Fish: Pain or no Pain?

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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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Hello, people! I found these interesting articles online that may change your points of view in relationship to fish and pain, as well as inform you of things that you may never heard before. Being a compulsive fisherman that I am, the pain issue in fish is fundamental for my sport.

Despite your conclusion at the end, I'll utmost respect it. As for my personal opinion: I'll continue fishing as freely as I ever did, and happily as well! So, here's the main question: Do fish feel pain or not?

Here we go:

--> Peta's point of view in angling

Notes (emphasis):

"While the numbers continue to decline compared to decades ago, more than 29 million people still went fishing in 2006, spending billions of dollars on their "hobby.""

"Some are destined for human consumption, many are tortured just for "sport," and others are unintended victims who are maimed or killed simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Researchers at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation found that as many as 43 percent of fish released after being caught died within six days."

"Of course, the best way to avoid the dangers of mercury is to not eat fish at all."

 "To combat fishing in your area, post "No Fishing" signs on your land if you have a pond or a lake, join or form an anti-fishing organization, and protest fishing tournaments. Encourage your legislators to enact or enforce wildlife-protection laws."

"Many trout streams are so intensively fished that they require that all fish caught be released; the fish in these streams may spend their entire lives being repeatedly traumatized and injured."


--> Article on debate of "pain or no pain in fish".

Note (emphasis):

"Every time I see an angler, I say a little prayer that he will get his fishing hook lodged in his body, and then perhaps he will give some thought to the barbaric 'sport' he is pursuing."

"The animal-rights group has a "Fishing Hurts" campaign, armed with papers demonstrating that "fish are more intelligent than they appear" and with a video from the late Linda McCartney. "Have you ever seen a fish gasping for breath when you take it out of the water?" she asks. "They're saying 'Thanks a lot for killing me. It feels great.'"

"For the kids, PETA wants to rebrand fish as "sea kittens." You can create your own sea kitten here. I named mine "Blair." (http://features.peta.org/PETASeaKittens/game.asp)

"I remember an old guy who refused to wear polarized lenses (which provide the great advantage of seeing through the glare on top of the water). He told me: "I'm not a killer.""

"I  think there is a fine line between torture and hunting.  We eat fish, cows, chicken, pigs and other animals.  All we can do is to try to make it as humane as possible.  If you have a problem with eating these things, please feel free to go to your nearest tree and take a bite.  We'll soon see people arise who say that trees and bushes feel pain as well."


--> 10 Page article on the Lobster Festival in Maine, which happens yearly.

Note (emphasis): (Page 4-6)


“you have to line up for an ungodly long time to get your lobsters, and meanwhile there are all these ex–flower children coming up and down along the line handing out pamphlets that say the lobsters die in terrible pain and you shouldn’t eat them.”

"...often deploying celebrity spokespeople like Mary Tyler Moore for open letters and ads saying stuff like “Lobsters are extraordinarily sensitive” and “To me, eating a lobster is out of the question.”

"A blunter way to say this is that the lobster acts as if it’s in terrible pain, causing some cooks to leave the kitchen altogether and to take one of those little lightweight plastic oven timers with them into another room and wait until the whole process is over."

"It turned out that one Mr. William R. Rivas-Rivas, a high-ranking PETA official out of the group’s Virginia headquarters, was indeed there this year, albeit solo, working the Festival’s main and side entrances on Saturday, August 2, handing out pamphlets and adhesive stickers emblazoned with “Being Boiled Hurts,” which is the tagline in most of PETA’s published material about lobster."


--> Another PETA article on Pain and fish. This is more SCIENTIFIC.

Note:

"Anyone who made it through Biology 101 knows that fish have nerves and brains that sense pain, just as all animals do."

"Said Dr. Lynne Sneddon, who headed the study,"Really, it's kind of a moral question. Is your angling more important than the pain to the fish?"

"Order PETA's free vegetarian/vegan starter kit for great tips and recipes to help you make the transition to a fish-free vegan diet."

Also, note the picture, please...Someone was using a treble hook (3 sides) to fish whatever small fish is that. Not only that, the lip of the fish is completely destroyed. I hardly saw this kind of injury in my fishing life.


--> No comments on this one.



Note:

"For most, fish amount to little more than swimming protein, a healthy food to be plucked from rivers and seas"

"But, as a disturbing new book shows, scientists are now confident that fish, once symbolic of dumb, primitive stupidity, do not only feel pain, but have a complex emotional life, too."

