The Susky is a Cruel Mistress… But I Love Her

She’s cold, she’s mean, and she’s all I’ll ever need. The Broome County, New York portion of the Susquehenna River (Susky from here on out) would break a lesser fisherman’s spirit, but this Masshole is as stubborn and persistent as the big brown dog he owns. And I just can’t quit her, here’s why…

Look at this river:

Looks warm, loving, and ready to show you where all the fish are right? Well looks can be deceiving. This river, the Susky, is a tough gal to crack. She’s in a good mood one day but the next? Well this can happen:

Fishing this leviathan takes a certain level of desperation and the ability to deal with an unprecedented amount of rejection – two qualities I’ve mastered over the years. This river will swallow every lure or jig you cast in it, watch you slip and fall on its muddy banks (this happens frequently), and laugh as you walk home dragging your feet like Charlie Brown with nothing for dinner. It’s very frustrating. How very frustrating? Almost as frustrating as when I’m cooking and Bubz decides to lay down in the kitchen. I realize that doesn’t sound that bad, here’s a visual to see what I mean:

The problem is my kitchen is not very big but my dog is. I literally can’t even open the fridge. He refuses to move because of potential crumbs falling. I have to straddle around him while working with very hot oil, or a > 500 degree pizza steel, or boiling water every time I want to cook something. Speaking of Bubz, he isn’t immune to the allure and cruelty of the Susky either. Bubz recently lost his big red bone while digging into one of the gopher holes along the banks of the river. Have no idea what I’m talking about? Here’s Bubz with his bone:

It is the only toy he’s ever cared about. He doesn’t like stuffed animals, couldn’t care less about a rope, but he loves his big red bone. Unfortunately he doesn’t always remember he has it in his mouth when we are going for walks. And also unfortunately he is addicted to digging through any gopher hole he finds when off-leash in hopes of destroying the lives of a wonderful little gopher family. Basically he sticks half his body into a hole and keeps digging, gets excited, drops the bone that’s in his mouth and I have to fish it out after dragging him out. But this time he dug the bone too far into the hole and it is gone forever (don’t worry he’s getting another one). Here’s Bubz in action:

Anyways, point being the Susky is quite the temptress. She possesses fish that simply don’t exist in MA. Walleye (my #1 goal for the fall), musky (massive apex predator and low-key I don’t know if I even want to catch one but I’m gonna do it anyways), smallmouth bass (very rare in MA, extremely feisty)…… and the legends of the deep, Northern Pike. While not quite as apex-y as the musky, Northern Pike are monsters in their own right. It would be like if you took a Chain Pickerel such as this:

And fed it the diet of steroids and HGH that Lebron James takes. It is an incomprehensible beast that seeks to destroy first and ask questions second – and trust me it never has room for seconds (this sentence never had a chance of making sense). You might be asking why I’m spending so much time building this fish up? Oh yeah, that’s right, I caught one – my first fish out of the Susky! Look at this monster:

Northern Pike are indeed a relative of the pickerel (it’s been awhile so I should remind you to never actually think I know what I’m talking about). I caught this guy in a little spot where the river bends and it pools up a bit – exactly where predators lay low and wait for prey to come to them. It swallowed a pretty big lure whole but I was able to get it out, keep it alive, and of course take this picture:

From what I’ve read, pike tastes quite good but you have to fillet them a little differently due to them having something called “Y-bones”. They are extremely strong and not easy to handle at all, easily the toughest fish I’ve ever caught. I didn’t take it home mainly because I had forgotten what was the legal size to keep them and knew they can get much bigger so played it safe (in general I try and abide by the rules for keeping vs not keeping fish). Either way, a Northern Pike being the first fish I caught in this black-hole-for-a-heart river was very cool. And that’s it for now, I’ve only caught one fish so far….. LOL. You actually thought I’ve only caught one fish so far? Me, the most alpha fisherman in all the land?!?!?! Well think twice, and I mean that literally because I’ve caught TWO fish this past month.

It wasn’t a musky or a walleye, but it was quite literally the biggest smallmouth bass I will probably ever catch. Need a reminder of what smallmouth bass are like? Here’s the only other one I’ve ever caught back in MA:

Smallmouth bass (smallie for short) are dense, short, and extremely aggressive fish – it’s why they are so much fun to catch. The one above is probably around 2-ish lbs, which is a pretty standard/good size for them (in the Northeast). The New York state record for a smallie is 8 lbs, this absolute behemoth of a lunker was probably around 5 lbs. Here it is:

So this is really it so far. Fishing the Susky is tough. Nine times out of ten you strike out but the other one time you hit a homerun and catch a monster. I am the Willy Mo Pena of fishing out here (approximately no one will understand this baseball reference, but I really thought Willy Mo was going to the HOF once he figured out what a curveball was). I’m getting into a routine of fishing 2x a week, exploring a new place one time and fishing the Susky the other. I’m certainly learning, fishing big rivers and muddy waters is a lot different than fishing the ponds and lakes back in MA. I’ll keep trying new tactics and spots until I find a formula for more success. Until then, I suggest you stop judging me so much and try it yourself. Get a rod and..

Cast and pray,

Jon (I’m rusty with the blogging thing so here’s a bonus Bubz picture for hanging in ’till now)