Rock Bass

[Swattie87]

The same is true on the larger lower Susky tribs, and I think there’s been a decline of the panfish populations in general. Not just Rock Bass.

On the Swatara, in the mid 2000’s, Rock Bass and Redbreasts were the two most common fish species you caught, Smallmouth and Fallfish were next, and then the odd Bluegill or Green Sunfish. Hooked a couple Muskies, but they made quick work of my stuff.

Now Fallfish are by far the most common, then Smallies. You still catch Redbreasts, but far less, and the Rock Bass are basically gone. I’ve caught some Bluegill in the slower stuff still. Don’t even remember the last Green.

Must be all those native Fallfish restoration projects. 😛

 

[jifigz]

I still think the area of the Juniata that I frequent has a pretty strong redbreast population. Truth be told, they are one of my favorite gamefish. A redbreast, a simple surface fly, and a 4 weight is a tough combination to beat.

 

[Fish Sticks]

The same is true on the larger lower Susky tribs, and I think there’s been a decline of the panfish populations in general. Not just Rock Bass.

On the Swatara, in the mid 2000’s, Rock Bass and Redbreasts were the two most common fish species you caught, Smallmouth and Fallfish were next, and then the odd Bluegill or Green Sunfish. Hooked a couple Muskies, but they made quick work of my stuff.

Now Fallfish are by far the most common, then Smallies. You still catch Redbreasts, but far less, and the Rock Bass are basically gone. I’ve caught some Bluegill in the slower stuff still. Don’t even remember the last Green.

Must be all those native Fallfish restoration projects. 😛

Lol if that situation was analogous to the ironic one your referencing it would be people doing fall fish projects for fall fish that make fall fish disappear.

I still catch a decent amount of rock bass in the swatty but i get them at night. I am sure they are down as you say.

i like fishing for them because they eat well at night but am not going to worry about them going away given non-native. Native Red-breasts on the other hand i would like to stay around.


Maybe Tom mehaffie has some potential clues???

 

[Fish Sticks]

Do you guys think nearly 50,000 fingerling tiger musky could have anything to do with that?

PFBC Historical WW/CW Stocking

Just put in dauphin county and search tiger musky

 

[Fish Sticks]

Its only a hummelstown hershey thing so i doubt it explains your observations in the whole swatty. I just think it’s hilarious that PFBC is dumping 12-15” tiger musky in the lower swatty like its going out of style where about 12 people target them specifically.

 

[Swattie87]

Its only a hummelstown hershey thing so i doubt it explains your observations in the whole swatty. I just think it’s hilarious that PFBC is dumping 12-15” tiger musky in the lower swatty like its going out of style where about 12 people target them specifically.

Yeah. I don’t think so, though I dunno I guess. I never catch any of the little stocked fingerlings so I don’t know what their survival rate looks like and how many of them are actually in there. The two Muskies I hooked, three actually now that I remember, were all large, and quickly dispatched my tippet with their teeth. (I was fishing a typical light WW set up with like 10lb mono tippet.) That’s 3 run ins in like 20 years fishing it, so it’s not like they’re common. Two were in Lebanon County water, FWIW, though fairly downstream for Lebanon County if that makes sense.

I’ve caught a bunch of small Pickerel in the general Jonestown area. Though the biggest was like 15”, and most were 8” pencils.

 

[Mike]

Swattie, from a fish community standpoint it sounds as though the stream may have become generally cooler or cooler for a greater portion of the year where you have been fishing. Also, with the disappearance of GSF it is highly likely that water quality has improved. What say you?

As for the Tiger Muskies being the “problem,” not likely. Sunfish are not a preferred food item. In fact, an experiment was run where tmky were stocked into a pond or other confined environment with loads of BG and they wouldn’t touch them. Preferred forage are fusiform in body shape. A staple is yellow perch where they can be found in good numbers.

 

[Swattie87]

Swattie, from a fish community standpoint it sounds as though the stream may have become generally cooler or cooler for a greater portion of the year where you have been fishing. Also, with the disappearance of GSF it is highly likely that water quality has improved. What say you?

As for the Tiger Muskies being the “problem,” not likely. Sunfish are not a preferred food item. In fact, an experiment was run where tmky were stocked into a pond or other confined environment with loads of BG and they wouldn’t touch them. Preferred forage are fusiform in body shape. A staple is yellow perch where they can be found in good numbers.

I mean the Swatara watershed has continued to improve in water quality, though it’s more noticeable further upstream.

All those same species have been present in the lower watershed for a long time. There’s definitely been a noticeable shift away from the panfish and toward Fallfish and Smallies though.

I used to pound the banks in the shade in the Summer with small Buggers, and 100 fish days weren’t uncommon. Redbreasts and Rock Bass comprised of probably 80% of the catch.

