My First Skunk of 2017! Ugh! (01/11/17, Lindenwold/Philadelphia, NJ/PA)

What's up, fellow anglers?

Here is my fishing report for January 11th, 2017. The statistical fishing chart was updated as well.

Location: Kirkwood Lake / Schuylkill River (TIDAL)

Time: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. / 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- Nothing

Video:

Since I got skunked, there is no video for this fishing session. :)

Summary & Photos: 

Taking the warmer Winter weather in consideration -- 40F min/50F max, I decided to hit one of my favorite winter holes for fishing: the Kirkwood Lake in Lindenwold, NJ. Since I always did well in that spot during the Winter, I was actually pretty confident that I was going to catch something today. Boy, was I wrong...

After arriving at the spot, I wasn't too surprised to see that the Lake itself was still covered in ice. I mean...the weather was great around noon (~45F), but one day of warmth just wasn't enough to thaw a whole watershed. Especially one of that size, and one without any current in it! 

A view of the Kirkwood Lake (main Lake section). Even with the short warm weather, still unfishable. 

Thus, as always, I was forced to fish the portion below the Lake. The locals usually refer to it as "the culvert." I like to call it "the pipe." Heh.

One of my old YouTube videos, where I introduce my viewers to the spot known as "The Pipe." Don't forget to watch it in HD quality (1080)! If you enjoy watching my videos, please support my YouTube Channel by subscribing to it. More likes and more subscribes = more time to make videos.

A view of "The Pipe;" January of 2017.

The fact is that I never really did bad at that spot. That is why I decided to return, and why  I was so confident that I was going to catch some fish. Every past fishing session there, I caught at least a few Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus). Or a few Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus). And sometimes an occasional Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides). But not that day...That day, the water was crystal clear. Not only that, the water level was extremely low! Consequently, the water was really shallow (~2 feet deep)!   

So, you guys get the idea, right? Shallow and clear water during the Winter season = no fish. After spending two hours there without a single bite, I finally made my mind to hit another spot for the day.

I took the PATCO train back to Philadelphia. Hopped on Septa's Market-Frankford Line. Got off at the 30th street station. Ate some halal food for lunch and headed over to the Schuylkill River for some good old "whatever bites" type of fishing.

The "whatever bites" fishing style is often tricky. Here is a photo portraying how one should not fish on the Schuylkill River.

Needless to say, I was completely unprepared. I didn't have a net with me to land my fish from the Schuylkill River's brutal ten feet drop. I didn't have a rod holder for my single ultra-light rod, to keep it in place. And you guys just read it -- ultra-light: I had 4lbs KastKing fluorocarbon test line for whatever bit on it. Hah. 

Thankfully (or sadly), I didn't have to worry about any of that in the end! After all, after three brutal hours on the River, I ended my day without a single bite...A day full of promises, but not with fish!  

Best of luck to all of us! 

Long Days and Pleasant Nights!

Tight lines!

Sincerely,

Leo S. a.k.a. Extreme Philly Fishing 

March Fishing Sessions: 03/16 - Scoping Linden and Kirkwood Lakes in Lindenwold (NJ)

Hello, Blog Readers! 

Before anything else, I've added a nice photo of my friend Mike M. on Facebook's Public Fishing Album. And yes -- he strikes once again, this time with a beautiful Linear Koi (Cyprinus carpio mutation) from the Delaware Canal. As a reminder, if you want to submit your photos for the folder, you may click here for more information.

Today I'll be talking about my first 2015 trip to the Linden and Kirkwood Lakes in Lindenwold, NJ. If you are not familiar with them, you may want to check the following YouTube videos for a general idea:

Part 1 of my introductory video on the Kirkwood Lake in Lindenwold, NJ. As you will read further below, I fished mainly in the pipe.

Part 2 of the video above. In this video, I walk a little bit deeper into the Lake, quickly stopping at some productive spots.

