Correct, generally speaking Since big and small fish can be caught at any time during the run. However, generally speaking, In the beginning (March/April) you will catch less but bigger fish Generally speaking in the 35” plus size. Then the size will go down to the low 30” (April/May) fish and then to the schoolies which I consider 21 to 30” fish (May/Early June). With The schoolies you can catch big numbers. 20 to 30 in a 5 hour span. Then that number will drop and you will start catching lowing number and smaller juvenile fish below 21” (June). Usually come June I’m wrapping up stripers and will transition to SMB, saltwater fishing, carp, catfish and whatever else I can get into. Dates are relative and change each year and it’s a big, long and diverse river. Most of the really big ones won’t go North of the CB bridge. so I offer only a best guesstimate as a general rule of thumb based solely on my personal experience. You can catch the juveniles all year as some of them will stay in the river for a couple years before going out to sea. Sizes are also a generally speaking as 30” plus inch fish are caught occasionally into the late summer months. Not normal by any stretch but we’ve also had beluga whales find their way in to the river.Holy Catfish, Robin, Boot takes a photo. Awesome looking fish! Are the smaller sizes usually at the end of the run?
Is he good with the electronics?I caught my son smiling today, or at least a grin, and a few bass too.
I just had to take this pic, a catfish on a Senko.
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My son hasn’t expressed as much interest in fishing as I would have liked to see through the years so I was happy to have him join me today. It is his 3rd trip with me in the last month, twice salt and now finally fresh so maybe he is turning the corner. He always made the trout openers when he was younger and he turned into a pretty good spin caster. Today, I had him on a baitcaster for the first time and he surprised me with how well he did, not a single tangle. I’ll give him credit along with the SLX DC reel he was using.
Bass were not as present in the shallows or banks as the past couple of trips, indicating they are in post spawn but we managed to hook into 6 of them. Landing them though was the bigger issue. 2 of them got caught behind sticks and pop went those fish. Probably 3-4 lbers but the story will be told going forward that they were both state records.
Great Pop and Son memory. State record, lol. Print this off for you scrap book.
Now, Is he gonna eat that fish or not?
Is he good with the electronics?
Still learning. The only thing my bro does is watch me get them then he steals my stuff (like my flies and fly rod) and catches them lol. But sometimes he can impress me with some of his techniques.My Gosh Sol. You two are the Musky Men of Western PA.
Time to get that hopper pattern wet well almostJust got home. I’m calling the 2022 striper season over. Fished between 10:00 AM till about 2:30 PM. 8 fish between 19” and 24”. Two biggest were 21 and 24 the rest 19 and 20. hard day of fishing not much catching going on among the 5 or 6 boats out. maybe It was just shut down for the pending storm but it’s about that time of year. I’ve been wrong before though and there might be one or two more good weeks left but I’m doubting it. I’m not burning anymore time off for stripers.
This is the time of year I say I’m going to rip my boat apart and restore it and the trailer. Probably won’t do that again but that’s what I like to say this time of the year. I’ll probably just go creek fishing with the fly rod until fall. I burnt a lot of days off going to Florida this winter so I don’t have many days off and I refuse to fish on the weekends in the summer.Quitter! hahaha, I've gone twice this year and only landed one Dink. It was a blast!
What is the next target?
yes Sir, almost indeed.Time to get that hopper pattern wet well almost