Juniata Finally Feeling Like Summer

[jifigz]

I've been doing really well lately on our nice and cool limestone influenced streams of central PA. With the larger WW game off the table, the streams have been consistently 60°-68° depending on the location and the trout willing. Today the Juniata looked pleasing and finally dropping and clearing so I took a stab at it.

First off, I would like to thank the generosity and support of this forum. I've met quite a few people on here and have been treated wonderfully by all of them. Today was my maiden voyage in my new to me yet odor canoe. It was gifted to me by a fellow forum member whom I never met until he arrived with the canoe. He drove a few hours and dropped it off at my house. Now that is true kindness.

Anyways, the Juniata is in nearly perfect shape. I fished Chernobyl Ants, gurglers, and woolly buggers and caught a slew of both smallies and redbreasts. The larger fish came subsurface but I was having a blast pulling in smaller bass and redbreasts on top. The sun was hot, the canoe was awesome, and the fish were eager. I don't have much experience with canoes but I love this thing. I was early able to stand up and cast and it was very stable. My largest fish of the day was only about 15" but it felt amazing to be settling into my usual summer time groove. Don't worry all you folks further downstream on the big river, I think good times are heading your way soon, too. I have no idea what the water temp was but it felt great. This truly marked my first good day of summer river bassin' so far this year. Up until today things just seemed off and the fish weren't cooperating. I even harvested one nice redbreast to dine on tomorrow. I caught the fishing bug again after barely fishing for the last several months or maybe even over a year. I've been tying flies, hitting the water lots, and spending time with my therapists....the fish!!! I love it and it makes me feel so alive. I have barely used my kayaks in the last several years but I think that this canoe is going to see plenty of action.

 

[Mwheaps32]

Awesome jifigz I can't wait to meet up with you sometime this summer and see your local water. The north branch is the best looking it's been in months I caught 9 tonight on top. Hopefully this trend continues it's definitely therapy I can handle.

 

[Swattie87]

Very nice. It’s been two years since I’ve grabbed one of those things by the lip...aside from a few dinks that took dry flies on Penns. Miss it big time. Please stop raining.

 

[Dave_W]

Great to hear - it's an awesome PAFF summer.

 

[Fly-Swatter]

Nice!

For me, canoes and summer smallies go together like PB&J.

 

[krayfish2]

That last front that came through has everything stirred up again. I drove up between Newport and millerstown tonight to look at the river. It's still up and stained but fishable I guess.

sure hope that things settle down and the water gets clear in the next couple of weeks

 

[jifigz]

krayfish2 wrote:
That last front that came through has everything stirred up again. I drove up between Newport and millerstown tonight to look at the river. It's still up and stained but fishable I guess.

sure hope that things settle down and the water gets clear in the next couple of weeks

The Juniata in my neck of the woods is low, gin clear, and warm. Classic summer conditions..I was out in it twice yesterday..

 

[dc410]

jifigz wrote:

krayfish2 wrote:
That last front that came through has everything stirred up again. I drove up between Newport and millerstown tonight to look at the river. It's still up and stained but fishable I guess.

sure hope that things settle down and the water gets clear in the next couple of weeks

The Juniata in my neck of the woods is low, gin clear, and warm. Classic summer conditions..I was out in it twice yesterday..

Really good to hear that conditions up your way have improved to that level. I would jump all over that!

Down in our part of the State, levels have overall been dropping but the clarity is nowhere near late July normals at this point. This is probably due to the amount of agricultural runoff that we deal with after every major rain event.

Good luck! Hope you start busting them on top up there in Central PA.

 

[KGStine]

jifigz wrote:


The Juniata in my neck of the woods is low, gin clear, and warm. Classic summer conditions..I was out in it twice yesterday..

Josh,
Based on your comment I think I'll take the kayak up to Miflintown tomorrow. This will be my first time out this year, last year I didn't get it out at all.
Ken

 

[jifigz]

KGStine wrote:

jifigz wrote:


The Juniata in my neck of the woods is low, gin clear, and warm. Classic summer conditions..I was out in it twice yesterday..

Josh,
Based on your comment I think I'll take the kayak up to Miflintown tomorrow. This will be my first time out this year, last year I didn't get it out at all.
Ken

Best of luck out there today Ken. I'll probably walk down for a bit and see if I can bring some fish to the surface.

 

[KGStine]

Fished at Mifflintown from around 8:30 to 1:30. River was in good shape, flow was a bit stronger than I like, but not too bad. Fished all top water with a white foam popper. Landed about a dozen, all smallmouth, several about 12 inches most 9 to 10 inches, but still fun. Shortly before I quit, I started to see quite a few fish chasing dragon flies. Mostly small fish but quite acrobatic. It was nice to get back in the kayak, first time in 2 years. Phew, forgot how much work it is.

 

[Mwheaps32]

Nice KGStine. I also fished the juniata where Jifigz lives today caught 21 all on blue and yellow poppers with majority in the 9-10 inch range. The fish were all over the damsel flies. It was wonderful being able to finally fish clear water.

 

[KGStine]

Mw, glad you had a good day. I am pretty sure Jifigz is saving the bigger fish for the Warm Water Jam in a few weeks, at least I hope so.

 

[jifigz]

KGStine wrote:
Mw, glad you had a good day. I am pretty sure Jifigz is saving the bigger fish for the Warm Water Jam in a few weeks, at least I hope so.

Ken, me too..although summer is usually my time to catch numbers but not a ton of big fish..the bigguns tend to be so much easier to locate when October rolls around. But it would be cool if at least one person sticks a pretty nice fish of at least 18" during the jam.