Susky Smallie Fishing Decline

[afishinado]

I guess it's not our imagination that smallie fishing on the lower Susky has delcined when compared to the last few years.

Here is the article >

Smallmouth setback? Susquehanna’s prized adult smallmouth bass again are disappearing

AD CRABLE | Outdoors Columnist

Smallmouth bass again are disappearing from the Susquehanna River.

Only a couple of years ago, anglers, guides, state fisheries officials and anyone else who had fretted for more than a decade over the mysterious collapse of the lower and middle Susquehanna River’s prized smallmouth bass were letting out a sigh of relief.

Good classes of young smallmouths again were being recorded, and a moratorium on keeping bass allowed large numbers of bass to reach trophy size, keeping anglers’ fishing poles bent.

Also, scientists were seeing fewer fish with gaudy open sores and abnormal intersex fish. And it was discovered to everyone’s surprise that a virus normally found in largemouth bass was killing many of the fish, but the smallmouths in the Susquehanna seemed to be building an immunity to the killer.

There were still concerns about flooding from climate change affecting successful spawning. And warnings that pharmaceutical chemicals from sewage plants and pesticides and herbicides washing off farm fields were stressing and sexually altering fish.

But it seemed the corner had been turned.

No longer.

A major problem

Local anglers and guides traveled to West Virginia in August for a Mid-Atlantic Smallmouth Bass Health Assessment meeting and told the assembled fisheries managers from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia that bass again were getting scarce.

One of those sounding the alarm at the meeting was David Neuman, of York County, a bass guide for Koinonia Guide Service who fishes a large section of the river 200 days a year.

“We have a major problem on the river, that is correct,” Neuman said in an interview. “It’s absolutely in decline.”

Neuman estimates that the section from Wrightsville to York Haven has seen a 70% decline in bass in the last two years. From York Haven upriver to Sunbury, he pegs the decline at between 30% and 50%.

The paucity of bass in the last two years has prompted Neuman and other river guides to rely more on trips to catch flathead catfish to satisfy customers. “We’re back to being a fishery where you better know how to fish if you want to catch fish,” he says.

Jim Martin, a bass angler from East Hempfield Township, wasn’t at the West Virginia gathering, but he, too, has noticed the smallmouth disappearing act. In 16 hours of wade-fishing from late July until recently in the Wrightsville area, he recorded not a single hit in prime areas he honed in over 20 years of fishing. In a kayak trip with a friend, the pair fished above Harrisburg’s City Island for four hours with a scant two fish, one with a sore on its side.

“I thought, ‘I can’t be the lone ranger out there.’ ” he says. “I’m just not coming across the fish.”

Says Neuman, “There’s a whole pile of guys who didn’t want to talk about it, but after this summer they realized they couldn’t keep quiet anymore.”

But why?

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is acknowledging the new spike downward for smallmouths and is trying to figure out why.

“We just completed our survey (of adults) over the last three weeks. Abundance is down,” says Geoff Smith, the agency’s Susquehanna River biologist.

Each fall, the agency uses mild electroshocking to survey the number of adult smallmouths from 1 year old and older, typically 8 to 21 inches long. The surveys are done at the same spots on sections of the river from Sunbury to the Holtwood Dam in Lancaster County.

For those looking for some good news in all of this, Smith said spring surveys in the same areas showed the highest catch of fingerling bass since 2005. That indicates very good spawning success.

While maintaining “there’s still quite a few fish out there,” Smith readily acknowledges a declining number of adults is worrisome and that fish managers are scratching their heads over what is happening.

“Anglers had great spring fishing. During the summer we started hearing there are no fish around,” he says.

“If the abundance is down (in adults), we’re in a different set of scenarios now. Ten years ago, we weren’t getting new fish. Recruitment is not our problem anymore.”

Link to source: https://lancasteronline.com/sports/outdoors/smallmouth-setback-susquehanna-s-prized-adult-smallmouth-bass-again-are/article_0f500d0e-fbdf-11e9-b7bb-4bac4090e497.html?fbclid=IwAR09JHSj-GUIx6ZimPvz8_r8W34bSVCplGsAtTKwFw5Lstsazw3nOdksL3M

 

[larkmark]

Terrible. It has to be pollution. I've heard reports of super high bacteria traced to sewage plus agriculture run off. Add invasive Flatheads to an already impaired population and that's that.3 yrs ago it was good but I noticed it has been getting worse around Wrightsville to Falmouth for longer than that. Tributaries are terrible too.

