More Recent Catches! =)


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Follow my Facebook page for updates on every single one of my fishing sessions:
http://www.facebook.com/ExtremePhillyFishing
There are fishes around us! Follow my Statistical Chart for 2012 for my catches during this year:
http://extremephillyfishing.blogspot.com/2012/01/statistical-fishing-chart-for-2012.html
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Updated:
http://extremephillyfishing.blogspot.com/2012/01/statistical-fishing-chart-for-2012.html
--> Added Data from Schuylkill River (04/24/12), and Tacony Creek (04/21/12)

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Heya, People! Just bringing a couple pictures of recent catches - a selection of different Species. Isn't it nice to see that they are all here in Philadelphia? =)

Enjoy!


A cute Rock Bass fished at the PennyPack Park, at Bustleton Ave.

I got this Rainbow Trout last Sunday - when it was pouring out there! My limit was 1:30 hour fishing outside. I came back soaked, but it was worthy it! Rainbow Trout caught at Wissahickon Creek (Forbidden Drive) on a Spinner.

Well...I got bait for the whole year! What else can I say? It's nice that the Boat and Commission allows 50 of these per day - per person. I caught this bunch of Mummichogs at the Tacony Creek with my friend Nadir, when I was field researching for my future post (there are some Creek Chub inside too). Every single one was caught on Nightcrawlers! The post is coming soon, by the way! =)

I rarely find Creek Chubs here in Philadelphia. Occasionally, there's one or two landed by accident at small Creeks. I was quite surprised to find out that the Tacony has a nice population of Chubs; quite interesting.

A picture of a Mummichog at Tacony Creek (at Rising Sun ave). Beautiful, isn't it?

Spotfin Shiner at Tacony.

The Tacony Creek holds Sunnies as well, of course. Red-breasted Sunfish are so beautiful, isn't it?!

Another one, caught at the same location.

Here's Mike with a Flathead Catfish at the Fairmount Dam.

Snagging Master accidentally snagged a Gizzard Shad. Note that Gizzard Shad feed mainly on Zooplankton; therefore, they won't really bite on any regular baits. If you ever hear someone say that they hooked a Gizzard Shad in the mouth, please, let me know! =)

Snagging Master is back: a little Shad accidentally caught at FDR Park.

Mike with a Common Carp at FDR.

I'm not certain, but I believe this was a 7lb Flathead Catfish caught at the Fairmount Dam as well. 

A Smallmouth Bass caught at the PennyPack Park by Peter S. Yes, they are there, indeed!

2 more weeks, and my college is done. After that, it will be 6 days of fishing a week! Can't wait!

Best of luck for all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

Reports (Rob Z.): Fishing in Scranton, PA (2012!)

Hello again, Readers!


My friend Rob Z. went fishing this past weekend in North Scranton, PA. He caught a really nice LMB (His new PB), and wanted to share his report with us! So, enjoy it!
 
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Written by Rob Z. - edited by Leo S.

I was up in north of Scranton, Pennsylvania, for this past weekend, staying at my buddies for a good and solid weekend of partying (with some fishing mixed in). Although the weather was great for the most part, rain did move in Saturday afternoon.

So, I woke up just after 7 a.m. on Friday morning (04/20) - my first vacation day of the year. I was a bit foggy, but I had already gotten my rods tied up and was ready to go. I drank some Gatorade, grabbed some water, and headed for the lake.

I started throwing a top water as soon as I reached the water's edge, but no hits whatsoever. There were some sunnies swimming around. I moved about halfway around the lake, and finally decided to put some things down. I set up a catfish rod, trying for one of the big channel cats in there..

Then, I kept walking, and I cast into the far corner of the lake with my skitterpop. After a pause, I started doing a pretty steady splashy and poppy retrieve. Then, I saw the huge commotion/swirl, and realized a big fish just missed my lure. I popped it again, and again, wham!!! I set the hook, and the beast was on.

