Susquehanna Winter Fishing 12/6/08

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Captain Ahab

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Bucks Co., PA
Jake, Mike and myself left early Saturday morning (and by early - I mean 3 a.m. early) to drive to a spot on the Susquehanna below Harrisburg, PA. This area is a warm water discharge from the Brunner Island Coal Power Plant. Essentially, they use river water to fire the steam turbines and then run the super heated water back into the river. As a result, you get a three mile or so stretch of river that is a wintertime tropical wonderland. The water temperatures range from over 90* at the point the power plant release the water down to 50* or so as the water hits the main river again.

We arrive at the island just before sunrise and sit huddled in the van waiting for the sky to lighten. It is super cold out, maybe 20* and we can see huge clouds of steam rising from the river. As soon as morning twilight begins we are out and into the cold air to don waders, hats, gloves and layers and layers of clothes. I get one last gulp of hot coffee and make the short trek down the river bank to the spot where we thought looked likely. Mike and I work an area near a feeder stream and Jake heads up river about 50 yards. Just after I get into the water and began casting I hear Jake yell something. Mike says - he has a fish already!

Mike and I scramble back to the bank and head to where Jake is fishing around some brush and debris - there is Jake holding a nice fat smallmouth bass and almost, just almost, smiling.

Jake has that photo on his camera so no pics.

Mike and I invade Jake's spot and Mike pulls out a nice size walleye a few casts later. Again - that picture in on Jake's camera.

I then get a real nice Smallie and it is one - we are getting hits on almost ever cast.
Mike and I team up for a few double headers of Smallies:
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The bite dies of fin this area after about an hour with all of us landing some real nice, and very hard fighting fish!

We make a short move and, while the action was never again as fast and furious as it was at sunrise we start to find some larger fish:

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This one ate Mikes giant rainbow bomber intended for muskie!
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Look Jake can smile ( I forced him to by making stupid jokes while Mike took the photo)
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Here Piggy, piggy, piggy Sooo Weee!

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Jake puts on a huge x-rap and catches the fish of the day! What was this baby catfish thing?

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Oh yeah - when Jake sends me his pics I have a bunch of them with my go to bait of the day - a JDBaits 4" Senko in green / black!

AWESOME JOB JDBAITS
 
What a fun day, I skipped out on deer hunting for this and it was way better idea imo. I was having a hard time landing fish yesterday, I lost some nice ones on the jump and to stupid treble hooks. I have not caught a fish that jumped for 3 months :lol: big surprise.

Here are the rest of the pics. Mike check your camera again because I know you took a pic of my first fish, which is not on my camera, and I think dave grabbed your camera instead of mine for the pic of your first walleye. That pic is also not on my camera. If it's not on yours, I am sorry for my apparent camera malfunction. We will just have to catch more and bigger fish next time :D

A minute before the the first fish of the day
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One of Dave's toadie bass
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Wally Smallie Double
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Close up of Dave's piggy
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Look how fat some of those babies are.
Great job.
Noticed a boat maybe two in the background,nice to see.
 
Yesterday had to be one of the most productive ones for all of us, as far as bigger fish. We didn't hit high numbers, but we all came up with some nicer fat top end smallies. I even managed to land 5 walleye in about 2 hours time. Next trip out, I am concentrating mostly on musky with much bigger lures, and tackle. I mean until I see Dave or Jake land another pig smallie #-o

Dave, I think my biggest walleye pic is on your camera. Could you send it, or post it

Jake, I sent this pic to Dave. Maybe he didn't recieve it
Jakes home opener
Picture1554.jpg
 
=D> =D> Way to go guys, Man those are some nice looking SMB =D> =D> Ya gotta love it!!! :mrgreen:
 
I don't know what happened with your walleye pic Mike. If we took it with my camera, something must have went wrong because it is not on my camera. Sorry Mike, I have a new X-Rap for you though, my dad picked one up at Cabela's on his way home from our cabin.
 
I think that little cat is from my pond.... they only bite bass lures, and they really prefer Yum 7.5" Ribbontail worms and Rattletraps...
 
The smallies Mike caught were insanely fat. One was 18"+ the other was 19". The 19" had to be pushing 5lbs and the other was easily over 4lbs. While these were river smallies, they looked more like lake fish. They were the shape of gigantic rockbass. I cannot wait to do it again =P~

Btw that cat ate a xr-12 x-rap :shock:
 

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