 

[jifigz]

Even though my part of the Juniata was never part of the special regs pertaining to the lower Juniata and the Susky our bass fishing here isn't as good as it used to. Less smallies, less rock bass, redbreasts are now declining, and I didn't catch a fallfish at all this year. So, I think many species are experiencing some problems for some reason. We don't see nearly as much pollution up here as the Susky there receives......except agricultural runoffs.

 

[midgeman]

“Each fall, the agency uses mild electroshocking to survey the number of adult smallmouths from 1 year old and older, typically 8 to 21 inches long. The surveys are done at the same spots on sections of the river from Sunbury to the Holtwood Dam in Lancaster County.”

What areas EXACTLY are they surveying? The river is a 1/2 mile wide.

There’s no doubt the the numbers are nothing like the 90’s but last year (2018) they were shocking adults in late 90’s numbers. THAT IS A FACT the article did not mention.

Personally, I do very well. The major issue is the crayfish population and smallmouth adapting.

 

[larkmark]

midgeman- What area do you fish and what do you consider very well? You apparently are doing something no one else I know is doing.
I see plenty of crayfish in certain sections but the fishing this yr and last is terrible.

 

[Mike]

The electrofishing surveys of the adult population in the susquehanna generate a catch per hour index of abundance, which is used for year to year comparisons. Each major stretch, such as the lower river and middle river to name two, has its own index based on the mean value from at least three standardized sampling sites run in each stretch.

 

[midgeman]

Landmark-
From early March to early June I was boating 30-100 fish a trip. After the spawn the bite dropped off significantly and lasted throughout the June to mid-September. During the summer I caught a lot of small smallmouth 7-13 inches. The bigger fish were difficult to catch in numbers. I believe the fishing was very difficult this summer for the following reasons:

-In June the river got low and hot quickly. They were discomforted during the day when the river temps increased. The low water lasted all summer.
-the fish focused on the heavy summer mayfly hatches.
-the fish are concentrated in moving water and we’re not cruising the flats looking for crayfish. They’re in areas of high dissolved oxygen.
-They are also focused on bait fish.

I fish the middle river.


Mike, when your crews survey areas, do they survey between the east and west banks on certain beats? If the results are low, do they make multiple runs in the same area? What types of water are they surveying? Ledges, fast runs, falls, holes? It’s a huge river to survey.

 

[Mike]

A lower river site was revisited in the first week of November under recommended higher flow conditions for that site and as found in the past, the catch improved. It is just not a good lower flow site unlike the other two sites in the lower Susquehanna on Lake Clark and in the Pequea area. More SMB 15 inches and longer were captured per hour of electrofishing than ever captured before.

 

[afishinado]

Mike wrote:
A lower river site was revisited in the first week of November under recommended higher flow conditions for that site and as found in the past, the catch improved. It is just not a good lower flow site unlike the other two sites in the lower Susquehanna on Lake Clark and in the Pequea area. More SMB 15 inches and longer were captured per hour of electrofishing than ever captured before.

Good news. But, I would consider the possibility the late survey made during colder temps found the bass schooled up and concentrated in their wintering area, thus inflating the catch numbers.

 

[Mike]

Afish,
The site is a two mile long shoreline site and the fish are in the emergent vegetation for the most part and in four ft of water or less. It is not a wintering site. The staff knows what it is doing. The fish are there under certain flow conditions throughout October and early November depending upon when those flows occur. It is also good for walleye YOY, channel cats, flatheads, and carp. Even the carp move out when the flows are lower than desired. I would add that the are sampled at night because they are partially to fully abandoned in daylight by SMB, WE, etc.

 

[afishinado]

Mike wrote:
Afish,
The site is a two mile long shoreline site and the fish are in the emergent vegetation for the most part and in four ft of water or less. It is not a wintering site. The staff knows what it is doing. The fish are there under certain flow conditions throughout October and early November depending upon when those flows occur. It is also good for walleye YOY, channel cats, flatheads, and carp. Even the carp move out when the flows are lower than desired. I would add that the are sampled at night because they are partially to fully abandoned in daylight by SMB, WE, etc.

