Blog Recap + Happy Holidays for 2015, Blog Readers!

Hello, Blog Readers! 

Time passes way too fast, doesn't it?! In the blink of an eye, it's already one day before Christmas! A couple days before new year! Thus, I'm here to wish you all a wonderful holiday season! Happy holidays, folks! Time is valuable; therefore, make sure to spend your holiday season with the ones you love. :)

Now, let's talk a little bit about the Blog :)

1. 2015 Blog Recap

2015 was certainly a tumultuous year for the Extreme Philly Fishing Blog. The year started great; however, update rates on the Blog went down as soon the YouTube Channel went up (back in April). Regardless, I used all the time that I could to bring you folks my fishing reports -- one by one! 

Differently than previous years, where I had one big post for a whole month's fishing sessions, I decided to write every session individually this year. This way, the overall level of organization on the Blog went up. The search engine on the main page also became more effective. To make things even more effective, I added "tags" on all my posts, so that readers could find posts here in an easier fashion. The list of tags is located on the right side of the Blog's main page.   

To make everyone's lives easier, I devised a new setup for fishing posts; in other words, I divided every fishing session in five parts: video, goals, setup, summary, and photos. On one hand, the posts became much more organized, informative, and effective. YouTube videos were incorporated to them as well. On the other hand, they also became more time consuming -- to a point that I could no longer fill everyone of those sections out! 

Summarizing...I did what I could in 2015 with the little time that I had in my hands. This is the part that hurts me the most -- I had my ambitions and my plans for this year, not to mention a handful of cool projects and educational posts for the Blog! I wanted to work more on the "Different Places to Fish around Philly and NJ" tab. I wanted to run more events and promote more community engagement. However, I just did not have enough time to do so. 

Truth be told -- it just sucks when you have so many cool ideas, but you can't incorporate them due to lack of availability. As you guys may or may not be aware of, unfortunately, I do have two jobs and a house to sustain. For now, fishing is a hobby and it will remain a hobby; though, hopefully I will be able to make a living out of fishing one of these days! That is certainly my dream. 

In this type of society, you can have dreams and aspirations, but you won't be able to survive without money. That is the downside of our capitalistic world, where human greed dominates all. This is the type of society where individuals have to sometimes throw away their dreams and aspirations and live in misery by doing something that they hate. Thankfully, I don't hate any of my jobs! But would I rather do what I love the most for a living? Absolutely. 

Anyways...for now, fishing sessions will still come out; however, each report will be incomplete. :( I am currently on September 8th, and I plan to catch up with the Blog little by little! Some sessions will remain empty for now (i.e. goals, summary, and setup), but the video and photos sections will be there! 

2. A word of thanks to my Sponsors, Benefactors, and Patrons.

I would like to use this section of this post to thank all of my supporters out there. There are different ways of supporting my work, including the following:

A. Become my Patron on Patreon (Note that there are amazing rewards there). This website is subscription based. You can check my page by clicking on the hyperlink above. I have just added a full access to my fishing photo database for only $5 a month, where you can see which Species are in which bodies of water! All photos are dated as well, so you can also know what time of the year the fish was caught at. :) Additionally, one of the goals on my Patreon page is to "revive" the Blog once I hit $500 per month! Thus, you would be contributing to that goal as well.

B. Donate via Pay-Pal through the Blog (button on the right). That is a one time donation, which is very well appreciated! All the money will go towards fishing (i.e. transportation, fishing tackle, equipment cost, etc) 

C. Subscribe to my YouTube Channel and watch my contents. Extra props to all my subscribers there and extra props to everyone who supports me on YouTube! My YouTube Channel is my main source of income for fishing at the moment; thus, it's extremely important to me! :)

I would like to take this moment to thank everyone who donated to Extreme Philly Fishing this year, giving emphasis to the following individuals for their unique contributions:

-- Rob Z.: Thank you very much for your support, old friend! I still have that "net video" from the Fish-A-Thon saved on my computer. Can you believe that? It's been 3 years already! I hope everything has been well with you; I hope you have found many rare coins out there. :) If we cross paths again, we will make sure to schedule a fishing trip! 

