Hello, Blog Readers!
It's been quite a while since I have worked on the Blog and I apologize for that! As always, life and work are still hectic; however, I promised that I will fill in the empty spaces here little by little.
Before giving you folks my fishing session for August 23rd, let me point it out a few updates and announcements:
(1) The 2015 Philly Fun Fishing Fest is tomorrow (September 12th) from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on the Schuylkill Banks. I have been advertising this event through my YouTube Channel and Facebook Page. I will be competing in it and I am looking forward to meeting you folks, in case you decide to show up. :) For more information on this event, you may access their website here.
(2) My first official Q&A live stream on YouTube is scheduled for September 21st, 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The scheduled video is already posted, and I will be answering questions non-stop for about an hour or so! Google+ users and YouTube users will be able to use the chatbox during the live stream for questions. If by any chance you are not able to post comments or questions in the chatbox, you also have the opportunity of e-mailing them to me! My e-mail is sheng12182527@gmail.com. Make sure to include "Livestream questions" as your subject line! Also, please make sure to include either your name or your YouTube Channel in the e-mail, so I know who to refer to. If you send me your questions through e-mail, rest assured -- they will be answered during the live stream.
(3) As you guys may have noticed, I have posted a poll on the Blog: "Do you often take your catch home to eat?" This poll will be used for an upcoming post that I am planning on writing; thus, please participate and voice your opinion on it! Your thoughts are always appreciated here at EPF.
(4) I have finally started to use the "label" system on Blogger. If you guys noticed, there is a new tab on the right side of the page entitled "Tags." After I tag all my post blogs, it will be easier for readers to look up what they want to read according to their tags of interest. Don't forget to use the command "Ctrl+F" to find what you need on the posts (it will save you a lot of time).
(4) I have finally started to use the "label" system on Blogger. If you guys noticed, there is a new tab on the right side of the page entitled "Tags." After I tag all my post blogs, it will be easier for readers to look up what they want to read according to their tags of interest. Don't forget to use the command "Ctrl+F" to find what you need on the posts (it will save you a lot of time).
(5) I have added one more requirement for the Public Fishing Album on Facebook: photos of fishes from any private body of water without a name will no longer be accepted! After all, nobody really benefits from seeing fish from private waters. It cannot be forgotten that the Public Fishing Album was created to advertise the public waters of Philadelphia and its surroundings.
(6) Some Blog readers have been telling me that my "setup section" is quite confusing to read at times. Thus, the new "setup section" format is below. Cleaner and easier to read, not to mention that all items still have hyperlinks for easy access shopping.
Okay...now that all the announcements and updates are out, it's time for my report for August 23rd:
--- August 23rd, 2015 ---
Location: Unnamed Pond/Pine Run Creek/Pine Run Reservoir
Time: 12:30-4:30 p.m.
Fishes caught:
--78 Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)
-- 11 Green Sunfish X Bluegill Hybrid (Lepomis cyanellus X Lepomis macrochirus)
-- 3 Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus)
-- 4 Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus)
-- 9 Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)
-- 1 American Eel (Anguilla rostrata)
-- 1 Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus)
-- 1 White Crappie (Pomoxis annularis)
Video:
Below are the highlights for this fishing session:
Fishing at the unnamed Pond starts at 6:45. Fishing at the Creek starts at 12:25. Fishing at the spillway starts at 29:00. Fishing at the Reservoir starts at 36:00. Don't forget to watch it in HD (1080p50)! If you enjoy watching my videos, please support my YouTube Channel by liking and subscribing. More likes and more subscribes = more videos in the future. :)
Goal:
After years of fishing in and around Philadelphia, I finally decided to explore fishing areas around New Britain, Chalfont, and Doylestown. Thus, the goal for the day was to explore the Pine Run Reservoir and its surrounding bodies of water.
Setup:
Rod: St. Croix Avid Pearl
Rigs/Baits/Lures used:
(2) a 1" Gulp! Alive minnow on a 1/64 oz. Trout Magnet jighead, sometimes under a weighted Comal float.
Summary:
As I always tell everyone in the fishing community, the novelty of exploration is certainly part of the sport of fishing! It doesn't matter how many folks have fished that certain spot in the past -- when you go there for a first time, everything is magical! Your sense of curiosity is enhanced and "your imagination is under there," as Robert Altman used to say. In other words, you don't know what to expect and what you will catch! That's exactly how I feel when I go exploring and that's exactly how I felt when I explored the Pine Run Reservoir and its surroundings.