"After all, many 'vegetarians' eat fish, apparently convinced that a salmon is more like a lettuce than a lamb."

"Scientists claim that goldfish, renowned for their stupidity, actually have the ability to learn"

"But does this really matter? Well, humans currently kill a staggering 500,000,000,000 fish a year. And the way we catch - and kill - fish is not pretty."

Other Articles:

--> 2003 research.
--> 2009 research.
--> Interview with Dr. james D. Rose
--> Lynne Sneddon Vs. Dr. James D. Rose
--> Article on Victoria, writer of the Book "Do Fish feel Pain?" (2010)
--> A Review on "Do Fish feel Pain?" (2010). Google the book for more reviews.
--> Very scientific article in terms of psychology and biology of fish.
--> The book "Do Fish feel pain", by Victoria.
--> 01/12/10. One of the latest experiments with fish.

I hope these were informative to you. As for me, I'm very satisfied with the amount of knowledge I've gained. I'll study Dr. Rose's research further, and see how reliable his sources are.

Best of luck for all of us!

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

Funny Online Fishing "Mini-games"

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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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Hello, Readers!

I was looking through my e-mails today, when I found a website with "fishing mini-games". Since it's extremely cold outside these days, I thought: "why not sharing it with my readers, right?". With the games' hyperlinks, I'll add my personal comments to make the post more interesting.

The games are often silly and time consuming; however, they are quite interesting on their own. At least you get to see some fish, huh? Hahaha.

You are a Crappie swimming up to your spawning grounds! However, you start spotting fishing hooks on your way. Your objective is to reach there without getting caught. If you do, let's hope Mark is not hungry. hahaha

Not related to the game...
Note that Crappies are usually very hard to be found. Unless in spawning season, they move constantly and frequently along the day. Also, depth is a big deal when fishing for Crappies - the right depth will land fish! If you are interested in real Crappie fishing, look for ponds/lakes/rivers with a limited amount of Crappies in it - that's where you will find the big ones! In places where they are overpopulated, the population of Crappies gets stunt, not reaching big quality sizes.

You are a little amateur fisherman in company of your expert friend. Read the instructions for more details. If you beat anyone in the top 10, you will have my respects for the day!

Not related to the game...
Amateur fisherman don't usually realize it, but there's a big difference between reeling in a fish or a piece of garbage. However, even pro fisherman have difficulties at certain times identifying if it's a fish or a piece of trash. Specially when fishing for Eels and Carp, fisherman have often thought of getting a huge piece of log rather than a fish. Not all fish fight at all...

You certainly need fish to survive in this deserted island. Good luck catching them all!

Not related to the game...
Jigging is one of the most effective techniques for attracting fish! Lately, it became an art with all the Bass and Walleye tournaments in the country. Isn't it hard to believe that a couple twitches here and there can attract fish to bite lures that do not resemble natural bait-fish? There are lures that resemble natural bait fish (a huge collection on Shad); however, there are some that do not resemble anything AT ALL! With the jigging technique, everything becomes possible... 

Go get' em! You got 5 lures, so don't waste it. Try to not cast on the rocks, or let the fish swim under your boat.

Not related to the game...
The drag pressure is very important for any fisherman. Any angler that is willing to catch big fish has to know the limits within a certain reel, and how good that drag can work. Knowing the art of setting the drag is very important! A person that knows about drags can fish a huge fish with a small drag and lots of line, and even perform essential maneuvers with heavy line.

Enjoy the games, people! As for me, I'll be fishing again tomorrow...

Best of luck for all of us!

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

January E-mail FAQ #1 - "Fun in Fishing?; Inflicting Pain in Fish?"

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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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Hello, Readers!

So, I'm bringing the December/January FAQ (Frequent Asked Questions), which is also the first official FAQ of the blog. They are basically a junction of comments/questions that I get in my blog e-mail (sheng12182527@gmail.com) over a certain period of time. All of them are answered personally; however, I've decided to create a FAQ type of post, and emphasize some of them for the general public (2 per post). All questions are being posted here with the subscriber's permission, and they will remain anonymous on this and future posts.

So, let's do it...

1. "I was extremely happy to see a blog focused on fishing, and Philadelphia. However, what's the fun in fishing, in your opinion? I went fishing once with my father at the Schuylkill, and got a single plastic bag the whole day. I gave up after that day..."

