Winter Spillway Fishing at the Pine Run Creek! (01/19/18, New Britain, PA)

...And another cold front is coming up, folks! This weather has been quite crazy recently! :(

Here is my fishing report for January 19th, 2018. The 2018 Statistical Fishing Chart was updated as well.

Location: Pine Run Creek
Time: 10:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Fishes caught:

- 9 Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)

- 1 White Crappie (Pomoxis annularis)

- 1 Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus)

- 1 Bluegill X Pumpkinseed Hybrid (L. macrochirus X L. gibbosus)

Video:

Below are the highlights for this fishing session:

My 4th outing of 2018: fishing a the Pine Run Creek spillway, below the Pine Run Reservoir. Don't forget to watch it in HD quality (1080p60)! If you enjoy watching my YouTube videos, please support the YouTube Channel by subscribing to it! More likes & more subscribes = more time to make videos! 

Summary & Photos: 

After my huge skunk at the Pennypack Creek (previous post), I decided to hit a winter spot that is known to produce different Species of fish: the Pine Run Creek. I had two main goals for the day: (1) to shoot a YouTube video focusing on the theme of "never giving up," and (2) to boost my confidence when it comes to Winter fishing. After all, nothing feels better than catching a fish (any type of fish) during the colder months of the year (30-40F water temperature).

I arrived at the fishing spot around 10 a.m. EST. It was rather cold out there, but thankfully, the Creek wasn't frozen over! I setup my ultra-light Daiwa Spinmatic Rod with a Shimano Sedona 500FD reel (old model), 4lbs test KastKing Fluorokote line, and just a small 3 mm, size #16 Kenders Outdoors ice fishing jig, under a Comal weighted float. For bait, I tipped the jig with very small pieces of big red worms. The primary fishing pattern of the day was the traditional suspended jigging technique.

The Pine Run Creek. Plenty of snow around the area, but thankfully, the Creek was clear of ice!

First, I tried for a little bit under the Covered Bridge portion of the Creek. Sadly, after thirty minutes or so, I still hadn't had a single bite. Better saying -- I had three snags at that spot, and no fish. Thus, without wasting anymore time, I immediately hopped to the most productive spot on the Creek: the spillway. 

The spillway at the Pine Run Creek.

Not even five minutes after I arrived, I landed my first fish and first Species of the day: the Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus). And just as I had expected, the fish bit my jig very very softly! I mean...the float barely went down with the bite. Which is why I would like to emphasize: when jigging during the Winter months of the year, always make sure to go as finesse as possible. In other words, keep your jigging setup as light as you possibly can! 

First Species of the day: the Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus). It barely bit the hook too!

After many Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) here and there, I finally got a very interesting bite on the slow pool area of the spillway! Instead of just "bobbing" a little bit, my float started to move to the left at a constant speed! Bites like that are usually a good indicator that a Crappie is about to come up. After setting up the hook and reeling in the fish, I ended up with a beautiful PA White Crappie (Pomoxis annularis). 

Second Species of the day: the White Crappie (Pomoxis annularis). A very beautiful sample for my area!

For many folks around the country, catching a White Crappie (Pomoxis annularis) is no problem whatsoever. However, in the Philadelphia area (and surroundings), catching one of these from shore is quite a rarity! The reality is that there are plenty of Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) around here, and not so many adult White Crappie. Even with a boat, there are only a few bodies of water around here with a limited population of these fellas. :)

The rest of the day was pretty much a sunfish type of the day! I ended up catching one more Species while bottom jigging the worm: the Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus). And a beautiful Bluegill X Pumpkinseed Hybrid (L. macrochirus X L. gibbosus) also came up as well.

Third and final Species of the day: the Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus). It came right from under a rock and hit the jig!

Not quite a new Species, but a hybrid is still a beautiful fish! This one is a Bluegill X Pumpkinseed Hybrid (L. macrochirus X L. gibbosus)

Summarizing...I ended up the day with three different Species of fish, and a hybrid to boost! For a Winter day in January, this fishing session was definitely extremely productive. Just as a reminder...it is always tough to fish during the colder months of the year. Chances of catching any Species of fish go down drastically. However, keep in mind, anglers: if you don't go outside and try it out, your chances of catching fish will always be zero. :)  

Hope you folks have been catching a lot recently! 

