Susquehanna Hatches

[JackM]

I had dinner with my sister and our friend Patti at Dockside Willies across the river from Harrisburg. Seemed to be some midges, but then some tiny black caddis and early sulfers (?). The sulfers turned into spinners and were into an orgy mating swarm.

 

[tomgamber]

I remember having breakfast at the west shore diner with Gramma and seeing incredible numbers of mayflies in the spider webs.

 

[TimMurphy]

I had dinner with my sister and our friend Patti at Dockside Willies across the river from Harrisburg. Seemed to be some midges, but then some tiny black caddis and early sulfers (?). The sulfers turned into spinners and were into an orgy mating swarm.

Dear Jack,

I'm sure you saw Sulphur's. I've fished hatches on the Conodoguinet below the Letort several times this time of year. They are easily on the river now.

For real fun, try gassing up on Front Street in Harrisburg at night in June or July. Between the Dobsons and the mayflies even bats fall on the ground drunk on bugs.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

 

[krayfish2]

Yep, live 10 minutes away from there. What you saw was probably a 2-3 on a scale of 1 to 10. As Tim said, gas station after dark are your worst nightmare. You'll leave the pump with 500 mayflies inside the vehicle.

Here's a picture from a couple years back of the front street Pizza Hut. Spider webs filled with mayflies. All the businesses have to clean daily.

 

[brookieteeth]

Last week (May 13-20), the Susky at Lewisburg had great hatches and spinner falls of march browns and large black quill-looking mayflies, with fish rising along the west bank all the way out toward the middle of the river, starting a couple of hours before sunset. Bass and fallfish, some of them big. A chance for a carp, too, maybe. Along River Road on the west bank, east and south of of Bucknell, where the river is paralleling the rail track, a mile or two below the bridge. There's a steep tree-lined bank, that's where the spinners post up. The hatch is gone now, but it's worth keeping in mind for next year. No bankside parking. Probably a mile hike from parking. But floating the stretch in a boat would be best.

I do not consider this information a spot burn. Given the vicinity, it's more like an anti-spot burn.

 

[krayfish2]

Floated today closer to Harrisburg. Few golden stones, mid day occasional sulphur and caddis. Random rise here and there. We got a couple but it was still pretty slow IMHO

 

[dudemanspecial]

We used to do a yearly trip for smallmouth around Liverpool for a weekend in August. The white fly hatches were out of this world. There is a gas station there and it would be completely coated with them. I mean you had to brush them off the pump so you could use it.

We haven't gone for 3 years now, need to get back out there.

 

[troutbert]

Has anyone ever seen a hatch chart for the Susquehanna and Juniata?

Even though I've mostly used poppers when the smallmouth were hitting on top, I'd still be interested to see what insects hatch on the rivers and when.

When do the Hexagenias hatch?