I had 6 lb test on a light action rod. I didn't want to have too much pressure on the fish, not to mention that a big flop or run could snap the line. After letting him swim back and forth for a bit, I knew I was going to have to get into the lake to land him, since there was some algae slime on the surface, in front of me, and I couldn't afford that extra weight on my line. I put my right foot down, and felt the cool water seep to my toes. I reached down and lipped him, and at that moment, the line snapped! But I had a good grip, and I pulled him out, and I had my new PB: 4.34 LMB, over 20 inches long, caught on a brown frog colored Rapala Skitterpop. You can barely see the lure in one of the pics, as it was almost completely taken in by the fish.

I didn't catch any more big bass - only 1 more dink bass, and some nice sunnies. But that one fish was all that I needed.

I never made it to the Susquehanna though...Maybe next time.

Hopefully, in a year, this fish will be 5 lbs!









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Thank you very much for your contribution, Rob! Thanks for the report!

If anyone else wants to send me a well written report with photos, feel free to shoot an e-mail!

Best of luck for all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

When They Run, They Run - The Spring and Fall Striped Bass Run in Philadelphia

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- Follow my Facebook page for updates on every single one of my fishing sessions:
There are many fishes around us! Follow my Statistical Chart for 2012, and see for yourself how many different Species of fish I've caught so far.
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When I was still a kid, my father used to tell me all the time: "the first step in fishing is to find a good spot." At that time, all his thoughts were based on "field experience." In other words, he used the trial and error approach to determine which spots were more productive: if he caught a lot of fish in a certain spot, he would circle it on the map. If he ended up getting skunked, he would cross it. He was a man of Science, indeed. While performing this ritual, he took many dependent variables in consideration: topography, productivity, access, and so on. That was a very good approach, and it worked really well for us.

However, we are way past that "age." Many have already written down their field experiences and even shared it with the public in the media (as I do); therefore, there is more information available for the public now! Nowadays, there's an even better approach to that old saying: "the first step in fishing is to pick a good spot." Yes -- although the word usage is almost the same, the process is very different! Even before reaching out to the spot, this new process consists of gathering information, analyzing data scientifically, and then purposely choosing a spot/location at a specific time of the day for better results.

This process is very convenient for those who lack time in the sport. "Spot Hunting" is a very fun aspect of fishing -- it's very rewarding when you find a spot that is not fished by many; however, not everyone has the luxury to spend so much time to look for places to fish. For a father of two or someone that works full time, it's quite hard to spend so much time on the water!  

Using time efficiently is fundamental in life, and that includes fishing as well. It's very hard to know the "best time" to fish for a certain Species of fish, for example. In other words, for every Species of fish, there's a specific time when fishing is best! Some are active more during night time than day time. Other Species are most active only during certain seasons of the year!

As you can see, a "spot" is not everything you need to successfully land fish. Location is important; however, TIME is also a fundamental factor in the sport fishing. Being a Physics major, I understand that too well -- time and location are very important, guys! Therefore, let's reinforce our sentence: "the first step in fishing is to pick a good spot at a good time!" There we go. Now it's more complete!

One advice that I always give to my friends is to "think like a fish." If you were a certain type of fish, i.e. a Flathead Catfish, what would you do on a daily basis? What time would you feed? These questions would sound silly to a person without much knowledge in fishing. For those, the answer to this question would be more or less likely to be "I would swim the whole day" (I've gotten answers like this before). However, to a knowledgeable person, these are deep questions to be thought about!

For example: it's a fact that Catfish feed more at night time. Why? Because they rely mainly on their sense of smell and electro-sensing. Since every baitfish in the River has a beating heart, they are like little batteries for these huge predators! At night time, these little fishes are usually hidden in their natural habitats (between rocks, vegetation, etc); therefore, a big Flathead Catfish can find them by electro-sensing and just ambush them! There you go -- you just got yourself your meal of the day.

So, what about Striped Bass (a.k.a. Stripers)? What do they usually do? When do they feed? And, most importantly, when are they here -- in Philadelphia?
 
When it comes to Striped Bass fishing, it's no different: the first step is to find the fish. Unlike other Species of fish in Philadelphia, the Striped Bass are mainly a migratory Species of fish. I used the word "mainly" because there have been many recorded cases of Striped Bass that adapted to Freshwater; however, those tend to be much smaller than the ones that do migrate. In Philadelphia, there is a declining population of adapted Striped Bass in the Schuylkill River, for example.  