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights!

Sincerely,

Leo S. a.k.a. Extreme Philly Fishing

Winter Fishing the Pennypack Creek (01/17/18, Northeast Philadelphia, PA)

Once again, some crazy warm weather is coming this weekend, folks!!!

Here is my fishing report for January 17th, 2018. The 2018 Statistical Fishing Chart was updated as well.

Location: Pennypack Creek

Time: 12:00-2:30 p.m.

Fishes caught:

- None

Video:

Below are the highlights for this fishing session:

My 3rd outing of 2018. Winter fishing in the Pennypack Creek! Don't forget to watch it in HD quality (1080p60)! If you enjoy watching my YouTube videos, please support the YouTube Channel by subscribing to it. More likes & more subscribes = more time to make videos!

Summary & Photos:

After watching the light snowstorm this morning, I was enticed to go out and spend some time outdoors! Since I didn't have much availability today (tutoring has been busy), I hopped on my local bus and stopped by the Pennypack Creek in Northeast Philadelphia for some "winter creek fishing."

I arrived at my favorite Old Bustleton Avenue spot around noon. Not too surprisingly, more than 90% of the Creek was clear of ice. Only a few stagnant pools had a thin layer of ice on top (less than an inch). The water was pretty clear and the current was pretty swift. Combining all those factors with the whiteness of the fresh snow, we had the perfect environment for a few shots. Heh.

Winter is here, folks!

Following the logic of winter fishing, I decided to choose the 4mm, #14 hook Kender's Outdoors ice fishing jig with small pieces of super-worm as my primary setup for the day. As anglers should be aware of, live bait is always the best choice during the colder months of the year. I paired the jig with 4lbs KastKing Fluorokote fishing line, a Shimano Sedona 500 FD fishing reel, and my trusted 5'6" Daiwa Spinmatic 2 pieces, Ultra-Light fishing rod. 

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EPF's tip of the day:
Why is live bait so effective during the winter months of the year?! Recall that fish are ectothermic organisms. Thus, they enter a state of torpor during the colder months of the year. The level of activity varies from Species to Species; however, it is a fact that all of them become more sluggish as water temperature drops. Therefore, they tend to nibble your bait instead of inhaling it aggressively. The livelier and more natural the bait, higher your chances of getting a strike!  
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The primary pattern of the day was to cast and retrieve the small jig in the current. The main target was the Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Sadly, after ninety minutes of fishing on the Creek, I ended up getting the skunk...And I even tried the 1/24 oz. Johnson Min-O-Spin and the 2 1/2 inches Rebel Floater jerkbait. 

The sad part of this fishing trip was that I chose my fishing spots very carefully. In other words, they were the most productive spots in that entire section of the Creek. Thus, after the skunk today, I can only presume that the Pennypack Creek right now has very very few Trout in it! As a matter of fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the entire number of Trout in the entire Creek didn't pass two dozen in total!  

Skunk or not, I had a wonderful time outdoors. And this fishing session reminded me of how harsh this particular Creek can be during the colder months of the year. Heh.

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights!

Sincerely,

Leo S. a.k.a. Extreme Philly Fishing

My First Fish of 2018 + Testing my New "Thunderfury" Ice Fishing Rod (01/11/18, Gloucester, NJ)

This Winter weather has been crazy, hasn't it, folks?!

Here is my fishing report for January 11th, 2018. The 2018 Statistical Fishing Chart was updated as well.

Location: Nameless Pond

Time: 10:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Fishes caught:

- 7 Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)

- 1 Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)

Video:

Below are the highlights for this fishing session:

My 2nd outing of 2018: ice fishing a nameless pond in Gloucester, NJ. Don't forget to watch it in HD Quality (1080p60)! If you enjoy watching my YouTube videos, please support the YouTube Channel by subscribing to it. More likes & more subscribes = more time to make videos!

Summary & Photos:

Taking the upcoming warm weather in consideration (32F/0ºC to 45F/7ºC), my friend Jacob Korbel (a.k.a. Jacob Korbel Fishing) and I decided to hit a nameless little pond in Gloucester, NJ for one last attempt at ice fishing!  

According to Jacob, who had fished the Pond for the previous three days or so, the pond had a combination of Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, and Black Crappie. Thus, our hopes for catching any Species of fish were pretty high!

