June Fishing Sessions: 06/30 - Fishing the Absecon Inlet Jetty for Black Sea Bass and Bergall (Atlantic City, NJ)

Hello, Blog Readers! 

Today I am bringing you my fishing session for June 30th:

--- June 30th, 2015 ---

Location: Absecon Inlet (Atlantic City, NJ)

Time: 12:00-5:00 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 7 Bergall (Tautogolabrus adspersus)

-- 9 Black Sea Bass (Centropristis striata)

Additionally...

-- 1 Atlantic Horseshoe Crab (Limulus polyphemus)

Video:

Below are the highlights for this fishing session:

This video is divided in two parts: (1) Introduction (0:00-0:55); and (2) Fishing (0:56-6:20). Don't forget to watch it in HD quality (1080p50)! If you enjoy watching my videos, please support my YouTube Channel by liking and subscribing. 

Additionally, here is a video that I took of the Atlantic Horseshoe Crab:

"Things that you don't see when you stay at home:" An ancient Atlantic Horseshoe Crab from the Absecon Inlet! They are quite abundant in NJ and despite what most people think, they are quite docile. :)

Goal:

Since I went down to the shore with my family, the goal for the day was to catch anything edible and legal to take! We were mainly targeting Clearnose Skate (Raja eglanteria) and Atlantic Croaker (Micropogonias undulatus).

Setup:

I used two rods for this fishing session. The first setup consisted of a Cortland Endurance 9' noodle rod with a Shimano Symetre 4000FL and 12lbs Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon line. The second setup was a heavy action Daiwa Samurai rod + reel with 20lbs Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon line. Both rods were rigged with a traditional saltwater "high-low" rig, which can be purchased at any tackle shop. Throughout the course of the day, we used bloodworms and salted clams as bait.

Summary:

Tuesdays are usually my "family time" days, since both my sister and my brother-in-law are off from their jobs. So, we usually take my mom and my nephew and we go to "far away lands."Of course we don't always fish on Tuesdays; however, sometimes (actually, most of the times), I play my trick and I sneak out for some fishing! Hah. Thus, I guess you folks got the gist of it: every time my family goes down to Atlantic City for the boardwalk, the casinos, etc; my brother-in-law and I usually go for the jetties and the bay! Since my father was still around, he tagged along as well. 

As mentioned previously, the goal for the day was really for us to catch something for dinner. I seldom take fish home to eat; however, my family is big on fish consumption. Therefore, our goal was to catch a couple Skates and Croakers. 

Unfortunately, things turned out very differently. There was an abundance of small Black Sea Bass around and very little Atlantic Croaker. My brother-in-law managed to land a few Croaker, thankfully. On the other hand, my father and I ended up only with Black Sea Bass and Bergall. No Clearnose Skates either...

And, of course, there was the Horseshoe Crab. Hah. Pretty neat catch, if you ask me! Every Summer I catch at least one from the jetties. 

Photos:

Below are the photos for this fishing session:

The Horseshoe Crab in "protective mode." Or, if you prefer, a Kabuto doing Harden. Lol.

Despite what people think, the Horseshoe Crab's tail is inoffensive. The tail's purpose is to actually help it flip itself. It may look intimidating, folks, but the photo above only portrays a creature full of fear [of the Asian giant]. 

A nice scenic view of the jetty at the Absecon Inlet. There are a few jetties around the inlet. Personally, I prefer the one closest to the gazebo.

One of the many Black Sea Bass of the day! Little nuisances due to their small sizes, but still a joy for a Multi-Species angler. :)

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S. 

June Fishing Sessions: 06/28 - Multi-Species Fishing in Different Bodies of Water (Haddonfield, NJ)

Hello, Blog Readers!

