I have been fishing this section of the river and some of the Juniata River since 1985. The best out of 5 charter fishing deals in Susquehanna River - enter dates to check availability Susquehanna River Bass (Smallmouth) Fishing Charters Destination, charter, or captain name: Destination or Operator Name: best smallmouth lures - 61 Matching Articles. You can “jerk” any minnow-shaped plug, but the one that work best are suspending, minnow baits like x-raps, lucky crafts, jackals and husky jerks. These are all hotspots for winter bass fishing in rivers for smallmouth bass. Undercurrents: The mighty St. Lawrence begins at the outflow of Lake Ontario, surging 775 miles to the Atlantic Ocean. Topic: Best top water smallmouth lure  (Read 12639 times), Quote from: KCARP819 on March 30, 2014, 06:34:58 PM, Quote from: HenryDavid on March 31, 2014, 12:56:18 AM, Quote from: tfusc on March 31, 2014, 11:23:46 PM, A LIL LESS BITCHN AND A LOT MORE FISHN. If that’s not working, I will snap my tube with quick pops and then allow it to rest. Lure Specifics: Trail prefers a Size 8 X-Rap in olive green. Susquehanna River fishing is often best around sunrise and sunset, however, smallmouth bass can often be enticed to bite all day. https://1source.basspro.com/news-tips/bass/5699/best-baits-river-smallmouth One caveat, continues Trail, is that for whatever reason, summertime days exist when smallmouth won’t chase a buzzer. “Smallmouth are very aggressive toward a topwater bait hovering over their heads during this period, so a bait that can stay close to the surface is extra effective,” he says. To help others in their quest, I’ve put together a list of five of my best smallmouth bass baits. A lot of times you can throw baits with open hooks like a tube on rocky or sandy bottoms without having to worry so much about snagging weeds. always the go to when the other topwaters just aint cutting it. It's a diving bait but just twitched on the surface or chugged where it dives and resurfaces maybe 6-12 inches away. Summer Fishing on the Susquehanna River. Probably best known for his prowess with the river Muskie of the Potomac River. Bill Lewis Outdoors. It’s best then to select other topwaters. “Fish it at a slow to medium pace, keeping contact with the bottom.”. I wonder if our broken lip rapalas would work? Typically smallmouth lures are also on the smaller side when compared to largemouth lures. “Any current breaks, isolated boulders, wood or any irregular structure that are on flats near deeper water or the river channel will hold fish,” he says. Fall/Winter Fishing on the Susquehanna River. The best smallmouth bass fishing lures are generally suspended lures that aren’t surface or divers. Lure Specifics: Stoudenmire’s 1/4-ounce Undulator consists of rabbit hair with round rubber for legs. WAIST HIGH IN WATER AND KNEE DEEP IN FISH.LIFE IS GOOD. sometimes that smaller torpedo just seems to work better. 9 were here. Lure Specifics: Go with the classic Model 9 Rapala Original Minnow in silver. Tags. I like to use a fairly stiff rod and give the lure a couple of hard jerks, then let it drift motionless. Billy Zeller is the best kayak bass fisherman I know. Juniata River smallmouth fishing. Smallmouth Bass in the Susquehanna River. This means that the bass will set up in areas that provide an ambush point. RIG IT WACKY OR TEXAS AND REEL IT FASTER TO GIT IT TO "SLITHER" ON TOP OR JUST BELOW THE SURFACE. • UHMW bottom which safely allows gliding over gravel and rocks during low water conditions. “A Mister Twister Twister Tail or a Zoom Fat Albert is about the simplest bait you could ever use, but it’s an extremely effective bait from spring through fall,” he says. "ZZIIPP". He has logged 100s of hours each year since 2007 after the fish of 10,000 casts. Re: Best top water smallmouth lure « Reply #11 on: April 01, 2014, 08:51:27 AM » jitterbug and rattlin chug bug and the torpedo. Techniques to target smallmouth through the seasons, 3 things a southern angler learned about northern smallmouth. Lure Specifics: Skirt and blade colors really don’t matter during the day, Trail says, but go with all black buzzers at night. Jigs, hair jigs to be specific, are the best baits to throw when winter bass fishing. Artificial baits like rubber worms or plastic crayfish imitations also work well on smallmouth bass. JOIN TODAY! 