SERVING UP EDUCATION & FUN ON A GEM

Have you fished water that just leaves you frustrated? Can't even buy a bite? This is often the result of thinking that one lake is just like the next. Mitch Metcalf of Due North Fishing offers bass fishing trips, fishing electronics training and private fishing lessons that aim to help you learn how to break down a lake and get on fish consistently. Mitch fishes for large and smallmouth bass, striped bass, crappie and more on Blue Marsh Lake in Pennsylvania and the sourthern reaches of the Susquehanna River north of where it empties into the Chesapeake. He is a fishing educator, owner and guide that provides fishing knowledge to anglers of all levels.

The Susquehanna is a well known bass fishery that will also give you opportunities for stripers, musky and walleye, but it's Blue Marsh Lake, a lake located northwest of Reading, PA, that is the real gem. It is a national recreation area in Berks County managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and fed by the Tulpehocken Creek. The lake is a popular recreation area in the

summer, where people can fish, swim, and boat. It has 36 miles of trails and 1,147 acres of water

Blue Marsh was the name of the village located where the lake is now. It was originally heavily forested with an abundance of wildlife. As settlers moved away from Philadelphia, they clear cut for many 18th and 19th century farms which gave way to the Army Corps' impoundment. Some buildings were spared, such as Gruber Wagon Works, which was was moved a safe distance away before the dam was created. The Old Dry Rd. Farm buildings were also relocated, but most gave way to eminent domain and the Flood Control Act of 1962 as one of eight projects in the Delaware River watershed. The Army Corps of Engineers began construction in 1974 with the impoundment reaching completion in 1979.

Mitch offers Bass Fishing Trips that include learning to fish more effectively offshore, targeting schooling groups of bass as they move throughout the lake in search of bait fish. It is also important to Mitch that he imparts knowledge of bass behavior sand habits, bass fishing Strategies and techniques, and use of electronics, sonar and graphing. These later techniques will help you learn to locate and target bass efficiently to the point where you can breakdown any lake you want to fish. For those who want to practice conservation, Mitch will teach proper fish care and techniques to ensure healthy bass are returned to the fishery, especially after a tournament weigh-in. if you want to book a trip you can contact Mitch at duenorthguide@gmail.com or call/text him at 267-221-7162