Today I'm bringing you my fishing session for June 28th:

--- June 28th, 2015 ---

Location: Wallworth Lake/Hopkins Pond/Driscoll Pond/Upper Cooper River (Haddonfield, NJ); Lake Alverthope (Abington, PA)
Time: 1:30-5:30 p.m./ 7:00-9:30 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 5 Green Sunfish X Bluegill Hybrid (Lepomis cyanellus X Lepomis macrochirus)
-- 2 Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus)
-- 8 Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)
-- 1 Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus)
-- 3 Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)
-- 1 Spotted Bass (Micropterus punctulatus)
-- 2 Brown Bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus)
-- 1 White Catfish (Ameiurus catus)
-- 3 Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus)

Video:

Below are the highlights for this fishing session:

This video is divided mainly in seven parts: (1) Introduction (0:00-3:20); (2) Setup (3:25-5:20); (3) Fishing the Wallworth Lake below the dam (5:21-11:28); (4) Fishing the Wallworth Lake above the dam (11:30-12:00); (5) Fishing the Hopkins Pond (12:01-13:17); (6) Fishing the Driscoll Pond (13:18-16:35); and (7) Fishing the Upper Cooper River (16;36-32:20). Don't forget to watch it in HD quality (1080p50)! If you enjoy watching my videos, please support my YouTube Channel by liking and subscribing. 

Goal:

The goal for the day was to catch as many different Species of fish as possible in Haddonfield, NJ. 

Setup:

My setup for this fishing session consisted of a Daiwa Spinmatic Ultralight Rod with a Shimano Sedona 500FD and 4lbs Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon line. Throughout the course of the day, I used the following types of rigs/baits/lures: (1) a Thomas Lures E.P. Series In-line Spinner, 1/8 oz., nickel/gold color; (2) a 1/64 oz. Trout Magnet jighead with a 1" Gulp! Alive Minnow; (3) a piece of nightcrawler on a size #6 Eagle Claw hook; and (4) a piece of cut Bluegill on a size #4 Eagle Claw hook, rigged under a couple split-shots.

Summary:

If you folks read my fishing Blog a lot, you should know that Haddonfield is one of my favorite places to go to when it comes to Multi-Species fishing! Anyways...

I started my day fishing the Wallworth Lake under the dam. I ran an in-line spinner against the current without much success. Therefore, I quickly switched my setup to a "Gulp! Alive Minnow" on a 1/64 oz. jighead. I caught a couple Species of fish and moved on! I followed the path after the dam and walked all the way up to the dam below Evans Pond, where my friend Peter S. joined me. I gave a couple casts here and there, switched to some nightcrawlers, and caught a decent sized Bluegill that I decided to save as bait! 

Peter and I then moved to Hopkins Pond, where I caught a small Brown Bullhead. Hopkins is known for having winter kills due to lack of oxygen; thus, only Common Carp, Brown Bullhead, and a couple of other Species of fish inhabit that body of water. 

After spending fifteen minutes there or so, we moved down to Driscoll Pond. I caught a small Black Crappie and Peter caught his first Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) in a long while. We fished there for a little bit more, ending up with a few extra Bluegill and Largemouth Bass.

Finally, we ended up fishing the Upper Cooper River below Driscoll Pond. Peter ended his day with two nice Common Carp whereas I ended up with a really nice White Catfish! 

Even after all those catches, Peter's thirst for fishing was still up in the air. Thus, we decided to hit Lake Alverthorpe in Abington for some night-time Catfishing! We got there around 7:00 p.m., initially targeting Largemouth Bass and Sunfish. I eventually caught a couple neat Species, including a beautiful Brown Bullhead! Unfortunately, we ended the night with no monster Channel Catfish.

Overall, it was a very productive day in terms of Multi-Species fishing.

Photos:

Below are the photos for this fishing session:

A chubby Bluegill from the Wallworth Lake (below the dam).

Peter's first Yellow Perch in a long long time! It was wonderful to see that Driscoll Lake still had one of them in there.

A Bluegill X Green Sunfish hybrid from the Wallworth Lake. A couple folks have been confusing these hybrids with Warmouth (Lepomis gulosus) -- recall, folks: the soft-dorsal and anal fin on Warmouth are red colored and not yellowish.

An authentic Green Sunfish from the Wallworth Lake.

A Largemouth Bass with Hyperpigmented Melanosis. Up to date, ichthyologists are still not sure how the Bass obtain Hyperpigmented Melanosis; however, so far, there have been no signs of malignancy when it comes to it. In other words, our understanding up to date is that it does not hurt the fish.