It's extremely hard to define "the fun" in fishing. There are many different kinds of fisherman, and they all cling to different aspects of the sport. I like the "unknown" trait best - the fact that I never know what I'm going to fish next. Also, as you may have seen, I'm very scientific. I would love to fish something unusual or weird, and carefully research it. Other fisherman, for example, live for the fight (action) between them and the fish. Some others like the challenge of fooling the fish with lures, proving that human knowledge can be sharper than fish's instincts, etc.

It really varies from person to person, but there's one thing that unites all true fishermen: their love for the outdoors, nature, and fish. You will hopefully do better a next time, if you are willing to try. Thanks for the e-mail;

Sincerely,

Leo S.

2. "Stop hurting fish! Would you like to feel a piece of metal piercing through your meat, and pushing your whole body by your mouth? Do you have any idea how they feel? Fishing is a cruel sport, and should be banished from Earth! Your blog should be banished from Earth!"

First, I do not know how they feel because I'm not a fish (neither do you, believe me). I can only hypothesize the pain, not to mention that there have been studies showing that fish do NOT FEEL pain. If they do or not, it's still up to debate. However, I'll ASSUME that they do feel pain in my response because I like to assume the worst. 

There's absolutely no fun in hurting the fish. However, as a fisherman that loves fishing, I understand two things: (1) it's inevitable - the fish will get hurt in the process, so I try to minimize the damage as much as possible; and (2) fish suffer much more from fear than pain.

When I say that I try to minimize damage, I mean that I focus on not giving them any more pain than the hook in their mouths, and the short time that they are "suffocating". There are lots of approaches in handling this, some which I'll list below:

1. Play the fish the right way. Don't stress them too much, specially on Summer time. Some books recommend getting them in as short as possible to save their strength, but I prefer to tire them out to prevent stress on fish. That's the reason I always keep my drag (reel) loose, doesn't matter how small is the fish. What's most important comes next: don't let the fish stay outside of the water for a long amount of time. Put it back as soon as possible. If possible, handle the fish inside the water, hence it's tired from the fight.

2. After landing the fish, handle it carefully. Don't let it fall; don't kick it; throw it back gently; etc. Make all the arrangements, so the fish doesn't get injured in-land.

3. If the fish swallowed the hook, cut the line. Don't let the fish bleed. The fish will consequently absorb the hook, and live a normal life.

Also, you may think that PAIN is the main negative aspect in fishing, but it's not! 

In the 1900's, a Dutch researcher conducted experiments with Carp, determining the consequences a "hook-up" could cause to a fish. His name was John Verheijen. After observing and studying them, he concluded that carps that were caught and released didn't feed for a certain amount of time. However, the reason for not feeding was not because of the pain it felt during the hook-up, but rather the fear of the fishing process - a fear of being hooked once again.

In very blunt words, I'm talking about PTSD in fish - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Before I continue, let me emphasize that there have been researches about fish not having enough brain development that is necessary to experience physical pain. The researches were conducted by Dr. James D. Rose, and they can certainly be "googled". I would never say something without basis; without data. If that turns out to be true in the future, a fisherman could easily avoid pain in fish by following my three advices above. PETA's microbiologist has countered Dr. James D. Rose by saying that “It is unthinkable that fish do not have pain receptors”. Therefore, the debate is still on. 

Now, considering the possibility that fish may not suffer pain, PTSD is still there, and it's even worse than pain. With pain, or without pain, fisherman are basically causing psychological damage to fish. So...how far does this psychological damage goes? That's the main question that your question should be imposing.

I prefer to think this way:

ON ONE HAND:

- I'm "giving" the fish PTSD.
- They stop feeding for a certain amount of time.
- I am "possibly" giving them pain.

ON THE OTHER HAND:

- PTSD is temporary. People have often caught the same Carp 5+ times, and acquired affection for the fish.
- Fish instinct is enhanced by catch-and-release

By catching-and-release, I'm showing the fish a whole new World - a World above water! I'm showing them the unknown, enhancing their instincts for the rest of their lives. If they get to live another day after being hooked, their instincs can certainly change and develop. Ever wondered how a big Carp is still alive and swimming in a little Creek? Certainly it's because it is very cunning, and very "smart" - it has very sharp instincts that prevent it from getting caught easily. The question is: how did he acquire those instincts? The answer is: probably by being caught and released many times during his life. 

