Episode Details

Episode Overview

On this Pennsylvania Smallmouth Report from The Articulate Fly fly fishing podcast, host Marvin Cash checks in with Captain Brian Shumaker of Susquehanna River Guides for a mid-August conditions update on the Susquehanna River system in Central Pennsylvania. After a heavy rain event pushed the river up, Shumaker reports flows are now falling and clarity is returning, with roughly two feet of visibility on the edges and more color still out in the main current. That in-between water dictates a two-tier approach: anglers can still pound the banks with poppers where visibility holds, but need to switch to bigger, darker streamers with more flash as they move off the bank into stained water. Shumaker breaks down how he is fishing Half and Half and Clouser Minnow patterns in size two and one, in chartreuse-yellow with gold flash, black-and-olive and olive-and-orange combinations, all still fished on an intermediate line. He also covers how the return of some color has let him tighten up casting distances compared to the ultra-clear, low-water conditions from before the rain, when 40-foot+ casts were often required to avoid spooking fish. Looking ahead, Shumaker outlines open guide dates in late September and October before he heads to Texas for redfish in November.

Key Takeaways

• How falling, stained water after heavy rain changes streamer color and profile choices for Susquehanna smallmouth
• Why topwater poppers still produce along the bank edges even when the main current carries reduced visibility
• When to size up to bigger, darker streamers with added flash as anglers move off the bank into off-color water
• How stained, elevated water allows for shorter, more comfortable casts compared to low, clear pre-rain conditions
• When to book a fall smallmouth trip with Susquehanna River Guides as the guide calendar opens up in September and October

Techniques & Gear Covered

Shumaker splits his approach along a visibility gradient: poppers worked tight to the bank where a foot and a half or so of clarity remains, and streamers as anglers move out into the murkier main current. His streamer program centers on Half and Half and Clouser Minnow patterns in size two and one, favoring darker, flashier color combinations in stained water, including chartreuse-yellow with gold flash, black-and-olive and olive-and-orange. All of these are fished on an intermediate line rather than a heavier sinking option, even as fly size and color shift with conditions. On the presentation side, he notes that reduced water clarity has shortened the casting distance needed to reach productive water, a contrast to the 40-foot+ casts required during the low, gin-clear conditions before the rain.

Locations & Species

This report covers the Susquehanna River system in Central Pennsylvania, where Captain Brian Shumaker guides for smallmouth bass out of Susquehanna River Guides. Conditions are transitional: the river is dropping and clearing after a heavy rain event, moving from a bony, low-water late-summer pattern toward a fresh bump with a couple of feet of edge visibility.

FAQ / Key Questions Answered

How does falling, stained water after heavy rain change smallmouth fly selection on the Susquehanna?

Brian Shumaker sizes up to bigger, darker streamers with more flash as visibility drops moving off the bank, favoring Half and Half and Clouser Minnow patterns in size two and one. Color choices lean toward chartreuse and chartreuse-yellow with gold flash, or black-and-olive and olive-and-orange combinations that show up well in off-color water.

When should anglers fish topwater poppers versus switch to streamers in low-