The Susquehanna River, which flows from central New York through Pennsylvania to northeastern Maryland before emptying into the Chesapeake Bay, is today one of the best smallmouth bass fisheries east of the Mississippi. Its smallmouth bass, introduced into the river from the Ohio River in the 1800s, have adapted well to the watershed, and today the big river--nearly a mile wide in some places--is a popular destination for fly fishers who have discovered the joys of catching feisty smallmouth.

The Susquehanna is a geologic wonder. Ninety million years ago, perhaps even much longer, before receiving its Algonquian Indian name (meaning literally "muddy stream"), its sedimentary and volcanic base was laid. While most rivers and highways in central Pennsylvania follow the southwest to northeast orientation of the mountains, the Susquehanna curiously bisects the ridges, because it predates the old Appalachians and has maintained its course as the mountains formed. The ledges and ridges that slice across the river create the river's remarkable bottom structure and ideal habitat for smallmouth bass.


Special Regulations on the Susquehanna River near Harrisburg, PA, have created one of the best trophy smallmouth rivers in the country. Whether you prefer to wade or fish from a boat, whether you are looking for lots of wade- or boat-fishing dry-fly action on a summer evening or streamer fishing for late-fall lunkers or an occasional musky, the Susquehanna is an ideal smallmouth fly-fishing destination for a few days, a weekend, or more.

In 1990, special trophy smallmouth regulations on the stretch from Harrisburg's Dock Street Dam downstream to Holtwood Dam, helped improve the Susquehanna's fishery dramatically. Since those initial changes, anglers demanded more protective regulations and today nearly 90 miles of the river are under special regulation--from Holtwood to Fiber Dam in Sunbury. As of January 2000, the special regulations are: January 1 through mid-April--two fish per day, 18-inch minimum; mid-April through mid-June--immediate catch-and-release; mid-June through October 1--four fish per day, 15-inch minimum; October 1 through the rest of the season--two fish per day, 18-inch minimum. These regulations have helped increase the average size and number of bass in the trophy areas.

Middletown resident Bob Clouser, a guide and fly-shop owner known as "the Commodore of the Susquehanna," and fly fishermen are spreading the catch-and-release ethic to those who have traditionally killed limits of fish. They have created a fishery based on quality, a turn around from the quantity-focus of old.

Because it drains an enormous area, the river generally runs high until well into June, but from then through October one can find stretches to suit his sport.

Next Page > > Gear