-- Jay D.: Since we met, back in the days, we have been through quite a lot, haven't we? Many things happened in my life and many things happened in your life! Thankfully, it seems that you are going for the better. I am very happy for you! Your support here on the Blog is well appreciate.

-- Tanasit S.: Thank you very much for going out of your way and helping Extreme Philly Fishing! Your monthly subscription on Patreon is golden! And, as we have discussed just recently, I will make sure to take you fishing one of these days.

-- Brodie-Man: Many many thanks to you, Brodie-man! The GoPro Hero 4 that you contributed to Extreme Philly Fishing is being put to good use! I don't have words for your generosity. Know that a lot of people are benefiting from your support -- all YouTube subs included. And I will make sure to schedule that ice fishing trip next year!  

I can't say thank you enough for your support! 

Additionally, I would like to say a big "thank you" to my biggest sponsors this year:

Fellas -- thank you very much for all the support for 2015! 

Hopefully 2016 is going to be a year filled with more Extreme Philly Fishing. :)

Once again -- Happy Holidays, Blog Readers! 

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

September Fishing Sessions: 09/08 - Fishing the FDR Park for Largemouth Bass (Philadelphia, PA)

Hello, Readers!

Today I'm bringing you my fishing session for September 8th:

--- September 8th, 2015 ---

Location: Meadow Lake (@FDR Park, South Philadelphia, PA)
Time: 2:00-5:00 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 1 Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)
-- 4 Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)

P.s. As much as I want to bring you guys FULL fishing reports of every trip that I do, unfortunately I don't have the time to do so! Thus, the goal, setup, and summary sessions of every fishing post will be blank for now. If you want to see full fishing reports on the Blog again, please support me on my Patreon page. Once I reach my goal there, I will not only have enough time to write full reports, but also didactic posts and event posts for better community engagement. Tight lines and FISH ON! Leo S.

Video:

Since this fishing session was extremely poor, it doesn't have a YouTube video of its own! The Largemouth Bass that was caught at FDR Park is in the extra contents of the video above, though. :) Don't forget to watch it in HD quality (1080p50)! If you like to watching my videos, please support my YouTube Channel by liking and subscribing to it. :)

Goals:

---

Setup:

---

Summary:

---

Photos:

Below are the photos for this fishing session:

Any Largemouth Bass from the FDR park is a good Bass! After all, that place is BRUTAL for fishing. :)

Colorful Bluegill from the FDR Park. :)

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights!

Sincerely,

Leo S.

Hello, Blog Readers! 

Today I'm bringing you my fishing session on Caroline Lake that took place on September 7th:

--- September 7th, 2015 ---

Location: Caroline Lake/Queen Anne Creek (Fairless Hills, PA) 
Time: 6:00-10:00 a.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 24 Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus)
-- 4 Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)
-- 2 Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)
-- 1 Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus)
-- 1 Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus)

P.s. As much as I want to bring you guys FULL fishing reports of every trip that I do, unfortunately I don't have the time to do so! Thus, the goal, setup, and summary sessions of every fishing post will be blank for now. If you want to see full fishing reports on the Blog again, please support me on my Patreon page. Once I reach my goal there, I will not only have enough time to write full reports, but also didactic posts and event posts for better community engagement. Tight lines and FISH ON! Leo S.

Video:

Below are the highlights for this fishing session:

In the video above, I explore Caroline Lake and the Queen Anne Creek in Fairless Hills, PA. 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 to it. :)

Goals:

---

Setup:

---

Summary:

---

Photos:

Below are the photos for this fishing session:

First blood -- A Black Crappie on an 1" Gulp! Alive Minnow! :)

Fat Bluegill from the Queen Anne Creek.

