There is much ado lately about the Susquehanna River smallmouth bass fishery.
This is one of the most complex issues I've seen raised, and depending on who you talk to, you get opinions from one extreme to the other. There are differing viewpoints from various fisheries researchers with masters and doctorate degrees, all the way down to the casual angler with a pocket full of sinkers and a box of nightcrawlers.
On one hand we keep hearing about water quality issues, while on the other hand, most of us who grew up on the river know it looks nicer now than it did 30 or 40 years ago. You have to wonder why there is a problem with the smallmouth when the rest of the fish seem to be doing OK.
Another indicator of water quality is insect life. From my casual, non-scientific observations, insect life is thriving. Lift any rock and you will see lots of activity. There are tremendous hatches coming off the river throughout the seasons.
Another issue involved is public perception. At one end you have people who quit fishing and won't even swim in the river. At the other end you have people who practically live in the river and catch lots of fish.
I had a booth at the Butler Sports Show two years ago near Pittsburgh. People in that area were surprised to learn that there were any fish left in the Susquehanna. All they had heard was that it was an "endangered" river with all kinds of problems. They were quite surprised when I showed them pictures of 40-inch plus muskie and 3- to 4-pound smallmouths.
Then you have to think about the fishermen. There are those who are quite OK with the way things are now in relation to the smallmouth situation. They may not be catching as many all the time as they used to, but they are catching more quality-size fish than ever. Newcomers to the sport are especially quite impressed at times with the smallmouth this river produces.
Then there are the experienced river anglers who are struggling to catch any bass now. Creel surveys have shown that most bass fishermen release their fish, but there are anglers who kill smallmouth to eat. The creel surveys I was included in were at major boat ramps during the summer. I see far more smallmouth harvested at places like Shady Nook and the Norry Point during the spring and fall. They are doing absolutely nothing illegal. They are lawfully allowed to kill whatever the legal limit is.
Eating fish is part of the sport of fishing, a fact that escapes some. As long as the Fish Commission stands by the view that anglers cannot affect the population, there is nothing illegal or unethical about killing smallmouth.
Herein lies the problem, because to many concerned river smallmouth anglers, eating a smallmouth would be like eating your dog. If the smallmouth population is down, as statistics and experience has shown, shouldn't we try to preserve what's left? What if the harvest estimates are wrong?
Whatever they do will not in a million years please everyone. Whether you are catch-and-kill, catch-and-release, pro-tournament or anti-tournament, or some combination of the above, you will probably have a burr under your saddle sooner or later.
The good thing is that the gears are finally now turning, however slowly, on getting something done.
n Ken Maurer, Herndon, is a licensed guide and a regular contributor to the Outdoors section. Email comments to kenrose@tds.net
