Smallmouth bass on the Susquehanna River...

[hippie]

To everyone that fishes in the Susquehanna River please take note:
Well our fine fish Commision in Pa. has closed the best bass fishing area in Pa., come Jan 1, 2011. From Port Royal to Duncannon the Junita River is closed to all keeping of bass. From Sunbury to the Md. state line the Susquehanna River is also closed to keeping any bass. In addition, there is a complete shutdown of all tournys which have "shore weigh-ins" in these two areas. They say water pollution and bacteria are the cause of few or no bass. The study says that fishing has no effect on the number of fish. So the Commision halts fishing and does nothing about the water quality or the bacteria. Living in Pa. is like being the only sane person in a mental institution!

[johnh]

I don't keep bass, so I'm glad there trying to fix the fishery. I agree that pollution,etc is also a part of the problem. I fish "Lake Frederick" regularly where tournaments are out of hand. In the case of the Susky, I think that it will never be the fishery that it's been for the last 20 yrs or more cuz the dams created an unnatural fishery. With the focus on restoration, the times/fishen are a changen and I for one, am excited to see a change. I hope the change is for the better. On the positive side, the striper/wiper fishen in the Hbg. section has increased dramatically in the last couple of years

[CaptMikeStarrett]

In 2003 I stopped taking clients to that area due to dying fish and dwindling SMBass populations. I have contacted PA Fisheries many times with pics and comments on water quality. Every response was that the die off and sores on fish was natural and not an issue..

Darn shame as we would catch 5lb smallies there every trip.

Capt Mike

[Capt.Nick]

I wish they would do that in Md.

[Capt.Nick]

In 2003 I stopped taking clients to that area due to dying fish and dwindling SMBass populations. I have contacted PA Fisheries many times with pics and comments on water quality. Every response was that the die off and sores on fish was natural and not an issue..

Darn shame as we would catch 5lb smallies there every trip.

Capt Mike How can they expect people to believe that?

[Capt.Nick]

It's alot eaier to stop the keeping of bass than it would be to stop the pollution from Cooperstown NY to Havre De Grace.Let's give it a chance ans see what happens.

[joshfkntaylor]

i dont keep any bass either so im glad this is happening

[chrisdetweiler]

To everyone that fishes in the Susquehanna River please take note:
Well our fine fish Commision in Pa. has closed the best bass fishing area in Pa., come Jan 1, 2011. From Port Royal to Duncannon the Junita River is closed to all keeping of bass. From Sunbury to the Md. state line the Susquehanna River is also closed to keeping any bass. In addition, there is a complete shutdown of all tournys which have "shore weigh-ins" in these two areas. They say water pollution and bacteria are the cause of few or no bass. The study says that fishing has no effect on the number of fish. So the Commision halts fishing and does nothing about the water quality or the bacteria. Living in Pa. is like being the only sane person in a mental institution!

In addition, they are not allowing tournaments during the spawn. I think this is a good thing. How could anyone argue that pulling bass off their spawning beds, placing them in a live well, running them 5 miles down a river, weighing them in front of a crowd and releasing them miles from their beds, doesn't impact the fishery?

There are serious problems in the Susquehanna River. Prior to 2005, it was nothing to catch 30 fish in an afternoon on a flyrod. Now, 4-5 fish may be a good day. Bob Clouser often had 75-100 fish days from his boat while guiding. He has since quit guiding, because he couldn't accept people's money to take them out for 8 hours and catch 7 fish. Harvest and tournaments may not be the cause of the crash, but they have a negative impact on the fishery. Anyone who is seriously concerned about the bass population on the Susquehanna, should be doing everything possible to improve the situation. These measures can only help the population as we continue to address the larger problems in the watershed.

Here is the press release:

http://www.fish.state.pa.us/newsreleases/2010press/bass_cr.htm

Chris Detweiler
Harrisburg, PA

[tunafisher21]

Now it makes sense why the Bay is so polluted. Its probably not a good idea to eat the bass anyway if the water is that bad.

Gotta love the pollution, we need it to support the unstoppable population.