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:

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Setup:

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Summary:

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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.

July Fishing Sessions: 07/17 - Fishing for Smallmouth Bass at the Wissahickon Falls (East Falls, PA)

Hello Blog Readers!

Here is my fishing session for July 17th:

--- July 17th, 2015 ---

Location: Wissahickon Creek (East Falls, PA)
Time: 3:00-7:00 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 3 Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu)
-- 2 Rock Bass (Ambloplites rupestris)
-- 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:

Not only my fishing video for the Wissahickon Creek, but also a tribute to Russell Bobby Lee -- the 63 year old local South Philadelphia angler who drowned there on July 14th, 2015. 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:

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Setup:

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Summary:

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Photos:

Below are the photos for this fishing session:

Small Smallmouth Bass from the mouth of the Wissahickon Creek

Beautiful colored Rock Bass. Small, but gorgeous :)

Another beauty -- a Green Sunfish. 

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

July Fishing Sessions: 07/05 - Exploring and Wading the Pennypack Creek & Moreland Pond (Bethayres, PA)

Hello Blog Readers!

Here is my fishing session for July 5th:

--- July 5th, 2015 ---

Location: Pennypack Creek/Moreland Pond
Time: 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 78 Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)
-- 5 Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus)
-- 3 Rock Bass (Ambloplites rupestris)
-- 2 Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu)
-- 1 Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
-- 2 Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus)
-- 1 Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus)
-- 2 Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)

Video:

Unfortunately, I did not have my GoPro available at that day! Thus, this fishing session was not filmed. :(

Goal:

(1) To take my father to the Pennypack Creek for some Creek fishing; and (2) to wade and explore a new section of the Pennypack Creek.

Setup:

Rod: Cortland Endurance 9' noodle rod

Reel: Shimano Symetre 4000FL

Line: 12lbs Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon

(1) a 1" Gulp! Alive minnow on a 1/64 oz. Trout Magnet jighead, sometimes under a weighted Comal float.

(2) a Trout Magnet on an Eagle Claw #10 Hook, under a small split shot.

(3) a Gamakatsu Octopus Hook with a 3" Gary Yamamoto Senko.

Summary:

Since it was almost time for my father to leave the USA and go back to Brazil, I decided to take him to the Pennypack Creek above Lorimer Park for some Summer wading and fishing. I really wanted him to catch some Smallmouth Bass! :)

We started wading the Creek at Bethayres, working our way up to the Moreland Pond. Very surprisingly, our fishing session turned out to be very successful in the end! I ended up catching 8 different Species of fish from the Creek, including a holdover Rainbow Trout from the Spring stocking season. My father was able to catch his share of fish, including some Smallmouth as well. Heh.

After wading the Creek all the way up to Moreland Pond, we just couldn't resist fishing there! Note that the Moreland Pond is actually a private pond; however, since my father and I went to the Pond from the Creek side, we were unable to see the "no trespassing signs." As a matter of fact, it was only when we were leaving that we realized that we weren't supposed to fish there at all. Haha

I ended up stocking the Moreland Pond with a couple Smallmouth Bass from the Pennypack Creek. In return, I stocked the Pennypack Creek with about 50 Bluegill from the Moreland Pond. :) 

Overall, a very productive day! And, of course, it was a bummer that I forgot my GoPro at home. Never again, seriously...

Photos:

Below are the photos for this fishing session:

First fish of the day -- a "purty" Rock Bass from the Pennypack Creek!

2nd Species of the day: a Redbreast Sunfish.

My father with a gorgeous Pumpkinseed from the Creek.

Of course we shouldn't exclude the Bluegill as well. :)

A Green Sunfish -- now we got the Sunfish superfecta at the Pennypack Creek. Heh.

My father with his miniature Green Sunfish.

A beautiful holdover Rainbow Trout from the Pennypack Creek

Very likely the biggest Pumpkinseed of the day. :)

Gigantic Redbreast Sunfish on a 3" Gary Yamamoto Senko! Notice the colors? Super pretty, eh? Heh.

My dad with a Pennypack Smallmouth Bass.

My biggest Smallmouth Bass of the day -- caught on a Trout Magnet.

Greedy Rock Bass on a 5" Senko!

Biggest Pennypack Bluegill of the day

A nice view of the Moreland Pond. Note that the place is private! As mentioned previously, we were fishing it without being aware of it. I am certainly not returning there.

A Largemouth Bass from the Moreland Pond.

A wounded Bluegill from the Moreland Pond.

My father with a miniature Largemouth Bass from the Moreland Pond.

My biggest Moreland Pond Bluegill of the day. :)

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

May Fishing Sessions: 05/12 - Exploring and Fishing the East Branch Brandywine Creek (Downingtown, PA)

Hello, Blog Readers! 

