Susquehanna River SMB

[bulletbob]

... 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