November Fishing Sessions (Last Update: COMPLETE)

Time passes too fast, doesn't it?

The month of November is here, and so is Thanksgiving! Turkey time, huh? =)

I really expect this month to be super slow when it comes to fishing, especially knowing that water temperatures will be very low. It's about time to shift gears from the Bass and the Catfish to the Crappies and the Carp!

Before starting the "November Fishing Sessions," let me update you on a couple things:

-- There's a Catfish Derby coming up on November 16th (Saturday). It will be held at the Frankford Arsenal in Northeast Philadelphia. I'm participating in it, and I'm inviting all of you to do as well! If you don't mind the cold, give it a try! All the information I know of it is below:

"Cavemans Catfish Contest at the Frankford Arsenal
7 a.m.-12 p.m.
Saturday, November 16th, 2013
Adults $10.
Cash prizes are based on the number of people. Must have a fishing license. This is a fishing derby -- whoever catches the most Catfish wins, biggest fish will be the tie breaker. Catch and release."

-- The "Catfish Tourney on the Banks" competitions are done for this year. I made a summary of them yesterday (click here to view it). The 5th Catfish Tourney on the Banks is scheduled for March 23rd, 2014 (Sunday). So, enjoy your Winter fishing for now!

Here's your picture of the month:

"Things that you don't see when you stay at home:" A Dinosaur statue in the middle of the city! Every time I go fishing at Haddonfield -- NJ, I see this big fella there. I don't know why, but there's only 1 dinosaur, and it's just there...

As a bonus, here's a video of Don with his 38lbs Flathead Catfish from the Schuylkill River that I found recently! Watch out for the language! Enjoy it.

Now, for the November fishing sessions...

--- November 2nd, 2013 ---

Location: Delaware River

Time: 1:00-6:30 p.m.

Fishes caught:

- None

Tough day on the Delaware River! I fished it with my friend Don G. in Northeast Philadelphia, after the Tacony Bridge. We came at high tide and left at low tide, finishing only with a couple bites and only one Channel Catfish for Don.

Some scenery photos are below:

"Things that you don't see when you stay at home:" The Tacony bridge closing up! Neat, huh? =)

Peacefully fishing on the Delaware River. Temperatures were great last Saturday! It was warm and nice outside.

"Things that you don't see when you stay at home:" Neat rays of light coming down through thick clouds. And perhaps an UFO as well? =)

When you have no fish bites, this is what you do: you start a fire in a safe location.

Don looking at his rods while the fire builds up.

The last step: you cook some hot-dogs for dinner.

--- November 3rd, 2013 ---

Location: Cooper River Lake/Audubon Lake

Time: 1:00-4:30 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 2 Common Carp (3.5, 6.5lbs)

I started the day at Cooper River Lake; however, the bite was pretty dead. Therefore, I ended up fishing with my friend Steve OT at Audubon Lake, which is located in Haddon Heights. I ended up catching 2 Common Carps on kernel corn: 3.5 and 6.5lbs. For my surprise, there were quite a few people fishing at Haddon Lake, even though it was super cold...!

It was windy, chilly, but at least I got some fish! Good stuff.

My Carp fishing set up at Cooper River Lake.

My first Carp of the day: 3.5lbs

Same Carp, different angle. Thanks for the photo, Steve!

 And here's a video of the second Carp that I Caught:

Before watching it, I HIGHLY recommend you guys to read the description of it on Youtube, especially because you will waste quite a lot of your time if you watch the whole thing. It's a 24 minutes video, but it gets informative only for about 10 minutes or so.

--- November 13th, 2013 ---

Location: Upper Cooper River

Time: 10:15-3:00 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 5 Black Crappie
-- 1 Brown Bullhead

I went fishing with my friend Matt A. at the Upper Cooper River, Haddonfield, NJ. Since he never caught a Carp, I invited him to tag along!

It was a little bit chilly; however, we managed to stay warm! I finished the day with 5 Black Crappie and 1 Brown Bullhead -- nothing big. Matt finished not only with the first Carp of his life (a 2.82lber), but the second as well! The biggest fish of the day is portrayed below: a 8.33lbs Common Carp on the kernel corn.

