Since the land bordering the river is in a vast floodplain, there are rarely the roads, railroads and buildings that hem in the Susquehanna in long stretches. It makes for a bucolic, peaceful setting and allows a paddler to be serenaded by bullfrogs, crickets and singing quail. Ironically, I saw quite a few cows wading in the James, something I have never seen along the Susquehanna in cow-happy Pennsylvania. No personal watercraft, no big bass boats racing from fishing hole to fishing hole. And it can get overly crowded.
Locals joke about needing traffic lights on the water on summer weekends.
Now, let's talk fish. I put the word out on the Internet on two message boards run by national smallmouth groups. I said I was looking for anglers who had fished both smallie hotspots. The response was immediate. Comparing numbers of fish, the sentiments heavily favored the Susquehanna.