Susquehanna River / Hallstead\Conklin\Binghamton Area

[Scott Jackowski]

Picked up a fishing kayak and have spent the last 3 days on the Susquehanna river between Hallstead PA and Conklin NY.

 

I am fairly new to serious fishing and could use some advice, I have been using the tackle (linked below, I cant add picture for whatever reason) and have not had a single bite in 3 days, I understand that it's harder to catch fish in the dog days of summer so I have been getting out on the river around 6:00 AM and fish until around 9:30 AM.

 

What other tackle should I be using for the river in the summer? Thanks all for your time

 

https://scj6771.smugmug.com/Absolute-Randomness/i-tppm7q4/A

 

 

 

 

[MIbassyaker]

In fact, it is the perfect time to be fishing a river. Rivers often fish much better than lakes in mid-late summer, as the current and churn ensures rivers stay cooler and better-oxygenated in the heat than lakes tend to be. Lower water levels in late summer also tend to concentrate fish into fewer areas, which can make them easier to find.

 

There's no magic bullet, and every river is different, but location tends to matter more than the lure. The trick is to locate productive water, avoid unproductive water, and when you find productive spots, choose your casts carefully.  Some general things to try:

 

1) An afternoon trip. The food chain in rivers really kicks into gear in the sun and heat, especially insect activity near the surface, and other invertebrate activity in the shallower, rockier riffle areas. As a result, it's common for smallies in rivers to be very active mid-day.

 

2) smallies like to position themselves on the edges of slackwater areas behind objects, nose in the current, waiting for goodies to drift past. look for places where the current is broken up by rocks or trees, and cast to the seams between faster and slower-moving water.

 

3) Look for pools, where water is deeper, smallies may hunker down and watch for the current to carry a meal over and down into the pool. Cast to the front of a pool and let the bait fall down to them with the current.

 

4) Cast topwaters to shade (especially edges of shade) wherever you find it.

 

5) don't ignore skinny water, and don't be afraid to cast right to the shoreline -- even large bass may be very shallow, or right up near the shore.

[Darren.]

Welcome aboard!

 

As a kayak angler, make sure your life vest is #1, especially

river fishing  . The Susq can be choppy (used to drive by

it coming down rte 15 from NY to VA back in the day). I used

to dream about fishing it, too, LOL, never got the chance, but

I did get to wade in it a tad.

 

Good luck with your quest!