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EPF's tip of the day:
As every angler should be aware of, reconnaissance is a fundamental strategy and step when it comes to fishing. That is when knowing your local watersheds really pays off. Recall: knowing where the structure and deep areas are in a specific lake or pond is the key to success during the colder months of the year!
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We arrived at the spot around 10:00 a.m.. After checking the thickness of the ice around the edges of the pond, we were astonished to find out that even with the rise in temperatures, we still had 5-6 inches of solid ice! We dug a few holes with our Friday the 13th axe (old style) and got the jigging started!

Jacob stands on top of the little unnamed pond in Gloucester, NJ. Funny how even the smaller bodies of water by the roads can sometimes hold fish!

The primary objective of this fishing session was for me to catch my first fish of 2018. The secondary goal was to test my new Fiblink "Thunderfury" ML ice fishing rod. Therefore, instead of the traditional tip-up  and "still-fishing" approach, Jacob and I decided to use our rods for active jigging. I paired the rod with a Shimano Sedona 500 FD, which is -- as a matter of fact -- the lightest reel that I have in my arsenal. For line, I used the KastKing Fluorokote, 4lbs test; and for my jig, I used a 3 mm, size #16 hook Kenders Outdoors Ice Fishing jig.

I baited my jigs with half pieces of super-worm and jigged them 2-4 inches above the bottom, giving short stops in-between jigs. I favored locations with dying vegetation on the bottom. Five minutes into the fishing session, I landed my first Species and first fish of this year:

A Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus). The "purplish" hue is an indicator of low water temperatures. 

And after a few more Bluegill here and there, I ended up landing my second Species of the day: 
    

A Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides). The red in their upper lips is a common indicator of low water temperatures.

My friend Jacob didn't fall short either. After jigging multiple holes, he finally found a productive one. He landed this nice fella after an intense fight on 2lbs test line (hehe):

Jacob with his biggest fish of the day.

In the end, even though the pond was rumored to have a few fish in the range of 4-5lbs, Jacob and I weren't really able to land any fish bigger than a mere pound. After jigging in many different holes, we were also unable to catch any Black Crappie. Taking all the negatives aside, I did accomplish my main quests for the day...and, of course, I had a wonderful day outdoors with a friend who I didn't see for quite a while!    

Fishing sessions like these always remind me of how the most trivial things in life can make us happy. Remember, folks...sometimes it is not so much about the size of the fish that you catch, or its rarity. Sometimes, it is just about enjoying the outdoors and having a good time doing the things that you love to do. :)

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights!

Sincerely,

Leo S. a.k.a. Extreme Philly Fishing

My First Skunk of 2018!!! (01/08/18, Clinton, NJ)

I hope you folks all had a wonderful holiday season! 

Here is my fishing report for January 8th, 2018. The 2018 Statistical Fishing Chart was updated as well. 

Location: Spruce Run 

Time: 8:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Fishes caught:

- None 

Video:

Below are the highlights for this fishing session:

My 1st outing of 2018. Multi-Species fishing at the Spruce Run Reservoir in Clinton, NJ. Don't forget to watch it in HD quality (1080p60)! If you enjoy watching my YouTube videos, please support the YouTube Channel by subscribing to it. More likes & more subscribes = more time to make videos!  

Summary & Photos:

Despite having a lingering cough for almost five weeks, I finally decided to go out with my friends for some ice fishing in north New Jersey! Thus, my friends David Ho (a.k.a. Symplex Fishing), Zach Merchant (a.k.a. Zach Merchant Fishing), Jimmy Ly (a.k.a. RaWr Fishing), and I decided to hop on the Spruce Run Reservoir for some Multi-Species ice fishing.

Upon arrival, I was quite shocked to see that we had 8-12 inches of ice on the Reservoir!!! Compared to the previous years in Philadelphia and surroundings, that was definitely the thickest ice that I had seen in a while.

Almost half way through with the auger, and the ice was already in the range of 4 inches

We ended up setting fourteen tip-ups among the four of us. All of them were baited with small to medium sized live shiners, on small 2-4 Gamakatsu hooks, with a small split-shot 6-10 inches above it. We were fishing from 6 inches to 2 feet off the bottom.