A nice view of the Hopkins Pond. :)

My little Brown Bullhead from Hopkins Pond. :)

A beautiful Black Crappie from Driscoll Pond.

A small Spotted Bass from the Upper Cooper River. Anglers usually don't bother to differentiate Largemouth Bass and Spotted Bass; however, they are different Species (despite their similarities). Spotted Bass tend to have (1) tooth patches on their tongues; (2) a mouth that does not extend past the eye when the jaw is closed; (3) broken lateral stripes; (4) clear ventrolateral stripes; and (5) scales on its soft-dorsal fin. 

Same fish, another angle -- this little fella had "toothy patches" on its tongue.

A Largemouth Bass from the Upper Cooper River.

Catfishing at the Upper Cooper River using an ultralight rod. :)

My White Catfish! Very nice sample for NJ.

Peter with his Common Carp from the Upper Cooper River.

A beautiful Pumpkinseed from the Alverthorpe Lake in Abington.

A Brown Bullhead from Lake Alverthorpe.

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

June Fishing Sessions: 06/24: Multi-Species Fishing the Tidal Schuylkill River (Philadelphia, PA)

Hello, Blog Readers! 

Here is my fishing session post for June 24th:

--- June 24th, 2015 ---

Location: Schuylkill River (Philadelphia, PA)
Time: 12:00-5:00 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 1 Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)
-- 3 Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu)
-- 1 Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis)
-- 2 Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus)
-- 1 Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus)

Video:

Below are the highlights for this fishing session:

The video above is mainly divided in four parts: (1) Introduction (0:00-4:00); (2) Fishing at the Fairmount Dam -- East Side (4:01-7:20); (3) Fishing at the Fairmount Dam -- West Side (9:20-14:22); and (4) Fishing the Schuylkill at Spring Garden (14:23-19:35). Don't forget to watch it in HD quality (1080p50)! If you enjoy watching my videos, please support my YouTube Channel by liking and subscribing.

Goal: 

Since my father never visited the Art Museum & Surroundings, the goal for the day was to take him there! Hah. In-between, of course we stopped at different portions of the Schuylkill River for some Multi-Species Fishing! 

Setup:

My setup for this fishing session consisted of a Cortland Endurance 9' noodle rod with a Shimano Symetre 4000FL and 12lbs Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon line. Throughout the course of the day, I used the following types of rigs/baits/lures: (1) a Gary Yamamoto 5" Senko on a 5/0 Gamakatsu worm hook; (2) an entire live nightcrawler on a 5/0 Gamakatsu worm hook; (3) a Thomas Lures E.P. Series in-line Spinner, 1/8 oz., nickel/gold color; (4) an entire live nightcrawler on a size #4 Eagle Claw Hook, under a 1 oz. Eagle Claw weighted float; and (5) a size #4 Eagle Claw hook with a 2 oz. Pyramid Sinker.

My father used a Daiwa Samurai rod with a Shimano Sedona 2500FD and 12lbs Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon line. 

Summary:

Since my father never went to the Art Museum and surroundings, him and I decided to fish the tidal Schuylkill River for different Species of fish! Our original destination was actually Newton Lake in Collingswood; however, PATCO wasn't running that day...

We started our day on the East side of the Fairmount Dam, right under the Gazebo. Since my father was extremely rusty with lures, I decided to give him a wacky-rigged Senko to play with. I ended up doing the same. After a few minutes, I missed a couple bites on it -- all Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides). I switched gears to live nightcrawler, finishing there with an extremely greedy Bluegill and a small Striped Bass.

After a while, we walked over to the west side of the Fairmount Dam, where I caught a couple small Smallmouth Bass and a Channel Catfish under a float! Hah. As weird as it sounds, Channel Catfish can be caught under a float on the Schuylkill River.

Finally, at the end of the afternoon, my father and I decided to hit the sandy flat by the Spring Garden Bridge. We set up our rods for some passive fishing. My father ended up landing a couple nice Channel Catfish, White Perch (Morone americana), and one small American Eel (Anguilla rostrata), which we chopped for bait! I ended up landing a couple Channel Catfish as well, not to mention my first ever tidal Redbreast Sunfish from the Schuylkill River!

