Fishing Report: Little Juniata, Blair County

I am now convinced that the river smallmouth are gearing up for their fall feeding frenzy in north central Pennsylvania! Lots of hits and fat smallmouth bass where the order of the day on the scenic little Juniata. The tally was 16 smallmouth landed, 3 lost, and consistent action in almost every area I fished. The largest smallmouth was a fat bellied 15” on the nose. Quite a few of the fish were 13” or more with only 3 dinks being caught. Not a bad day considering I left my waders at home therefore decided to only fish areas of the stream I could reach from the bank.

Time
4:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Baits
One fish was caught on a Bagley crankbait in a brown perch pattern. The remainder of the fish were caught on a 4” Yum Dinger in pumpkin/chartreuse color. The bait was fished tex-posed with no weight.

Pattern
The fish were definitely holding in deeper water as apposed to shallow riffle sections. Most fish were caught in 4+ feet of water in holes. More specifically the fish were holding close to the steep bank “mountain side” of the river where chunk rock and boulders had slide into the water creating a sharp drop off of rock. Ninety nine percent of the fish were caught within a foot or two of this type of situation. The bigger the rock the better the fishing!

This situation also called for very long casts across the river to hit choice targets. The fish were most interested in the Dingers when left to drift or sink naturally with no action at all. They seemed very reluctant to run down a bait. I found myself casting as close to the drop offs as I could then letting the bait sink for a few seconds on a loose line. If I did not get bit after about 30 seconds or so I reeled the bait in and cast to another target. Most hits were coming within seconds of the bait hitting the water right up against the rock.

Water Conditions
The water had definitely cooled however actual temp is unknown. Visibility 3+ feet.

Weather Conditions
Mostly cloudy with periods of sun. Air temps are definitely cooling today. Air temps in the 70’s.