Annual Prospects Report
Smallmouth bass are the most abundant sport fish in the river and will provide anglers with the best fishing opportunities in 2024. Largemouth bass are rare but can reach good sizes in deep, slow-moving pools or backwater habitat in the lower stream. A few spotted bass have been found but remain low in number. Anglers should have good chances of catching smallmouth bass over 12 inches in length, as over one in three sampled were greater than 12 inches. Fifteen inch and longer smallmouth were more abundant than in past years, with about one in eight being greater than 15 inches. A smallmouth over 18 inches will be a relatively rare find, but a definite possibility if you fish in-stream structure with good flow. Goggle-eye numbers were slightly down from past years in the lower sections, and the average length of fish sampled was six inches, with about 2 percent reaching the minimum length limit of eight inches. Fishing for other sunfish, like longear sunfish and bluegill, should remain good as well. Anglers should target cover, like woody debris, vegetation stands, and boulders, that concentrate fish in the typically clear water of Huzzah Creek.