A nice video of me fishing Linden Lake for Black Crappies (Pomoxis nigromaculatus). The Lake is also known for producing nice Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) and a few Chain Pickerel (Esox niger) and Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)

Now, here is my fishing report for March 16th:

--- March 16th, 2015 ---

Location: Linden Lake/Kirkwood Lake

Time: 1:00-1:30 p.m./2:15-4:00 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 20 Bluegill (Lepomis Macrochirus)

With all the ice meltdown and water temperatures around 40F in small Lakes and Ponds, I decided to scope out two Lakes in Lindenwold, NJ: the Kirkwood Lake and Linden Lake. As always, I left home with a solid game plan for the day! My plan was short and simple: try for Black Crappie at Linden Lake first, and then move to Kirkwood Lake in case of no fish bites. The fact is that I can always avoid getting skunked with the golden pipe in that Lake! If you watched the first video in this post, you know where I am talking about.  

Here is a nice shot of Linden Lake that I took just after arriving there. Note that there was still a thin layer of ice covering ~10% of the Lake! This is good empirical evidence that Lakes and Ponds tend to defrost last when it comes to the transition of Winter to Spring (recall: moving water is a big factor in the ice melting process). 

I arrived at the Linden Lake around 1:00 p.m.. I immediately setup a high-low rig with nightcrawlers for still-fishing. Then, with my second rod, I setup a 0.5oz. weighted float with a 1/64 oz. golden jighead and 1" minnow imitation (exact setup as in the third video above). Since there was a new piece of cover in the lake, I started by jigging around the edges.

As any veteran angler would be aware, that board is perfect cover for game fish!  

I jigged the edges of that board for a good 10 minutes and ended up not getting a single bite! It was quite a disappointment, since that type of cover is really enticing and hard to pass while fishing. As a matter of fact, cover like that is golden for lie-in-wait predators to strike (i.e. Chain Pickerel). Therefore, if that board remains in that spot, it will be a hot place to fish for during the Summer months.

After jigging all the edges, I started to cast my bait out in the open (just like in the third video). At that point, I was specifically targeting Black Crappie. Note that the two major points in Crappie fishing is to "find" where the school is located at, and at what "depth" they are located at. Once those two factors are taken care of, the angler usually walks home with plenty of fish for dinner! Since water temperatures were still quite brutal (~40F), I setup up my float high; therefore, my bait was just barely touching the bottom. That took care of the "depth." My challenge then was to "find" them. Unfortunately, after casting in a range of 180 degrees, I was still unable to locate them. That's when I changed my game plan and moved to the Kirkwood Lake.

A scenery shot of Kirkwood Lake. Note that in this bigger lake, there was no presence of ice (not even a thin layer). 

   

After a quick lunch grub, I arrived at the Kirkwood Lake around 2 p.m.. Upon arrival, I spotted a kayak angler fishing for Largemouth Bass using a blade spinner! That was a good sign. Heh. At that point, I didn't really waste any time: I took a quick look at the spillway; came to the conclusion that the water flow over there was too fast for fishing; moved to the pipe! 

Here is a nice shot that portrays the consequences of rain and ice meltdown: faster current. The regular Kirkwood water level would not have water flowing down from the sides of that spillway.

Nothing changed after arriving at "the pipe." I stayed with the same setup as Linden Lake. As I cast my still-fishing rod into the water, another angler came by. The more the merrier, right?! I immediately noticed that he was using a very similar setup to mine: a little football jig with a 2" minnow imitation, no float. And guess what? After a few catches, he actually caught a very neat baby Largemouth:

The pipe and its surprises! Here is Rob F. with the results of his Micro-Fishing: a very nice colored Largemouth Bass.

   

The difference between Linden and Kirkwood Lakes became very apparent when I was still setting up my second rod. And I can tell you this, folks: there ain't a lot of better feelings than getting a hit on one rod while setting the other one! And that's exactly what happened. I landed my first Bluegill of the day then! 

