MyWar
Anybody been hitting Arthur recently?

My buddy and I were talking about making one more trip to Arthur this season.  We launch at the 528 ramp and then head to Nealey's point, there are some nice crappy and bass in that area. 

This weekends report:
Fished below dam 4 on Saturday, caught a few walleye in front of the dam. Then I took the boat down to the Springdale Generation Station and caught a few smallmouth. I spent the afternoon cleaning the haul, and vacuuming the the inside. 

I think I'm going to be hitting the woods for the next few weekends. I'm trying to tag out before Thanksgiving, so I can spend opening day of rifle chasing the rainbows in Erie.  

I live close to lock 3 and 4, Arthur is about a 40 minute drive.  If you take the boat to lock 3 be carful with that launch, its pretty steep. I unhook the wench right before my tires hit the water. The Tarentum launch is nice, bring a long doc line if you're launching alone. 
 
Arthur is nice for getting the cob webs out of the boat early season, and catching a few crappie. I don't care for dealing with the summer crowds. 

not to shabby, is the Freeport or Kelly? Sold my boat a few years back, fish shore at Kelly a lot. Decent spot. 

The late summer/Fall Crappie bite has been outstanding from shore here in SWPA. 
 
PT 2 

TheBlueLagoon
not to shabby, is the Freeport or Kelly? Sold my boat a few years back, fish shore at Kelly a lot. Decent spot. 

That picture was taken about 200 yards past the Tarentum bridge. 

That river is filled with snags.  I waded on Saturday for a little.  A power fish outing, had 3 hours to burn,  My wife told me to go to Arthur, but pretty much enough time to get there, launch, then pull the boat and drive home...  I figured I'd drive out to Smithton (1/2 hour each way) and rush through a few holes that usually hold fish.  I landed one...  Had one other spit me out.  2 other bites total.  I did all Senko/Dingers.  Those things even hang up a good bit, even in the chest deep holes that I am not going after them in waders.  The leaves were starting to be an issue, which will be a real issue the next few weeks.  Amazing the difference from Arthur to Smithton in the foliage right now.
 
Not sure if you are using split shots while drop shotting?  If not, they are a good way to adjust size/weight and will often be able to pull the rest of our rig free if the weight gets stuck.  For live shiners, I'd personally go with a three way swivel over a drop shot, which allows your shiner to dart to the sides a bit more and somewhat avoids line twist and tangles.  Can't say that I have used them much in current like that though, but I think they use in places like Niagra River which is far more current.
 
I usually keep some 1/64, 1/32, 1/16 & 1/8 jig heads with me.  More for panfish, but you should be able to experiment with them on what seems to get you far enough down, but not hung up?
 
Having 5-6 different size split shots would probably be the easiest way to dial in weight, then go from there.

I do think that 3 way rig is more of a boat rig, drop it over the side or light cast. You can shorten the leads too, but ends up basically a drop shot at that point.

I bet a slip bobber rig would do well. Hard to gauge how deep each pool is. But not hard to adjust. I have tried bobbers and jigs, but no takers.

Where are you getting bait, Shad Lure?

Porktown
I do think that 3 way rig is more of a boat rig, drop it over the side or light cast. You can shorten the leads too, but ends up basically a drop shot at that point.

I bet a slip bobber rig would do well. Hard to gauge how deep each pool is. But not hard to adjust. I have tried bobbers and jigs, but no takers.

Where are you getting bait, Shad Lure?

Yea, If I’m going in the afternoon or later in the morning I’ll hit shadlure. If I’m going out super early I’ll drive out to lock 3 the day before and keep them on an aerator overnight. I don’t usually take shiners until later in the year though. It seems like I can get plenty of action on artificial stuff until late August/September, and then I need the live bait. Same thing happened last year too. Although yesterday I did get a couple on swimbaits and flukes so maybe I just need to switch to a minnow imitation in the fall?

That swivel rig might still work, even if I can only cast a few yards. Those bass go crazy for shiners. When I’m on that rocky ledge they practically come right up into my kayak after them.

Went out Friday on the Yough. Caught a few bass most small and a couple around maybe 2lbs.
If anyone finds a Cabelas XML-Ti rod and reel below the I-70 bridge it’s mine!!!!

. Figures the time I take a decent rod and forgot to tether it to the kayak it goes over board. Not sure how it came out of the rod holder. If it was during the day I may have had a chance to find it as it was just upstream of a shallow area and I could not see very far down with the lack of sunlight. May try to look for it next weekend dependent on the weather.

 
Some guy pulled this out of the yough near Connellsville the other day.
 
34" 18lbs. Should be a new state record.

U beat me to it
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I don’t get up to connellsville all that often. I have no idea what the water is like up there but I’m guessing that fish came out of a slow deep run.

I’m pretty blown away there are fish that big in a small river like the youghiogheny.

I'd really like to get a few more days of slab fishing in to get me through winter.