This step is often frustrating. So, don't let a couple skunked sessions discourage you! In order to find them, one must know what is the best time of the year to target them. In other words, the angler needs to study their migration route! I've attached a homemade map below, so you can have a better visualization of the route they take.  

Note that this map portrays the Striped Bass migration during Spring, when they travel from South to North. In the colder months, Striped Bass travel from North to South.
 
Map Legend:
 
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1. Emphasis to Albemarle and Pamlico Sound. The Striped Bass run starts from as far as North Carolina and Virginia. For avid fisherman, keep in mind that Pamlico Sound is the biggest Lagoon along the US East Coast -- supposedly a very good fishing location.
 
2. Chesapeake Bay, where 70%+ of the Striped Bass population do their spawning in Spring. Truly a paradise for Striped Bass fishing!
 
3. This is the area we are most interested in. After all, it's the entrance to the Delaware River, and eventually the Schuylkill River. I'll focus on this section, of course, hence the Blog is mainly about Philly.
 
4. Emphasis to the Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook Bay on the New Jersey side, as well as the Lower Bay on the New York side.
 
5. The Long Island Sound. Imagine buying a house around those areas, huh? I may consider that as a future goal! =)
 
6. Emphasis to the Cape Cod Bay. This is the last point that I've included on the map; However, the migration on the East Coast go as far as Maine.
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For our luck, we have the migrators coming in during every Spring and Fall. Time is an essential factor if you are looking for those big ones! The earliest Species on the migration list is the Alewife. They start to move in in the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers as early as March. The Shad (Gizzard, American, Hickory) and the Blueback Herrings come after, as well as the Striped Bass.
 
I would say that the best period for the Striped Bass Spring Run in Philadelphia is during February-May. The big Stripers move in after the schools of baitfish, ranging in average from 25-40 inches. Then, during the months of September-November, there's a short Fall Run -- when the big ones migrate from the North to the South.
 
As I have mentioned before, we also have some "locals" -- Striped Bass that have adapted to our Rivers' environments. Those can actually be caught year-round in the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers; however, their population has been declining due to poaching and over harvest (see the green portion below).  
 
It's interesting to look at the map and just imagine the migration, isn't it? One question that many may wonder about is how far they travel every year. Well...that, I don't know. However, I do know by data that a Striped Bass can travel up to 500 miles in a month. That makes it an average of 16 miles a day, which would be the same as 25.7 kilometers. Considering that an average person can barely manage a couple miles a day on land, isn't that awesome?

Looking at the map, it's already evident that an avid (and rich!) fisherman can target big Striped Bass at any time of the year, just by following the migration. Also, it's evident that following the migration is the best idea in terms of locating fish -- it's no use fishing a certain spot when they are not there! It's truthfully a waste of time (remember: use time efficiently).

This is when someone usually jumps in, and asks me the golden question: "Why do they travel? Why can't they just stay fixed somewhere?" Well...think it this way: "Why do human beings migrate? Or why have they migrated over the years, back in the days?" As you may have expected, the accepted answer is that everyone has reasons. So, what are the reasons for Striped Bass to migrate?

1. Striped Bass migrate according to water temperature -- they like to stay in their comfort zone! Let's not forget that most fish are "ectothermic," meaning that they are "cold-blooded." In other words, their body temperature vary according to the ambient they are in. The Striped Bass prefer water temperatures between 55 to 68 Fahrenheit, which is the same as 12.7 to 20 degrees Celsius. If the water temperature around your place is between that range, and you have a body of water connected to the East Coast, you can certainly assume that there are Striped Bass swimming around!
 
Remember: 55 to 68. When water temperatures get a steady 70F+, it's almost certain that the migrators are gone. Locals will still be there to entertain, although, they are not as big as the migrators. 
 
The idea of water temperature is fundamental to us -- anglers -- mainly because we are suffering from weather change. All this business about climate change influences fish migrations; therefore, the Striped Bass migration's date may change over the years. However, as far as you keep your water temperature in check, you will know when they will arrive. 