A healthy Bluegill came up on a piece of nightcrawler. Signs of life are always good signs, right? :)

After watching my rod bend on a piece of nightcrawler, I decided to go Multi-Species with my second rod as well. Instead of a 1/64 oz. jig with a minnow immitation, I decided to tie on a regular #6 j-hook. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to pull out anything besides Bluegills for the day. On the other hand, I was more than satisfied with all the bites that I got. For a Multi-Species angler, every and each bite is very exciting! Recall the beautiful quote by Robert Altman: "I love fishing. You put that line in the water and you don't know what's on the other end. Your imagination is under there." I had 20 Bluegill by 4 p.m. and decided to call it a day. Overall, very productive day with plenty of "imagination" in it. Heh.

Best of luck for all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

May Fishing Sessions (Last Update: COMPLETE)

Hello, Readers!

With a little bit of delay (okay...maybe more than "a little bit"), I'm finally bringing you guys some of my May Fishing Sessions! My time is very limited at the moment; however, I'll try my best to bring you readers my up-to-date reports and photos. 

May was certainly a wonderful month for fishing. As Ernest Hemingway once indicated in his book -- The Old Man and the Sea: "Anyone can be a fisherman in May." It may not be as easy to fish during the other seasons of the year; however, May is usually the month when most fishes are swimming around and looking for food!   

Here's your photo of the month:

A Downy Woodpecker at the Pennypack Creek. Let's not forget that nature can also be part of fishing.

--- May 5th, 2014 ---

Location: Pennypack Creek

Time: 3:30-6:00 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 1 Brown Trout

-- 6 Rainbow Trout

-- 10 Redbreast Sunfish

Quick fishing session at Pennypack Creek. Thankfully, there were still some left over Trout from the Spring stockings! With my polarized glasses, I saw about 8 swimming between the Bustleton and Old Bustleton portion of the Creek. I caught 7 of them on Thomas Nickel/Gold in-line Spinners (6 Rainbows, 1 Brown. Kept 5 Rainbows). I tried corn and power bait at the beginning of my fishing session; however, those Trout had already "adapted" to the stream. In other words, the most effective baits/lures were nightcrawlers, mealworms, and in-line spinners.

Photos are below:

Smallest Redbreast Sunfish of the day.

Biggest Redbreast Sunfish of the day. All of them were caught on a 1/64 oz. jighead with a small "Gulp! Alive" minnow plastic lure.

First Rainbow Trout of the day.

Beautiful Rainbow Trout on a Thomas Nickel/Gold In-line Spinner.

And, to finish the day, a Brown Trout, also caught on a Thomas Nickel/Gold In-line Spinner.

--- May 10th, 2014 ---

Location: Pennypack Creek
Time: 3:00-5:00 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 1 Rainbow Trout

Another quick session at the Pennypack Creek. My dad and I finished with 1 Rainbow Trout only, since the Creek flooded with the thunderstorms around the area.

Photo is below:

A very small Rainbow Trout! Only one of the day. It was caught on a Nickel/Gold Thomas In-line spinner.

--- May 14th, 2014 ---

Location: Linden Lake/Kirkwood Lake
Time: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 1 Green Sunfish
-- 2 Largemouth Bass
-- 7 Black Crappie
-- 6 Bluegill
-- 1 Brown Bullhead

I did a little bit of Multi-Species fishing with my father in New Jersey. We decided to hit Linden Lake and Kirkwood Lake in Lindenwold, ending the day with a bunch of Black Crappie, Bluegill, Brown Bullhead, Green Sunfish, and Largemouth Bass.

Photos are below:

My father casting his float at Linden Lake, Lindenwold, NJ.

A healthy Black Crappie from Linden Lake.

Small Largemouth Bass, caught on a jig and a float.

Beautiful Bluegill in spawning colors.

My father with his biggest Black Crappie of the day.

As a multi-species angler, I had to pull in a Brown Bullhead! 

My smallest Largemouth Bass of the day! 

A Green Sunfish from Kirkwood Lake.

--- May 15th, 2014 ---

Location: Schuylkill River
Time: 1:00-4:00 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 10 Channel Catfish
-- 7 White Perch
-- 4 American Eel

Even at his age, my old man is still showing who's the Boss! Apart from all the Channel Cat, White Perch, and Eel that we both caught on the Schuylkill River, my dad finished with a nice 2.57lbs Walleye on a live Eel! It was a beautiful fish, and it was safely released after a quick photo and measurement.