^ Good to hear. I have no doubt the guys know what they are doing, I never questioned that. I'll guess it to be the Accomac site.

 

[krayfish2]

I was wondering about the fall shocking. When will it be complete and results available to the publicm

 

[Mike]

I think that there is often a summary produced that appears in the Biologist Reports on the PFBC web site, but even if I am correct about that, the reports do not discuss individual sampling sites, just general river reaches, such as the lower river and middle river.

 

[midgeman]

Many anglers are claiming agricultural and human caused environmental causes for the lack of catching smallmouth. Some anglers and guides are “claiming”fish fills but none are documented.

What I haven’t heard is confirmation on how flatheads affect smallmouth behavior and their populations. How many flat heads are coming up during electroshocking? Any concern? Smallmouth fishing certainly brings in much more angler license sales. Perhaps the state is interested in electro shocking and capturing flatheads?

Also one of the most important observations I have made over the last several years is the disappearing crayfish population. I remember seeing crayfish smothering the bottom on the river. That simply doesn't exist anymore. My theory is that the smallmouth have adapted and changed their feeding behaviors, especially in the summer. I believe there’s a lot of smallmouth in the river and they have focused heavily on aquatic insects in the summer at night. Also, they’re attempting to avoid flatheads.

Who knows? Maybe people are actually keeping them too...

 

[Mwheaps32]

I agree with what midgeman says about the smallmouth feeding heavily during hatches. It was disappointing not being able to catch fish in prime structure with streamers during the day but once that last half hour of daylight came the river seemed full of fish during a good hatch. I ended up having a few really good outings but overall it was tough to get a consistent streamer bite. Now the Early spring fishing was good I caught fish and plenty of them in my usual spots with streamers. This was my observation on the lower north branch susky.

 

[jifigz]

Midgeman mentioned a few truths I've noticed in the Juniata. Less crayfish is definitely one thing and I'm not sure if it's because of the Rusty Crayfish presence or what. Anglers around here still keep smallmouths from time to time as well and (go ahead and crucify me) I keep a couple every few years myself. I do think that flatheads are a major concern, however, they will totally alter, and have already started to alter, the makeup of the watershed. Catfish mean business and the flathead has plenty to hand out.

My streamer bite has still been good and last year my "hatch" and topwater fishing has been lousy. Something is just off the last few years.

 

[afishinado]

jifigz wrote:
Midgeman mentioned a few truths I've noticed in the Juniata. Less crayfish is definitely one thing and I'm not sure if it's because of the Rusty Crayfish presence or what. Anglers around here still keep smallmouths from time to time as well and (go ahead and crucify me) I keep a couple every few years myself. I do think that flatheads are a major concern, however, they will totally alter, and have already started to alter, the makeup of the watershed. Catfish mean business and the flathead has plenty to hand out.

My streamer bite has still been good and last year my "hatch" and topwater fishing has been lousy. Something is just off the last few years.

The last line of above tells the story.

In 2018 the rivers were so high, most of the season the rivers were unfishable or barely fishable most of the year for all intents and purposes.

In 2019 the rivers remained high early and returned to more normal levels in late summer and fall. However, normal levels did not equate to normal fishing. Most anglers had a tough time catching smallies, at least on a consistent basis.

No one really knows if the fish population is down significantly or if the high water conditions change feeding patterns because of changes in availability of prey. Some believe pollution is the culprit. Other blame flatheads.

Anyway, hoping for a better 2020 smallie season.

 

[Fly-Swatter]

I'm certainly no expert, but pollution, high water/runoff, and invasives have been mentioned as factors by experienced and knowledgeable people here and elsewhere. I'm sure all factors have had a negative impact on smallmouth poputlations and behavior. It would be nice to put our finger on one factor, but within a complex system like a river, is rarely that easy to boil problems down to one factor.

An exception would be point source pollution (ie, AMD, industrial spill or effluent, etc.).

 

[Dave_W]

We really need to see the PFBC survey numbers for adult SMBs in the middle and lower Susky for 2019.

Data for the Juniata would be helpful too.

 

[midgeman]

But how are they remotely accurate? Are they hitting east in west banks in the same areas? Big river. Wish they would shock up and keep the flathead while they’re at it. Also have law enforcement patrolling the river.