Wouldn't it be nice if its future generations gained that trait from it? If that part of its instinct could be genetically passed to future generations? 

Let me ask you this question: have you ever wondered how almost every species of fresh water fish eat Earthworms when exposed to it, even though some of them have never seem them before? Interesting, huh? So, how do we know that that is not possible?

In conclusion, I don't know if fish feel pain or not. About the PTSD, I believe the fish have much more to gain than to lose by being caught and released. As in an analogy:

If an alien came to Earth, abducted me, showed me its whole planet - a new knowledge that I've never seen, for the exchange of giving me the pain to not being able to breath for a couple minutes, and the pain of having a piece of metal pierced through my mouth... and also knowing that that injury would regenerate, and I would come back alive? I would do it!

The only two differences in the analogy above is that I had a choice while fish does not, and I have knowledge rather than instincts - a rational mind. That's why I'm promoting: "please, people... catch-and-release!"

Sincerely,

Leo S.

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That's it for today's FAQ...

Best of luck for all of us!

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

Atlantic City Boat Show and the 2012 Garden State Outdoor Sportsmen's Show

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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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Updates:
1. http://extremephillyfishing.blogspot.com/2012/01/statistical-fishing-chart-for-2012.html
--> Added "Location caught (Biggest - in) - Date caught"
2. http://extremephillyfishing.blogspot.com/2011/06/fishing-in-philadelphia.html
3. http://extremephillyfishing.blogspot.com/2011/06/fishing-at-schuylkill-river-banks.html
4. http://extremephillyfishing.blogspot.com/2011/06/fishing-for-panfish-at-fdr-park.html
--> Updated the posts with the new Blogger editor
5. http://extremephillyfishing.blogspot.com/2011/06/fishing-and-weather.html
--> Changed the title of the post, and added a bit more of coherence to the topic.
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Hello, Readers! Today's post is not exactly about fishing, but about two awesome events that I would recommend to the public: the Atlantic City Boat Show, which will be happening on 1-5th of February in Atlantic City; and the 2012 Garden State Outdoor Sportsmen's Show, which is happening RIGHT NOW - from the 12-15th of January, at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in Edison, NJ.

I've heard about them through friendly e-mails, checked their official websites, and concluded that they are events worth of your money. As a matter of fact, they are yearly events that are extremely cheap for the amount of events they have: 

Atlantic City Boat Show:
$14 dollars for adults (15 and younger - Free with an adult admission). Note: perfect for bringing kids, and have a good family time.

2012 Garden State Outdoor Sportsmen's Show:
$12 dollars at door, $10 dollars online (Note: if you buy a ticket ONLINE, you will get a nice discount for a 1 year subscription to certain magazines related to wild life. Field and Stream is included in the options!)

You can buy tickets online on the websites below:
Atlantic City Boat Show:
http://www.acboatshow.com/attendees/admission.aspx
2012 Garden State Outdoor Sportsmen's Show:
http://www.gsoss.com/tickets.php

Note: I'm not making any profit or gaining any benefits for advertising these events. I'm doing it by my own will, since I think they are both entertaining and informative to the public. Rather than advertising it, I'm recommending it to the public.

As you all should know, I would never recommend anything without first having knowledge about it. The official websites for both events are below, together with a link to their attractions:

Atlantic City Boat Show:
http://www.acboatshow.com/
http://www.acboatshow.com/attendees/features/features.aspx
2012 Garden State Outdoor Sportsmen's Show:
http://www.gsoss.com/index.php
http://www.gsoss.com/docs/GSOSS_2012_emapGuide%20_%20For%20Website%20Final%201-10.pdf

If you have kids, these two events are ideal for some good family time. They have a lot of attractions where the public can interact and participate; tons of information on wildlife and nature; events related to fishing; etc.

I'll let your curiosity lead the way...Enjoy! And best of luck for all of you, if you are still planning on fishing...

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

Fishing the Wallworth Pond in New Jersey

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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:
--> Added Data from Wallworth Pond
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This Winter is certainly weird, isn't it? Despite the fact that the whole World is weird at the moment, and many natural incidents have happened around the World in the past couple months (i.e. floods in Thailand and Brazil, hurricane in Philippines, earthquake and hurricane passing by Philadelphia, etc), I still have to say: this Winter is extremely weird!

I remember how temperatures were far below 32F at this season during last year. Lakes and ponds were frozen solid, and even the mighty Schuylkill was completely solid. Good or bad, temperatures this year have allowed me to fish ponds more often in Winter time, including the Wallworth Pond in New Jersey.