Photos:

Below are the photos for this fishing session:

My father with a Channel Catfish from the tidal Schuylkill River

The Channel Catfish that decided to hit my suspended nightcrawler! Note the dark dots on its body -- perfect signs of a Juvenile Cattie. :)

My father eating some water ice and drinking some water under the steps of the Art Museum. During hot hot weather, don't forget to stay hydrated, folks! 

If you are fishing the tidal Schuylkill River around Philadelphia, you may as well stop by the Rocky statue for a photo. Haha. 

My first ever Redbreast Sunfish from the tidal Schuylkill River! It was great to finally complete the four common Species of Sunfish for the tidal Skuke.

  
Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

June Fishing Sessions: 06/14-06/17 - Exploring and Fishing Lake Florence (Winter Haven, FL)

Hello, Blog Readers! 

Here is my fishing post for June 14th-17th, when I went to Florida on my honeymoon:

--- June 14th-17th ---

Location: Lake Florence (Winter Haven, Central FL)

Time: A couple hours every morning

Fishes caught:

-- 8 Sunfish (some were Bluegill, some are still not identified)

-- 3 Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)

Extra: I also landed a young American Alligator. Haha

Video:

Since this was my honeymoon, I didn't really shoot an YouTube video for my sessions down in Florida. I did shoot two videos for "Things that you don't see when you stay at home!" 

The first video was of me landing a young American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis). I seriously wanted to take a couple photos with the critter; however, he was too terrified of the "Asian kid" to stay put. Haha. The full video is below:

The young American Alligator ate my wacky rigged Senko. Since I didn't have my proper tackle down there, it was quite the challenge to land it.

The second video was of a school of fish in south Tampa Bay. I didn't even have my tackle with me, which annoyed me profoundly... As a Multi-Species angler, I had to let go of an unique opportunity of catching a new Species of fish. The full video is below:

Tons of little fishes feeding there and I didn't have my tackle to catch even one of them. Sniff...

  

As always, don't forget to watch those videos in HD quality (1080p50)! If you enjoy watching my videos, please support my YouTube Channel by liking and subscribing.

Goal: 

Since this was my wedding celebration vacation, this trip was more of a "family trip." Thus, I didn't have any major goals. I would say that my main goal was to explore Lake Florence, which was our backyard Lake! And, of course, try to catch some different Species of fish from there. :)

Setup:

I brought down two of my reels: my Shimano Symetre 4000FL and my Shimano Sedona 500FD. My rods were all cheap $10 rods from Wal-mart (i.e. Shakespeare) and all rigs were improvised...

Summary:

For this trip, I was able to fish only for a very limited amount of time! As a matter of fact, I would say that I fished only for about five hours all combined, counting the four days that we stayed down there. Therefore, everyday I would go to the Lake for a couple minutes and try my best to catch some fish. Hah.

The coolest thing about this trip was probably the American Alligator! It was super exciting to see the little creature and I truly wanted a couple photos with it. Too bad he ran away from me! 

Besides the Alligator, I caught a few Largemouth Bass on Senkos during sunrise and plenty of weird Sunfish after it! I still haven't identified some of them; thus, if you are able to identify them, please send me an e-mail with the IDs at sheng12182527@gmail.com.

Photos:

Below are the photos for my wedding celebration trip:

Looks like a Bluegill to me; however, I am still not sure of it! If you think that this may be something different, please e-mail me at sheng12182527@gmail.com

I have no idea what Species of fish is this. It was caught in Lake Florence, Winter Haven, FL. If you think you can help me with the ID, please send an e-mail to sheng12182527@gmail.com

Once again -- looks like a Bluegill to me; however, I am still not sure of it! If you think that this may be something different, please e-mail me at sheng12182527@gmail.com

Same fish above, but different angle. :)

This was the only Sunnie that I could properly identify -- a Coopernose strain Bluegill! Haha. Beautiful one.

Probably my biggest Largemouth Bass from Lake Florence.

