R
RLeep2
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2009
- Messages
- 1,463
Just to comment briefly on a few of the waters suggested or recommended by folks here:
- In years gone by, I have done well for SMB on Oil Creek from Drake Well to the mouth, but it has been disappointing fishing for the past several years anyway. I'm not sure what the issue is or if there even is an issue at all (could be just me..), but I think if Syl were to chime in, he'd tell you the same thing. Something seems to be just a hair off with the Oil Creek bass fishery.
The Brokenstraw is a reasonably good bass stream for its size class, but it has developed significant access issues over the past decade or so. Not that much of it open to public access any more..
While all of French Creek, where you can get on it, is worthwhile, probably one of the best bass sections, especially if you are wading, is the bottom couple miles above the river or basically the section that flows through the city of Franklin proper. Good riffle/pool ratio, lots of nice holding water, etc. You just need to find a place where you can park and scurry down over the bank. There are no shortage of these places if you look for them.
Closer to Pittsburgh and not mentioned yet (at least I didn't see them..) are the lower 20+ miles of both Redbank and Mahoning Creeks. Mahoning Creek from the outflow of the dam down to the river and Redbank more or less from the Route 66 (I think it is) bridge in New Bethlehem down to the river. Access on both is where you find it and not real plentiful, but its there. Both are pretty good smallmouth streams.
- In years gone by, I have done well for SMB on Oil Creek from Drake Well to the mouth, but it has been disappointing fishing for the past several years anyway. I'm not sure what the issue is or if there even is an issue at all (could be just me..), but I think if Syl were to chime in, he'd tell you the same thing. Something seems to be just a hair off with the Oil Creek bass fishery.
The Brokenstraw is a reasonably good bass stream for its size class, but it has developed significant access issues over the past decade or so. Not that much of it open to public access any more..
While all of French Creek, where you can get on it, is worthwhile, probably one of the best bass sections, especially if you are wading, is the bottom couple miles above the river or basically the section that flows through the city of Franklin proper. Good riffle/pool ratio, lots of nice holding water, etc. You just need to find a place where you can park and scurry down over the bank. There are no shortage of these places if you look for them.
Closer to Pittsburgh and not mentioned yet (at least I didn't see them..) are the lower 20+ miles of both Redbank and Mahoning Creeks. Mahoning Creek from the outflow of the dam down to the river and Redbank more or less from the Route 66 (I think it is) bridge in New Bethlehem down to the river. Access on both is where you find it and not real plentiful, but its there. Both are pretty good smallmouth streams.