As portrayed in the video, I started my day at the "Unnamed Pond" in the Covered Bridge Park. The pond was covered in vegetation; thus, I really didn't know what to expect! Being very positive, I tied on small pieces of nightcrawler on small hooks, wishing for anything at all to bite. Thankfully, I ended there with plenty of Bluegill and Green Sunfish X Bluegill Hybrids. Gotta tell you, folks -- nothing too special came out of that little pond; however, that is one spot for kids that I would definitely recommend. If you have young kids, make sure to take them there for some Sunfish action!
After exploring the Pond, I walked across the Park to take a look at the Pine Run Creek. Upon arrival, I noticed right away that the Creek was overall shallow and muddy. There was a little dam to my left, which was also very shallow and unproductive. What surprised me the most was the spot after the dam -- a little deeper pool with three eddies and two current flows. After seeing that "by the book" location, I knew that I had to give it a try!
After a few casts, I soon realized that I had hit jackpot. Heh. All the fishes in the Pine Run Creek were actually concentrated in that small area. I ended up catching plenty of different types of Sunfish there, not to mention that I was even able to pull some Largemouth Bass, an American Eel, and even a very little Black Crappie. As a Multi-Species angler, that Crappie made my day! Hah.
With the remaining time that I had left, I decided to walk up to the Pine Run Reservoir for some exploration (about a ten minutes walk from the Creek). I had done some research on the location earlier; thus, I was expecting to land a few nice Crappie and a few nice Bullheads from there. For my surprise, the place turned out to be overall shallow and very hard to be fished from shore! I ended my day there with a small White Crappie (so far, it's believed to be so) and one small Sunfish. Nothing else.
Being hungry, dehydrated, and tired, I decided to end my fishing session right there. :)
Photos:
Below are the photos for this fishing session:
First fish of the day -- a chunky Bluegill from the Unnamed Pond in the Covered Bridge Park, New Britain Borough. I would like to use this opportunity to thank the community crew who keeps the place clean! Many thanks for the beautiful fishing environment there!
A Green Sunfish X Bluegill Hybrid. As mentioned in the YouTube video, these fellas were very likely stocked there at a certain point, There were absolutely no signs of pure Green Sunfish in that Pond.
A nice scenery view of the Pond. Thankfully, the green layer on top was very thin; therefore, it wasn't that hard to catch Sunfish there. :)
My first ever Pine Run Creek Redbreast Sunfish. This one was foul hooked on its operculum, though. Heh.
What a surprise! To think that there was a decent population of Largemouth Bass in the Pine Run Creek. This one was caught on a small piece of nightcrawler.
An authentic Green Sunfish from the Pine Run Creek.
Beautiful Bluegill sample from the Creek.
A gorgeous Bluegill X Green Sunfish Hybrid from the Pine Run Creek.
A "not so cool" catch from the Creek: an American Eel. Hah. They are slimy and they tend to give you nasty knots on the house... Make sure to handle them carefully!
A beautiful scenery view of the Pine Run Reservoir spillway. The place was loaded with good sized Bluegills! Maybe next time I will take a couple home to eat.
A small White Crappie sample. I sent this photo out to five Species specialists and I got 3/5 for White Crappie. The other 2/5 came back as "undetermined," mentioning that the sample would have to be analyzed under a microscope or have its fins counted for identification. Indeed, the PA Fish and Boat Commission has only ever found Black Crappie from the Pine Run Reservoir; however, that doesn't necessarily mean that there are no White Crappie in there! For more conclusive results, future research will have to be done.
An overall view of the Pine Run Reservoir. The place was shallow and deprived of life! Kayak or boat fishing would fair much much better in that type of environment.
My first ever Pine Run Reservoir Bluegill. Haha. One of the only fishes that I caught there.
After a full day of walking, hiking, and fishing, I decided to go to Doylestown for a meal! Folks -- the Shrimp Tempura at the To-Yo Japanese Restaurant and Bar in Doylestown is a killer! Highly recommended. Yum.
Best of luck to all of us!
Long Days and Pleasant Nights
Sincerely,
Leo S.
Thanks for the video. There are a ton of 30+ lb carp in that reservoir, surprised they haven't eaten all the others. Corn is their favorite and you'll need a lot heavier line.
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