Redbreast Sunfish are usually expected to be in Creeks. I was very glad to see that this one was hanging just below Caroline Lake.

Micro-Fishing at its best! This small Largemouth Bass shows us that natural reproduction of this Species is going great over there.

Biggest fish of the day -- a Largemouth Bass on a wacky-rigged Gary Yamamoto Senko.

A very colorful Green Sunfish from the Queen Anne Creek.

A lonely chair by Caroline Lake.

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights!

Sincerely,

Leo S.

YouTube "Fishing 101" Lecture Series (Philadelphia, PA)

Hello, Blog Readers! 

As you guys know, for years I have been trying to convey my passion for the sport of fishing to the general public and fellow anglers alike. For that reason, there has always been an "educational perspective" added to any social media involving the name Extreme Philly Fishing. In other words, I was never just about going out there and catching fish. Exploring new venues and catching different Species of fish was only one portion of it!

As you can see, the most important aspect of my social media was and has always been education. Thus, little by little, I felt an urge of creating a series of online fishing lectures that would be open for everyone out there; for people of all ages and backgrounds.

Today I'm very excited to present to you folks my "Fishing 101" lecture series project on my YouTube Channel. Before anything else, here are a couple pointers to this series:

1. The Fishing 101 Lecture Series is not a collection of practical fishing videos. In other words, there is absolutely no fishing in it. As the name implies, it's a didactic series of online lectures. Think of it as an online class on the basics of fishing! If you are looking for regular fishing videos, feel free to browse throughout my YouTube Channel.

2. There will be a total of 12 fishing lessons, which will cover from fishing ideologies to fishing techniques, fishing gear technicalities, the biology of fishes, rules and regulations in the sport, etc. By the end of this series, the viewer should be pro-efficient with the basics of the sport of fishing, despite of age and location.

3. Lectures will be released on a weekly basis, for a total of 3 months. They will be uploaded on the YouTube Channel on 3 a.m. EST every Monday. Each lecture will have a length similar to a college level class: between 50 to 80 minutes. Make sure to not skip any lectures if you want to maximize your learning process! 

4. Feel free to leave any questions you may have on the comment section of the lecture videos. They will be answered in a matter of 1 to 4 days.

The first lecture can be accessed here. It focuses on the Philosophy and two main ideologies behind the sport of fishing.

Before watching it, let me remind you that this lecture series is not for everyone out there! As pointed out in the video itself and in its description, this Fishing 101 project is just like an online course in fishing. In other words, each lecture will be between 50 to 80 minutes long, just like a regular 3-4 credit college level class. Summarizing...if you think that this lecture series is not for you; in other words, if you are not seeking knowledge or anything didactic, then don't waste your time watching it. On the other hand, if you want to become more pro-efficient with the basics of fishing and more intelligent in the field, I highly advise you to watch each minute of every video.

I hope you folks enjoy this educational project,

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

Hello, Blog Readers!

Today I'm bringing you my fishing session for September 6th:

--- September 6th, 2015 ---

Location: Afton Lake, Delaware Canal (Yardley, PA)
Time: 3:00-6:30 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 11 Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)
-- 2 Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus)

P.s. As much as I want to bring you guys FULL fishing reports of every trip that I do, unfortunately I don't have the time to do so! Thus, the goal, setup, and summary sessions of every fishing post will be blank for now. If you want to see full fishing reports on the Blog again, please support me on my Patreon page. Once I reach my goal there, I will not only have enough time to write full reports, but also didactic posts and event posts for better community engagement. Tight lines and FISH ON! Leo S.

Video:

Below are the highlights for this fishing session:

Watch my friend "Frank Likes Fishing" catch a few Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) from a small pond in Yardley, PA. Additionally, there are a few Bluegill and Green Sunfish mixed in-between. :) Don't forget to watch it in HD quality (1080p50)! If you like my YouTube Channel, please support it by liking and subscribing to it. 