Photos are below:

We caught plenty of Channel Catfish on nightcrawlers and cut American Eel. Above is my father with a small Channel Catfish.

One of the smallest Channel Cats of the day.

White Perch, caught on a piece of nightcrawler.

My father's 2.57lbs Walleye, caught between Walnut and Chestnut streets! That was certainly a great surprise.

--- May 18th, 2014 ---

Location: Newton Lake

Time: 1:00-6:00 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 4 Bluegill

-- 1 Largemouth Bass

My father and I did a quick fishing session at Newton Lake for Northern Snakeheads and Largemouth Bass. It was a tough day; thus, we finished all together with a total of 3 Largemouth Bass and a couple Sunnies.

Photo is below:

My father with a decent sized Largemouth Bass from Newton Lake.

--- May 19th, 2014 ---

Location: Schuylkill River

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

Fishes caught:

-- 1 Common Carp

-- 1 Channel Catfish

-- 2 Flathead Catfish

-- 1 American Eel

Caught a couple Common Carp and Flatheads on the non-tidal Schuylkill River. I decided to keep some small Flathead for dissection! 

I was very excited, since I never dissected Flatheads before. As a matter of fact, I found a very interesting collection of minnows in their bellies (one type is on a photo below)! The heavy metal test also came out better than I expected: a very weak mixture of heavy metals.

Also, I lost a full rod/reel  set to a Flathead Catfish! By the time I saw the bite, the rod just flew into the water. Hah. That's what I get for not using an extra rod holder. Thankfully, that was a cheap Daiwa combo. =) 

Photos are below:

First Carp of the day: a 12lber on kernel corn.

At a certain point, they were biting really well. In the photo above: my father with a 10.2lbs and me with a 6.45lbs Common Carp.

There's always one or two Channel Catfish mixed up with the Common Carp.

"Things that you don't see when you stay at home:" A Swan swimming in the Schuylkill River...

A 4lbs Flathead Catfish, caught on a piece of American Eel.

One of the many different types of minnows found in the Flathead's belly! 

Same minnow, another angle.

--- May 20th, 2014 ---

Location: Absecon Bay Inlet

Time: 12:00-6:00 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 5 Tautog

-- 28 Bergall

I went to Atlantic City with my brother-in-law and my father. We fished the Absecon Bay Inlet for the whole day, finishing with a bunch of Tautog and Clearnose Skate. Myself, I also got a bunch of Bergall on the side! (When fishing gets boring at the jetty, I always go for smaller fish! For a Multi-Species angler, size doesn't matter anyways and every cast is an opportunity for a new Species). I finished the day with tons and tons of Bergall.

Also, "togging" is such an interesting fishing style! It's SO MUCH FUN finding deep holes among the rocks. Heh.

Anyways, we kept the Skates and released everything else. 

Photos are below:

A Bergall, caught on a piece of clam. They are often despised by anglers for being "bait-robbers;" however, they actually taste very good when deep-fried.

My brother-in-law with a Tautog. Notice his happy face? That's because he hardly catches anything. Congratulations, bro! 

A small Clearnose Skate, also caught on a piece of clam.

My biggest Tautog of the day.

My biggest Bergall of the day.

--- May 21st, 2014 ---

Location: Delaware Canal/Buck Creek

Time: 9:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 15 Bluegill
-- 1 Pumpkinseed
-- 3 Largemouth Bass
-- 4 Rainbow Trout
-- 2 Chain Pickerel

After 3 years of fishing in and around Philadelphia, I finally caught my FIRST Pennsylvania Chain Pickerel! It was a blast to see that they are residing in the Delaware Canal. The one on the photo below was 17 inches.

My father and I explored different portions of the Delaware Canal in Yardley. My dad caught a couple Black Crappies (a few slabs) and big Bluegills. I finished the day with a couple left-over stocked Rainbow Trout from the Delaware Canal, as well as some Largemouth Bass and plenty of sunnies!