2. Food is also a factor in their migration. They will go where the baitfish goes. In other words, the Striped Bass follow the Shad migration! If you are a perceptive person, you would eventually notice that the Shad migration route is very similar to the Striped Bass' route. They are almost identical! Time, however, is a factor that makes them different. Remember: it's always good to follow the "basics of fishing": follow the baitfish for bigger fish.

3. The last factor in their migration is spawning. Striped Bass spawn in Rivers and Bays during Spring. A curious fact is that younger Striped Bass usually "hangs out" at his birth place until he is strong enough to migrate with the group -- until he averages 25-30 inches. Next time you get a Striped Bass in Philadelphia, think about this: 25-30 inches is the range that they migrate!

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This is a good moment to emphasize the catch and release of MINIMUM and MAXIMUM sizes of Striped Bass! Again, it's a shame that the PA Fish and Boat Commission only has a chart for minimum sizes and no MAXIMUM sizes. But anyways, it's good to catch and release Striped Bass depending on their sizes, if harvesting is an option. This is the concept of Selective Harvest. After all, as anglers, we should all be thinking about the sustainability of the aquatic environment, right?

By fact, an average 7 pounder female Striped Bass can produce up to 500,000 eggs in a single year. In comparison, a 50 pounder can produce 3 million eggs a year, which is a 2,500,000 eggs difference. Using ratio and estimation, this would mean that a 70 pounder can produce up to 3,662,790 eggs a year. This is for you guys -- the readers -- to have an idea on how many eggs a Striper can actually produce. Keep it in mind for now.

Eventually, only a small portion of the eggs are hatched. It's estimated that out of 600,000 eggs that an average Striped Bass lays, only 0.1% of it hatches (about 600). Due to many factors, out of this 600, it's estimated that only 3 will reach the age of 2 years, which is a small 0.5%. All the rest will die by getting consumed by other predators, etc.

The division of Fish and Wildlife in New Jersey started to tag Striped Bass in the Delaware Bay since 1989. At that time, a 23", 4 pounder Striped Bass was tagged. The same fish was fished again 11 years later at Massachusetts Bay, measuring 47", 36 lbs. Again, using mathematics, this would mean a 2.18" and a 2.9lbs growth per year. Let's take in consideration that a Striped Bass can live up to 30 years, by scientific data. Using this ratios (and discarding other dependent variables), a 27 year old Striped Bass would be around 78.3 lbs, which is close to the actual record! (81.8lbs) This is for the reader to have an idea of how long it takes for a fish to grow, and how our chances of catching a World record diminishes every year, as people keep harvesting in an unintelligent way. That's why there are laws in terms of harvesting: a fish doesn't grow as fast as people think.
 
The World record was older than I am (I'm 24, as for 2013)! Therefore, keep in mind that every time someone takes away a trophy fish, that same person is destroying part of the fish genetics that could have given us bigger generations of the same Species of fish.

When it comes to Striped Bass growth, it's no surprise: females grow more than males. Therefore, the ratio of females and males after 40lbs is not 1:1. It's not certain what the ratio actually is, but it's certain that the probabilities of a fish being female get higher as the fish is heavier.

Therefore, using facts and mathematics, the World record above was very likely a 81.8lbs female, around the age of 28 years and 3 months, who could produce up to 4,848,837 eggs. From these 4,848,837 eggs, 4849 eggs would hatch, and 24 would reach the age of 2 years old.

Even though these are just numbers; even though I'm excluding all external factors and possibilities, which makes this scenario only a probability and not a realistic and accurate picture, I hope you can see where unintelligent harvesting is leading us to. I only mentioned fishing genetics briefly, but that's another factor for why there should be a MAXIMUM size limit for all Species of fish. Don't get me wrong -- I'm not against harvesting; I'm against harvesting in an unintelligent way. According to the concept of Selective Harvest, small ones, extra big ones, and fishes that are rare in a certain body of water should always be released.
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Anyways...back to the main topic! Below are some of the main factors that affect Striped Bass fishing:
 
1. Temperature
 
We already discussed this one. Preferable temperature is in the range of 55-68F (12.7-20C), and it's directly related to their migration from the South to the North; North to the South.

