I know that various hunting seasons are already underway, and additional opportunities will soon begin. I’m getting anxious, too, but as a dedicated fisherman, I’m also very aware that some of our best fishing opportunities are also upon us. One of my favorite fall pursuits over the years has been spending time on the Susquehanna River or on several of our large streams, attempting to persuade smallmouth bass to take my offerings. Earlier this summer, due to heavy rains and high water levels at times, fishing in the river was a bit of a challenge. However, now we are facing the opposite scenario: very low, clear water. Launching your boat in the river now may be OK in some of the deeper stretches, but I suspect the very low conditions will limit where most boats can seek out smallmouths.
Certainly, if you have a boat and you are comfortable using it under these low water conditions, you should go for it, but for many who don’t have a boat now, it may also be a good time to get out on the water after those smallmouth bass. When I first moved to this area back in the 70s, I didn’t own a boat, but I desperately wanted to fish the river for smallmouth bass. It so happens that on several occasions back then, we experienced some of those low river flows, and it didn’t take much persuasion for me to wade out waist-deep with my spinning rod in hand. Shorts and a pair of old sneakers, and I was waist deep, pitching a minnow-type lure in pockets below rock obstructions, hooking into a pretty good number of bass.
Once I got a boat, most of my river fishing was from it, but to be honest, there are some great smallmouth fishing locations on the river that cannot be worked very successfully from a boat, and that’s where wading takes priority. During these low-water periods, stretches with moderate flow and some good-sized rock structures can be quite productive. The faster-moving water and rock cover help create good cover and better oxygen levels, sometimes a good location for smallmouths. These locations can make fishing from a boat very trying, but some simple wading can be very productive. On several occasions, I’ve taken advantage of such situations and put my flyrod to use. I had some very exciting and productive fishing trips with that flyrod and a small white popper at the business end. Working that popper through that flowing water behind a rock boulder has resulted in some smashing hits with the bass coming clear out of the water on the take.
By the way, don’t limit your smallmouth bass fishing to the river since many of our larger streams can also produce some great smallmouth action, and most likely, wading is the way to go, especially under these low water conditions. Streams like Pine Creek, Lycoming Creek, and Loyalsock Creek, especially in the lower sections before dumping into the river, can produce some great fishing action. If you are not into wading, then you might try a kayak, canoe, or even one of those belly-boat inner tubes.
In addition to smallmouth fishing, there is still some good trout fishing to be had as well, even though the water levels in our streams are quite low and clear right now. Granted, wading will have to be done very carefully; not because of the high and dangerous water conditions, but the opposite, very low, clear water levels that require careful wading to avoid spooking very wary trout. I prefer a light-tackle approach — a small stream fly rod and some size 16 or 18 dry flies, such as a blue-winged olive, deer-hair caddis, or a good old Adams. Now is also a good time to tie on some terrestrials, like an ant or beetle pattern.
Don’t let the low, clear water or the fact that you don’t have a boat stop you from fishing; get out there and catch some smallmouth bass or trout.