Another Largemouth Bass from Lake Florence. I was catching them really well before sunrise! And, of course, the wife was sleeping; thus, she was totally fine with it! Heh.

Kayaking and exploring the Lake Florence.

A photo of my father at the Lake Buena Vista (Disney). We were so tempted to fish there, but it's illegal! There were so many Largemouth Bass and Sunfish around! It was crazy! 

A bird sunbathing to dry its wings. 

Our backyard in Winterhaven, FL. We had a nice pool and the Lake was literally at the back of the house.

We had a nice dock to fish at.

Once again -- looks like a Bluegill to me; however, I am still not sure of it! If you think that this may be something different, please e-mail me at sheng12182527@gmail.com

Best of luck to all of us! 

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

June Fishing Sessions: 06/11 - Exploring and Fishing the Little Mantua Creek (West Deptford, NJ)

Hello, Blog Readers! 

Here is my fishing report for June 11th:

--- June 11th, 2015 ---

Location: Little Mantua Creek (West Deptford, NJ)

Time: 7:00-11:00 a.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 7 Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus)

-- 5 White Perch (Morone americana)

-- 2 Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)

-- 3 Mummichog  (Fundulus heteroclitus)

Video:

Below are the highlights for this fishing session:

The video above is divided mainly in three parts: (1) Introduction (0:00-2:10); (2) Fishing at Little Mantua Creek (2:11-14:40); and Fishing at Meadow Lake (14:41-19:20). Don't forget to watch it in HD quality (1080p50)! If you enjoy watching my videos, please support my YouTube Channel by liking and subscribing.

Goal:

The main goal for the day was to explore this very common fishing spot in West Deptford, NJ -- the Little Mantua Creek (at the railroads). In other words, my goal was to try to catch as many Species as possible from there.

Setup:

My setup for this fishing session consisted of a Cortland Endurance 9' noodle rod with a Shimano Symetre 4000FL and 12lbs Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon line. Throughout the course of the day, I used the following types of baits/lures: (1) A Zoom Fluke, Texas rigged on a 5/0 Gamakatsu hook; (2) a Matzuo Zen Quinate top water swim bait; a (3) Thomas Fishing Lures E.P. Series in-line spinner, 1/8 oz., nickel/gold; (4) a 1/64 oz. Trout Magnet jighead with a 1" Gulp! Alive Minnow under a weighted float; and (5) a size #10 Eagle Claw hook with a piece of nightcrawler.

Summary:

My friend Peter S. and I arrived at the Little Mantua Creek around 7:00 a.m.. It was our first time in this well-known South New Jersey fishing spot; therefore, we carefully followed our friend Bryan's directions on how to get there. The place itself seemed to be sketchy; therefore, I wouldn't recommend anyone to go fishing alone in that particular place!

Over the years, I heard much about that spot: the place itself was well-known among the community for having an abundance of Northern Snakeheads (Channa argus), good Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) and good Black Crappie. The whole place even went viral after some kids posted videos on YouTube of themselves killing the Northern Snakeheads in very cruel ways (i.e. tying them to the railroads and watching them getting crushed by the train).

But anyways...my friend and I fished the place for Northern Snakeheads for a good sixty minutes without any success. After that, I switched gears to Multi-Species with one of my favorite soft plastics -- the 1" Gulp! Alive Minnow. I ended up catching a bunch of White Perch, Black Crappie, and a few Bluegill on it. 

It was then that I located a small school of Mummichogs! I immediately switched gears to a small hook with a sliver of nightcrawler. I caught a couple of them and used them as bait under a float. They worked very well, landing me a couple extra Black Crappie and good sized White Perch.

Unfortunately, we finished the day with no Snakeheads nor Largemouth Bass! My friend Bryan KL arrived there around 10:30 a.m., just when Peter S. and I were leaving for Meadow Lake. My friend Bryan did catch some neat fishes down there, including a Yellow Perch on a Dardevle Spoon.

To finish the day, I took Peter S. to my Mulberry stop at Meadow Lake for some Carp action. Heh. He ended up catching a nice one over there.