Today I'm bringing you my fishing session for May 12th (my birthday!):

--- May 12th, 2015 ---

Location: East Branch Brandywine Creek (Downingtown, PA)

Time: 2:00-7:30 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 1 Spotfin Shiner (Cyprinella spiloptera)

-- 2 Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus)

-- 4 Rock Bass (Ambloplites rupestris)

-- 1 Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)

-- 4 Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

-- 1 Brown Trout (Salmo trutta)

-- 1 Fallfish (Semotilus corporalis)

-- 1 Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)

Video:

Below are the highlights for this fishing session:

The video is about twenty-four minutes long. A brief introduction is given until 4:00. The rest of the video focuses on Multi-Species angling. 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:

The main objective of the day was to explore the East Branch Brandywine Creek above Kerr Park. In other words; (1) find deep pools and Trout lies; and (2) catch as many different Species of fish as possible.

Setup:

I used a single fishing rod for this session: 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 or canned kernel corn. At a certain point, I also used Berkley Power Bait for the Trout.

Summary: 

I started my day fishing just above Kerr Park, where I immediately saw two Golden Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss mutation) chilling in the water. That's where I caught my small Spotfin Shiner on the Thomas in-line spinner. As a matter of fact, that was my first ever Spotfin Shiner from the East Branch Brandywine Creek, which was pretty neat! 

Soon after, I started walking upstream, cautiously looking for deep pools and Trout lies. I found a small dam with a very promising pool above it. That's where I saw my third Golden Rainbow Trout of the day! Amazing, isn't it? Spotted Three Golden Rainbow Trout in one day! I tried the in-line spinner there without much success; although, I did miss a small Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu) on a jump. Then, I shifted gears for a size #6 Eagleclaw hook and nightcrawlers. I ended up catching a nice Redbreast Sunfish on it; however, still no Trout! 

I walked all the way up to the north end of Kerr Park. And guess what, folks? Trout paradise! That's where I saw my fourth Golden Rainbow Trout of the day, not to mention the numerous Rainbow Trout hanging in the shallows. I immediately switched gears to kernel corn and Powerbait, finishing there with a few Rainbow Trout. Believe it or not, I also landed a Rock Bass on the corn. Unbelievable, isn't it? Rock Bass on the corn...

For the rest of the day, I pretty much walked back to the Downingtown Regional rail through Kerr Park. On my way back, I actually witnessed a fire:

The Downingtown fire on May 12th, 2015. Definitely something that you do not see when you stay at home! Thankfully, nobody got hurt in it.

On my way back, I missed a nice Largemouth Bass on the in-line spinner, but ended up landing another one. I caught a nice Fallfish by the regional rail bridge -- my first ever Fallfish from the East Branch Brandyine Creek. I scored a bonus Brown Trout on the in-line spinner, which was pretty neat. And, of course, I also ended up catching a couple more sunnies on the nightcrawler.

Photos:

My first ever Fallfish from the East Branch Brandywine Creek. Always glad to know that they are in there.

"Things that you don't see when you stay at home:" A family of ducks swimming in the Creek.

A greedy little Spotfin Shiner darted for my in-line spinner. Amazing, isn't it? On a side note, Spotfin Shiner are beautiful fish, specially when it's spawning season (the anal fin gets white).

Probably my biggest Redbreast Sunfish for the day. The fish was caught on a piece of nightcrawler.

The Downingtown fire. Horrible sign, but thankfully nobody got hurt in the end! A salve of applause for our firefighters. 

A chubby Rock Bass from the East Branch Brandywine Creek.

Gorgeous Largemouth Bass hit my spinner right under the walking bridge before Kerr Park. Note the colors on it: typical colors for clear water environment (low saturation).

On my way back to the Regional Rail Station, I scored a nice Brown Trout! The funny thing is that the spot where I caught it was exactly like didactic fishing books describe. I call it "a spot by the book." Heh

Best of luck for all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

April Fishing Sessions: 04/14 - Micro-Fishing the Wissahickon Creek in East Falls, PA.

Hello, Blog Readers! 

Here are some of the latest updates:

-- I've added plenty of photos to the Public Fishing Album on my Facebook Page. We got some Flathead Catfish (Pylodictis olivaris), some Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis), and plenty of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Once again: anyone can submit photos to the album. If interested, please click on this link for more details.

Now, here's my fishing report for April 14th:

--- April 14th, 2015 ---

Location: Wissahickon Creek (East Falls/Wissahickon, PA)

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

Fishes caught:

-- 6 Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus)

-- 4 Rock Bass (Ambloplites rupestris)

-- 1 Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)

-- 1 Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu)

Below are the highlights for this fishing session:

The video is approximately 20 minutes long. The fishing action actually starts at 6:15. Be aware that this is a Micro-Fishing video; in other words, none of the fishes in it are above 6 inches.

