Nice Susquehanna River smallmouth bass caught on a 1 oz. Bubba Spin Magnum by Winco's Custom Lures
I spent some time fishing the Susquehanna River this past Saturday. I was definitely pumped to be on the water after having to take a few weeks off due to the flooding. I also have a new toy. I was able to acquire a new 2012 Wilderness Systems Ride 115 a couple of weeks ago. To my knowledge, it is the first of this new bread of kayak that was shipped to Pennsylvania. I’ll certainly be writing up a review of this kayak once I get a little more seat time in. Thanks to Ed from Tussey Mountain Outfitters in Bellefonte PA for helping to make this happen!
First, lets talk “Cormorant Canoes”. Well, Cormorants are definitely not my favorite water bird but I find it very interesting that these guys seem to always find a way to to be lazy. On this particular day I watched a Cormorant riding a log down river for at least a mile. The bird seemed content to ride along on the log and barely moved a muscle. For all I know the Cormorant is still on that log in the Chesapeake Bay.
Ok.. back to fishing! The water was still a high and muddy but that didn’t seem to bother the fish. A few smallmouth were caught from eddy pockets along the banks. Most fish, however, came from current breaks around the many flooded islands. Smallmouth were positioned at the top of current breaks which usually indicates aggressive feeding.
Pictured is the 1 oz. Bubba Spin Magnum. Also in the picture is the Predator Craw that was "de-clawed" and my response to that bite, the Cold Water Delight by Winco's Custom Lures
It was an interesting bite. Smallmouth attacked the huge 1 oz Bubba Spin Magnum with ferocity however they “nipped” at the Predator Craw. As you can see in the picture below one smallmouth managed amputate both the craws claws on one hit! A quick adjustment to a little more slender profile Cold Water Smallie Delight converted missed bites into fish immediately. Lesson of the day. Always listen to what the fish are telling you then make adjustments accordingly.
It was a great day of fishing. I ended up catching double digits in smallmouth bass. No citation fish were caught but much was learned in the high muddy water after the recent flooding.
Smallies just love those Predator Craws! Hope this aggression sticks for awhile, it’s going to be a loooong winter!
Nate, the fish still eat n the winter man!
Great report Juan – way to figure them out. At some point I need to place my Winco’s order that has been sitting on my desk now for a month. Those CWSD look killer and probably would have solved my problem on Smith Mountain Lake a couple weekends ago when they were swiping the claws off of my plastic craw.
Winco’s baits are truly custom designed and well thought out. I use them almost exclusively. Let me know if you have any questions about his baits. I’ve used almost all of them.
Nice Write up Juan. I got to get back there and fish sometime. I loved the time I spent fishing in your area.
Juan- Great pics- I am really excited to find someone passionate about kayak fishing!… What brand dry suit do you suggest for cold water kayaking- so costly! I mostly fish the Baltimore MD reservoirs- but having driven past the Susky and the Juniata for yrs as a student at PSU makes me want to give you a call and get out early this March-!– Great Job!-
John,
Thanks for the props and the question. Personally, I use Kokatat dry gear. they’ve got a lot of options for dry gear and under layering as well. You can also check out NRS and Palm.. both great makers of cold water kayak gear. I would strongly recommend you get some seat time in a kayak before trying this. I would also recommend you try to fish with someone who is experienced and aware of safety issues. Also, be sure to do a lot of research on you own. Cold water fishing is nothing to be taken lightly. You can die and it kills kayakers every year here in PA. We had one kayaker die on the Susquehanna a few weeks ago. Two weeks ago, I was involved with a situation where a kayak fisherman went in the water. Lucky my buddy and I where experienced and knew what to do to help the fella. The guy was getting cold fast and he had some decent gear on and was only in the water for a coupe minutes or so. had to build him a fire, get him some extra clothes out of or dry bags. Not trying to be a jerk… but its some serious stuff out there.