Photos:

Below are the photos for this fishing session:

My biggest Black Crappie of the day: 12 inches on the dot. This one was caught on a 1" Gulp! Alive Minnow on a 1/64 oz. Trout Magnet jighead, under a weighted float.

One of the many White Perch of the day. This little fella actually inhaled a whole Mummichog! 

One of the many Mummichogs that I caught that day. Vicious little fish! Heh.

Peter's Mulberry Carp at Meadow Lake.

Best of luck for all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

June Fishing Sessions: 06/10 - Multi-Species Fishing at Meadow Lake (South Philadelphia, PA)

Hello, Blog Readers! 

Today I'm bringing you folks my fishing report for June 10th:

--- June 10th, 2015 ---

Location: Meadow Lake @ FDR Park (South Philadelphia, PA)

Time: 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 2 Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)

-- 2 Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus)

-- 1 Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio)

-- 4 Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)

Video:

Below are the highlights for this fishing session:

The video is divided mainly in two parts: (1) Introduction (0:00-1:10), and (2) Fishing (1:11-12:30).Don't forget to watch it in HD quality (1080p50)! If you enjoy watching my videos, please support my YouTube Channel by liking and subscribing.

Goal:

The main goal for the day was to catch some Northern Snakehead (Channa argus). However, my father and I shifted goals for Multi-Species Fishing after the first couple hours.

Setup:

My setup for this fishing session consisted of a Cortland Endurance 9' noodle rod with a Shimano Symetre 4000FL and 12lbs Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon line. Throughout the course of the day, I used the following types of baits/lures: (1) A Zoom Fluke, Texas rigged on a 5/0 Gamakatsu hook; (2) a size #6 Eagle Claw hook with a piece of nightcrawler or Mulberry; and (3) a 1/64 oz. Trout Magnet jighead with a 1" Gulp! Alive Minnow.  

Summary:

Since my father never caught a Northern Snakehead in his life, I decided to take him down to Meadow Lake in South Philadelphia to fish for them. We started our day with Zoom Flukes on a size 5/0 wide gap Gamakatsu hook. We fished for about two hours without a single Snakehead bite; thus, we finally decided to switch to Multi-Species fishing! 

The action was considerably hot around the second and third bridges, which would be location 4 on this map. I ended up catching a few Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, and Black Crappie there. 

Soon after, I spotted a Mulberry tree hanging onto the Creek. I just couldn't resist the temptation of easily catching a Carp under it; therefore, I switched gears to Mulberry Carp fishing. Heh. I ended up landing a nice Carp on a single Mulberry! That concluded my session for the day

Photos:

Below are the photos for this fishing session:

My "Mulberry Carp" at Meadow Lake. This fish was caught on a single Mulberry. No chumming necessary. :)

My biggest Largemouth Bass of the day. This fish was caught on a piece of nightcrawler by the second bridge. 

Best of luck for all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

June Fishing Sessions: 06/06 - Exploring and Fishing the Loch Alsh Reservoir (Upper Dublin, PA)

Hello, Blog Readers! 

After a good while, I am still about one month behind on the Blog work. Heh. Unfortunately, life has been quite hectic; thus, I haven't been having the necessary amount of time to spend on fishing and social media.

For now, these are the latest updates:

(1) I have uploaded a bunch of videos on my YouTube Channel (up to June 30th).

Those include the following:

-- Exploring and Fishing the Loch Alsh Reservoir in Upper Dublin, PA (the video for this post. Heh)

-- Multi-Species Fishing at Meadow Lake in South Philadelphia, PA

-- Exploring and Fishing the Little Mantua Creek in West Deptford, NJ

-- Multi-Species Fishing on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, PA 

-- Multi-Species Fishing in Different Bodies of Water in Haddonfield, NJ

-- Fishing the Absecon Inlet for Bergall and Black Sea Bass in Atlantic City, NJ

Additionally, the following videos were added under the "Things that you don't see when you stay at home" playlist:

-- Catching a Horseshoe Crab on a piece of clam in Atlantic City, NJ

-- Exploring an Abandoned Shack at Rohm & Hass in Bristol, PA

-- Uncovering the Secrets of the FDR Park in South Philadelphia, PA

-- Northern Snakehead Fingerlings feeding on Algae in South Philadelphia, PA

(2) I had a 1000 subscribers contest on YouTube, which ran from June 27th to July 10th. The prize for it was a Shimano Sedona and the winner will be announced on July 16th! For future contests/give-away, keep checking the YouTube Channel. The next Contest/Give-Away will be for 3000 Subscribers!  

