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Time spent FISHIN'
is not deducted from one's life span.
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WHY THE SCHUYLKILL
RIVER?
*Excerpt
from the book, THE SCHUYLKILL RIVER SMALLMOUTH BASS FISHING HANDBOOK, which will
be published soon.
Provided to Delaware
Valley Outdoors with permission.
*All Rights Reserved
A
quote found in The Saturday Evening Post on July 9, 1949 tells the story:
“If the Schuylkill can be cleaned up…any river in America can be made
to run clear again.”
 The
Schuylkill is the largest tributary of the Delaware River.
The headwaters of the Schuylkill (Tuscarora Spring) are located in the
hills and ridges of Schuylkill County. From
its source to its confluence with the Delaware River, the Schuylkill covers over
128 miles. Its watershed
encompasses over one million acres and includes parts of 11 Pennsylvania
counties. The upper portion of the
river flows through the sedimentary rock-based mountains and plateaus of
Schuylkill County. Waters of the
middle portion of the river flow primarily through moderate hills and ridges
where valleys are composed of agricultural based land.
Near the mouth, in Philadelphia, the river is quite flat and sandy.
The river provides this region with an important source of groundwater.
Towns and cities situated on its banks include Pottsville, Hamburg,
Reading, Pottstown, Phoenixville, Norristown and Philadelphia.
The
Schuylkill has a troubling past. When
the Lenape Indians settled its banks, the river flowed through a pristine,
fertile, vastly wooded region supporting an abundance of animal life.
The Indians must have considered the river an excellent fishery and its
surroundings suitable for living and farming.
They stayed there until early Dutch and British settlers forced them to
leave.
 The
Dutch settlers named the river “Skokihl”, or hidden creek.
The Schuylkill was considered one of the cleanest, most pristine rivers
of that time. Fish were plentiful.
History books provide testimony of General George Washington and his
troops surviving one entire winter on American shad from the Schuylkill.
Around the time of the industrial revolution, man began to reap the
benefits of the coal and iron rich land surrounding the river.
The river and its watershed suffered unmercifully.
Two
hundred eighty dams were constructed on the main stem and its numerous
tributaries for industrial purposes. Because
of this, the river’s prolific run of American shad was wiped out.
Canals were built to bypass shallow sections of the river during
downstream transportation of coal, iron, and agricultural supplies to urban
areas. Acidic runoff from mines
tainted the waters. The vast
woodlands suffered as wood was needed to fuel fires for iron forges.
Sediment from coal mine runoff was deposited on the river’s floor and
banks, virtually wiping out any bottom dwelling organisms.
Fish populations suffered, obviously.
Raw sewage, slaughterhouse remains and industrial waste were discharged
directly into its already polluted waters.
By the early 1900’s, the Schuylkill was almost completely void of life.
Clean
up efforts began after World War II. The
Schuylkill River Desalting Project began removal of coal silt from the river. Regulations were implemented for coal mining practices and
acidic runoff. In 1972, the Clean
Water Act was passed, instilling regulations for pollution sources.
In
1978, a landmark event occurred. Just
30 years after clean up efforts began, the Schuylkill River was the first scenic
river designated under the Pennsylvania Scenic River Act.
Dam removal and restoration is underway, and fish ladders are being
constructed to re-introduce American shad to the river. There are a large number
of active land trust agencies and conservancies whose diligent efforts are
making a difference. Smallmouth
bass thrive in the middle and lower portions of the river.
Largemouth bass can be found in increasing numbers.
Her upper waters provide good trout fishing opportunities.
Anglers frequently report run-ins with muskies.
Although she still has a long way to go, the Schuylkill is alive again
and flourishing.
For more
information, please visit the Delaware Riverkeeper Association’s web site at www.delawareriverkeeper.org.
SMALLMOUTH
SHAD SMORGASBORD
"Look, there's one busting bait!" Clients that fish with me on
the Delaware River can expect to hear that quite often from mid-summer
right through much of the fall season. This is when my "shad
fishing" begins.
