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  1. #1
    Member dlewis10's Avatar
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    Jan 2009
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    Susquehanna Damn at Sunbury

    I am perfectly aware the Susquehanna River is an awesome smallmouth fishery. However, bass boating on said river is impossible in many areas.

    Question: Anyone fish the damned part of the Susquehanna River outside Sunbury/ Northumberland. Reason I ask is I've never fished it nor took my boat out on it. My daughter has a boyfriend that lives in Selinsgrove, and thinking about taking her and him out for a day to fish. Was down that way two months ago, and saw many boats out there. Seems that once the damn is inflated, it Seems to act like a shallow lake.

    Where is best place to launch? How is the fishing there? I'm not found of bass boating in the river, but it looks like a very navigatable shallow lake above the damn. What should I be very cautious about? Any input is appreciated.
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  2. Member 06 SB's Avatar
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    Feb 2012
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    West Point Lake, GA
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    #2
    I grew up in the area and still fish it at least once a year. I launch at Shikalemy State Park (the pin marked in the middle of the pic). It is usually safe to run the areas inside the red lines although with any river, the shoals move. The pic was taken when the dam was down so you can see that the bridge pylons have shallow areas around them. They can be good fishing though. Other than that find some structure and through a popr, whopper-plopper, small jigs and of course a tube. Stop by “The Little Sportsman Shop” for some local knowledge and some local made plastics - Sneaky Hollow baits. I like their tubes a lot.

    OBTW, there is a 50-boat tournament every Thursday evening and it gets crowded. I would skip that evening.

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  3. Member 06 SB's Avatar
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    #3
    I cannot post a photo for some reason. Send me an email address or phone via PM so I can text it to you.

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  4. Member
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    Mar 2017
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    Donaldson PA
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    #4
    The best place to launch from would probably be at the marina due to the amount of parking spaces available and it has 3 lanes for launching. You can also launch by the sewer plant where the West and north branch meet it just has limited space available for parking. You can run up the West branch to where the new bridge is being built. I usually don't go up the north but when I did it is usually around a mile or so from the marina launch.

  5. Member
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    Danville, PA
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    #5
    Lake Augusta, as it's called, probably averages about 5'-7' deep. You'll be able to run up to just above the new bridge without much issue. Though, the river is pretty low right now. There is good fish to be had there. A buddy and I won a tournament there a few weeks ago and we had our limit in the first hour or so fishing the main pool, before running up the west branch to find some bigger fish. You don't want to be there on the weekend after noon. It's a freaking circus with loads of people that don't know how to operate a boat. Mornings are not too bad.

    The west side of the river is the deeper side in Lake Augusta in the main pool and up the west branch to the new bridge. When you get over near the Sunbury side, it shallows out pretty good with some pretty serious ledge rock. Also, down the west bank, as you near the boat club just down over the hill from Skeeter's BBQ, there's a large cement slab that's marked with a buoy to avoid. Other than that, not much to worry about.
    Last edited by Pagregss; 07-30-2020 at 05:23 AM.
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  6. Member tcesni's Avatar
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    Smith Mountain Lake, VA and a cottage in Ontario
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    #6
    Hope you catch some fish, I never did squat in 10 years of living in Danville but I probably only fished "Lake Augusta" 5 or 6 times. The local tournament weigh ins are impressive but I suspect most of the fish are caught by anglers with jet boats going well upstream. I used to occasionally float down river in a kayak and would see some impressive fish.