I did two recent sessions in Wallworth Pond recently, finishing with 8.45lbs of fish on the first session, and 3.14lbs of fish on the second session. Note that the time of the sessions were very different too: I fished three more hours during the first session.

The fish consisted mainly of sunfish (Bluegills and Pumpkin Seeds), which means that I've fished quantity over weight lately. For my surprise, I landed my first Largemouth Bass on this pond, measuring 10 inches and 0.49lb! Not only that, I landed my first sucker of the year - measuring 11 inches and 0.41lbs, and my first Golden Shiner of the year - 6.5 inches, 0.15lbs. Although they are all small, I'm very satisfied to add them to the different number of species caught this year. After all, I'm more of a scientific fisherman than a challenging fisherman. In other words, I appreciate getting different species more than i appreciate fishing big fish.

In the first session, I finished the day with fifty-three Bluegill, six Pumpkin Seed, one Largemouth Bass, one White Sucker, and one Golden Shiner. On the second session, I finished the day with eighteen Bluegill, and five Pumpkin Seed. The data is below:

Session 1:

Bluegill --> 85.48387% (53 fish - 6.57lbs total)
Pumpkin Seed --> 9.67741% (6 fish - 0.83lbs total)
Largemouth Bass --> 1.61290% (1 fish - 0.49lbs total)
White Sucker --> 1.61290% (1 fish - 0.41lbs total)
Golden Shiner --> 1.61290% (1 fish - 0.15lbs total)

Session 2:

Bluegill --> 78.26086% (18 fish - 2.58lbs total)
Pumpkin Seed --> 21.73913% (5 fish - 0.66lbs total)

Note: they were caught mainly on waxworms and minnows during both sessions.

This means that the Bluegills are still the dominant species in the pond. Considering the water temperatures of both sessions (35F, 36F), and the clarity of the water (always muddy at the Wallworth Pond), these results do not surprise me. What surprised me the most was the fact that the Largemouth Bass bit on my minnow while I was still fishing for Crappies, and the fact that a Golden Shiner actually bit on my waxworm.

My assumptions are that the Largemouth Bass was really hungry, and the Golden Shiner population at the Pond is minimal. There have been presence of injured fish, meaning that there is "something" (a predatory species) in the pond attacking other species of fish. My goal next time will be to fish for that.

Below are pictures of my fishing sessions:
The biggest Sunfish I caught at the pond: 7 inches, 0.20lbs

My Largemouth Bass - 10 inches, 0.49lbs

My Golden Shiner - 6.5 inches, 0.15lbs. Note that they are actually awesome bait for Pike and Pickerel, which are species that are present in NJ, specially in the Cooper River.

I apologize for this picture. I forgot to take a picture of the White Sucker with my camera, so I took a picture of a picture (camera - phone). My White Sucker - 11 inches, 0.41lbs

One of the injured Sunfish from the Pond. The injury is this picture is seem only from one side, but the same injury is in the opposite side, meaning that I could actually pass a toothpick through that injury. Poor little guy.

My two rods at a portion of the Wallworth Pond. As always, I don't mind sharing spots. Just catch and release, if possible! Also, would someone really eat the fish out of this muddy pond? Seriously?

Again...this winter is extremely weird! Something just doesn't feel right. But anyways...best of luck for all of us!

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

Patapsco River and Lake Kittamaqundi - Fishing Away from Home (MD)

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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:
--> Added data from these fishing sessions (MD)
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Hey, People!

I decided to do a quick post on my fishing sessions in Maryland, even though it's far away from Philly. I went there to see my friend Mike (aka: Lee), and guess what? We decided to fish.

We decided to hit the Lake Kittamaqundi on Tuesday. We fished there for a couple hours, under brutal conditions: temperatures below 32F (according to the weather site, "feels like 15F"), wind, and even some snow. Although it was very cold, and the water surface temperature was 33F, Mike was still able to land 20+ Crappies that day! As for me, I finished the day with zero fish. Actually, I finished the day with one Sunfish! Can't say I got skunked...
Mike was jigging a grub with a float, and his technique was very accurate under windy conditions. I tried many different approaches, such as trout magnet, nightcrawlers, and even the SAME grub, but no results! It took me a while to realize that the main factor that made Mike's rig so powerful was the fact that the grub action was performed horizontally due to the jig head, and not vertically as attached to a regular hook. In other words, the depth of the water varied slightly under motion with Mike's rig. This was very good empirical data for future fishing adventures.