The Delaware River has a prolific annual run of American Shad. The adults
enter the river during the early spring period to spawn. Once their
mission is accomplished, they perish leaving behind millions of baby shad, or
fry. The shad fry remain in the river throughout the summer and into the
fall, until water temperatures fall or until a push of high water forces them
downstream to their saltwater dwelling place. While residing in the river,
the fry grow from tiny creatures to lengths of three inches or more by the fall.
Once the fry reach the two to three inch range, smallmouth bass start to key on
them as their preferred forage.
The shad fry travel downstream in schools, or pods, and can be located in the
following areas. Creek mouths provide slightly cooler water temperatures,
which means the water provide more oxygen. Grass beds provide the fry with
refuge from predator fish, primarily smallmouth bass. Larger smallies hold
near grass beds adjacent to deeper water. This is a classic ambush point
for smallies targeting shad fry hiding in grass. And the tops of deeper
runs or pools where a fast rapid or run begins to slow and deepen are likely
areas where shad fry can be located. During low light periods, shad fry
will eat tiny bugs and organisms from the water's surface. It's like
popcorn shad, as they are dimpling and jumping on the surface. It gets the
blood boiling!
The pods can also be located in the center of a deep, calm pool cruising toward
their next resting place. The easiest method for locating
cruising pods of shad fry is to watch for feeding smallmouth. Often
smallies with pin the fry between themselves and the surface, creating some
exciting surface explosions! When this occurs, you will hear the
exclamation, "There's one busting bait. Can you reach it?"
Shad fry are much easier to locate during lower flows. They are still
"there" when the water rises and goes off-color. They are much
like smallmouth in this respect. The fry become shoreline cover and eddy
oriented during high flows. Knowing the primary areas where fry hold
during lower flows helps locate them when the water is higher and murkier, when
they can't be seen by the naked eye.
When water temperatures are above 50 degrees, small soft jerkbaits, primarily
Sinkin Salty Shads, created by Case Plastics, are deadly when twitched or
"walked" on or near the surface during the downstream migration of the
shad fry. Another favorite method is a Texas-rigged Senko or Senko copy
bait like a Case Magic Stik or Yum Dinger. Texas rigging the lure allows
it to be twitched, creating reaction strikes from less aggressive smallmouth.
Light colors like pearls and smokes are preferred.
Topwater lures like Pop-R's, Zara Spooks and Torpedos work well in calmer water
areas or drop offs near grass beds. Buzzbaits are a great choice for
aggressively feeding smallmouth in shallow water with some current. During
higher flows, throw spinnerbaits and buzzbaits to structure and eddies near
where shad fry hold. Try Mizmo tubes and suspending jerkbaits to go below
the fry during murkier water conditions.
There will be times when the fry are located, smallmouth are feeding on them and
not eating the lures on or just beneath the surface. Go beneath the
activity with a Mizmo tube or grub, or deadstick a Salty Shad or Senko copy
bait. Often, this occurs as the light penetration increases during
mid-morning. This technique is excellent for creating bites from larger,
less active smallmouth that tend to hold deeper when larger amounts of light
penetrate the water.
When the water cools below 50 degrees, a suspending jerkbait, like a Lucky Craft
Pointer is an excellent choice. Crankbaits in shad patterns work well,
especially in colder, murkier water conditions.
Some of the finest smallmouth of the season are caught during the spring adult
shad run. Knowing the itinerary and holding areas of their offspring
offers anglers tremendous opportunities for numbers of bass and trophies right
throughout the summer and well into the fall season.
Blaine
Mengel, Jr.
  
 
HAIR FOR BRONZEBACKS
Blaine Mengel
Seasoned largemouth bass anglers profess that for large bass throughout the seasons, a rubber or silicon-skirted jig with a pork or plastic trailer is hard to beat.
For that other "black bass", however, hair is the way to go. Smallmouth bass in Pennsylvania's fertile rivers prefer hair jigs to silicon or rubber skirted jigs, hands down. It has been a popular mistruth over the years that smallmouth do not eat or that they lay dormant when the water temperature holds in the 30's, as it does during the cold water winter period. The cold water period is an excellent time for anglers to catch trophy river smallmouth bass, and a hair jig may be the best lure
touse.
