When I get the itch for a good time and some awesome smallmouth fishing, one place always comes to mind. And that place is the north branch of the Susquehanna River all the way up near the top of PA. Twice a year I make a 450 mile trip up to Mike’s Guide Service to get my smallie fix along with the total “Mike” experience that keeps all of his clients coming back year after year. Not only does Mike put you on great fish, but he keeps you laughing and entertained the entire time you’re catching them. This trip was no different than all the others I’ve made up there…nothing but a great time!

If I sat here and typed out all of the details of the trip I’d end up with a blog pages in length. So instead, we’ve condensed the non-stop action into a short 4 minute kick ass video, and I’ll let the video do the talking for me. But what I will say is, the 3.5” Food Chain Tube and the 3.5” Craw D’oeuvre in the color Susky Slayer are absolute animals on the Susquehanna River and accounted for 60 % of our fish. Due to the air temps dropping into the 20’s overnight, the fish were pretty much locked onto the bottom presentation for most of the day until it warmed up so those two baits were spot on. The other 40 % came either on a 4.8” JP Hammer Shad twitched slowly as a jerkbait on a weighted 1/16 oz 5/0 swimbait hook in still water (every hit on this bait was bone jarring), or a 4.8” Swinging Hammer rigged on a 1/4 Owner Flashy swimmer for a moving presentation.

I’ve always fished with Mike in the late winter/early spring so this trip was my first “Fall” fishing experience on the north branch. As I figured, it was pretty much the same as the fishing in the early spring… a lot of fish, a lot of good fish, and a lot of cool memories that keep me re-booking before I even hit the road to go home. And after 130 smallies in 2 1/2 days of fishing, I’m already counting down the days until the next trip up to Mike’s. The pre-spawn can’t come fast enough! Enjoy the video!

When I get the itch for a good time and some awesome smallmouth fishing, one place always comes to mind. And that place is the north branch of the Susquehanna River all the way up near the top of PA. Twice a year I make a 450 mile trip up to Mike’s Guide Service to get my smallie fix along with the total “Mike” experience that keeps all of his clients coming back year after year. Not only does Mike put you on great fish, but he keeps you laughing and entertained the entire time you’re catching them. This trip was no different than all the others I’ve made up there…nothing but a great time!

If I sat here and typed out all of the details of the trip I’d end up with a blog pages in length. So instead, we’ve condensed the non-stop action into a short 4 minute kick ass video, and I’ll let the video do the talking for me. But what I will say is, the 3.5” Food Chain Tube and the 3.5” Craw D’oeuvre in the color Susky Slayer are absolute animals on the Susquehanna River and accounted for 60 % of our fish. Due to the air temps dropping into the 20’s overnight, the fish were pretty much locked onto the bottom presentation for most of the day until it warmed up so those two baits were spot on. The other 40 % came either on a 4.8” JP Hammer Shad twitched slowly as a jerkbait on a weighted 1/16 oz 5/0 swimbait hook in still water (every hit on this bait was bone jarring), or a 4.8” Swinging Hammer rigged on a 1/4 Owner Flashy swimmer for a moving presentation.

I’ve always fished with Mike in the late winter/early spring so this trip was my first “Fall” fishing experience on the north branch. As I figured, it was pretty much the same as the fishing in the early spring… a lot of fish, a lot of good fish, and a lot of cool memories that keep me re-booking before I even hit the road to go home. And after 130 smallies in 2 1/2 days of fishing, I’m already counting down the days until the next trip up to Mike’s. The pre-spawn can’t come fast enough! Enjoy the video!