Juniata conditions

[Fish Sticks]

Was it wadeable?

EASILY very friendly to wading like thigh to hip. Amity boat launch right near duncanon

 

[dc410]

If the Juniata is below 4’ on the guage height at Newport it’s wadeable. Above 4’ it gets sketchy from the wading end.

 

[Swattie87]

If the Juniata is below 4’ on the guage height at Newport it’s wadeable. Above 4’ it gets sketchy from the wading end.

What does 4’ translate to CFS wise? 900 - 1200 is what I consider dialed in CFS wise. Low enough to wade easy, but not so low that all the habitat is shot with low water.

 

[dc410]

What does 4’ translate to CFS wise? 900 - 1200 is what I consider dialed in CFS wise. Low enough to wade easy, but not so low that all the habitat is shot with low water.

I’m not actually sure what that translates to in CFS, Swattie. There are certain waterways that I use the guage height as my primary unit of measurement and the lower Juniata River has always been one of them.

 

[Swattie87]

I’m not actually sure what that translates to in CFS, Swattie. There are certain waterways that I use the guage height as my primary unit of measurement and the lower Juniata River has always been one of them.

I backdated the gauge a bit to the last time it was at 4’-ish. Looks like about 2000. Makes sense. 1500 or so is prob about as high as I go.

 

[TimMurphy]

Was it wadeable?

Dear bd,

I float fished the Juniata on May 29th and 30th. We put in at Thompsontown. Checking the gauge height at Newport it is almost exactly the same height today as it was on the 30th. At that level the river is easily wadeable. In fact, the second day we took out above the Millerstown Boat ramp. As we took out two older teenagers entered the river to fish and easily waded all the way across the river only getting up to about thigh deep.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

 

[Fish Sticks]

I backdated the gauge a bit to the last time it was at 4’-ish. Looks like about 2000. Makes sense. 1500 or so is prob about as high as I go.

Boro on front street in Harrisburg is covered in spider webs full of a 3 tailed and 2 tailed cream to sulfur colored may fly with slate drake duns as well. Feel like these juniata fish must be going crazy on spinners from 9pm -11pm would like to go back to where I fished today at that time

 

[Swattie87]

Boro on front street in Harrisburg is covered in spider webs full of a 3 tailed and 2 tailed cream to sulfur colored may fly with slate drake duns as well. Feel like these juniata fish must be going crazy on spinners from 9pm -11pm would like to go back to where I fished today at that time

Saw some of those hatching today where I was. 3 tail variety, more cream than yellow, a big 14 or a small 12 in size.

 

[Fish Sticks]

Saw some of those hatching today where I was. 3 tail variety, more cream than yellow, a big 14 or a small 12 in size.

Yea are those ephemerela dorothea or subvaria, i could not tell. Like you said more cream than yellow so maybe stenonemas?

 

[krayfish2]

Floated upriver above duncannon yesterday. East side dirty as usual. Pretty low for this time of year. Steno and sulphur hatch sputtering from 3 to 8. Not many fish on them but the little fellas.

 

[Fish Sticks]

Thanks for the recs on the game lands above duncanon. Lost count of the fish. No big ones but lots of fun on foam body dries (Mr. Wiggly size 8). Fish were SPOOOKY and it looked low. Only started getting numbers when I went to 12 foot leader and casting far from where I was wading.

 

[Swattie87]

Nice. I know exactly where you’re standing.

That’s my experience with that stretch, great numbers, but not a ton of size. It’s kind of a ledge with cuts, and then a bunch of thigh deep runs shallowing out into riffles, repeat, kind of stretch. Not a lot of really deep pools. Maybe the big fish are in the pool habitat?

 

[Fish Sticks]

Nice. I know exactly where you’re standing.

That’s my experience with that stretch, great numbers, but not a ton of size. It’s kind of a ledge with cuts, and then a bunch of thigh deep runs shallowing out into riffles, repeat, kind of stretch. Not a lot of really deep pools. Maybe the big fish are in the pool habitat?

Yea there were a couple deep pools in the middle. If I was floating Id have sink tip to one of my foam fetuccini muddler type flies hooked up for those and my Mr wiggly or dumbell eyes crawbugger on 12ft WF floating line for the rest

 

[jifigz]

Nice. I know exactly where you’re standing.

That’s my experience with that stretch, great numbers, but not a ton of size. It’s kind of a ledge with cuts, and then a bunch of thigh deep runs shallowing out into riffles, repeat, kind of stretch. Not a lot of really deep pools. Maybe the big fish are in the pool habitat?

In my experience large smallmouth hold in relatively shallow and overlooked water a lot. The situation you describe no doubt has larger fish present. As the dog days of summer approach look deeper but they will still be and come shallow.

What year said, all it takes is one nice rock or drop off. If you didn't fish right beside it and have your fly float directly through the exact right place then your chances are greatly diminished.

 

[Fish Sticks]

In my experience large smallmouth hold in relatively shallow and overlooked water a lot. The situation you describe no doubt has larger fish present. As the dog days of summer approach look deeper but they will still be and come shallow.

What year said, all it takes is one nice rock or drop off. If you didn't fish right beside it and have your fly float directly through the exact right place then your chances are greatly diminished.

I was wondering if some of those bigger fish were hiding in riffles as well. I have caught smallmouth for years hut never really went looking for them in faster riffles. I have heard they will hide in them though. I feel like it would have been a much different game with my 10 foot 3 weight, mono rig, and 2 small buggers on a drop shot rig. Fishing the Mr. Wiggly on top was too fun though even though I caught smaller fish I was happy. Will go back with the tight line system though and see what I can dredge up.

 

[Fish Sticks]

And was VERY cool to see smallies puking up crayfish meat, we are not far from the summer molt I imagine.

 

[jifigz]

One of my most productive flies for smallmouth is a clouser crayfish. It is a much overlooked pattern I feel.

I don't tight line for smallmouth at all. I do dredge bottom, however. I will weight my flies and cast up and across. I will let the fly rode close to the bottom. If my fly line starts to lag behind at all or acts weird in any manner I take up slack. If I feel any resistance I set the hook. This is a very effective way to fish for smallmouth.

But I fish a gurgler 90% of the time. Big fish come to the top, too. It is not a rarity.

 

[Fish Sticks]

One of my most productive flies for smallmouth is a clouser crayfish. It is a much overlooked pattern I feel.

I don't tight line for smallmouth at all. I do dredge bottom, however. I will weight my flies and cast up and across. I will let the fly rode close to the bottom. If my fly line starts to lag behind at all or acts weird in any manner I take up slack. If I feel any resistance I set the hook. This is a very effective way to fish for smallmouth.

But I fish a gurgler 90% of the time. Big fish come to the top, too. It is not a rarity.

I noticed only the small ones seem to hit a gurgler style when chugging along and bigger ones like long pauses. Has that been your experience as well more so than not?

 

[jifigz]

I noticed only the small ones seem to hit a gurgler style when chugging along and bigger ones like long pauses. Has that been your experience as well more so than not?

I make only the slightest of movements of the gurgler. These movements are usually only applied as a sort of "mend," so to speak, to keep less slack and maintain contact with the fly. It is a sort of sloppy mend to impart action to the fly and also pick up slack, so the movement is done purposefully.

If I pick a piece of structure and cast to it my gurgler never really works towards me on the cast. I am essentially only twitching the gurgler and working the downstream portions of where the current carries it. I hope that makes sense.

 

[Fish Sticks]

Yea thats pretty much what I do as well. In the low water I was going with a 12 foot leader, it helped to impart slack. I assume a good standard leader length would be closer to 8-9 feet though for most folks under more moderate flows