Where to find Carp in winter?

[Brewguy]

Does anyone have tips and places to catch some carp this time of year, around Harrisburg?  I was thinking down along gut rd in york haven, maybe down where the codorus creek meets.  Never been down there but it seems promising from the map. 

[FM]

Not from your area but, warm water discharges would be a good place to look. Deeper slugish holes load up with all the fish in the river in winter time on the North Branch. We actually ice fish on the river up here. Guys, not me, were out on the river last weekend catching walleye up in Susquehanna and Bradford counties. I caught a bruiser carp once on a tip up baited with a minnow on the river in Wyoming county. Good luck I hope you find some.
FM

[DRY]

I fish the shoreline and wade all winter...but the water has to be up. Right now it's 7.5 feet and clear as glass...hard to find anything near shore.

When the gauge gets up to about 10-12 feet at Sunbury (6-8 at H-burg)... you will find them stacked in shoreline eddies. Occasionally they will hit a lure...hairjig or small worm...but they are more likely snagged...if and when I can land them on light tackle.





Bill

[Brewguy]

Thanks Bill I'll have to play around.  My plan was to use corn and bread crumb pack bait with method lead.  So you guys mostly find them in deeper pool or eddies.  Makes sense. 

[DRY]

Thanks Bill I'll have to play around.  My plan was to use corn and bread crumb pack bait with method lead.  So you guys mostly find them in deeper pool or eddies.  Makes sense.

Absolutely. If you are shore or wade fishing you need higher water to drive them toward shore into the slower water away from the heavy current.

I was wading yesterday. Right now you may as well go to the range and do some plinking (which is what I did today) ..it's hard to find any living thing close to shore in this low, crystal clear water.

Bill

[dretallack]

Ive been pondering your question off and on over the past couple of days. One of the adds at the bottom of the page is a bait shop in York haven. Just a stones throw from Brunner island. From what I have seen online, they seem to be big into catfish on the river. You may want to pay them a visit. They may be able to point you in the proper direction for carp also. The bait shops name is Hook Line N Sinker.

[Brewguy]

Hi guys. 

I went to the York Haven catwalk yesterday with my kids.  I tried to fish for carp for about an hour with no luck.  There are clearly walleye around there as we found a dead one in the creek.  No one else fishing.  Once the weather gets nicer I need to try and hook up with some of you local guys and figure out what works.  I basically have no idea what I'm doing and my kids are getting discouraged by not catching anything.  I may be done until spring. 

Where the creek and the river merge there is a nice eddie that I thought would be perfect for carp, I was using a home made pack bait and method lead.  Bread crumbs, strawberry jello and corn with a hair rig. 

We also explored further south to where the codurous creek joins the river.  It is a nice looking spot, I threw a bitsy jig around a little, it was mostly an exploring trip.  We had a fun day but no fish. 

[DRY]

York Haven and Brunner's Island are usually open spots in winter although much less warm water is put out since the suit brought against PP&L some years ago. When the water is low and clear it's tough fishing there and everywhere.

Feeding habits of all species are also different with the cold water.

Here is a website with a nice article on carp fishing from the United Kingdom. Carp fishing is big stuff in Europe.

http://www.carp-fishing-tactics.com/science-weather-effects-carp.html

You've picked a tough time to fish for anything.

Bill

[Brewguy]

Bill Thanks.   Yeah I suppose it is tough, I just got back into fishing this year so I'm kind of trying to feel it out. 

Brunner island has closed all the public access, it is a shame.  I suspect it is related to all the lawsuits and complaints by fishermen of fish kills. 

[DRY]

....Brunner island has closed all the public access, it is a shame.  I suspect it is related to all the lawsuits and complaints by fishermen of fish kills.

Wow!! I did not know that. I have only fished there a few times and had very little success.

Prior to the installation of the new cooling towers and in earlier years when you could fish right up near the plant fishing was much better there.

Bill

[Brewguy]

Wow!! I did not know that. I have only fished there a few times and had very little success.

Prior to the installation of the new cooling towers and in earlier years when you could fish right up near the plant fishing was much better there.

Bill

Yeah my dad said back 30 or so years ago the water in the whole area was very warm.  I believe in November they closed it.  Something about illegal activity. 

[dretallack]

I cant remember the exact date. But Brunner has been shut down for several years, for fishing close to the plant. The discharge temps have been lowered due to the epa regulations, of the previous presidents administration. Used to be some sick fishing during the colder months, as I have seen. Now you just get sick trying to fish from the memories.

[DRY]

I cant remember the exact date. But Brunner has been shut down for several years, for fishing close to the plant. The discharge temps have been lowered due to the epa regulations, of the previous presidents administration. Used to be some sick fishing during the colder months, as I have seen. Now you just get sick trying to fish from the memories.

To be fair...we can't blame this on the prior president and administration.

What shut down the good fishing at Brunner's happened a few years earlier when Penn Future and the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper sued PP&L due to thermal pollution. The result was larger and more efficient cooling towers (cooler water releases) along with closure of the downstream gates where the best fishing occurred. Read about it here.

http://www.lowersusquehannariverkeeper.org/the-susquehanna/successes/brunner-island/

Bill

[dretallack]

Thank you for correcting me on my lack of knowing the facts. I did what I try and teach my kids not to do. Know the facts, before passing judgment.