2. Finding the fish

Recall: find the schools of baitfish for the bigger ones. So, now we will be talking about finding baitfish! The best baitfish for Striped Bass is the Shad. Period. Even though the Striped Bass feed on Clams, Bloodworms, etc, Shad are still a preferable source of food. If you can find the Shad in the Schuylkill or Delaware River, there's a high probability of Striped Bass lurking around. You can often find the Shad by watching birds feeding on top water or watching fish jumping around.

Herons, Bitterns, Loons, Cormorants, Grebes, Terns, Mergansers, Bald Eagles, Kingfishers, Ospreys, Gulls, Egrets, Pelicans -- whatever it's...if you see them nibbling somewhere in groups, go there! I've seen birds nibbling close to the Fairmount Dam, and there are always monsters around when that happens. Believe me...the birds will lead you there! Who needs a sonar when birds are around, seriously. Nature is the best option.

3. Current
One of the main elements in fishing for Striped Bass is to find turbulent water. If you thought one day that they would be ONLY in calm environments, you were wrong. At the Schuylkill, for example, the best spot to fish for the Striped Bass is directly under the Fairmount Dam, where the current is strongest. You want to focus at the edge of turbulent currents, where bait fish often are disoriented; or the border between rocky and sandy bottoms, as the turbulence stirs up the bottom. Get that big Bomber out of your tackle box and go for it! =)

Just out of curiosity: the scientific name of the Striped Bass is actually Morone Saxatilis, meaning "dwelling among rocks." Well...I guess the name tells you something, huh?

4. Wind
 
Wind is not crucial, unless fishing shores. So, I'm not going to focus too much on it. However, if you ever said that "wind doesn't matter," you should keep in mind that it does! Just a little curious fact:

The East wind is the best wind when fishing at the shore, while the South wind is the worst. The reason behind it is simple: the East wind is an on-shore wind (surface water moves towards the land), and the South wind is the off-shore (surface water moves away from the land). One would expect the West wind to be the worst, but that's wrong! The rotation of the Earth makes the South wind the worst. I'm not going to explain the Physics behind it here. Hehe. 
So, the wind moves the water surface towards land. Here's where the Plankton comes in! Yes -- those microscopic organisms that bait fish just love to eat! There are two types of Plankton: Phytoplankton and Zooplankton. Phytoplankton are basically plants, and they process their food through photosynthesis (remember this word, back in school?). Zooplanktons are microscopic creatures that feed on phytoplankton. The phytoplankton needs light to do photosynthesis, so they are found in the upper layer of the water column. I guess you can picture the whole scene now, right?

Stripers! --> Bait fish --> Zooplankton --> Phytoplankton --> Sunlight

Nice food chain, isn't it? Basically, the East wind moves the Phytoplanktons closer to the surf, and everything else follows.

Keep in mind that the wind theory for fishing depends very much on location! This doesn't apply only for the Striped Bass. Wind also has a very important role in Crappie fishing, for example.
 
5. Tide
 
Finally, the last component is the tide! Stripers are smart -- they are cunning fish! They don't usually go after baitfish; they wait for baitfish to come to them. It saves them a lot of energy.

The best time to fish for them is when a current is present: high tide to low tide, and viceversa. The best time in my opinion is the first to third hour of "low tide --> high tide --> low tide."

As soon as the tide hits the maximum or minimum, you can expect them to stop biting (it doesn't mean that you won't get any fish, though).

Below are some Striped Bass caught from the Delaware and Schuylkill River during the runs:


Pictures of local Philly Angler -- Chris McIntee, with pictures of Striped Bass from the Schuylkill River. You can follow him on his fishing website -- Sea Money Fishing.
 
 
Pictures of Bass angler Mike H. with Striped Bass from Philadelphia. You can follow him on his Youtube Channel -- Extreme Bass Fishing.
 
 
 
Pictures of another local Philly angler -- Chris E, with pictures of Striped Bass from the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers.. You can follow him on his Facebook Page -- The Right Anglers.
 
