Pa. Fisherman

[halochef]

http://www.gameandfishmag.com/forecasts/pennsylvania-bass-forecast-2015/

[PAGreg]

Well, I'm not so sure about the rest of the report but it talks about Lake Jean and I do not think the fishing will be very good since its being drained. Kinda makes me question the authors research.

[halochef]

Well, I'm not so sure about the rest of the report but it talks about Lake Jean and I do not think the fishing will be very good since its being drained. Kinda makes me question the authors research.

thanks   local reports more important

[tappinbass]

I agree with the Keystone Power Dam info.  I just caught one of the biggest smallies of my life there on Sunday.  8 or 10 largemouth too.  The Yough river should be on there instead of Susquehanna for smallies too.

[Dogmatic]

...and still promoting their "Big Bass" program! Yay! Let's remove the biggest bass from our most productive bodies of water. Oh, bummer! I can only keep four instead of six, darn! Guess that 11 lb. LMB record will stand for a while. They just don't get it!

[SPEEDBEAD.]

...and still promoting their "Big Bass" program! Yay! Let's remove the biggest bass from our most productive bodies of water. Oh, bummer! I can only keep four instead of six, darn! Guess that 11 lb. LMB record will stand for a while. They just don't get it!

 

It will definitely be there for a while. Sucks.

[Dogmatic]

In case you haven't heard. It's been confirmed, SMB in the Susky are developing cancer. Time for the EPA to step in.

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2015/05/05/officials-confirm-cancer-in-smallmouth-bass-in-pa-river/

[tappinbass]

Big bass are all over the rocky shorelines of Keystone Power Dam.  Caught about thirty from shore the other night after work.  Can't wait to get my boat up there.  Talked to guy coming in and he said he had one of best days of fishing of his life.  This was Thursday 5-7-15.  Caught them on weightless senkos being jerked fast.

[fishballer06]

Big bass are all over the rocky shorelines of Keystone Power Dam.  Caught about thirty from shore the other night after work.  Can't wait to get my boat up there.  Talked to guy coming in and he said he had one of best days of fishing of his life.  This was Thursday 5-7-15.  Caught them on weightless senkos being jerked fast.

 

I have a tournament there next month. Thanks for the report. 

[Turkey sandwich]

In case you haven't heard. It's been confirmed, SMB in the Susky are developing cancer. Time for the EPA to step in.http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2015/05/05/officials-confirm-cancer-in-smallmouth-bass-in-pa-river/

The CNN story was pretty infuriating. The DEP response and the pressure that's been placed on the Clean Water Act since the early 2000s has made it almost impossible to protect the lower Susquehanna from farm runoff. (See bottom for rant on Clean Water Act/EPA/DEP/politics). The thing that really made me angry were the yokels they interviewed - one sitting on an overpass, another attempting to cast a fly rod lined with monofilament - who joke about fish with lesions/catching a three eyed fish and then go on to explain that the Juniata is clean because it doesn't look muddy like the main branch (we should assume that likely neither of these gentlemen will be piloting the next generation space shuttle). They followed it by going on to interview three other random anglers sitting on the side of the river who claim to not eat fish because of pollution levels.

1. Fish with cancerous tumors like that are an anomaly. It's a sensational event, and it was broadcast for shock value.

2. The lower River has had issues with farm runoff, while the North Branch has actually seen a huge turnaround from the late 1980s/early 1990s and is still a great fishery in recent years. The problem is agriculture/farm runoff, but even where the entire river is now, it's still better than it was 30 years ago. It's not waste water/radioactivity from nuke plants or manufacturing waste or horribly untreated sewage - it's PCBs and nitrogen rich fertilizers from farms.

3. Instead of actually consulting a biologist, professional angler/guide, or even reporting any new information, CNN made a science/politics story about emotion and interviewed arguably the least knowledgable sources possible.

4. The Susquehanna, problems aside, is still a fantastic freshwater fishery. The problem is that it may decline down the same path it was on 40 years ago before the Clean Water Act. The reason for the decline is that anytime there is a strong Republican congress, there's a push to deregulate industry, and the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act are usually amongst the first to be threatened - either through cutting funding to the EPA/DEP and making it impossible for them to really do their jobs, or through outright attempts at repealing the acts themselves. The current breed of conservatives aren't the classic conservationists they paint themselves as every election year.

[Berniep]

I agree with the Keystone Power Dam info.  I just caught one of the biggest smallies of my life there on Sunday.  8 or 10 largemouth too.  The Yough river should be on there instead of Susquehanna for smallies too.

Is this the keystone lake south of Kittanning, PA?

[tappinbass]

Yes, off of route 210 from 422.  Do not confuse it with Keystone Sate Park near New Alexandria closer to Greensburg, which is basically a put and take trout lake. 

 

I have been making a killing at the Keystone Power Dam this year.  Great numbers and some really quality fish, largemouth and smallmouth.  Made a few trips there, but have not been back since May 26.  On a side note, excellent musky lake.

 

Caught some bass at Quemahoning this past weekend and High Point the week before.  Not great days, had to work for them at both places.  Oddly, no sign of spawning fish yet.  Mainly using wacky senkos and C rigs with finesse worms.