Smallies

S

sreedy47

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Joined
Apr 13, 2023
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20
Location
Lebanon
Anyone have any luck smallie fishing this year? I got out yesterday on the Swatara for about two hours but nothing. Checked the stream gauge around Palmyra and it was hanging around 50° for most of the day yesterday so I thought I’d give it a shot.
 
I plan to fish the Juniata soon from my boat. I'll be sure to let you know how I do.
 
I was out a local stream last week…fished a known wintering hole managed a couple, they were sluggish still…I caught them all on bottom
 
The river is running high and muddy. Projected 8.2 in Harrisburg. The mouth of creeks entering the river is on fire. Spinning gear for me this time of year. Too many trees and too much brush.
 
I got a water temp of 43 on the Susky at Wrightsville a week ago. It's still a bit early, but I would not hesitate to chase SMBs right now.
 
I got a nice Brandywine smallie today while fishing for fallfish with my new cabelas cgr 2 weight. The rod was completely bent to the cork!
 

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I hit my favorite pre-spawn spot briefly today with high expectations: water was high and fast but green and 54 degrees F (very warm for this time of year). Things were perfect.

Skunked.

With the return of colder temps forecast for this week, the smallie bite may turn down or off for awhile. However, with such unseasonably warm water right now, I wouldn't hesitate to keep after the SMBs.
 
I've been catching quite a few, went to one of my better spots on Wednesday and couldn't buy a bite. Sometimes everything just shuts down. Ran into a couple of catfishermen who were also fishless.
 
got a piggy pre spawner in the 4-5 lb class while jigging shad darts a couple days ago. the big girls are out getting ready to bed up and they are hungry.
 
Caught my first smallie of the year on Saturday, put a nice bend into my 5wt:

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Yesterday, I was fishing a special regs trout stream yesterday and hooked one. Standard size for that particular creek (8"-10", but what was cool was another much bigger smallie chased him around while I was reeling him in. Had to have been 18". For that creek it was a stud
 
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tjsingle said:
Caught my first smallie on Saturday, put a nice bend into my 5wt:

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Yesterday, I was fishing a special regs trout stream yesterday and hooked one. Standard size for that particular creek (8"-10", but what was cool was another much bigger smallie chased him around while I was reeling him in. Had to have been 18". For that creek it was a stud
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When you say your "first smallie," do you mean your first one of the year, or your first one of your life?

Either way, CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
 
jifigz said:
When you say your "first smallie," do you mean your first one of the year, or your first one of your life?

Either way, CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
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Oh first of the year haha, I usually don't fish for them until the summer
 
tjsingle said:
Oh first of the year haha, I usually don't fish for them until the summer
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Some of the best smallie fishing of the year is from now until early May. It is hard to focus on them when trout fishing is going on, though.
 
Speaking of May...

The best trout I caught a few years back on Little Pine Creek in late May turned out to be a bruiser smallie that took a size 12 Bead Head Prince Nymph...

Too bad I only caught one because the trout felt like wimps in comparison... ;)
 
Bamboozle said:
Speaking of May...

The best trout I caught a few years back on Little Pine Creek in late May turned out to be a bruiser smallie that took a size 12 Bead Head Prince Nymph...

Too bad I only caught one because the trout felt like wimps in comparison... ;)
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Trout ARE wimps in comparison. But there is just something about stalking a small secluded stream where delicacy and presentation matter so much to convince a wary fish to strike.

I love smaliies, but trout are at the top for me these days.
 
Bamboozle said:
Speaking of May...

The best trout I caught a few years back on Little Pine Creek in late May turned out to be a bruiser smallie that took a size 12 Bead Head Prince Nymph...

Too bad I only caught one because the trout felt like wimps in comparison... ;)
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I wonder if you and I caught the same bass... A few years back, in the nice flat upstream of the gun range... After it jumped four times, the boys, said, "Dad, you know that's not a trout, right?" I think I got a bruiser chub (14'-15") that same year by the clay bank. ;)
 
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