Photos are below:

First fish of the day: a Bluegill, caught on a Thomas Gold/Nickel in-line spinner.

A very very nice place to fish for the Largemouth Bass in the Delaware Canal.

I saw a couple Trout swimming in these rapids; however, I couldn't entice them to bite my spinner.

A small Largemouth Bass. It was caught around the lily-pads on a 1/64 oz. jighead with a minnow imitation.

My father with his biggest Black Crappie of the day (~1lb)! What a beast! 

My 17 inches Chain Pickerel from the Delaware Canal, and also my FIRST PA Chain Pickerel.

My father with his biggest Bluegill of the day (~0.7lbs).

A gorgeous Pumpkinseed from the Delaware Canal.

After lunch, we decided to scout the mighty Delaware River for a little bit. Unfortunately, the current was too fast due to the recent number of thunderstorms around the area.

My biggest Largemouth Bass out of the Delaware Canal. 5-inch Gary Yamamoto Senkos certainly do magic! 

Same fish, another angle.

A little post about the Delaware Canal. You may click on the photo for a bigger resolution.

A left-over Rainbow Trout from the Canal.

In the end, we released all fish expect these four. My father smoked them, and they turned out to be DELICIOUS.

--- May 26th, 2014 ---

Location: Swatara Creek

Time: 7:00-10:00 a.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 4 Smallmouth Bass
-- 9 Fallfish

I went to Hershey Park with my entire family, so I took the opportunity to fish the Swatara Creek. Using a Thomas nickel/gold in-line spinner, I caught a bunch of Smallies and Fallfish! The high speed currents and my 4lbs test line certainly made fishing much more enjoyable there -- the Smallmouth Bass fought crazily!

Photos are below (a nice contrast of smallest Vs biggest of the day):

Smallest Fallfish of the day.

Smallest Smallmouth Bass of the day.

Biggest Smallmouth Bass of the day (~2.5lbs)

Biggest Fallfish of the day (~0.9lbs).

--- May 29th, 2014 ---

Location: D&R Canal/Brock Creek

Time: 7:00 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 3 Redbreast Sunfish
-- 7 Bluegill
-- 2 Largemouth Bass

Did some exploring with my dad at the D&R Canal in West Trenton, NJ. Unfortunately, the place was REALLY DEAD. We caught a single Bluegill, a single Pumpkinseed, a couple Redbreast Sunfish, and a lonely Channel Catfish!

After the D&R Canal in West Trenton, we explored a little Creek in Yardley (Brock Creek). Surprisingly, there were some nice fish in it! We caught some huge Bluegill (~0.4-0.5lbs each), a couple wild Brown Trout, and a couple Largemouth Bass! Although it was a challenge to explore it (huge amounts of poison ivy and whatever makes you itch), we will definitely go back for more!

Photos are below:

We started our trip by exploring the Gold Run. Unfortunately, there were only small fish in it and I didn't have my gear for microfishing! That was a big bummer...

The little dam at Gold Run. Shallow and lifeless! 

We followed the Gold Run until it hit the D&R Canal.

Here is probably the deepest spot at the D&R Canal in West Trenton. 

The rules for the D&R Canal Park. Fishing is certainly allowed! =)

First fish of the day: a healthy Bluegill! (They are seriously everywhere)

My father with his first catch of the day: a healthy and colorful Redbreast Sunfish.

If it wasn't enough, he also caught a nice colored Pumpkinseed for his Sunny spp. collection.

This was probably our biggest catch of the day! My father was using nightcrawlers on the bottom, when his ultralight suddenly bent like crazy! We were SO EXCITED at the moment, waiting to see the fish. When the Catfish surfaced, all the excitement went away. Hehe.

In my opinion, the most colorful Redbreast Sunfish of the day.

"Things that you don't see when you stay at home:" a pair of Drake Wood Ducks swimming in the D&R Canal. Even though I'm not a bird fanatic, I have a very nice collection of bird photos! Heh.

Nice Largemouth Bass on a 5-inch Senko! 

My father with his Brown Trout; probably the most elusive fish of the day. Beautiful red dots on its body!