Pictures of the first day are below:


Mike's using his technique to get his float under the dock.


A beautiful photo taken at the docks at Lake Kittamaqundi.


Mike holding one of his Crappies, dressed heavily due to the weather.


The second day, we decided to be a little bit smarter, and fish fish that would actually bite good in cold weather. As temperatures on Wednesday stayed below 32F, we went Trout-fishing at the Patapsco River.



The second day was a blast! Mike hooked three fish, and landed three. I hooked three, but landed only one. One of them unhooked itself right in front of me, and the third one snapped my line, hence the line was merged with ice (frozen by the air). On the third day, Mike hooked one, and I left empty-handed. I wasn't able to take any pictures of my fish, but I'm proudly posting Mike's photos below.

The Patapsco River was a very pleasant experience, since I had a chance to wade in the River. Also, the quality of the water was just top: crystal clear. We fished there with nightcrawlers, spinners, and some other lures. Overall, it was a very successful experience.
Mike with his Rainbow Trout


A photo of the Old Dam at Patapsco River.


Mike wading in the River. Notice the depth of the water, and the speed of the current.


Mike holding another Rainbow Trout.


Mike's Brown Trout - 16 inches, 1lb+


The only fish we saw at the third day (Thursday) - a Brown Trout caught by Mike.


Best of luck for all of us, specially in this CRAZY Winter season... I remember how I was freezing by this time last year.

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

Cooper River at Wallworth Pond - Searching for Black Crappies

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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:
--> Started chart and added the data from this fishing session to it.
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Happy new year, Readers! I hope you all had a good time in this holiday season because now it's time to go back to our regular lives, isn't it? Anyways...

As you all know, a new year means new fishing licenses. I have purchased mine online on the 31st - a very easy and convenient way to do it. The only thing a person really needs to purchase a license online is a credit/debit card, a printer to print the license, and patience to fill in the forms.

This year I've purchased two fishing licenses: one for PA and for NJ. As I stated in my previous posts, this year I'll be expanding my horizons! I'll adventure myself more in New Jersey, and at the same time keep my fishing constant in Philadelphia. Plus, it's so easy to get to New Jersey from Philadelphia, not to mention how close NJ is from Philadelphia.

As a fisherman, I advise everyone to fish legally. Therefore, below are the links for getting online licenses for either PA or NJ:

Also, let me remind you guys of three things:

1. It's a very good idea to purchase the Trout Permit with the annual licenses. They are stocked in both states, good eating, clean, and a good sport fish.

2. If you can't purchase it online for some reason, there are plenty of places to get it "in-person". Dicks Sporting Goods is a good example.

3. Print extra copies of your license! In case you lose it, it's always good to have extra copies!

Below are the pictures of my licenses. Yours will probably look differently in color, but should be very similar to it:




The year started good, and I decided to go fishing in a new spot, in New Jersey. I went to the Wallworth Pond, which is a section of the Cooper River located in Haddonfield, New Jersey. As a good fisherman, I always do my homework before going to a new location. One of my favorite websites is the "Fish Finder" website: it gives definitions of body of waters accross the country, as well as the species of fish that once inhabited it, or still does. The link to the website is below (note that it's directed to the Wallworth's Pond):
The weather was great today, and the water temperature was higher than usual - 37.4F (3C). The water at the site was muddy, and the deepest part of the pond hit four feet. Despite the shalowness of the place, I was happy enough to fish there. My goal for the day was to get some Black Crappies, the so-called "Fresh Water Calico Basses". For my happiness, I finished the day with a good amount of Sunfish, and 3 Crappies! I was sincerely amazed by the fact that I was able to pull even 1 Black Crappie out of there, hence the data at those fish finder websites are usually outdated.



I didn't see any Trouts swimming around, neither Carps at the site. However, due to the quality of the water there, it's very likely that there are Carps roaming the place. I fished the pond with trout magnets. Surprisingly, even though they didn't have action on their own, they worked like magic!


Below are the pictures of 2 of the 3 Crappies, and a picture of Steve with a healthy, good-sized Largemouth Bass from the Hopkins Pond, which is right next to Wallworth Pond. Steve joined me for the last hour and a half (I fished for 4 hours total), and was very satisfied with his Bass.