4" size. i like the torpedo in the daytime better than at nite though. My brother does that on ponds for largies to good effect. Fall and spring, current seams between swift water are the best choices; in the summer, slicks below rapids and riffles.”. “In the spring, I’ll rig a jerkbait with a weighted 3/0 wide gap hook so that it will sink slowly, with soft twitches, down into current seams or boulder fields,” he says. “When the water temp reaches about 65 degrees, I’ll throw a 1/4-ounce Cavitron buzzbait parallel to grassbeds and banks with any kind of cover. The best times are usually spring … I'll admit, the fluke is an off and on bait. Specializing in smallmouth bass fishing on the Susquehanna River from New Cumberland up to Montgomery’s Ferry. Good live baits include minnows, or hellgrammites. As I said above, make sure you get the line size right because if your line is too heavy, it will dramatically change the presentation of the lure. DRIVES THEM CRAZY! They are awesome. It works great with or without a trailer. Bass will target baitfish, cra… Lure Specifics: It’s hard to beat a grub in smoke flake. Lure Specifics: Top colors include leopard frog and baby bass. Early on, I pursued smallmouth by casting classic river baits like the Original Floating Rapala, Mepps Spinner, and Heddon's Tiny Torpedo. Where to Fish the Susquehanna River Every other month or so in recent years he has sent me eye- popping picture of smallmouth bass he has taken on sections of the Susquehanna River. I gotta throw in the jitterbug, the all time classic. Fishing the River in Spring. 0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic. Mike is equipped with a G3 1860 tunnel hull jet boat sprayed with a rock resistant K5 liner capable of running in inches of water and deflecting rocks getting himself and his clients into … The Original Floating Rapala is so versatile, you can really target any form of cover or structure except extra-heavy grass from spring through fall.”. Once the list was created, I asked some of the best river smallmouth anglers I know how, when and where they fish these baits. Big Bite Baits. Some days, the smallmouth want a crankbait with a wide wobble, and sometimes they want one with a tight wobble like the Wiggle Wart. 13 to No. “The Wiggle Wart is great on steep banks with rock,” he says. Blitz Lures. Lure Specifics: Rebel Pop-R Plus in red eye perch. Noisy rattles and a classic side-to-side walking action taunt smallmouth into vicious … The smallmouth is such an awesome bass to chase. Berkley. Moving water creates a conveyor belt of food, washing everything downstream to the fish without them having to travel for it. The standard “lift-pause-flutter to the bottom” retrieve remains effective, adds Cundiff. Get a closer look at the Johnston brothers' favorite lures for a day of smallmouth fishing. The Baddest Boats On The Susquehanna River. Raymond bought his first boat when he was 26 and is currently on his 4th at the age of 31. I LIKE A SENCO. Originally published in Bassmaster Magazine 2019. Stoudenmire says wide-wobble cranks perform best from prespawn well into autumn, especially in stained water and around any kind of rocks-and-current scenario. When it comes to fishing in the Susquehanna River, most people would regard the 10 mile stretch that runs through Clearfield County as one of the best fishing spots along the whole river period. https://fishingbooker.com/blog/fishing-susquehanna-river-ultimate-guide “In the summer, I go weightless with a 2/0 wide gap hook and twitch a jerkbait back and forth as it falls. i like walking the dog with my heddon spook and spook jr. also i like the heddon torpedo. The fun of this is how hard a smallie will hit it, usually on the drift. Bomber. Green pumpkin tubes, camo and melon/red flake Senkos, white soft jerkbaits, chartreuse spinnerbaits, and hard jerkbaits in firetiger and shad are preferred lures here. I'd try it