Considering the fact that we were going for quality over quantity, we expected the day to be quite rough! And our expectations were right on the money. Heh. After six hours of fishing, only one Northern Pike (Esox lucius) was landed. It was a small 25 incher that Zach landed on the farthest tip up on the Reservoir!

Zach Merchant from Zach Merchant Fishing with a "small" Northern Pike. Photo Credit: RaWr Fishing

Other than that, Symplex Fishing and I tried jigging a few holes with our new ice fishing rods: the Fiblink Graphite Ice Fishing Rod, ML. We paired it up with small 500 model reels, 4-6lbs KastKing Fluotokote line, and 4 mm Kender Outdoors ice fishing tungsten jigs. We used a combination of superworms and nightcrawlers, but to avail. In the end, we weren't able to find the fish in that huge Reservoir.

So there you have it, folks...the first skunk of 2018! One of many to come, of course. But the bottom line is -- even with the brutal weather and the lack of fish, wonderful memories were still created that day! Let's be frank here: nothing beats a good day on the water with your fishing buddies, right? Heh.

From left to right, RaWr Fishing, Symplex Fish, Extreme Philly Fishing, & Zach Merchant Fishing

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights! 

Sincerely,

Leo S. a.k.a. Extreme Philly Fishing

Statistical Fishing Chart for 2018 (Last Update: 01/22/2018)

This will be my Statistical Fishing Chart for 2018. Let's attempt to complete it this year (Haha)! Every catch that I perform will be registered in terms of number, photo and Species. This will help me create a little "fishing diary" and keep scores and data along the year. This post will be updated regularly (hopefully).

Before you read any further, here are a couple notes that you will want to take in consideration:

-- All fishes in this post were identified by Extreme Philly Fishing with the help of many primary sources and peer reviews. Primary sources include fish identification guides (i.e. Peterson, North America Freshwater Species, etc.) and peers include experts in the field of Multi-Species angling, all with a list of 200+ species under their name.

If you want specific data on a certain Species, location, bait, or time of the catch, shoot me an e-mail: sheng12182527@gmail.com. If you believe that there are inconsistencies in this post, shoot me an e-mail as well. :)

Click here for my Statistical Fishing Chart for 2017 (super imcomplete)
Click here for my Statistical Fishing Chart for 2016 (nonexistent).
Click here for my Statistical Fishing Chart for 2015 (incomplete).

Click here for my Statistical Fishing Chart for 2014.

Click here for my Statistical Fishing Chart for 2013.

Click here for my Statistical Fishing Chart for 2012.
P.s. for a more complete set of data, nowadays I use my SMUGMUG Fish Photo Database. You can access the photo database here. 

Last update/fishing session: 01/24/18

Days fished this year: 7

Maximum number of fish caught in a day: 20 (Upper Cooper River, Haddonfield, NJ - 01/21/18) 

Number of different species caught this year: 8

Number of NEW species caught this year: 0
TOTAL # of Fish caught in 2018: 42 (as for 01/22/18)

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Legend:

# = Number of fish of certain Species caught in 2018

Location caught = Where the portrayed fish of certain Species was caught (usually the biggest or most unusual of the year)

Date = When the portrayed fish of certain Species was caught

Format:

"-- Name (Species) -- #

Location caught - Date caught

Photo"

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-- Bluegill (Lepomis Macrochirus) -- 20

Upper Cooper River, Haddonfield (NJ) - 01/21/2018

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-- Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) -- 2

Upper Cooper River, Haddonfield (NJ) - 01/22/2018

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-- Golden Shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas) -- 3
Upper Cooper River, Haddonfield (NJ) - 01/21/2018

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-- Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) -- 1
Pine Run Creek, New Britain (PA) - 01/19/2018

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-- Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) -- 2

Nameless Pond, Gloucester (NJ) - 01/11/2018

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-- Spottail Shiner (Notropis hudsonius) -- 5

Upper Cooper River, Haddonfield (NJ) - 01/21/2018

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-- White Crappie (Pomoxis annularis) -- 1

Pine Run Creek, New Britain (PA) - 01/19/2018

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-- Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) -- 4
Upper Cooper River, Haddonfield (NJ) - 01/21/2018

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-- Other Fishes (---) -- 2
--- (--) - --/--/2018

Bluegill X Pumpkinseed Hybrid (L. macrochirus X L. gibbosus)