Memorial Day susky trip

[Susky River Rat]

I went for a morning trip. It’s a fish for free day in PA so I wanted to beat all those people out. The river is running about 3.6 on the gauge I go by. Per usual I do struggle when it’s starts flowing around 3.5 on the gauge. I started out by targeting a powerhouse turbine tunnels. Nothing happened there. I then was targeting trees that got stuck on the bottom and behind exposed rocks. I was in 1’ to 3.5’ of water. I managed a real small one on a crank bait. I eventually threw into one of the “deeper” pockets with a Ned rig and a Trd tickler and managed a decent one. It was a short trip. I wanted to get back before lunchtime. The river is very very close to my low level cut off. I start to really bang hard into stuff.  With no rain in sight I may have to go for LMB at lakes. 
 

Happy Memorial Day everyone! 

[BrianMDTX]

Where at on the Susky? Never fished it in PA, only Conowingo and the Flats in MD. 

[Susky River Rat]

43 minutes ago, BrianMDTX said:

Where at on the Susky? Never fished it in PA, only Conowingo and the Flats in MD. 

I fish bainbridge and Falmouth often. I do venture up to city island and fort hunter. Every once a while I will make the trip up to wilkesbarre. Last year I put in at lapidum a couple times a did well in MD. Could have been a fluke though haha. My buddy lives down near there and fishes for blues.

 

every once awhile I’ll fish long level as well.

[ironbjorn]

I wouldn't discount low water levels in rivers. Heck I've found the bigger ones are easier to find and get to when the levels are low in the summer. My favorite time.

[Susky River Rat]

1 hour ago, ironbjorn said:

Heck I've found the bigger ones are easier to find and get to when the levels are low in the summer

Getting to them can be down right dangerous in low level conditions where I am at.  I believe Last year the Hobie kayak tournament let people exit their kayaks as long as they were tethered to them because of how it gets in the summer months.

[ironbjorn]

2 hours ago, Darnold335 said:

Getting to them can be down right dangerous in low level conditions where I am at.  I believe Last year the Hobie kayak tournament let people exit their kayaks as long as they were tethered to them because of how it gets in the summer months.

Why is it dangerous? Not being argumentative, genuinely curious. Goes without saying, don't do anything dangerous.

 

For me there is no danger where I fish, but I'm also not on the Susky. "Rivers" that are glorified creeks.

[Susky River Rat]

1 hour ago, ironbjorn said:

Why is it dangerous? Not being argumentative, genuinely curious. Goes without saying, don't do anything dangerous.

 

For me there is no danger where I fish, but I'm also not on the Susky. "Rivers" that are glorified creeks.

I don’t think you are being argumentative.  Think of the susky as a half mile to a mile wide cheese grater with water going over it. As the water level drops it because more of a grater than a river. Most people run jets. 

[TnRiver46]

Never seen the susky but my brother paddles it some and I’ve seen lots of pictures and video 
 

I think to shine some light on @ironbjorn’s question, I would say this because we have many similar rivers but not as wide. 
 

In shallow rivers, there are few access points. At the access points, the fishing is tougher because everyone else fishes there. To get to the good stuff, you either have to float from point A to point B in a kayak or canoe, or run a jet boat and tear stuff apart. You’re not going to get to the good places on foot because it’s all private property. You could wade maybe a mile in a day but you better bring at least 3 boxes of bandaids because you will be bleeding from the knees down and maybe from knees up too. 
 

im assuming by dangerous, @Darnold335

means the river is getting shallower so the risk of smashing into a jagged rock are increased when driving his jet boat. Many of them have sank on the susky 

[Susky River Rat]

@TnRiver46 he did a very good job at explaining. I was just trying to give the cliff notes version. 
 

@ironbjorn the private property along hr susky I’d s big issue I never thought of. Generally owned by a power plant or railroad.  The river bottom is also boulders and rock ledges. It’s not made up of gravel or mud. It makes the fishing great but, also makes it extremely dangerous. This level also goes from I need to get over 30 yards of 1-2’ water to I’m running a 200 - 400 yards of it. With the decreased flow it can make it very hard to read the water.  As shallow as it gets. If you wade your next step could be I to 6 fow. There is also many lowhead dams on the river. Sadly, one has already claimed a life this year.

[PABASS]

Susky has a few spill over dams which has taken life, several every year.  The water spilling over creates a underwater whirlpool affect that keep you underwater, life jackets wont help, in fact there was a tree the size of a truck stuck under one for almost a year until flooding took it away, just kept spinning...

River is very low for this time of year, the suksy was used in logging back in 1800s and has man made log dams that at the time controlled the logs going down the river.  Now if you hit one consider your lower unit gone, rocks low water conditions, rocks galore..   The river could be 500 yards wide but only an inch deep the whole way across, very deceiving.

 

 

 

[flyfisher]

I was up in hershey this past weekend for a soccer tournament and all I could think was I need to be out there every time we drove over it.  I am due for a trip up there soon for sure.  It is probably my favorite place to fish I have ever been, I just wish I was closer than the 4 hour drive to get there.

 

[Susky River Rat]

@flyfisher sometimes we take it for granted what a great fishery is in our backyards here. 

[flyfisher]

3 hours ago, Darnold335 said:

@flyfisher sometimes we take it for granted what a great fishery is in our backyards here. 

yeah it really is.  I make the 4 hour drive a few times a year and many times even do a day trip....albeit a long one.  I absolutely love that river.

[Susky River Rat]

46 minutes ago, flyfisher said:

yeah it really is.  I make the 4 hour drive a few times a year and many times even do a day trip....albeit a long one.  I absolutely love that river.

That’s a haul! Just curious do you hire a guide or bring your boat?

[flyfisher]

2 hours ago, Darnold335 said:

That’s a haul! Just curious do you hire a guide or bring your boat?

I bring my kayak and usually meet my dad with his kayak who lives in philly.  We will do a couple day overnight trip most summers as well.

[Susky River Rat]

37 minutes ago, flyfisher said:

I bring my kayak and usually meet my dad with his kayak who lives in philly.  We will do a couple day overnight trip most summers as well.

That’s still a haul from Philly. Probably a little over two hours to fort hunter area.

[flyfisher]

7 minutes ago, Darnold335 said:

That’s still a haul from Philly. Probably a little over two hours to fort hunter area.

yeah it's about two hours but it is an easy drive.  I figure the susky has such good fishing that i will trade driving for motoring time.  I mean you can put in one spot and fish it all day.  I have done well on the juniata as well when the water is super low.

 

[Susky River Rat]

2 hours ago, flyfisher said:

yeah it's about two hours but it is an easy drive.  I figure the susky has such good fishing that i will trade driving for motoring time.  I mean you can put in one spot and fish it all day.  I have done well on the juniata as well when the water is super low.

 

I stop going up to fort hunter at 4’ 3.5’ gets sooo sketchy. I haven’t been on the juni much.

[flyfisher]

11 hours ago, Darnold335 said:

I stop going up to fort hunter at 4’ 3.5’ gets sooo sketchy. I haven’t been on the juni much.

That's about as far down river I go.  We usually go further upriver.  I need to check out het lower portions as they are a little closer to home.

 

I would live there if the wife would agree to it but that isn't happening.

[Susky River Rat]

Just now, flyfisher said:

That's about as far down river I go.  We usually go further upriver.  I need to check out het lower portions as they are a little closer to home.

I generally fish lower than there.  I know fort hunter can be amazing but, I personally haven’t experienced that there. I just need time up there.