I finished the day with 9 Bluegill, 3 Black Crappie, and 5 Pumpkin Seed. The biggest fish was 7.5 inches (Crappie), and the heaviest fish was the same one, weighting 0.28lbs. Since readers these days rely more on statistics, I'll post below the percentage of fish I caught per species in the pond:

Bluegill --> 52.941176% (9 fish - 1.49lbs total)
Black Crappie --> 17.647059% (3 fish - 0.81lbs total)
Pumpkin Seed --> 29.411765% (5 fish - 0.71lbs total)

This means that the Bluegill are the dominant Species of fish in the Pond, and the Black Crappie are actually the rarest. Of course this data is based on my catches of today, which means that they are quite inaccurate. I just wanted to give the readers a certain notion of "what to expect to catch" if the same goes fishing there one day. For future posts, just keep in mind that these statistics serve only one purpose: to inform the reader about how frequently a certain species of fish bite on a certain bait at a certain body of water.


That's it for total - stay updated for next updates! =)

Best of luck for all of us,

Long days and pleasant nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

Statistical Fishing Chart for 2012 (COMPLETE)

This will be my Statistical Fishing Chart for 2012. From now on, every catch that I perform (successfully landing a fish on a hook) will be registered in terms of size and weight. This will help me create a little "fishing diary", and keep scores and data along the year. This post will be updated every month.
 
Last update/fishing session: COMPLETE (12/31/12) 
Days fished this year: 184
Maximum number of fish caught in a day: 238 (Schuylkill River - 09/08/12)
Maximum pounds of fish caught in a day: 131.81 lb (Schuylkill River - 07/26/12)
Number of different species caught this year: 34

TOTAL # of Fish caught in 2012: 2476
TOTAL # of Pounds caught in 2012: 1242.38 lbs.

Note: Size is in inches; weight is in pounds.
1 Inch = 2.54 Centimeters
1 Pound = 0.45359237 Kilograms

# = Number of fish caught in 2012
Max. Size = Longest fish caught in 2012 (In Inches)
Max. Weight = Heaviest fish caught in 2012 (In lbs)
Total Weight = Total amount of weight of fish caught in 2012 (per Species)
Location caught (Biggest - in) = Where the biggest fish of certain Species was caught
Date = When the biggest fish of certain Species was caught.

-- Name (Species) -- #/ Max. Size/ Max. Weight/ Total Weight
Location caught (Biggest - in) - Date caught

Freshwater:

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-- American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) -- 7925 (in)0.80 (lb)8.45 (lb)
Schuylkill River, PA - 08/04/12

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-- American Shad (Alosa sapidissima) -- 14 (in)0.09 (lb)0.09 (lb)
Schuylkill River, PA - 07/22/12
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-- Bala Shark (Balantiocheilos melanopterus) -- 17.1 (in)0.10 (lb)0.10 (lb)
Wissahickon Creek, PA - 02/08/12

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-- Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) -- 664/ 8.8 (in)/ 0.52 (lb)/ 129.62 (lb)
Wallsworth Pond, NJ - 05/30/12
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-- Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) -- 200/ 14.1 (in)/ 1.82 (lb)/ 56.98 (lb)

Cooper River, NJ - 05/08/12
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-- Brown Bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) -- 1/ 13.2 (in)/ 1.06 (lb)/ 1.06 (lb)

Driscoll Pond, NJ - 12/07/12
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-- Brown Trout (Salmo trutta morpha fario) -- 6/ 12.4 (in)/ 0.83 (lb)/ 3.04 (lb)
Wissahickon Creek, PA - 06/22/12
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--
Chain Pickerel (Esox niger) -- 2/ 11 (in)/ 0.64 (lb)/ 1.05(lb)
Crane's Lake, NJ - 10/06/12
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-- Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) -- 19637.0 (in)14.3 (lb)440.52 (lb)
Luxembourg Lake, PA - 06/12/12
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-- Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) -- 5125.0 (in)9.0 (lb)234.00 (lb)
Audubon Lake, NJ - 02/05/12

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-- Creek Chub (Semotilus atromaculatus) -- 139 (in)0.35 (lb)1.31 (lb)
Wissahickon Creek, PA - 05/20/12

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-- Fathead Minnow (Pimephales promelas) -- 1/ 2 (in)/ 0.04 (lb)/ 0.04 (lb)
Schuylkill River, PA - 10/07/12
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-- Golden Shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas) -- 3/ 6.5 (in)/ 0.15 (lb)/ 0.59 (lb)
Wallworth Pond, NJ - 01/07/12