Most smallmouth that have made it to my boat during the cold water period have fallen for hair jigs. Hair jigs are subtle, yet they create curiosity in smallmouth that won't be tempted by other productive lures. Hair jigs come in various sizes, colors and styles. Bucktails, deer hair and marabou style jigs are productive on many game fish, including smallmouth bass.
Don's Handcrafted Jigs makes a jig called the Millennium Jig. This jig is constructed from rabbit hair and top quality jig heads and is the choice for trophy cold water smallies. When dropped into the water, the rabbit hair pulsates giving the lure an almost lifelike quality that will catch the attention of smallies even in water temperatures in the 30's.
The key to fishing hair jigs effectively is the key to success with any other lure: Find the fish. A hair jig will produce as well as a rattling crankbait if fished in an area that isn't holding bass. Target eddies and related break lines, mid-depth rocky flats and rocky drop offs adjacent to wintering holes for the most aggressive smallies during the cold water period. Rocky drop offs near holding areas warm first on sunny days or during a warming trend. Smallmouth gravitate to these areas searching for a quick, big meal. Remember, they aren't inclined to expend a lot of energy in cold water. Fish any concrete or wood structure within the targeted area for less active bass.
Cast a hair jig to drop offs and structure near these feeding areas. Lift the rod tip in line with your forehead. This allows the jig to fall straight and keeps the line tight. Many strikes occur on the fall immediately following the cast. Strikes can feel like mushy weight, similar to grass or a small stick. Or the strike may be a bit more evident, and a "tick" or "tap" will vibrate through the rod. Quality graphite rods like Quarrow's ML3 and ML4 series rods are important for this application. Set the hook hard if either of these conditions occur. Many anglers use the "I'm not sure if it's a fish" theory if the bite isn't obvious. That theory is good for loosing trophy smallmouth, so we'll stay away from it. We teach the "When in doubt, set the hook!" theory.
To work the jig, keep the rod tip high and the line tight and move the jig across the river floor or structure slowly. The jig shouldn't move more than several inches to a foot at a time. There is a time when swimming hair jigs is effective, when fish are chasing lures. That occurs when water temperatures are in the forties.
For cold smallies, slow and deliberate dragging, hopping or jigging is best. And when fish are extremely sluggish, as was the case much of the month of January, the jig is effective when motionless on the river bottom. Remember, the rabbit hair Millennium Jig creates its own "life". Most effective colors are black and brown for PA river smallies. Olive, gray, tan and white can work as well. Many jigs have combinations of several of the above colors. Jigs can be tipped with plastic or small pork trailers for more profile. Black trailers have produced the best results, with brown, green pumpkin, and smoke also being viable options. Jigs can be thrown on medium action rods equipped with 6-10 pound McCoy Mean Green line.
River smallmouth bass in Pennsylvania provide tremendous fishing opportunities for beginning and advanced anglers twelve months per year. Hair jigs, especially Millennium Jigs from Dan's Handcrafted Jigs, are excellent lures for fooling smallmouth bass from these rivers even when the smallies have "stopped eating" or gone dormant" for the winter period. Find the fish holding areas and choose the best equipment for the job at hand. Remember to fish slowly and do not "overwork" the jig. The result of using hair jigs and following these simple rules can be quite satisfying.
(For more information on the Millennium Jigs or any of Don's Handcrafted jigs, click on the link on this page or search
www.dons-jigs.com)
1-29-04
TUBES FOR RIVER SMALLMOUTH
Blaine Mengel
The scrappy river smallmouth bass, ah yes, those leaps and deep runs, and those ferocious surface strikes, and … There may not be a more entertaining game fish to target. They can be caught throughout the four seasons. They are curious creatures, which often times makes them quite predictable. And they are stubborn creatures, which often times puzzles even the finest river anglers.
One thing is certain. River smallmouth bass crave lobster dinner. Here in Eastern Pennsylvania, we are blessed with several tremendous bass rivers, all of which have an abundance of crayfish. Smallmouth prefer these fresh water lobsters to anything else. They are opportunistic feeders and eat whatever is easiest to capture. However, if two or three different types of forage are available simultaneously, they usually pursue the crayfish first.
