thoughts/opinions on "dead"river fishing in summer

[bulletbob]

I fish the NY section of the Susquehanna River.. loaded with SMB, Catfish, Carp, Muskies[if you don't mind putting a ton of time in].. It used to be loaded with Walleyes as well, but they have virtually disappeared from both NY and Pa. sections of the river.

I am enjoying really hot SMB fishing right now as well as really great fishing for fat scrappy good eating Rock Bass,,[I don't take the SMB to eat, only the Rockies].. anyway here's the reason for this post- The only time these fish will bite is once the river gets cooler and clearer in fall.. October and November, sometimes a week or two into Dec, depending on how cold it gets.

April and May would be good as well, but the river is often too high and muddy to fish, and the Bass are spawning, and I leave them alone.. During summer, you cannot get a bite. Nothing- Even live Hellgramites, Crayfish, worms go untouched.. Never even a hit.. Now, as soon as May, the river goes from a clearish green color and starts turning a muddy looking brown green the color of pea soup mixed with coffee with too much milk.. Also, the river churns with life, tons of Mayfly hatches that turn the sky white each night, and they are so thick, they fly into your nose and mouth when you breathe. Huge schools of tiny newly hatched fish are everywhere.. During this time, no one even fishes here because you catch nothing during daylight, and the ONLY fish caught are big cats at night.. IF you fish the river in summer and catch fish, its cats at night... I mean you would think a stray rock bass, smallmouth or sunny would hit a worm, but it never happens, and hasn't for the 33+ years I have fished the river.. If we get an early fall, with cool temperatures early, the fish might start biting mid sept, but most years, there are no fish caught until the water clears and cools down... I am wondering if any other river fishermen have seen something like this?

I know the fish have a lot of food, and I realize visibility could be a factor, but never anywhere have I seen a river system that shuts down so completely in warm weather... I have caught 50 times the fish here in Dec and Jan than I have in July/August, no exaggeration.. The only time you see even a single fisherman here is oct/nov/dec... None at all in summer except night guys catfishing... anyway, its interesting[and frustrating], and I would just like to entertain thought and possibly similar experiences.... bob

[Pondhopper8]

I have never fished the Susquehanna but know it to be a generally shallow river. Summer heat can stress fish out and maybe cause them to be more sluggish. I fish the Delaware that is on average deeper. I usually can find fish in shallower water with good current at times and also catch fish at the head of deeper pools still with faster moving water, both on dog days of summer. . As I said I have never fished it but since the river is shallower have you noticed the fish using different sections of the river? Maybe moving to the deeper more oxygenated pools during the dog days of summer? Sliding up early morning and night then maybe shutting it down during the heat of the day? I have noticed on the Delaware at least, a lot of the big girls almost disappear during the heat of the summer but are readily caught during the cooler months. I know the Susquehanna smallmouth are on average considerably larger so maybe that comes in to play. Less energy spent moving around in the heat means less time needing to feed. Just my thoughts from my experiences. How I would love to make a trip out to fish your smallmouth though. Especially now fishing has got to be great for you!!

[Pondhopper8]

Also the color of that water getting brown can really absorb the heat making it considerably warmer.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Never fished the Susky but August is the best month for Delaware River Smallies. Nothing like River Smallies they are extra scrappy!

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by Gerry Zagorski

Never fished the Susky but August is the best month for Delaware River Smallies. Nothing like River Smallies they are extra scrappy!

Totally different river types..Susquehanna in this area is shallow and muddy, areas of rock bottom.. It flows through dairy farm country, and then into cities and big towns full of sewage treatment plants, and then into the mountains of Pa.. There are almost no sunfish other than rock bass, in 33 years I have caught a total of 4 yellow perch, and in those years I have only seen 1 LMB caught, and 2 bullheads. There are some pike ,not many. The fish life in this section is totally dominated by carp, channel cats, smb,[where its rocky] a few rock bass, and little else except Muskies both Tiger and Pure strain.. I don't fish for them, as they are a tough sell in this rive and always have been, and the ones I have caught fought no better than a carp or cat anyway... I just figured any river this far north that fishes way better on a day in december when the water is below 40 degrees and its snowing like crazy than on a beautiful late June morning is interesting.. I always thought it was a combination of both the very ugly brown/green mud color and the extreme amount of food in the water that shuts a lot of the bass fishing down... Years ago, early 90's it didn't seem to get as turbid in summer and I did catch more fish back than than I do today..

The NY DEC, has confirmed flatheads are now in the NY section,, Just what we did not need... I have been in contact with the DEC several times about the near extinction of walleyes in the river, and they confirmed it in an electro fishing survey last year.. they don't seem to care much, and don't plan on addressing it... Walleyes were abundant beyond belief from 1991 till about 2000, and then fell off each year until today, when they are totally gone, and they state doesn't care a whit.. Best fishery in this part of the state decimated, and all they care about is trout and salmon in the big lakes.. It is what it is I suppose.. Meanwhile, I have a few more weeks of good SMB fishing until it gets too cold,, Later it gets, the slower you have to move the jig until the end when the fish prefer the jig sitting unmoved on the bottom, and you NEVER feel a hit just weight.. The same fish that came flying 5 feet out of the water trying to hit you in the face with your lure, now just kind of wobble back and forth in confusion, barely fighting.. Yet they are still hitting in that ice water, whereas in june in 60 degree water, they won't even hit live bait... so weird.... bob

[Lard Almighty]

Low, hot, muddy water is tough, no matter what you're fishing for. But, unless there are springs or deep holes the fish retreat to in summer, they are there, just highly lethargic. If I were to try and get bit in those situations, I would focus on rocky areas and go low-and-slow with small baits: tubes, ned rigs, finesse jigs, etc. I would use dark colors so the fish could see them a bit better in the muddy water. I would also adjust my expectations; instead of being disappointed that I didn't get 20 bites, I would be happy with 2-3 bites.

Also, when the water is clearer I would do some scouting. Look for and note the location of anything that might hold fish in the summer, like a deeper part of a riffle, a shelf, rock pile, channel; anything different from what the river bottom "normally" looks like.

I also agree with Gerry. If you feel like making the drive, hit up the Delaware in summer. You'll find no shortage of hungry smallies there.