The Susquehanna River is at the highest level we’ve seen in July for a long time.
Most years it has been wadable by the beginning of July. We’ve been getting just enough rain to keep it flowing strong. The West Branch is trying hard to clear up and is looking pretty good now. The North Branch is still very cloudy and will take longer to clear up.
Don’t let the cloudy water fool you. The North Branch fish seem to be used to the off-color water and will readily strike spinnerbaits and noisy crankbaits. I like to use bright colors and steady retrieves to let the fish home in on the lure.
Though the West Branch water has more visibility, it has a ways to go to get to the gin-clear point that we are used to. Brightly colored lures are working in the West Branch too, but as the water clears, the more natural hues will come into play.
One of the things I have been experimenting with during this off-colored water period is lure size. I have caught some smallmouth on rather large lures. At first glance, you would think these lures would only be good on largemouth lakes that held big fish.
As many river veterans know, even little smallmouth will readily attack large lures. In low-visibility conditions, large lures “push” a lot of water. So besides color and rattles, a large lure moves a lot of water, giving the fish another source to home in on.
During last week’s Thursday Night Lunker League at Shikellamy State Park, I decided to try the big lure-big fish theory, and tied on one of the biggest crankbaits I had in the box.
After about a half-dozen casts, a 2-pound smallie crashed the bait and nearly ripped the rod out of my hands.
‘Hey, maybe I’m on to something,’ I thought.
A few casts later, a very enthusiastic 10-incher tried to eat the lure. I asked him what he was thinking as I returned him to the river.
So much for the big lure-big fish theory, but the big lure did produce several more fish, including a chunky 2.5-pounder. I know from my muskie fishing experience that smallmouth will attack large lures, so it might not be a bad idea to throw some big stuff at them from time to time, especially in off-colored water.
Just about every lure company makes some sort of oversized lure. Most are meant for largemouth, northern pike or muskie. I like the shorter, fatter ones for smallmouth. Rapala’s DT series and Strike King’s No. 4’s are examples of the fatter crankbaits. A recent newcomer to the lure industry, River2Sea, also has some big crankbaits that work surprisingly well for river smallmouth.
Another lure type that works well in off-colored water is the lipless crankbait. Bill Lewis’s Rat-L-Trap and Cotton Cordell’s Spot were the originals, but many companies now produce similar lures. These lures are filled with rattles in the form of lead, steel or tungsten BBs, and they make a tremendous amount of noise when pulled through the water. Besides letting the fish home in on them, the obnoxious noise caused by the internal rattle seems to tick the fish off, and strikes are often viscious.
So, don’t let the muddy water stop you. The fish are still out there and they are eating every day.
-- Ken Maurer, Herndon, is a licensed fishing guide and a regular contributor to the Outdoors section.
Sports
Luring them in in cloudy water
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