This past weekend, Penny and Jeff B. (CHRGD) were fishing on the Lower Susquehanna River and caught several Blue Gills and Red Eyes.
When my adult sons (29, 28, and 24 yrs. old) were children, we used to go fishing on Lake Aldred (Between the Safe Harbor Dam and Holtwood Dam) almost every week over the summer months. During those fun fishing trips, we would catch tons of pan fish using live worms as bait. But as the years past and my sons aged, smaller pan fish like these, including Black Crappies, began to disappear from our beloved section of the river system.
Last year, when I took my first solo G3 fishing trip since my knee replacement, I spent about an hour fishing near the York Furnace ramp before a thunderstorm chased e off the water. During that short outing, I caught my very first "Blue Gill" on this stretch of the river in many, many years...
August 6, 2012 at the York Furnace Ramp...
This past weekend... May 19, 2013. Penny holding a healthy little Blue Gill.
Penny also caught this Red Eye on the Lower Susquehanna River this past weekend - May 19, 2013.
It's always good to see such positive signs. But the Susquehanna River is very much in need of our care. Lesions and black markings continue to show on our smallmouth bass population. Pollution of our waterways continues to effect the habitat. Our larger sized smallmouth bass tend to outnumber smaller bass in catch ratios when I speak to most of my friends who fish the Susquehanna River.
Once the "2013 Bass Season" returns to our stretch of the river (June 15, 2013), please handle your "catch and release" bass with care. Anything we can do to help ensure the future growth of our struggling smallmouth bass population should be done.
"Pass The Word!"
Take Care and Be Safe!
Dad