Best of luck for all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

New Lake, New Secrets - Exploring the Kirkwood Lake in NJ

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Updated:
http://extremephillyfishing.blogspot.com/2012/01/statistical-fishing-chart-for-2012.html
--> Added Data from Schuylkill River (04/08/12; 04/14/12), Kirkwood Lake (04/15/12), and PennyPack Park (04/17/12)

--> Added "Species" section to it 
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It's been a while since the last time I've explored a new location. I had my eyes on this small lake called Kirkwood for quite a while, but never really had the disposition to go there.
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Follow my Facebook page for updates on every single one of my fishing sessions:
http://www.facebook.com/ExtremePhillyFishing
There are fishes around us! Follow my Statistical Chart for 2012 for my catches during this year:
http://extremephillyfishing.blogspot.com/2012/01/statistical-fishing-chart-for-2012.html
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One of my bad aspects, when it comes down to fishing, is indecision: there are so many good places to go, and so little time for me to fish. Therefore, I don't usually know where to go! I'm always in-between 4 or 5 places, and I take my time to decide where and when. As you all may have noticed already from reading my Blog, I'm not a "River Monster" fisherman - in other words, I don't go out hunting for trophy fish, or state records. My biggest love when it comes to fishing is the "unknown": fishing for different Species, despite sizes, exploiting the surprise element - the fact that one will never know what will be pulled out next from the river.

I researched the Kirkwood Lake for a considerable amount of time, running into fishing websites, reports, forums, and so on. The information I gathered was simple and compact: LMB, scarce/few Catfish, Carp, and plenty of Sunnies!

The Sunnies, of course, made my day! They are my favorite Species of fish. People usually mock me for it, specially when they mention the part - "Everyone can catch Sunnies." It's true, indeed: everyone can catch small Sunnies. Usually, Sunnies are the first Species of fish that children catch using a float rig and a nightcrawler. The big ones; however, is a whole different story! Big Sunfish don't usually travel in schools. They are highly aggressive towards their own kind, and very cunning in nature. They look at the bait carefully, and they won't bite if the presentation is poor. Therefore, I can proudly say: fishing for big Sunfish is certainly a challenge. 

And guess what? I have GOOD NEWS for those who like to eat Sunfish. I've tested 25 Specimens from the Kirkwood Lake (gathered at 3 different spots), all around the range of 6 inches (meaning that they are similar in terms of age), and the results came clean! In other words, the Sunfish at Kirkwood Lake are totally edible - no risks of heavy metals and pcbs. Therefore - enjoy your meal if you decide to eat them. On the other hand, watch out for the daily limit.

Anyways...let's explore the new location. The map is not perfect, but work with me, okay?


I've numbered the 5 locations I've been to:

1. Entrance/Dock
2. House/Concrete
3. Before the Creek
4. Clearing
5. Dungeon

Yes - I've named them for my own convenience. Once you read further, you will understand why I did so.

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Fishes
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Here comes the empirical data - the Species of fish that I've confirmed at Kirkwood Lake through observations and field experience:

- Largemouth Bass:

The Lake seems to hold a good amount of them. I've asked three locals, and they all told me stories of 5lbs LMB in the Kirkwood Lake. Now, aside from the rumours, I've personally seen one person catch 5 LMB on a little boat, in the middle of the Lake, on the lily pads, using a green rubber worm. He caught 8 LMB for the day, biggest one being 4.5lbs. Another two people on a second boat caught a nice 3lber over lily pads as well.

Myself, I missed two BIG LMB (range 3-5lbs) because I was using a bad rig: a live Sunfish hooked through the "cheek", on the bottom (with a 2oz sinker). The setup was for Catfish, but oh well...it was exciting fighting them for a little bit, until they unhooked themselves and swam away.

- Sunfish

Tons of Sunfish. I finished the day with 223 Sunfish from the Kirkwood Lake in 6 hours of fishing. The biggest one was 7 inches, and they ranged from 4-7'. With a float, light gear, and non-stop action, it's like exercising and fishing at the same time! Awesome feeling! And hey: as mentioned before, they are edible!