It's cold...but the fishing is still on!

Little Black Crappie -- first fish of the day!

Another small Black Crappie from the Upper Cooper River, caught on a small minnow imitation.

My friend Matt A. with the first Carp of his life: a small, but beautiful 2.82lbs Common Carp. 

Say "hi" to my little friend -- a Brown Bullhead from the Upper Cooper River.

Biggest fish of the day: 8.33lber Common Carp, caught on a piece of kernel corn.

--- November 16th, 2013 ---

Location: Delaware River

Time: 7:00-12:00 p.m.

Fishes caught:

- None

I participated at a local Catfish derby with my friend Don G.. We fished for 5 hours on the Delaware River (Frankford Arsenal), and Don finished in first place! As for me...I finished in last (I got skunked). Somehow, I always get skunked on the Delaware River. Haha.

Hopefully I'll do better next time! =)

Don G. with his first Channel Catfish of the day, caught on a piece of marinated chicken liver (yes, marinated...)

Don's 2nd and last fish of the day. The competition was pretty slow; therefore, the winner took the prize home with 2 fish only. Still, congratulations on winning it, Don!

--- November 17th, 2013 ---

Location: Schuylkill River

Time: 11:00-2:00 p.m.

Fishes caught:

- None

Tough day on the Banks. I went there with my friend Matt A. and we both got skunked in three hours of fishing! I had only one Catfish bite and I couldn't land it. It was that bad. =/

--- November 25th, 2013 ---

Location: Manayunk Canal

Time: 11:00-2:30 p.m.

Fishes caught:

- None

I headed for the Manayunk Canal with my friend Matt A.. The plan for the day was to Carp; however, most of the place was frozen once I arrived there!

The day before was super cold (33 max), but I didn't expect the canal to be halfway frozen. Nevertheless, we got skunked after 3:30 hours of fishing. Not a single bite! =/

Tough...
 

One of the portions that were "fishable." 

The canal...frozen! =(

"Things that you don't see when you stay at home:" cool ice patterns in small spillways.

--- November 26th, 2013 ---

Location: Linden Lake/Kirkwood Lake

Time: 1:30-4:30 p.m.

Fishes caught:

- 6 Bluegill

I decided to hit Linden Lake, Lindenwold, for some Black Crappies. The weather has been pretty cold recently, so I figured that the Crappies would at least entertain me!

For my surprise, Linden Lake was frozen when I arrived there! It was raining for almost an hour before my arrival, not to mention that air temperatures were above 32F. Regardless, the little Lake was still frozen. I was so disappointed! =(

Without many options, I ended up going to the Kirkwood Lake, which was close by. I finished the day with 6 Bluegills on nightcrawlers.

I did hook up with a nice fish, but it swam into something and got snagged. Unable to see the fish or pull my line, I ended up snapping it. From my perspective, it was probably a nice Largemouth Bass. It bit on a whole 4 inch Bluegill, 5/0 hook.   

Hopefully the next sessions will be better. I'll be focusing more on spots where I know I'll catch fish. Heh.

Enjoy the photos below:

"Things that you don't see when you stay at home:" This gigantic bra was just sitting next to Linden Lake, on the floor. I don't even dare ask myself how it got there, or how big is the cup...ginormous.

First Bluegill of the day, caught on a piece of nightcrawler. It was raining, cold, but at least I didn't get skunked! Ha!

One of my favorite spots on Kirkwood Lake. I call it "The Pipe." This is where I lost my big fish of the day. I cast my rod all the way into the pipe with a 2oz sinker, 5/0 hook and 4 inch Bluegill. After sitting there for an hour or so, something pulled it really hard! I got so excited, but my hands were lethargic from the cold. The fish pulled drag and swam deep into the pipe, eventually getting stuck on something. I tried to pull the fish out of there, but it didn't work. After 30 minutes or so, I snapped my line...

Another little Bluegill on a piece of nightcrawler. The good thing about them is that they are super fun to catch on ultralight gear during the Winter time.