Goals:

---

Setup:

---

Summary:

---

Photos:

Below are the photos for this fishing session:

Frank Likes Fishing with his first Largemouth Bass of the day, caught on a top-water Frog.

While Frank was fishing for Bass, I was exploring Afton Lake for smaller Species of fish. Here is a nice Green Sunfish from the Lake. :)

Bluegill also came up on the Trout Magnet.

Frank with his biggest Bass of the day -- a chunky one! 

Please note that Afton Lake in Yardley is a Catch and Release Lake ONLY. No taking fish home to eat, fellas!

To end the day, a Green Sunfish from the Delaware Canal. :)

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights!

Sincerely,

Leo S.

Hello, Blog Readers!

Today I'm bringing you my fishing session for September 5th:

--- September 5th, 2015 ---

Location: Non-tidal Schuylkill River (East Falls, PA)
Time: 1:00-5:00 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 2 Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu)

P.s. As much as I want to bring you guys FULL fishing reports of every trip that I do, unfortunately I don't have the time to do so! Thus, the goal, setup, and summary sessions of every fishing post will be blank for now. If you want to see full fishing reports on the Blog again, please support me on my Patreon page. Once I reach my goal there, I will not only have enough time to write full reports, but also didactic posts and event posts for better community engagement. Tight lines and FISH ON! Leo S.

Video:

Since this fishing session was really poor, there is no video for it. :(

Goals:

---

Setup:

---

Summary:

---

Photos:

Below are the photos for this fishing session:

One of the two Smallmouth Bass of the day. None were past 8 inches. It was a tough day on the Schuylkill River. :)

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

September Fishing Sessions: 09/02 - Catching Common Carp on Burger King French Fries (Willow Grove, PA)

Hello, Bloggers! 

Today I'm bringing you my crazy fishing session on top-water Common Carp! These fish were actually caught on Burger King french fries. Heh. Apparently, they like fast food as much as we do.

--- September 2nd, 2015 ---

Location: Round Meadow Run (Willow Grove, PA)
Time: 2:00-5:00 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 11 Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio)
-- 7 Creek Chub (Semotilus atromaculatus)
-- 28 Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus)

P.s. As much as I want to bring you guys FULL fishing reports of every trip that I do, unfortunately I don't have the time to do so! Thus, the goal, setup, and summary sessions of every fishing post will be blank for now. If you want to see full fishing reports on the Blog again, please support me on my Patreon page. Once I reach my goal there, I will not only have enough time to write full reports, but also didactic posts and event posts for better community engagement. Tight lines and FISH ON! Leo S.

Video:

Below are the highlights for this fishing session:

Yes -- most Common Carp in this video were caught on Burger King French Fries! Don't forget to watch it in HD quality (1080p50)! If you like watching my videos, please support my YouTube Channel by liking and subscribing to it. :)

Goal:

---

Setup:

---

Summary:

---

Photos:

Below are the photos for this fishing session:

The Common Carp at the Round Meadow Run were extremely beat up for some reason! Regardless, they were fighting great.

A nice little Green Sunfish from the run! The place was packed with them.

A very nice and BEAUTIFUL Creek Chub from this place! Awesome sample.

A deeper pocket of water, deep "in the woods." Hah. 

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

August Fishing Sessions: 08/31 - Exploring the Ponds in Newtown and Fishing the Tyler State Park (Newtown, PA)

Hello, Blog Readers!

Today I'm bringing you my fishing session for August 31st:

--- August 31st, 2015 ---

Location: Unnamed Ponds and Neshaminy Creek (Newtown, PA)
Time: 10:30 a.m.-7:00 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 86 Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus)
-- 17 Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus)
-- 8 Rock Bass (Ambloplites rupestris)
-- 2 Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)
-- 1 Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu)
-- 2 Yellow Bullhead (Ameiurus natalis)
-- 19 Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)
-- 1 Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus)

P.s. As much as I want to bring you guys FULL fishing reports of every trip that I do, unfortunately I don't have the time to do so! Thus, the goal, setup, and summary sessions of every fishing post will be blank for now. If you want to see full fishing reports on the Blog again, please support me on my Patreon page. Once I reach my goal there, I will not only have enough time to write full reports, but also didactic posts and event posts for better community engagement. Tight lines and FISH ON! Leo S.