- Flathead Catfish

Here's probably THE MONSTER of the Kirkwood Lake: a Flathead Catfish. This was the climax of my fishing day at Kirkwood - something totally unexpected! You know that feeling of adrenaline rushing through your body, waiting to see what kind of fish is coming up? When your heart and body shakes, and you get totally pumped up for the moment? Yes! That's what I'm talking about!

It was around 2:15 p.m. when it happened. Locals are funny, you know? They saw me still-fishing with two fishing rods, and kind of smiled in funny ways. They probably thought: "that new kid probably has no idea what the hell he's doing." Hahaha

Suddenly, my Ugly Stick/Shimano combo bent like crazy! I thought it was a big Bass, and ran to get it. The fish was on, and my drag was burning at an awesome pace. I was already worried because the fish was swimming towards the lily pads, but there was nothing I could have done. I was using 15lbs fluorocarbon on my Shimano 4000. The fish swam all the way to the middle of the Lake! The strength of it was like one of a Carp, but I knew that it was impossible for a Carp to swallow a 5' Sunfish in one gulp (they would never do that, seriously). After fighting it for a good ten minutes, I was finally able to bring the beast up - it was orange/brown! It was a Flathead, alright! I was so thrilled because it would have given me an awesome shot for the Blog. I reeled it in carefully, placing him as close as possible. For my luck, I was without my net (sarcasm!). Therefore, my only choice was to grab it by hand. It was then that my line snapped.

Oh well...At least the Flathead is in a lake, so it has no other places to swim to. At least I got to see him, and say: "Wow! It exists! It's HERE! It's about 15-20lbs!" The locals stood there for about two minutes after the fight - mouths opened; surprised faces. It was a good show! I'm sure they never expected that. Neither did I, hah!

- Calico Bass/Black Crappie

For some reason, I like to refer to Black Crappie as "Calico Bass". I think it's exotic, charming, and interesting. Much better than "papermouths", right? Come on...work with me!

I finished the day with 2 Black Crappies, no bigger than 10 inches. They were all caught on a float/nightcrawler rig. Beautiful fish, indeed! I wish the Lake held a bigger population of Calico Bass, but that would be too perfect!



The Eastern Garter Snake. According to most websites, it's not poisonous. However, people found recently that it's "kind of" poisonous. But anyways...I don't want to have two holes on me, so I moved away from location #5.

A nice little Bluegill caught at location #3

Another one caught at location #3, on a float rig.


I don't personally mind finding these around. This one was "chilling" at location #5, next to the snake cove. It didn't mind when I took the picture.


This is a view from location #5. This is where the Big Bass were jumping, eating whatever was falling from trees.

Another picture from location #5. Let's play the game "Find the Bobber". How about that, huh?

A little nice "striped" Sunfish caught at location #4.

Both Calico Bass were caught on position #4 - The Clearing.

A view from position #3 - Before the Creek. The lily pads are prime cover for fish! Good Lake!


A nice view from position #2 - House/Concrete.


Another picture from position #2.


Finally, a picture from position #1 - Entrance/Dock.


Some people were fishing at the Entrance, without having much luck. "I caught a few", said the guy out of the board (closer to you).



Another view of position #1 - the locals guaranteed that LMB would be caught during May-July on the lily pads to the left. I think they speak the truth! hah.

Anyways...Hope you enjoyed the post. If you ever go there to fish, I wish you luck!

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

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Locations
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1. Entrance/Dock

The Kirkwood Lake is located in Lindenwold, New Jersey. It's located five minutes away from the PATCO Transportation Center in Lindenwold. If you see the map above, the train station is right next to it! Therefore, people that catch public transportation really have no excuses.

Number one on the map marks the Entrance/Dock. I named it this way because it's the entrance to the Lake, and there's a little dock for people to put their boats in. Makes sense, right? Also, the area can hold a good amount of cars; therefore, parking is not a problem!

Fishing at the entrance wasn't very successful to me. There's a little water output (dam) next to it, where I was able to catch a couple Sunfish. This is important! This Lake has an imput and output, meaning that it's not stagnant. Anyways...One of the locals told me that between May and July, the Entrance is a prime spot for Largemouth Bass. Who knows...heh

Also, there were signs of corn around. There's probably Common Carp around, but I wasn't able to spot even a single one of them.