There are several excellent lures anglers can use to imitate crayfish successfully. Crawfish colored crankbaits, when fished around ledges, rocks and boulders, entice quality smallmouth from Eastern Pennsylvania's big three smallmouth rivers. Jigs tipped with trailer chunks may be the best producers of quality smallies during the coldest water period. And hair jigs usually produce best.
 Tubes, primarily the four-inch Mizmo Big Boy tubes, are the finest crayfish-imitating lure for trophy river smallmouth bass. Mizmo laces their tubes with an abundance of salt, and they bake a bait fish attractant into the rubber prior to molding. Tube bodies are hollow, allowing for a much more natural feel to the fish. When a smallie latches on to a crayfish and the shell cracks, a bloody, salty taste results, hence the reason why fish hold tubes longer than hard baits.
Tubes are quite versatile in that they can be fished slowly in deep water near boulders and rocks. They can be fished in a swimming motion imitating an escaping crayfish or shad fry. They are effective when dragged across rocky flats. They can even be used weightless on the surface with a "walking the dog" type retrieve.
Tubes are most effective when rigged with an insert style lead jig head pushed up through the hollow body of the lure. A weed guard may prevent the lure from excessive snagging and hang ups on rocks and ledges. The jig head eye is then pushed through the rubber, becoming exposed so the line can be tied. Rigging the tube in this manner is effective when targeting smallies in deeper water, in current, on drop offs or when the lure must get to the base of boulders and ledges quickly.
Texas-rigging tubes is becoming a popular method for targeting smallies, especially those holding near wood and in grass and weeds. Push the shank of a 3/0 or 4/0 Gamakatsu offset worm hook through the body of the tube and then push the hook eye through the rubber. Turn the hook so the point can be placed just under the surface of the rubber. This makes the lure weedless. This method can be done without weight, with a bullet style weight threaded on the line, or an insert weight pushed up into the tube body.
There may not be a more effective way to catch trophy smallmouth from ledges, boulders, or concrete than dropping a tube to the base of the structure. River smallmouth often hold at the base of ledges and boulders. A submerged eddy is created to the downstream side of the structure, creating a place for refuge from the current and an ambush point for taking food. Target the downstream side of ledges and boulders with tubes. The rod tip should remain high to keep the line off the surface of the water and lessen the bow in the line created by the current. As a rule, target shoreline eddies, rocks and ledges during high flows and mid river ledges and boulders during low flows.
Smallies use the eddy on the downstream side of concrete as well. They also hold tight to the current side of concrete in swift current or during high water. Flipping tubes to concrete structure is a sure bet method for high water success.
Smallies hold in calm shoreline eddies during high, cold flows. Pitch tubes to drop offs in these eddies. Allow the lure to sink to the bottom and then hop it very slowly, covering only a foot or so at a time.
When the water temperature rises above 55 degrees, smallies feed on current breaks created by boulders and ledges. Tubes are effective for taking fish in these conditions. Current brings the food to the fish. This is common during the post spawn period and any time smallmouth are heavily feeding. Cast to the fast water and drag the lure to the break line. When bass are in this mode, it isn't uncommon to take numbers of fish from one break line. Large females also can be taken during this period from the shallow slack water heads of eddies. Be quick with hook sets.
During the warm water period, smallmouth are found on rocky flats, grass edges and faster riffles and runs. Tubes can be effective when fished in fast rapids. A "tumbling" retrieve is best. With the rod tip high, allow the current to drift the lure naturally, hopping the tube slowly several times per retrieve. And, for those elusive summertime trophies, target deep water boulders and rocks and work the tube slowly and deliberately.
Smallmouth in the "Big 3" rivers feed heavily during the fall period. Tubes fished near deep grass edges and rocky drop offs take big smallies during the fall. Smallies still use current until the water temperature falls below 50 degrees, and numbers of fish can be taken from current breaks. Again, target mid-river structure during low flows and shoreline current breaks and structure during high flows.
