Conewago, Swatara, Condoguinet or Gifford Pinchot lake

[Baron]

Looking for remarks for these streams. I often cross them when on business trips. In the back of my head I'm thinking that there ought to be some Rock Bass in them as well.

 

[Swattie87]

All three of the creeks have your typical mix of Susky watershed WW fish...Smallmouth, Fallfish, Rock Bass, Sunfish (mostly Redbreasts), and the occasional Walleye or Muskie in their lower reaches maybe.

How they fish is all habitat dependent. Where there's habitat they can all fish good. Where there's not, you're in for a long Summertime walk with wet feet, carrying a long pole. They take time and some exploration/trial and error on different stretches to figure out where they'll fish well. Summer is a good time to do this, since many Trout waters are warm and/or low and don't fish very well. They all merit exploration if you're willing to put in some time and don't mind striking out a bit to find the good water.

Have no clue about the lake.

 

[Baron]

My Daughter was on the Keystone State Soccer Team 20 years ago and I camped at the lake. Always wanted to learn more.
These creeks are lazy meandering things and they look perfect for sunny day Panfish.

 

[Dave_W]

The answer is "yes."

I posted remarks about the Conodoguinet in a recent thread so won't repeat myself.

I used to fish Pinchot Lake a lot but haven't been there in a few years. It's a shallow, weedy, bass and panfish lake and worth exploring, although you will be best off with a boat.

Swattie's advice above is spot on (as usual).

 

[Baron]

Gentlemen I read you comments and am glad I asked. I had ruled out the Concocheque. As a boy I went to boys camp near Caladonia and now I regularly visit Snaveley's in Chambersburg. Every time I stick a toe in that stream its too cold for me.
I also visit Ashcome and it is on the banks of the Yellow Breeches Creek and it looks cold.

May I assume the Conewago and Swatara are warm water only streams?

I say "only" because I'm looking for warm wading and bigger Panfish. Not always but usually the colder the water the fewer the Panfish. For instance Little Lehigh vs Jordan. The Jordan is much warmer and used to be full of Rock Bass in the upper reaches around Orefield and beyond whereas the LLehigh is mostly trout year round. They are but a few miles apart and both in open Valleys.

Hoping to get out to one of these in August.

 

[Dave_W]

Baron wrote:

May I assume the Conewago and Swatara are warm water only streams?

They're mixed fisheries depending on where you are. Both are stocked trout waters in their upper regions but have very good warm water fishing in their lower sections.

Swatara is a bigger stream (I'm assuming you're talking about the "Conewago Creek" in York/Adams) and is even stocked with tiger muskies.

 

[Baron]

Wow. Musky. We have them in the Delaware and the Lehigh. Their presence indicates that there is food enough to support them. I'm looking for more or less open Meadow fishing and will ask landowners permission to fish them. When I was on the farm I fished the Deep Run and Tohickon at length. Warm sunny days, warm water and wide open meadows. The Deep Run had small bass and average size sunny's while the Tohickon had that plus carp, rock bass and Pickerel. In the summer it was often a sun-drenched fantasyland on many Sunday afternoons.
That is what I want to repeat in South Central PA. I'm not really a mountain guy.

 

[Dave_W]

Baron,
You might enjoy this article I wrote on the blog a year or two ago about fishing small streams for warm water species.

Link

 

[Baron]

Had you sold that to a magazine as I thought I read that recently after an online search.

I liked your choices of rigs for those smaller streams.

Yes I enjoyed the article and also enjoyed your website. Your Birding backgrounds remind me of A.Wyeths in color. Very nice. I do have favorites so let me know if you ever do that ole calendar.

 

[scs]

Living along the Conodoguinet, it's my favorite creek for obvious reasons. Smallmouth, fall fish, sunfish, rockbass (though not as many as there use to be). We even have a few trout hanging out in the springs down stream. Poppers, wooly buggers and streamers all work. I tie mine up on a size 6 hook. That seems to catch anything.

Steve

 

[acesedgley]

Dave, you mentioned the Greenies in your article.
There are some nice ones in Hopewell...It's funny how savagely they attack poppers but then they seem to roll over and play dead when hooked!
Much easier to get the poppers out of their bigger mouths too.