2. House/Concrete

No. There are no houses in location 2 of the map. There is, however, a big block of concrete on the floor! Probably something that was once a "plan" to build a house there. I've seen some locals catch some LMB at location 2 using their boats, casting straight at the lily pads. I fished there for a good half a hour, and got a good amount of Sunfish.

3. Before the Creek

There's a little ugly spot on position 3, which is just before a little creek that separates the Kirkwood lake. It's hard to cast because of the trees, but the lily pads are very close! It was at this spot that I missed the first LMB, and caught a bunch of Sunfish on the range of 4-5'.

4. Clearing

It's after the little creek that I was able to find a decent spot! Clear: a clear spot. No trees, no dirt, no mud: just a good spot with good space for casting. Of course, I didn't name it "clearing" just because of these factors: this spot is also very clear when it comes to lily pads. Yes...no lily pads, meaning no cover for fish (Boo Hoo!). However, I had a blast with the sunfish! It was at this spot that I caught 150+ Sunfish. It was also at this spot that I missed my second Big Bass, casting a Sunfish just next to a big log. It was also at this spot that I missed the Flathead.

5. Dungeon

I know...sounds like RPG (Role-playing game), right? A dungeon: a place that holds something that is dear; a place that is protected by traps and dangers. The treasure would be the Bass: number 5 on the map is a little curve from the big Lake. I've seen some Big Bass jump at this particular spot, eating whatever was falling from the trees. Also, this spot cannot be reached by the boats because it's blocked by a vast lily pad vegetation, and logs as well.

Well...that's for the treasure. What's the danger, then? Simple: snakes. I've found at least 4 snakes walking around. 3 of them were Eastern Garter Snakes (no poison, supposedly), and one was red with black stripes - not a good sign! I didn't notice any of them until I stepped in. I was reeling in my line, when I looked to my left and saw a two feet snake standing 5 feet from me. I was scared, alright? Alone in the jungle; away from civilization... one bite, and boom - dead. Even 911 won't reach that place so fast, yet find what kind of snake was that red one with black stripes. After 10 minutes staring at each other (standing still - I was static), the snake moved away. After that, I saw the Garter ones, and took a picture of one from a close range (picture is below) .

Therefore, I'm not responsible for any one's health. Step in at your own discretion. Good luck!

Below are the pictures of the locations, and some small fish. Enjoy!

More recent catches - Trout, Snakehead, LMB, Shad...

--------------------------------------------Heya again, people! So, today turned out to be a beautiful day for fishing! With a weather up to 80+ degrees, and a really nice water temperature, fish seemed to bite quite a lot!

Enjoy:


 Rob's Brown Trout at the Wissahickon. He caught it yesterday on a Trout Magnet.

 Mike's "messed up" photo of his 2.5lbs Striped Bass. According to him, the sun was too bright. Man...hahaha. It's okay, Mike...next time catch a bigger one, and take a pic, okay?

 Someone caught a Shad today at the Fairmount Dam! As I have mentioned before, the Shad is on the run!
When I find this individual's name, I'll post it here.

Mike with a SMB near the fisherman statue. It was caught today on a crankbait by the rocks.

A nice 2.5lbs LMB from the Schuylkill River, also next to the fisherman statue.

Now you know his secrets! Here you go: Mike sharing one of his spots. Be aware, though: I'm not responsible if you lose your rig!

So, Mike decided to hit the FDR in the afternoon to slay the beasts there! A couple shots of his Snakeheads - small, but still a bunch of beauties.

A second one, also caught today.

I can't wait till my college Spring Semester is over! I look at these pictures, and my heart just tells me to go fish! It's the passion and the will, seriously...

Anyways...Best of luck for all of us!

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.
Follow my Facebook page for updates on every single one of my fishing sessions:
http://www.facebook.com/ExtremePhillyFishing
There are fishes around us! Follow my Statistical Chart for 2012 for my catches during this year:
http://extremephillyfishing.blogspot.com/2012/01/statistical-fishing-chart-for-2012.html
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