For us diehard fishing enthusiasts, every month of the year usually provides some kind of fishing opportunities; there’s hardly any month that I’m not involved in some kind of fishing on a lake, stream, or river. That being said, however, June is probably the month with some of the most fishing activity of the year.
There are probably a number of reasons why June is a fishing highlight. First off, the weather is usually much more pleasant, although this year, with the frequent rain, that may be debatable. High muddy streams and rivers can quickly put a damper on fishing conditions. As I write this piece, our Susquehanna River is running quite high and very muddy and discolored, no doubt putting a damper on fishing opportunities.
Of course, another reason June attracts more people to our lakes and streams is vacationing; school’s out, and many folks are taking time off work. It’s time to get the boat out and head to the lake or river. If you are wondering if people are doing that yet, head to a nearby lake. My brother and I went fishing at Bald Eagle State Park recently and had a hard time finding a place to park after we dropped the boat in at the boat launch. Of course, all those boaters aren’t fishing, but you can bet that a lot of that activity includes the fishing crowd.
Another reason for the increased fishing activity is that about all the fish species are now active and open to fishing. The usual big increase in fishing activity begins in April with the opening of trout season, and now, in June, our bass season has opened. Other fish species that are actively being pursued now are walleyes, pike, muskies, pickerel, and even catfish. Another highly sought-after group of fish come summer are panfish, which include bluegills, perch, and crappies for the most part.
By the way, those panfish aren’t just a summertime pursuit since they are also often active all winter long and are often the targeted species for us ice fishermen.
Needless to say, when it comes to fishing, I’m pretty open-minded; I like to go after all the species mentioned and with a variety of techniques.
Come trout season, I’m hitting the local streams with my flyrod. I usually start with nymphs and streamers, but like a lot of other fly fishermen, I look forward to picking up my first trout on a dry fly.
With the higher-than-usual water levels in our streams, the trout numbers seem to be holding up pretty well, and if the weather cooperates into the summer months, we may still have some decent trout fishing.
If I’m not on a trout stream somewhere, you can bet I’m heading out to a lake or river for some bass fishing or after a variety of panfish. For the most part, this type of fishing brings out my spinning gear or bait-casting equipment. That being said, however, I should point out that some great fun can be had working a flyrod with a surface popper for bass or even bluegills come the month of June. In the meantime, all the usual bass lures like jigs, spinnerbaits, wacky rigs, Ned rigs, crankbaits, plastic worm rigs, and surface lures can all be productive.
As we roll into the summer months, you can find fish in a variety of places on the lakes, streams, and rivers. Crappies are moving out to deeper water, but bass and bluegills may still be in and around cover in bays and lake shores. You may end up exploring all over a lake depending on what fish species you are after and what equipment and techniques you plan to utilize.
My wife doesn’t know it yet, but I’m planning a cruise for us now that June is here. I’m planning on taking our boat to Blanchard Dam for a day of fishing, then we’ll stop at the ” barbecue rib place” in Beech Creek on the way home.