before I threw them out for sure. One of the most exciting lures to fish for river Smallmouth Bass is the Zoom Super fluke style soft plastic jerkbait. In the fall, I employ a combination of both methods. Rockzilla, The Most Comfortable Jet Boat Around. “The Bomber Model A is at its best from prespawn when water temperatures are in the upper 50s to late summer until the water becomes really low and clear,” he says. i like the torpedo in the daytime better than at nite though. Official Facebook page for Joe Raymond's Susquehanna Smallmouth Guides The nice thing about smallmouth bass lures is they usually don’t have to be as weedless as largemouth lures. Over the years, however, my approach has changed dramatically. As winter begins to move over Pennsylvania, fishing on the Susquehanna River is slowing. Lure Specifics: Case tubes in green pumpkin, watermelon gold/purple flake and smoke purple flake on jigheads between 1/4 and 5/8 ounce, depending on current. “In the spring and fall, [use] a pop-pop-one-second-pause; and in the summer, just keep popping it,” he says. While old favorites still catch fish, I now rely on an array of newer lures for specific situations. all time best smallmouth bass lures - 40 Matching Articles. The lofty regard serious river anglers express for the deer or rabbit hair jig is amazing to … In this guide, I’m providing you with a local take on this fantastic river with some commentary from a few “wise men” as well. ​. Here’s how these guides, experts and the seminar audience as a whole ranked the lures from No. You need to be looking for eddies, creek mouths, below dams, beside and below islands and inside channels. Lure Specifics: Any minnow hue will do; Tex-posing is the norm. “As the summer warms up, I speed up my retrieve with faster twitching and only short pauses. Lure Specifics: Texas rig with a 1/0 wide gap hook and a sliding 1/8- or 1/4-ounce bullet sinker; color: pumpkin pepper. You are fishing the the wrong baits. In order to locate smallmouth bass and effectively catch them, you must first understand current and its intricacies. @ SuskyFishers.com “Burn it right under the surface in riffles and slicks on a 1/8-ounce jighead in the summer. “People do fish a hair jig year-round for trophy smallmouth, but I mostly fish it when the water temperature is under 50 degrees to as low as the upper 30s, when smallmouth are in their winter holes,” he says. I've had good luck with floating rapalas I think the 3.5 inch. jitterbug and rattlin chug bug and the torpedo. Rocky also spends countless days a year chasing trophy smallmouth on both Rivers too! Booyah Bait Co. Buckeye Lures. When it’s a wide-wobble day, tie on the Big O.”. Experiment with retrieves and jighead sizes the rest of the year, and you’re set.”. July 24, 2014 I’ve been targeting the bronzebacks a lot more this year compared to previous years, and have had a blast catching these fish. and the chug bug if eyes are around. “Deep-water ledges are a great place to work an X-Rap year-round, especially in the winter. Lure Specifics: prespawn, a Model 7A in any crawfish pattern, especially brown postspawn, a Model 7A in any shad or baitfish color. Eddies during the day and shallow, rocky riffles in low light are great areas to try.”. “In the spring, the Original is most effective when fished with long pauses between short rod twitches around logs and fallen trees near spawning areas. Hair Jig. “The Big O’s wide wobble is key. • Powered by a 200 horse power in board jet motor. How's your hook up ratio on those senco rigs? Advertise Membership Includes 1 Year Bassmaster Magazine, Plus $50 in free gear. Recently, while giving a river smallmouth seminar, I asked the attendees which lures every stream smallie fanatic should own. They cast a mile, land softly, and Smallmouth hammer them. Related Searches: ... -colored frog sweet talk the smallmouth bass on the Susquehanna River near ... forget about camping this time. Caught many channel cats on it and a few walleye too. The Juniata River is a tributary of the Susquehanna River, approximately 104 miles (167 km) long, in central Pennsylvania in the United