This Crooked Creek Outdoor Adventures review covers an evening with guide Zak Marinkov on one of Pennsylvania’s most technical stretches of smallmouth water, and what separates a good guide from a great one.

The GuideCrooked Creek Outdoor Adventures

Zak Marinkov knows the Susquehanna between Duncannon and Harrisburg in a way that only comes from growing up on it. He spent summers camping on the river’s islands with family, biked to local creeks as a teenager, and bought his first boat at 16. He’s fished the river for more than 25 years, and it shows in how he reads water, positions the boat, and adjusts to what the fish are doing on any given day.

As the owner of Crooked Creek Outdoor Adventures, Zak brings solid credentials to the water: 25+ years as a member of the Overview Anglers Club, tournament experience, and guiding for the Wounded Warrior Bass Bash since 2017. His background as an educator also shows in how he communicates. He reads people well and adapts his approach to whoever is in the boat.

Zak works with everyone, from beginners who’ve never held a spinning rod to experienced anglers looking to dial in their approach on technical water. He provides all the tackle, rigs everything based on conditions, and tailors the trip to whoever shows up. That flexibility matters on a river like the Susquehanna.

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The WaterWhy This Stretch Demands Local Knowledge

The Susquehanna between Duncannon and Harrisburg is technical water: fast runs, shallow boulder gardens, long current seams, scattered islands, and sudden drop-offs. It’s big water that demands respect and local knowledge. It’s challenging smallmouth fishing that rewards experience and proper boat positioning, and it is no lazy float.

Zak’s RockProof boat, with a 115 Yamaha Jet, a Minn Kota trolling motor, and Lowrance electronics, is well suited to this river. The jet drive navigates shallow riffles and boulder-strewn flats that would damage a standard prop. Zak runs this water confidently and reaches spots that are hard to get to on your own.

He fishes the river year-round and adapts to its changing conditions. He particularly excels in the late summer bite, when the water gets clear and shallow and many guides stay away because they aren’t equipped for it. His knowledge of structure, current seams, and fish behavior holds true in every season.

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The TripOn the Water with Zak

I met Zak around 4 p.m. on a warm early September afternoon. We launched with plenty of daylight still hanging over the river, and honestly, I was curious how this would go. I’ve spent enough time fishing with guides to know the difference between someone who runs the same spots every trip and someone who actually reads water and adapts.

Seeing where we were launching and what the river looked like, it was clear this wasn’t going to be a script. This was going to be an education.

1. 1Late afternoonWeightless fluke behind a boulder fieldDrifted naturally over a shallow flat. A few solid fish, then it went quiet.
2. 2Sun droppingChatterbait on the ledgesWater cooling, fish sliding to the ledges. The bite picked back up.
3. 3The lullA hidden rock pileTen feet upstream, the downstream side of a rock pile. Best fish of the night.
4. 4TwilightWhopper Plopper in skinny waterFish tight to structure, and topwater blowups to end the evening.

First Spot

Zak positioned us on a shallow flat behind a boulder field. “Start with a weightless fluke,” he said. “Just drift it naturally.” Since I was the only person in the boat, Zak fished alongside me, which turned out to be valuable. He could see firsthand what the fish were doing and how they were reacting to presentations, and adjust our approach accordingly.

I made a few casts, nothing. Adjusted my retrieve, still nothing. Then on maybe the sixth or seventh cast, a smallmouth hit hard, the kind that tries to pull the rod out of your hand. That first fish set the tone, but it wasn’t non-stop action from there.

Reading the Shift

We worked that pattern for maybe twenty minutes and picked up a few more really solid fish, then it went quiet. This is where I started paying attention to what Zak was actually doing. He wasn’t sitting there waiting for fish to show up again. He was reading the light, watching how the current shifted as the sun dropped, and looking at where baitfish were moving.

During one of the slower stretches, we got to talking. Zak mentioned he’s been teaching for more than 20 years and runs a technology and innovation lab at the Milton Hershey School. It clicked then why his communication style felt different from other guides. He didn’t lecture or micromanage. He’d explain something once, clearly, then let you process it.

The Switch

“Let’s switch it up,” he said after a bit, handing me a chatterbait. “Water’s cooling, sun’s going down. They’re going to move to the ledges.” We repositioned, and sure enough, the bite picked back up. Not every cast, but consistent enough that I could feel the pattern developing.

Between casts and netting fish, Zak told me about his work with the Wounded Warrior Bass Bash. He’s been guiding veterans since 2017. “Some of those trips are my favorite ones,” he said. “You’re not thinking about numbers or size. You’re just trying to give someone a good day on the water.” For Zak, guiding has a purpose that goes past putting people on fish.

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The LullWhen the Bite Falls Off, the Real Guide Shows Up

Every great guide I’ve fished with has had to deal with the same thing: a stretch where the bite falls off. It can feel like an eternity without a hit. You start to second-guess everything, your retrieve, your angles, whether you should move, sometimes whether you picked the right guide.

Those are the times when the great guides stand out. If you listen, they teach you the intricacies of the water.

Zak stayed calm, made a small adjustment with the trolling motor, and angled us about ten feet upstream. “There’s a rock pile right there,” he said, pointing at what looked like flat, featureless water to me. “Current breaks around it. They’ll be stacked on the downstream side.”

Two casts later, I hooked into the best fish of the night.

That moment showed what Zak brings to the table. He’s been fishing this stretch long enough that he can read subtle boils, current seams, and changes in flow that I just don’t see yet.

TwilightTopwater Time

As twilight set in, we broke out the Whopper Plopper. I wasn’t sure it would work, since the surface had been quiet all evening, but I was excited to try. Topwater blowups are my favorite part of fishing.

“Time for some topwater fun,” Zak said. “They’re tight to structure in skinny water right now.” Once again, he was right. The topwater explosions were chaotic and fun, exactly what you want at the end of an evening.

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Four Patterns, One Evening

By the time we headed back, we’d cycled through four different approaches. Some worked immediately, some took adjustment, and honestly, there were stretches where we weren’t catching fish at all. That’s real fishing. What impressed me was how Zak read the evening: where to be, when to switch things up, when to stay patient, and how to position the boat so my casts actually mattered.

What I appreciated most was the balance he struck. All evening he pointed out structure, explained how current seams were dictating fish movement, and talked through lure selection, then trusted me to execute. It felt like two partners working the puzzle together. If I wanted to try something different, he’d tell me honestly whether it would work and why. That balance is rare and valuable.

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Before You BookRates, Gear, and Booking

Quick AnswersCrooked Creek Outdoor Adventures FAQ

This review reflects Dru’s September evening trip with Crooked Creek Outdoor Adventures. Rates, availability, and trip details can change, so confirm with Zak before you book. Check Pennsylvania fishing license and regulation requirements before your trip.