(3) The Public Album on Facebook has been on fire! I have gotten many submissions and I am trying to keep all of them on track! If your photo hasn't been published yet, it will be published sooner or later. As an additional note, anyone can submit photos to the Public Album. For more details on rules of submission, you may click here.

Now, here is my fishing report for June 6th, 2015:

--- June 6th, 2015 ---

Location: Loch Alsh Reservoir (Upper Dublin, PA)

Time: 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

Fishes Caught:

-- 1 Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)

-- 1 Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus)

Video:

Below are the highlights for this fishing session:

The video is divided in three parts: (1) Introduction (0:00-2:00); (2) Setup (2:00-3:35); and (3) Fishing (3:35-6:40; 8:45-9:55). Additionally, the video also portrays a local who talks a little bit about the Reservoir and confirms that the Lake right next to it is private. Don't forget to watch it in HD quality (1080p50)! If you enjoy watching my videos, please support my YouTube Channel by liking and subscribing!

Goal:

The main goal for the day was to explore and fish the Loch Alsh Reservoir and the nameless Lake right next to it. Unfortunately, the nameless Lake turned out to be private; therefore, I was able to fish only the small Reservoir. 

Setup: 

The setup for this fishing session consisted of a single rod: an ultra-light Daiwa Spinmatic fishing rod with a Shimano Sedona 500FD reel. For line, I used 4lbs Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon. Throughout the course of the day, I used the following lures: a Thomas Fishing Lures E.P. Series in-line Spinner, 1/8 oz., nickel/gold; and a size #6 eagle claw hook with a piece of nightcrawler; and a size #4 eagle claw hook with a piece of cut-bait.

Summary:

After a couple hours of "forum hunting," googling, and article reading, I found out this small body of water in Ambler called the Loch Alsh Reservoir. From my readings, I was able to find out that the watershed is actually stocked with Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) during the Spring season and it also contains "Sunfish" and Largemouth Bass. Thus, I decided to go give it a try! 

After taking the Septa Regional Rail all the way to Ambler, I arrived at the Loch Alsh Reservoir around 11:00 a.m.. The place did not look very promising. It contained little to no cover. After fishing it for a good thirty minutes or so, I came to the conclusion that the place also contained little to no structure, not to mention that the whole place was overall shallow. 

I was able to circle the whole Reservoir in forty-minutes, constantly casting and retrieving. During this process, I was able to land a Largemouth Bass on a Thomas Fishing Lures E.P. Series in-line spinner, as well as a small Pumpkinseed on a small Eagle Claw size #6 hook and a piece of nightcrawler. The small Pumpkinseed were bedding at Lake Alsh; in other words, they were spawning. There were signs of Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) and Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) crossing the shallows as well; although, I wasn't able to catch any.

I finished the day by cutting up the Pumpkinseed and using it as bait for Catfish. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to obtain a single hit on it! The stocked Rainbow Trout were also non-existent in the Reservoir. My conclusion is that the place got fished out soon after the stocking.

Overall, I would recommend the Loch Alsh Reservoir only for Carp fishing.

Photos:

Below are the photos for this fishing session:

A healthy Largemouth Bass from the Loch Alsh Reservoir in Upper Dublin, PA. I was extremely happy to see this sample coming out of there! 

A small Pumpkinseed from the reservoir. As a matter of fact, all Sunfish from the Reservoir were in the range of 4 inches (perhaps a stunted population).

A scenic view of the Reservoir. Absolutely no cover or structure on the South portion of it.

The reservoir's "back up" system. In case of flooding, the water flows down through this path. Notice that the whole place was dry and the water level in the reservoir was very low (according to a local angler).  

A stagnating pool of water below the Reservoir. Of course I looked for signs of life in it; however, I was able to find only tadpoles. No fish! 

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.