--------------------------------------------Heya, People! As promised the other day, I'm posting two pictures of rare catches at the Schuylkill River. Persistence is the key. In addition to those, I'm posting here all the pictures I couldn't post so far! Enjoy!
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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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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Mike with a Gizzard Shad. He accidentally snagged it at FDR Park. However, guess what? This is a really good sign that there's bait fish (shad) running around the Lakes, meaning that Snakeheads and LMB still have food to eat!
There's been a certain discussion over this Trout caught at the Fairmount Dam, Schuylkill River. Looking at the tail, it looks like a Brown. The white stripe on the fins make it look like a Brook. A friend of mine said it's a Hybrid, but once I googled images for a "Tiger Trout", it looks nothing like that. Therefore, by exclusion, I will say that this is a Brookie with a weird tail.
Another extremely rare catch at the Fairmount Dam: a Spotted Muskie. There are three Species of Muskellunge in that portion of the Schuylkill River: Clear, Tiger, and Spotted. I'm attaching a link below with pictures of the members (some ex) of the PAC - Philadelphia Anglers Club:
Most of the fish was eventually caught at the Schuylkill River. Louis' Grass Carp and Aki's Tiger Muskie are definitively rare catches! This is to prove that they are THERE! Sometimes it's hard to believe, specially if the person is not in the field. It's not just about luck: it comes with persistence, knowledge, and field experience as well.
Pictures of a trip that I made to Core's Creek (Luxembourg Lake) a while ago.
Core's Creek is very shallow at certain portions; however, it holds good quality fish. I've caught a couple Carps over there, and I've seem people getting LMB in the range of 4-5lbs. There have been rumours of Walleyes, but I did not confirm it yet.
Also, Core Creek holds a good population of Black Crappie and Sunfish, for those who like to fish Panfish.
The next pictures are of a trip I made with my friend Steve a while ago - Atlantic City. We fished the Surf with clams for a little bit, without success.
A picture of Steve fishing at the surf. There was a good amount of people fishing around, and some people caught Stripers early in the morning.
Without success, we moved to the bay. Even though we knew that chances of getting something in cold weather were close to zero, we still wanted to go there take a look. Despite the fact that we ended the day without fish (it was a cold, windy day!), it was extremely nice to go to these new spots, and just be outside.
A nice picture of the Bay. Steve caught some Black Sea Bass during summer time at the Bay. Of course, according to the fishing guide map, there are chances of getting Flounders and so on.
A picture of the water colour: clear! Beautiful!
The next pictures are of a trip that I made with my friend George to Fort Washington, Wissahickon Creek. Our objective was to catch some Winter Carp.
We fished for a couple hours. It was cold, and it snowed a little bit in the afternoon. We missed one bite each, and we saw Carps swimming around. Isn't it amazing the fact that Carps will bite 365 days a year, despite weather conditions?
This is were I saw a Smallmouth Bass go all the way to the top of the water to catch a little prey. It was an awesome sight, specially because of the water temperature at that time.
The next pictures are of a portion of the Tacony Creek, in Center City. Looks like a shallow Bay; however, be aware: there's fish there! I've personally seem schools of Carp travelling this place. Also, even though this area of the Tacony is rated as dangerous and dirty, there are still people fishing it nowadays.
The same picture from a different angle. There's a trail on the left side and a trail on the right side as well. Due to urbanization, the Creek remains nowadays a dangerous spot. It's a shame because it could be turned into a recreational area, and even be valued as a neighborhood treasure. Unfortunately, the environment is losing badly to economy lately.
Another picture of the Tacony Creek. A potential area that could be stocked with Trout by the Boat and Commission. In Center City, Philadelphia, there are two main creeks (only) that are stocked with Trout: The Wissahickon, and the PennyPack. Again: the Tacony Creek could be stocked with Trout if people went there to fish. And for that to happen, a lot more things need to happen. There will be a post on the Tacony Creek coming up in Summer time, when I have more time to work on the Blog.
The next pictures are of a trip that I made to Wissahickon Creek during last Winter. It was the day that I caught my Bala Shark, and my Koi! Unfortunately, there are no pictures of the fish due to the temperatures. I didn't want them to freeze because the air was below 32F. This view is of the Second Dam, close to the Wissahickon Transfer Center.
The picture above is the left view of my fishing spot. The "Monster of the Wiss" (http://extremephillyfishing.blogspot.com/2011/07/monster-of-wissahickon-creek.html) is exactly in this spot! Many people have sent me e-mails asking why have I exaggerated in the term "Monster", hence the fish is not even very big. The reason of the word I used is related to the Species of the fish, and not the size. "Ghost Carps" are quite rare in Philadelphia, and their name is "Ghost" for a reason: there are some marks on top of their heads that resembles a human face, and that is not uncommon! Link below:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1291605/Whats-fish-face-The-carp-really-does-look-human.html
It will be a pleasure to catch one of them this year, maybe after May!
Chummed, and ready to go!
And, of course, one rod next to the falls - where fish usually hang around. I wanted to find a picture of "fish and dam", and this is the best one I stumbled across:
I know there's a post where I emphasized how important it's to fish strategic points such as dams. I just don't know which one.
Trout Opening at the PennyPack! I've seem MANY swimming around, but couldn't catch a single one! I missed two top water bites, and had to leave at noon. If I continued, I would certainly have finished with at least one! Between the PennyPack and the Wissahickon, I prefer the Pennypack when it comes to Trout Fishing. However, with waders on, the Wiss can be really good!
One of my fishing friends with his son, holding a 5lb (22 inches) Catfish in their net. The picture was taken yesterday - Sunday 04/08/12. Nice catch!
First Yellow Perch of the year yesterday, at the Schuylkill River. One more Species for my collection! Yay!
Hope you all enjoyed the pictures! To finish the post, PLEASE, don't do what this guy did in this video:
You are allowed to laugh at the fact that the fish will NOT LIVE. "He's gonna be alright.." NO WAY! However, keep in mind that this is also a sad situation! Handling the fish in good ways are essential for their survival.
Best of luck for all of us!
Long Days and Pleasant Nights,
Sincerely,
Leo S.