West Branch Susquehanna

[jkilroy]

Anyone ever fish the WB of the Susquehanna up around kettle creek state park? I was up there last week but it looked to low to fish so I didn't bother. Everything was super low.

 

[salvelinus]

It always looked an off-color green from the AMD to me. I don't think it's worth fishing until down around Lock Haven or Jersey Shore.

 

[Dave_W]

jkilroy wrote:
Anyone ever fish the WB of the Susquehanna up around kettle creek state park? I was up there last week but it looked to low to fish so I didn't bother. Everything was super low.

While I've not fished that specific section, if I lived up there, I'd be doing a lot of exploring. The WB has shown dramatic improvement over the years.

 

[tomgamber]

you have to fish it closer to the mouths of the feeders. kettle and cooks runs are pretty AMD in the lower sections so its not very good there and down for a while. but where the Sinnemahoning dumps in and above its a little better. nice canoeing river.

 

[troutbert]

The PFBC has done extensive electrofishing surveys of the West Branch. Maybe you can find the reports online.

 

[jkilroy]

What is AMD? I checked out the sinne. and it was super low also.

 

[troutbert]

Acid mine drainage

 

[tomgamber]

WE WERE UP THERE LABOR DAY WEEKEND AND IT WAS SUPER LOW AND IT HASN'T RAINED SINCE. YOU COULD PROBABLY WALK ACROSS THE SUSKY.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

It hasn't rained since? Check the gauges. Streams are looking very good up here right now.

 

[tomgamber]

NOT BETWEEN LABOR DAY AND WHEN HE WAS UP THERE YESTERDAY.

 

[troutbert]

Kettle Creek at Cross Fork, 17.4 cfs.

That's low.

 

[RLeep2]

Maybe it hasn't rained very much in the upper WB basin (say above Wmsport) since Labor Day, but there looks to have been anywhere from 1.25 to 3.00 of rain pretty much basin-wide there since Labor Day, although maybe 10-25% of that came in the last day or so.

Still not very much, but any is more than none..

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ridge2/RFC_Precip/

 

[tomgamber]

HAVEN'T HAD TO MOW MY LAWN IN OVER 3 WEEKS. THAT'S HOW DRY ITS BEEN.

 

[jkilroy]

Has anyone fished right by the lower campground on kettle creek state park? There was a nice deep hole there but seemed to be devoid of fish. I saw a couple trout and that was it. I suspect in the spring it's stocked and then gets cleaned out quick.

 

[bigjohn58]

There are some fish where the cleaner streams dump into the WB Susquehanna up that way. Young Womans Creek, Sinnamahoning, etc. You need an influx of cleaner water for there to be fish in the river. There are fish (mostly catfish) just not a ton of them and not enough that I would ever consider fishing the area.

 

[bigjohn58]

jkilroy wrote:
Has anyone fished right by the lower campground on kettle creek state park? There was a nice deep hole there but seemed to be devoid of fish. I saw a couple trout and that was it. I suspect in the spring it's stocked and then gets cleaned out quick.

Lower Kettle is clean water until you hit the really sharp turn in the road. Across from there is where AMD hits the stream. I believe its Short Bond Run. Below the dam at the campground there's smallies, lots of fallfish and chubs, and suckers. They no longer stock trout below the dam I believe.

 

[tomgamber]

John,

We have a camp in Keating and the mouth of the Sinnemahoning has been giving up some nice smallies, channel cats (on buggers) and just a ton of fall fish that like dry flies. Never seen so many fall fish and fall fish of size as in Kettle or the Sinnemahoning.

I remember when that stream had zero slime. You could wade it in sneakers. Now even felt is tricky.

 

[jkilroy]

Thanks for the replies!