bright silver jig went untouched as did a small white jigging spoon... Plastic tails were hit instantly as soon as the slab spoon and silver jig were taken off. Lost probably 20 or more jigs, so I buy them at garage sales when ever I can find them, because I lose hundreds a year in the rocks, but thats where the bass are.. bob

reason162 · #3 10-28-2018, 02:48 PM

Years ago I took a guided trip on the Susky with a river boat guide...what an insane smallie fishery. Thanks for the write up Bob, the section of river we were at the water was gin clear. Saw a few HUGE carp grazing too, should've brought my fly rod!

Gerry Zagorski · #4 10-28-2018, 03:37 PM

Susquehanna on my bucket list... Nothing like the fight of a Smallie swimming against the current of a river...

Thanks for the report!!

bulletbob · #5 10-28-2018, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reason162

Years ago I took a guided trip on the Susky with a river boat guide...what an insane smallie fishery. Thanks for the write up Bob, the section of river we were at the water was gin clear. Saw a few HUGE carp grazing too, should've brought my fly rod!

That was in the Pennsylvania section I would imagine.. Up here, its a very muddy, shallow river that is almost never really clear... Lots of dead, mud bottom water. The bass concentrate on rocky bottom.
Lots of Tiger Muskies as well, and I have caught them, but don't fish for them.. Too much time needed, and I always have been more of a "high percentage" type of fisherman.

I think if the susky were as clear as the Delaware, we would have better fishing in the spring and summer..

The river is barely fished most of the year, especially now that the Walleyes have become scare, and if you can find out where the SMB are holding[they aren't everywhere] the fishing can be mind boggling... The NY DEC is trying to re establish American Shad , but I have my doubts , just too far from the Chesapeake bay, and too many BIG obstacles. An adjoining river, the Chemung, once had a hybrid fishery, and a few were caught in the susquehanna over the years . The NY DEC doesn't invest in stuff like that although the fish did well... They are totally focused on the Great lakes Pacific salmon, as well as the Catskills trout streams, and thats where the management money goes, because thats where the return is...bob
http://www.landbigfish.com/fishingsp...se.cfm?ID=3043

AndyS · #6 10-28-2018, 06:21 PM

Wow, thanks for the heads up !!

Brewlugger · #7 10-28-2018, 08:01 PM

Thank you for this Bob. you brought back alot of great times I had on the Suss in the 80s and early 90s fishing the Afton Sydney area. I can attest to the Smallmouth fishing I have never seen better. Got my share of Walleye in the mix too. the carp fishing was very good there as well. another good one is the Chenango, SMB pike and Walleye there. Never got Pike in the Suss, have you? the streams in that area were great for Trout, i really miss it up there.