If you have fished with Andy and I before, you know that we hold floating the Juniata River in drift boats to catch smallmouth bass during the summer close to heart. During the summer months, there is no place we’d rather be than rowing down the Juniata River. In just a few more weeks we will be switching gears to focus on another summer season of float trips.

If you are an angler in Pennsylvania and do not take advantage of fishing for both trout and smallmouth bass, you are missing out. It truly is not a matter of better or worse when choosing between the two different styles of fishing. It is a matter of when. Peak seasons for trout and smallmouth bass offset each other giving anglers in Pennsylvania the opportunity to take advantage of both styles of fishing during their respective time frames.

With summer months getting nearer, we are getting very close to the start of our summer smallmouth bass float trips. We receive a lot of questions from members on when to book your trip. The truth is, our peak season summer smallmouth dates start in July and last until October. This is prime time, the best time to come for a float trip is whenever you can. Because the summer season covers a long time period, it is not unusual for many of our members to fish multiple times throughout the summer.

Since the Juniata River is 104 miles long, we have a lot of different sections of river to choose from. This gives us the ability to continually show members different experiences on different sections of river, and to choose the best section to fish each day based on logistics and current conditions. It’s pretty special to have so many different river miles to choose from within the same program.

What’s the fishing like? Again, we have a lot of options. Fishing poppers (topwater) with fly rods to catch smallmouth bass on the surface is our passion in the summer. Subsurface flies and spinning gear that imitate crayfish and minnows are also a staple during the summer. Utilizing a combination of techniques usually leads to the most productive days. What sets the Juniata River apart in our opinion is this river gives anglers the ability to catch both high numbers and quality size of fish. We have multiple anglers put 20″+ smallmouth bass in the boat each season.

The fishing aside, a float trip down the Juniata River in a Clackacraft drift boat is hard to beat. Clackacraft drift boats are comfortable, and very stable to fish from. The river is scenic. The banks and surrounding mountains are very green and full of many different types of wildlife. A highlight that happens during most days is seeing a Bald Eagle.

Over the last few years our summer smallmouth bass float trips have continued to grow in demand by members. “Two boat floats” where Andy and I guide a group of 4 anglers have become especially popular with members and guests. It’s no secret that Andy and I both have a blast running these group trips on the river as well!

If you have any questions about a float trip for smallmouth bass with us this summer, don’t hesitate to give us a call at the club. It’s important to note if your membership consists of “days”, smallmouth bass float trips do not count against your “days”. It’s also important to note that during this time period of peak summer smallmouth, bass float trips take priority for Andy and I when it comes to guiding.

We have a number of trips already on the books for this summer. If you already have your days on the schedule, we look forward to fishing with you!

If you haven’t booked days yet, it’s definitely time to start putting trips together for this summer. If you’ve never given a smallmouth bass float trip a try or haven’t booked your dates for this year yet, don’t miss out!