Fishing this morning on the Susquehanna River near Owego, NY

[Kirtley Howe]

We have had several cold fronts move through over the last few days, complete with thunderstorms and lightning.  Yesterday the weather settled down some, and we only had a couple of short showers, so I decided to go out early this morning. The river is up, with lots of floating weeds and grass, and some other debris, but was fishable. I got to the river at just about daybreak. I decided to fish and area I really like, but had not fished this year. To get to the spot, you have to drive down what looks like a goat path, and then maneuver your vehicle so it is parked near some railroad tracks but out of the way of the trains...a bit tricky to get my old longbed/extended cab truck in there, but I managed. Then I had to climb over the tracks, push through some dense brush/brambles/overgrowth for a couple of hundred yards,  and climb down a steep, slippery clay bank. That is why I had not fished it yet this year..it is exhausting just getting there. But, I did get there....   I started with topwaters, trying to get the morning bite. I caught 3 bass. Two were 1 lb smallmouth, but the other was right at 3 lbs...also a smallie . The little ones came on a frog cast into a weed bed, but I could not get a decent one there. I then threw a Bass Pro Choppo in the 110 size, in a bone/black color scheme. That got me the 3 lb bass. As soon as the cloud cover burned off, the topwater bite was done. I switched to a green pumpkin tube bait on a 1/4 oz jig head. That was good for 5 more bass, between 1 1/2 and 2 lbs. I lost 4 rigs to snags, but I didn't mind, as they are cheap, and they were working. I moved downstream by a couple of hundred yards to where there were a couple of deeper channels in the river (the water I had been fishing was 3 to 5 ft deep) that were about 6 to 8 ft deep. I tried the tube, but no takers. I tossed an Original Rapala floating minnow in the F11 size. No love for that. I then switched to a squarebill crank in sexy shad. When I could successfully bounce it off tree branches in the water, I could get bites, but I only hooked one dink. Switched to a unknown brand medium diver crank in firetiger. and ground it into the bottom. That got a couple more dinks, but also my best fish of the day....a 3 1/2 lb largemouth.   I played around with a bunch of other lures, but could not buy another bite.  I fought my way back to my truck, and after resting for about 1/2 hour, I drove to another area. The new area was easy access. There is a boat launch, and the river in that area is 6 ft deep on average, but has some holes that go as deep as 10 ft if you know where to look. There is also a stream that feeds into the river that is not fished much, as there is not a lot of bank access. The river proper gave me 5 more smallmouth, all about 1 1/2 lbs. Three came on the tube bait again, and the other two came on a drop shot worked into the deeper holes. I then moved to the creek and managed 2 more largemouth, one was 1 1/2 lbs, and the other was 2 1/4 lbs. They both came on a swimbait.  It was very difficult to work the creek, and as the day warmed up the bugs got really thick. I bailed on that area due to the difficulty of fishing it, and that fact that the bugs were not deterred by my 100% Deet bug repellent. I was getting eaten alive. On my way home, I stopped at one more spot where a large creek enters the Susquehanna River. I don't fish this spot much as it is very easy access and get beat to death by bank fishermen. But today I was the only one there....nice! I got one more 1 lb smallmouth on the Choppo, and had server more hits on crankbaits, but didn't land any of those.  I got home about 1:30 pm. Very tired, but it was a good day. 

[A-Jay]

Certainly sounds like you earned those bass and had a most decent trip.

Congrats 

A-Jay 

[TnRiver46]

? 

[Swamp Girl]

On 8/27/2023 at 3:28 PM, Kirtley Howe said:

To get to the spot, you have to drive down what looks like a goat path, and then maneuver your vehicle so it is parked near some railroad tracks but out of the way of the trains...a bit tricky to get my old longbed/extended cab truck in there, but I managed. Then I had to climb over the tracks, push through some dense brush/brambles/overgrowth for a couple of hundred yards,  and climb down a steep, slippery clay bank.

 

WHOA!

 

On 8/27/2023 at 3:28 PM, Kirtley Howe said:

Very tired, but it was a good day. 

 

I'd be beyond tired. I'd need oxygen. 

[Kirtley Howe]

This from the person who drags a canoe through the forest/underbrush to get to a bog in the middle of nowhere in the dark?  Compared to that, my "adventure" was a walk in the park.  I did, however, feel like I should have gotten into a hyperbaric chamber when I got home. Missing part of a lung, having COPD and many allergies will leave you feeling "a bit winded" for sure.

[TnRiver46]

I just had some catfish I caught last week, it was phenomenal