States. The river is considered scenic along much of its route, having a broad and shallow course passing through several mountain ridges and steeply-lined water gaps. 1. This one is the perfect example. “It’s one of the oldest crankbaits, and it just might be the best one for river smallmouth,” says the Virginia guide. Lure Specifics: A Cordell Big O in a crawfish pattern — enough said. His main focus now is river smallmouth bass. An ideal position is in a current break (slack water) immediately alongside the swift current. Heddon Spook. His favorite fish to target is the local Susquehanna River’s prized smallmouth bass. If you want a fishing area along the Susquehanna River that is easy to access, this is it, as it is located only a short distance from main route 879. Lure Specifics: 2-inch, 3/4-ounce Wart in any crawfish pattern. I set no restrictions on the number of lures that could be listed, the only stipulation being that participants would list lures until all present were satisfied that they had enough choices to be able to fish successfully throughout the year. Blakemore. and the chug bug if eyes are around. “In the winter, retrieve an X-Rap with a ‘pop-pop-three-second-pause’ retrieve,” he says. RATTELIN CHUGBUG,BABY BASS COLOR,Then  the alltime favorite JITTERBUG. Current breaks and eddy pockets are just as good.”. “Two keys: Cast beyond the target, and make sure a buzzer is churning the moment it hits the water,” he says. On this episode of Going Ike RAW we head over to the Susquehanna River to go after Small Mouth Bass! Hubs chub by hc Baits. November Susquehanna River Smallmouth Bass Fishing by randman011 | Posted on May 12, 2019 Rod Bates of Koinonia Guide Service and Pete Plasmier of The Outdoorsmen’s Voice fish the Susquehanna River in November for late fall smallmouth bass . Some nights it's on and some nights it's not, but when it's on it's amazing. “I’ll use 3 3/4-inch Case Salty Tubes then, starting off with a slower retrieve and keeping contact with the bottom. Fishing on the Susquehanna by Season. BassMedics. With over 400 miles of fishable water, “The Susky” is a goldmine for smallmouth bass anglers all over the country. Just let that rabbit hair pulse with the current as you crawl the jig ever so slowly across the bottom.”. Shade pockets along the bank, current breaks midriver, slack water below rapids and aquatic vegetation are all targets. • Two talons which will quickly & safely anchor in any conditions. Copyright 2018 SuskyFishers.com. Buzz Up a Reaction Strike But after the spawn, and the lower and clearer the water gets, I’ll retrieve it as fast as I can through the slicks and runs below rapids and past or through any kind of current break.”. ... Last week, I posted a blog featuring the latest installment of F&S Hook Shots filmed on the Susquehanna River during a smallmouth trip. Joe’s running a custom 17’-6” X 69” jet boat that he’s named “Rockzilla.” It is a true shallow-water boat with full UHMW bottom and a raised tunnel intake. The guide emphasizes that the Torpedo can be dead drifted when bronzebacks are lethargic, retrieved moderately with lots of pauses when smallmouth become active and ripped across the surface almost like a buzzbait when fish chase minnows. Black is the color, There's a fine line between fishing....and standing on the shore like an idiot. Successful Rigging and Fishing Techniques for Soft Jerk Baits Guest Article by Al Winco The Jerk’n Minnow from Winco’s Custom Lures is the ultimate soft jerk bait that attracts and catches smallmouth … The only time a drop shot may not be ideal is in a river system when the water is really dirty, or around thick vegetation. “I’ll retrieve a Model A pretty slowly around humps and spawning banks early on. “Those are deep, rocky pools protected from the current. Best Smallmouth Bass Baits. In the winter, hop one on a 1/4-ounce head right above a rocky bottom. Let it drift motionless Ontario, surging 775 miles to the fish of 10,000.! Cats on it and a sliding 1/8- or 1/4-ounce bullet sinker ; color: pumpkin pepper you crawl the ever. 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