If you fish the Susquehanna River then you are probably as frustrated as the rest of us with the terrible conditions this year. This has been a crazy spring and it just won’t let up. Dave reports that there has been more rain and, high water, muddy water and just overall screwed up conditions then he has ever been able to remember. The water temperature is just now breaking into the 50’s and finally clearing. The fish have been way up on the bank holding in tress and brush that are not normally under water. As the water drops they continue to move down.
Here and there we get a couple days where conditions improve enough to do some damage on the bass and walleye, but then it seem to go right back to flood stages and another round of high muddy water. During those small windows of opportunity Dave reports he is having the most success on the Power Team Craw D’oeuvres in green pumpkin, 2 1/2″ black tubes, War Eagle gold shiner spinnerbaits, and Lucky Craft Pointers in various colors. He is looking forward to the upcoming weeks as these fish finally get active and will be moving to stronger current.
That sounds great, but I just looked at the river level report and here we go again! There has been heavy rains in the North Central area of PA and also in the Southern parts of NY overnight, which we all know what that means. Areas that have seen one and two inches of rain and even more will be dumping it all down the Susquehanna again, plus there is potential for up to another inch of rain through Thursday morning which will bring the levels at Harrisburg right up to flood stages again. We just can not get a break.
There is one bright spot in that the Flathead catfish have been eating and eating well. After getting frustrated with ripping muddy water Dave hit some of his Flathead spots and was able to catch some nice ones, including two catfish, one at 22 lbs. and the other at 32 lbs. Even though he was bait challenged in that he was not planning on fishing for flatheads he was able to provide a great day of fishing for his clients. He says that the next few weeks will be absolutely some of the best Flathead fishing you will find. In fact he is so stoked that he anticipates breaking the 40 lb mark and maybe even 50 lbs!
Be sure to check out the next issue of In-Fisherman where some of Dave’s catfish techniques will be featured and possibly even a mugshot or two!
If you are interested in catching what could be the biggest fish of your lifetime, see about taking a guided flathead catfish trip with Dave of Jst Fishin’ Guide Service. Visit his website at jstfishin.com