Video:

Below are the highlights for this fishing session:

Watch me catch a variety of Species at the Neshaminy Creek, including a "Sunfish Superfecta!" Don't forget to watch it in HD quality (1080p50)! If you enjoy watching my videos, please support the YouTube Channel by liking and subscribing to it. 

Goal:

---

Setup:

---

Summary:

---

Photos:

Below are the photos for this fishing session:

One of the three unnamed ponds at Newtown! Who would have thought that they actually DO have fish in them? 

First blood: a feisty Green Sunfish from the unnamed pond!

Probably the smallest Green Sunfish of the day. What a beauty, right?

I wanted to explore another unnamed Lake around Newtown, but exploration doesn't always pay off. :( That's just part of it!

A Redbreast Sunfish from the Tyler State Park (Neshaminy Creek)

A Rock Bass from the Neshaminy Creek. :)

Probably one of my smallest Smallmouth Bass ever! So small that it still had that pattern on its tail :)

A nice Yellow Bullhead from the Neshaminy Creek. They were actually in spawning mode.

My biggest Bullhead of the day.

Not very long, but a chunky Largemouth Bass! 

One of the dams at the Neshaminy Creek

The Bluegills also showed up to play with us. :)

To end the day, a gorgeous Pumpkinseed! Oh Yeah!

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights!

Sincerely,

Leo S.

Hello, Blog Readers!

After a good while, I have finally finished the July fishing sessions here on the Blog. Now...I am very well aware that I am about 4 months behind on fishing reports here; however, it is what it is, right? :) I'm gotta take a little bit of time everyday to fill the empty voids here on the Blog, until we are back on track! Unfortunately, that's all I can do with the time that is available to me at the moment. 

Here is my fishing report for August 25th:

--- August 25th, 2015 ---

Location: Non-Tidal Delaware River/Delaware Canal (Morrisville, PA)
Time: 5:30-8:00 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 4 Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)
-- 2 Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus)
-- 1 Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)
-- 1 Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus)
-- 2 Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu)
-- 1 Chain Pickerel (Esox niger)

P.s. As much as I want to bring you guys FULL fishing reports of every trip that I do, unfortunately I don't have the time to do so! Thus, the goal, setup, and summary sessions of every fishing post will be blank for now. If you want to see full fishing reports on the Blog again, please support me on my Patreon page. Once I reach my goal there, I will not only have enough time to write full reports, but also didactic posts and event posts for better community engagement. Tight lines and FISH ON! Leo S.

Video:

Below are the highlights for this fishing session:

Multi-Species fishing on the non-tidal Delaware River + Delaware Canal. Don't forget to watch it in HD quality (1080p50)! If you enjoy watching my videos, please support the YouTube Channel by liking and subscribing to it! :)

Goal:

---

Setup:

---

Summary:

---

Photos:

Below are the photos for this fishing session:

A nice view of a side canal on the non-tidal Delaware River in Morrisville.

First blood: a small Bluegill from the non-tidal Delaware River!

Plenty of structure around there. Beautiful area!

A very colorful Redbreast Sunfish from the big D.

Small Largemouth Bass; however, it counts! Let's recall that everything counts for a multi-species angler. :)

The one and only of the day -- a Pumpkinseed.

Small Smallmouth Bass, caught on a Thomas E.P. Series in-line spinner.

Holy bird! I wonder how many birds are in this shot! 

To end the day, this nice Chain Pickerel decided to swallow my wacky-rigged Senko at the Delaware Canal. :)

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.