 

[bigjohn358]

The smallmouth bass population has gone up in that stretch, right? Maybe the smallmouth have displaced the rock bass.

Smallmouth bass peaked around the time the rock bass started to disappear. I feel there are fewer of ALL species at this time on the West Branch in that area compared to the early 2000s. Only exception might be musky and don't tell me musky are eating all the fish because thats just not true!

 

[sarce]

From a fly fishing standpoint their aggressiveness in the middle of the night when the guides are icing up is baffling but can be as fast paced as the action in summer time from some other fish species. And I have found them podded up and caught 7-10 in a row in wild and stocked trout streams like lititz run, brandywine, breeches and others where when i fish in the daytime nothing but trout and fall fish. I don’t know if they prefer night or if its just that i am trying to target them now, no clue.

I'm interested where you're finding them in the Brandywine, that's my original home stream. There used to be tons 10-15 years ago and while they certainly haven't disappeared they seem far less common now. Same with smallmouths there

 

[JeffP]

From a fly fishing standpoint their aggressiveness in the middle of the night when the guides are icing up is baffling but can be as fast paced as the action in summer time from some other fish species. And I have found them podded up and caught 7-10 in a row in wild and stocked trout streams like lititz run, brandywine, breeches and others where when i fish in the daytime nothing but trout and fall fish. I don’t know if they prefer night or if its just that i am trying to target them now, no clue.

I have caught rock bass on Lititz Run especially close to the Conestoga. That hole near the mouth is huge.

 

[Mike]

These data may give you some ideas. Note that the first link contains a lot more streams than indicated. See the comparative electrofishing catches per hour (y-axis) in the graphs.

PFBC 2009 Biologist Report - Darby, Ridley, West Branch Brandywine & Manatawny creeks

https://pfbc.pa.gov/images/reports/2013bio/6x12_19wwstreams.pdf

 

[Fish Sticks]

I'm interested where you're finding them in the Brandywine, that's my original home stream. There used to be tons 10-15 years ago and while they certainly haven't disappeared they seem far less common now. Same with smallmouths there

Brandywine is the one that has been the longest, i have heard people catching them near chads ford more recently. I believe mine were near boot road wawa bridge deep hole. Lititz run has them upstream too on the green farm where you are no longer allowed to fish. Also below the falls. Yellow breeches they seem to be everywhere after dark

 

[Peyton]

I've never had an issue catching them in the summer or fall out of my local creek. Every now and then we find a school of rock bass and can catch dozens out of a hole. The next day the school moved on. Mostly they are in a muddy or silt bottom, and my biggest came out of a hole that is all muck and hydrilla. Also, the Schuylkill near Sanatoga preserve is loaded with them. Went wading under an old bridge with the idea of smallmouth and flatheads in mind, and got a couple of smallmouths and a few large rock bass. All the rock bass came from under or behind large rocks, which I assume are from the bridge due to their square shape. I recommend fishing the section with a raft or any sort of boat, I've seen some questionable people there and a few needles. All the other time I spent on the river, only ended up with large bluegills and redbreasts, but catching them in numbers was very tough to do.

 

[Fish Sticks]

I've never had an issue catching them in the summer or fall out of my local creek. Every now and then we find a school of rock bass and can catch dozens out of a hole. The next day the school moved on. Mostly they are in a muddy or silt bottom, and my biggest came out of a hole that is all muck and hydrilla. Also, the Schuylkill near Sanatoga preserve is loaded with them. Went wading under an old bridge with the idea of smallmouth and flatheads in mind, and got a couple of smallmouths and a few large rock bass. All the rock bass came from under or behind large rocks, which I assume are from the bridge due to their square shape. I recommend fishing the section with a raft or any sort of boat, I've seen some questionable people there and a few needles. All the other time I spent on the river, only ended up with large bluegills and redbreasts, but catching them in numbers was very tough to do.

Yea the podding up is something ive seen as well. When ya hit one ya hit 5 sometimes

 

[silverfox]

Yeah. I don’t think so, though I dunno I guess. I never catch any of the little stocked fingerlings so I don’t know what their survival rate looks like and how many of them are actually in there. The two Muskies I hooked, three actually now that I remember, were all large, and quickly dispatched my tippet with their teeth. (I was fishing a typical light WW set up with like 10lb mono tippet.) That’s 3 run ins in like 20 years fishing it, so it’s not like they’re common. Two were in Lebanon County water, FWIW, though fairly downstream for Lebanon County if that makes sense.

I’ve caught a bunch of small Pickerel in the general Jonestown area. Though the biggest was like 15”, and most were 8” pencils.

From someone who targets musky a lot, not hooking them or seeing them doesn't mean they aren't there. One of the most, if not the most, fickle freshwater fish there is.

 

[sixfootfenwick]

Used to catch a lot of them in the Conestoga. Haven’t seen one in a few years.

It's been awhile. They have vanished IMO