River Smallmouth Trip, early summer, Susquehanna River
June 30th, 2023. Access Point: West side, just upstream of Rockville Bridge in Marysville, Pennsylvania. USGS Streamflow Gauge height at Harrisburg: 4.03 feet, steady. Weather: clear skies as far as cloud cover, but haze from Canadian wildfires. You could smell it. Visibility reduced to less than 3 miles. Occasional brief showers in the afternoon.
Pattern 1: Crankbaiting the upstream side of LEDGE ROCKS in a deeper pool - this was ACCELERATING CURRENT as the ledge rock pinched the flow upward. Casting parallel to the ledge rock to keep the crankbait in the sweet spot for the entire duration of the retrieve was key.
Pattern 2: White Z-Man Jackhammer tossed into the WHITEWATER of a major ledge system rapid. These "eat spots" are productive at certain times of the day and certain river level trends. Dusk and Dawn are the times of day. Rising river is the preferred trend. I got my largest of the trip, a 19.5 incher with this pattern near dusk. I slept in too much to hit the dawn bite.
Pattern 3: Any moving bait thrown across current seams and log jams around BRIDGE PILINGS.
Other topics covered: custom rods, crankbait maintenance, rigging a kayak for standing up and sight fishing, reading water.
3 июл 2023