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-- Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) -- 35/ 7.1 (in)/ 0.40 (lb)5.05 (lb)
Lake Luxembourg, PA - 05/29/12

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- Gizzard Shad* (Dorosoma cepedianum) -- 3/ 5.4 (in)0.60 (lb)1.02 (lb)
Audubon Lake, PA - 12/02/12
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-- Koi - Ochiba** (Cyprinus carpio) -- 17.3 (in)0.17 (lb)0.17 (lb)
Wissahickon Creek, PA - 02/08/12

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-- Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) -- 63/ 23 (in)/ 4.0 (lb)/ 74.68 (lb)
Luxembourg Lake, PA - 03/24/12
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-- Mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus) -- 1574 (in)0.02 (lb)2.84 (lb)
Tacony Creek, PA - 04/21/12

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--
Northern Snakehead (Channa Argus) -- 613 (in)0.85 (lb)1.55 (lb)
Newton Creek, NJ - 08/03/12

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-- Pumpkin Seed (Lepomis gibbosus) -- 87/ 7.8 (in)/ 0.31 (lb)/ 13.97 (lb)
Wallsworth Pond, NJ - 05/30/12
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-- Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) -- 58/ 17.0 (in)/ 1.76 (lb)/ 38.03 (lb)
Wissahickon Creek, PA - 10/14/12

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-- Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus) -- 79/ 6.9 (in)/ 0.28 (lb)/ 13.68 (lb)
Wissahickon Creek, PA - 05/20/12
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-- Rock Bass (Ambloplites rupestris/constellatus) -- 497.5 (in)0.42 (lb)6.69 (lb)
Pennypack Creek, PA - 06/25/12

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-- 
Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu) -- 1814 (in)1.40 (lb)3.44 (lb)
Wissahickon Creek, PA - 05/20/12
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--
Spot Croaker (Leiostomus xanthurus) -- 38/ 7 (in)/ 0.38 (lb)/ 9.33 (lb)
Schuylkill River, PA - 09/08/12
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-- 
Spotfin Shiner (Notropis spilopterus) -- 13.5 (in)0.10 (lb)0.10 (lb)
Tacony Creek, PA - 04/21/12

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-- 
Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) -- 1212 (in)0.62 (lb)2.12 (lb)
Delaware River, PA - 06/08/12
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-- 
White Crappie (Pomoxis annularis) -- 88.0 (in)0.32 (lb)1.76 (lb)
Hyde Lake Park, NY - 05/16/12
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-- White Perch (Morone americana) -- 61310 (in)0.36 (lb)165.85 (lb)
Schuylkill River, PA - 06/01/12

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-- White Sucker (Catostomus commersonii) -- 1/ 11.0 (in)/ 0.41 (lb)/ 0.41 (lb)
Wallworth Pond, NJ - 01/07/12
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-- Yellow Bullhead (Ameiurus natalis) -- 1116 (in)0.97 (lb)6.22 (lb)
Cooper River, NJ - 05/09/12
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-- Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) -- 1010 (in)0.37 (lb)3.01 (lb)
Schuylkill River, PA - 06/01/12


Saltwater:

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-- Weakfish (Cynoscion regalis) -- 219 (in)1.75 (lb)9.45 (lb)
Absecon Bay, NJ - 06/06/12

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-- Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) -- 419 (in)1.32 (lb)4.60 (lb)
Absecon Bay, NJ - 07/10/12
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-- Hickory Shad (Alosa mediocris) (Alosa sapidissima) -- 115 (in)0.76 (lb)0.76 (lb)
Absecon Bay, NJ - 05/23/12
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-- Stingray (TBA) -- 117 (in)0.80 (lb)0.80 (lb)
Absecon Bay, NJ - 06/06/12

Others...

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-- Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) -- 15 ? (in) wide? (lb)? (lb)
Alverthorpe, NJ - 07/24/12
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-- Red-ear Slider Turtle (Trachemys scripta elegans) -- 715 (in)10.00 (lb) ?28.60 (lb)
Haddon Lake, NJ - 07/29/12

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Spider Crab (Libinia emarginata) -- 115 (in) wide? (lb)? (lb)
Absecon Bay, NJ - 06/06/12


* Foul-hooked by accident. Does not count as a "caught" Species
** Same Species as Common Carp