When river smallmouth winter, they hold in slow, deep pools with adequate structure and forage. Smallmouth do not lay dormant during the cold water period. In fact, this is an excellent time for trophy smallies. For more aggressive feeding fish, throw tubes to rocky drop offs, boulders and wood adjacent to holding areas. Fish the tube very slowly on the bottom. There are times when smallies prefer the lure lying completely motionless.
Natural crayfish colors are top producers for most applications. Top colors are green pumpkin, watermelon, black and smoke (red, black or purple flake). Fish with darker colored tubes during muddy water conditions.
A good quality graphite rod and sensitive, low stretch line is a must for fishing tubes. Quarrow's ML3 and ML4 Series rods and McCoy Mean Green copolymer line are excellent choices.
Smallmouth eat tubes the way they would eat a crayfish, by flaring their gills and creating a vacuum that sucks the tube directly into the back of the mouth. There, they have crushers that they use to mash their prey for swallowing. Many times aggressive fish eat the lure on the fall of the cast before it hits the bottom. As this process occurs, anglers feel a tap or "tick" through the line and rod. A quick, forceful hook set is imperative for two reasons. Slow hook sets often result in missed fish, or gut hooked fish, and neither scenario is a good one.
Unfortunately, fishing tubes occasionally results in deeply hooked fish. Do Not tear impaled hooks from a fish's esophagus. Smallmouth have a pulmonary artery directly behind the gills and esophagus. If this artery is severed or torn, an ugly stream of blood flows down the broad side of the bass. Most times, when this occurs the fish perishes. It may swim away, but there is no blood flow to the major organs. A quality stainless steel wire cutters is a must. In fact, cutters are more important than a needle nose pliers for gut hooked smallies. Lip land deeply hooked fish and don't flip or yank it into the boat. Then, use the cutters to cut away as much of the hook as possible without injuring the fish. Bass often rid their body of the remainder of the jig head. After the "surgery", place the fish in the water with the head facing upstream. Try to release fish in as little current as possible. Move slowly back-and-forth to displace water through the gills. When she's ready to swim, let her go home.
When targeting smallmouth from the Delaware, Schuylkill, or Susquehanna Rivers, no matter what the season, tubes produce trophy fish. So know where smallies are and what they are doing. Then use the applications above and hold on!
Blaine
Mengel, Jr.
The Backwoods Angler
Back to Top
 "THE
DELAWARE RIVER SMALLMOUTH BASS FISHING HANDBOOK", first edition is now
available through this site or by phone. This 46 page handbook includes
photos as well as tips and techniques we implement for daily success on this
tremendous smallmouth river. To purchase "The
Delaware River Smallmouth Bass Fishing Handbook", please email me. Or call 610-868-9349.
Include $7.00 for the book plus $1.50 for shipping.
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Delaware River--Nov 17, 2008
Belvidere NJ gauge reads 5.67 feet and a slight rise continues to make its way
downstream. With the current cold snap, smallies have slowed down some. We
target current breaks and adjacent eddies as well as soft current near deeper
rocky banks. Jig/stick worm combos, Mizmo tubes, grubs and Millenniums Jigs will
be the lures of choice now for cold water bass. A suspending jerkbait may work
if a bass moves shallow during the afternoon to feed. Trips averaged 20 per day
last week with Doug Wood and Tim Oakes boating 50 bass and 2 walleye on their
outing. Jay Rosenthal and son, Max (11 yrs. old) landed 31 on a 5 hour trip last
weekend. SInce then, Three straight trips yielded around 20 fish. Walleye have
become more plentiful lately with 2-5 being caught each trip as well.
Susquehanna/North Branch Susquehanna River--Nov 17, 2008--
Chris Gorsuch reports 50-70 fish per day is an average on the main stem. Lots of
2-3.5 pound smallies with an occasional 4+ in the mix. Suspending jerkbaits,
tubes and grubs are the best choices. On the NB, He and another angler boated
104 smallies last weekend on jerkbaits and tubes. Great fishing can still be had
and dates are available for Suky and Delaware River trips!
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