April Fishing Sessions: 04/14 - Micro-Fishing the Wissahickon Creek in East Falls, PA.

Hello, Blog Readers! 

Here are some of the latest updates:

-- I've added plenty of photos to the Public Fishing Album on my Facebook Page. We got some Flathead Catfish (Pylodictis olivaris), some Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis), and plenty of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Once again: anyone can submit photos to the album. If interested, please click on this link for more details.

Now, here's my fishing report for April 14th:

--- April 14th, 2015 ---

Location: Wissahickon Creek (East Falls/Wissahickon, PA)

Time: 11:00 a.m.-6 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 6 Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus)

-- 4 Rock Bass (Ambloplites rupestris)

-- 1 Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)

-- 1 Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu)

Below are the highlights for this fishing session:

The video is approximately 20 minutes long. The fishing action actually starts at 6:15. Be aware that this is a Micro-Fishing video; in other words, none of the fishes in it are above 6 inches.

Curiously enough, my original plan for the day was to go to the Manayunk Canal and catch some Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides). I packed up my 9' Cortland Endurance noodle rod, plenty of Senkos and 5/0 Gamakatsu hooks, etc. However, after thirty minutes of waiting at the Wissahickon Transfer Center, the Septa Bus 61 was nowhere to be found! So, in the end, I decided to just explore the Wissahickon Creek...

I started my adventure at the mouth of the Wissahickon Creek. For my surprise, I spotted a Golden Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss mutation) just upon arrival! Right away I was pretty psyched about it. I fished the mouth of the Creek with Senkos, suspending jerkbaits, in-line spinners, etc, and wasn't able to get a single fish. I decided to move on...

With a little bit of effort, I was able to snap a photo of the Golden Rainbow Trout. If you look carefully above my line, it's a horizontal shade of yellow.

For my second spot, I moved to the Wissahickon falls, right next to the Wissahickon Transfer Center. For my surprise, there were schools of big Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) and Gizzard Shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) right under it! Too bad I didn't have any corn or a drop net with me. Otherwise, I could have landed myself some big fish! I ended up trying some Senkos for Smallmouth Bass, ending without much success.

The Falls at the Wissahickon Creek. The photo was taken right next to the Wissahickon Transfer Center.

After failing twice, I finally switched to smaller baits and decided to Micro-Fish the lower portion of the Wissahickon Creek (below Forbidden Drive). Between spots, I switched from 3" Senkos to small Trout Magnets, finishing the day with an array of smaller Species of fish. Photo of the session are below:

"Things that you don't see when you stay at home:" A dead Redbreast Sunfish at the margins of the Wissahickon Creek.

A gorgeous Redbreast Sunfish. It was caught on a Thomas Lures E.P. Series in-line spinner, 1/8 oz., nickel/gold.

A photo of a Rock Bass. These little fellas are truly aggressive and they fight much better than the Redbreast Sunfish. Catching them on ultra-light tackle is a joy.

In four years of fishing the Wissahickon, this was my first ever Bluegill from there. As mentioned in the video, Bluegill are very very rare in non-tidal Creeks in and around Philadelphia.

A nice view of the mouth of the Wissahickon Creek with the Schuylkill River.

Best of luck for all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.