Jeff (CHRGD) and I got together once more on Saturday to fish our beloved Susquehanna River for one last time before the 6 week closed season on bass begins. This special regulation takes effect on May 1, 2012 and covers nearly 98 miles of rive - Sunbury, Pa. (The conluences of the West and North Branches) to PPL's Holtwood Dam (North of the Conowingo Pond).
It was 35 degrees (air temperature) when I left my home in Willow Street, Pa. at 6:15 am. I met Jeff at 7:00 am and we both dressed in our warm winter gear before running the river. There won't be too many cold mornings left this Spring. The river temperature has actually dropped a little over ten degrees in the past few weeks to a chilly 52 degrees due to this cold snap we've been having. The morning sun worked hard to heat the river to 54.5 degrees by the time we left the river at 2:30 pm. The air temperature when we returned to the launch had only rose to 53 degrees... 57 degrees when I reached Willow Street at 3:00 pm.
By 11:00 am, the sun had gone behind a thick layer of clouds and a stiff southerly wind had worked up. We even had to redress into our warm gear for the long ride back to the ramp because of the chill in the air.
We had very little breeze when we left the ramp. The river resembled a beautiful sheet of ice as we drove upriver. The sound of the motor frightened a mature bald eagle from the treetops and she flew across the river right in front of our path. What a cool sight on a brisk cold morning run!
The water level was high on Saturday and we could navigate wherever we chose to go. We took advantage of the river level and hit some of our favorite spots.
Jeff nailed a nice 17.5" smallie within his first few casts on a chartreuse bladed 1/2 oz. spinnerbait at our first hot spot...
Several casts later while using a very similar bladed spinnerbait, I caught the twin of Jeff's fish...
My Rite Bite green pumpkin/orange flaked tube enticed this little guy to bite.. Gotta give those "little ones" all the loving we can to keep them strong and healthy.
Jeff had all his luck tied up in the spinnerbait on Saturday. Here are a few more that he caught with the bladed bait throughout the day...
The high water brought a lot of "junk" downriver this past week. We happen to run across "Wilson's" cousin, "Sunny". Noontime, he joined us for lunch, a few casts, and some epic river stories...
Notice the "Golden Rule" seated beside "Sunny"... He was making sure that the "deliar" kept us honest men.
We knew that we were facing six weeks of closed bass season on the river. So, Jeff decided to practice his multi-species angling. At one point, he hooked into a huge carp that we tried to get into the boat, but failed. He also caught a nice walleye on his super-duper-special-marble-eyed-spinnerbait! It looks so similar to his super-duper-special-smallmouth-bass-spinnerbait. :)
I was toast once I got home. I know that Jeff was hurting when he woke up on Saturday morning, but he decided to give it a go and get me out on the river before the season closed for the next six weeks. For that, I appreciate his efforts.
Despite feeling the pain when I arrived back in Willow Street, I bucked up and mowed the lawn and bagged the remaining mulch before settling down and icing my knee.
I am simply amazed by how swollen my knee still gets after nine months. I have another surgeon's appointment tomorrow and we'll see what he says about my inability to straighten my knee and the continued swelling and pain. I was thinking of asking about arthroscopic surgery on the knee to see if he can locate the adhesions that are holding my knee back. He might be in favor of it(?) I'll know more tomorrow.
Take Care and Be Safe!
Dad
