Lackawanna River forage species?

[Big-Bass]

The Lackawanna River often puzzles me. It can either be a very good river or it can give you a true test of your skills and I have heard of many fisherman making the trip (from longer distances) only to leave with the skunk and disheartened to what the river holds. I have left fishless many times but when the fishing is good, it really does hold some nice trout (amidst old shopping carts, junk, cinder blocks, tires, etc.). While the effort to clean up this river has been monumental and truly it (the river) has become a gem in this area for fishing, biking, and running along the heritage trail, I have always wondered what forage species these wild trout are feeding on since bug activity on the river as a whole is not nearly as good as other local rivers. Compared to the other very local rivers, fish in the Lack seem to be more consistent in size, never look malnourished, and are very aggressive. Does the river hold sculpin? I know there are creek/river chub of some sort in the water but have any studies been done to identify key forage species for these fish to feed on aside from bugs? It really seems to only hold brown trout from what I can see. I have seen what I think were White Suckers in the river too, but that's about it. I have heard of a rogue smallmouth being caught near Scranton but I think someone probably put them in the river. Sometimes in some spots, one can spot a rainbow or golden rainbow that has been stocked for the kids fishing derbies that they hold every so often. But that's about it. No small minnows swimming around, no crayfish, no major hatches like the Lackawaxen or the Delaware...so it has me puzzled. If anyone can chime in with their experience or reports, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[melvinp]

Funny you should talk about the junk thing. I helped on a clean up on the Lackawanna a few years ago and pulled a shopping cart out of the river,It was covered with some sort of caddis life.Didnt know if I did a bad thing or a good thing.Fishing wise me never had luck but nephew does real well at times.Small mouth wise they come out of the river they will travel for miles looking for food and to spawn.

 

[troutbert]

Turn over a lot of rocks and see what's there.

 

[Big-Bass]

Turning over rocks produces bugs as I had mentioned (caddis, stoneflies, etc.) but never anything else. That was why my initial post was looking into smaller forage species of fish that are present in the river.

 

[Chaz]

They eat anything that falls into the river and swims in the river, including but not limited to other trout. If it has brown trout in it, and it does in spades then there's plenty for the trout to eat, including chubby and or fallfish.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Talk to Adam at A&G.

The answer is 12" brown trout for large fish

Crane fly larva, caddis and small trout for 12" and under

 

[SBecker]

Rats

 

[djs12354]

SBecker wrote:
Rats

LOL but true!

Chubs, suckers, crayfish and assorted bugs

 

[Big-Bass]

I should talk to Adam. I know him through the shop but never bothered to ask the question I posted here. I wonder how the Lack would be in the summer with mouse patterns during late night fishing. Some spin fishermen that I know swear by little countdown and floating brown trout pattern Rapalas...makes sense if the trout are eating little trout.

 

[CathyG]

The river has black nose dace. I'm not sure about sculpins. Besides trout I've caught golden shiners, suckers,(lots of suckers) carp, bullheads, chubs. It probably has fallfish but I've never caught one. Some smallies migrate upriver from the Susquehanna and a guy in Scranton was putting them in. I also pulled in a snake once but only because he was eating a shiner I hooked.

There is some rainbow reproduction. I've caught a couple too small to have stocked.

 

[salmonoid]

Big-Bass wrote:
I should talk to Adam. I know him through the shop but never bothered to ask the question I posted here. I wonder how the Lack would be in the summer with mouse patterns during late night fishing. Some spin fishermen that I know swear by little countdown and floating brown trout pattern Rapalas...makes sense if the trout are eating little trout.

Most big browns I have caught in my life have not turned down a perceived high calorie morsel at night

Mice are never a guarantee in any PA waters, but they are a lot of fun to prospect with.

 

[SBecker]

CathyG wrote:
It probably has fallfish but I've never caught one.

O it has fallfish and they love mops. Monkey Island has a bunch.

 

[wgmiller]

The scooter hatch supplies a lot of nutrients for those Lack browns. They don't grow big from eating shopping carts!!!

 

[SBecker]

The amount of scooters that are discovered on a yearly basis on the Lack astound me. I thought the one I landed was like a wild tiger trout only to find out they are like stocked rainbows.