Curiously enough, my original plan for the day was to go to the Manayunk Canal and catch some Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides). I packed up my 9' Cortland Endurance noodle rod, plenty of Senkos and 5/0 Gamakatsu hooks, etc. However, after thirty minutes of waiting at the Wissahickon Transfer Center, the Septa Bus 61 was nowhere to be found! So, in the end, I decided to just explore the Wissahickon Creek...

I started my adventure at the mouth of the Wissahickon Creek. For my surprise, I spotted a Golden Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss mutation) just upon arrival! Right away I was pretty psyched about it. I fished the mouth of the Creek with Senkos, suspending jerkbaits, in-line spinners, etc, and wasn't able to get a single fish. I decided to move on...

With a little bit of effort, I was able to snap a photo of the Golden Rainbow Trout. If you look carefully above my line, it's a horizontal shade of yellow.

For my second spot, I moved to the Wissahickon falls, right next to the Wissahickon Transfer Center. For my surprise, there were schools of big Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) and Gizzard Shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) right under it! Too bad I didn't have any corn or a drop net with me. Otherwise, I could have landed myself some big fish! I ended up trying some Senkos for Smallmouth Bass, ending without much success.

The Falls at the Wissahickon Creek. The photo was taken right next to the Wissahickon Transfer Center.

After failing twice, I finally switched to smaller baits and decided to Micro-Fish the lower portion of the Wissahickon Creek (below Forbidden Drive). Between spots, I switched from 3" Senkos to small Trout Magnets, finishing the day with an array of smaller Species of fish. Photo of the session are below:

"Things that you don't see when you stay at home:" A dead Redbreast Sunfish at the margins of the Wissahickon Creek.

A gorgeous Redbreast Sunfish. It was caught on a Thomas Lures E.P. Series in-line spinner, 1/8 oz., nickel/gold.

A photo of a Rock Bass. These little fellas are truly aggressive and they fight much better than the Redbreast Sunfish. Catching them on ultra-light tackle is a joy.

In four years of fishing the Wissahickon, this was my first ever Bluegill from there. As mentioned in the video, Bluegill are very very rare in non-tidal Creeks in and around Philadelphia.

A nice view of the mouth of the Wissahickon Creek with the Schuylkill River.

Best of luck for all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

October Fishing Sessions: 10/01 - Fall Fishing at the Wissahickon Creek

Hello, Readers!

After a little bit of effort, I've finally finished my September Fishing Sessions on the Blog! I've also uploaded a few more photos on the EPF Facebook Page. Just a reminder: even though I didn't post any fishing sessions on the Blog during this last Summer, I did post all photos on the Facebook Page. Enjoy!

Also, I have recently updated my Introductory post on Meadow Lake in South Philadelphia (FDR Park). With a little bit of research and some contributions (thank you, Visal!), I was able to confirm the existence of Flathead Catfish in Meadow Lake. For more details, you may click here for the post. 

Now, here's my fishing report for October 1st:

--- October 1st, 2014 ---

Location: Wissahickon Creek (East Falls)

Time: 2:00-5:00 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 5 Redbreast Sunfish
-- 1 Largemouth Bass
-- 3 Smallmouth Bass
-- 2 Rock Bass

The Wissahickon Creek has never disappointed me when it comes to Fall fishing! Through trial and error, over the years, I was able to pin-point the best Wissy locations for fishing during Fall time. In common words, those locations would be what anglers call "fishing holes."

Every time I go to the Wissahickon Creek at East Falls, I start right next to the Wissahickon Transfer Center, I don't waste any time -- I just walk along the Creek, from hole to hole, all the way to the beginning of Forbidden Drive. I fish every hole for about 10-20 minutes and move on.

Therefore, all the fishes cited above were caught between the mouth of the Wissahickon and the beginning of Forbidden Drive. Most of them were caught on small 1/64oz. jigheads with either trout magnets or "Gulp! Alive Minnows," with the exception of the Bass. The Smallies and Largemouth were caught on 4 inch wacky rigged Senkos on a size 2 hook. Photos are below:

"Things that you don't see when you stay at home:" It's too small for you folks to see, but this photo shows a small type of ant carrying a dead spider!

First fish of the day: a small Largemouth Bass on a wacky rigged 4" Gary Yamamoto Senko.

A nice-sized Redbreast Sunfish from the Wissy! Note that they are very abundant in the Wissahickon Creek (and in other Creeks around the area as well).

A small and fat Rock Bass. It was caught on a Shad "Gulp! Alive Minnow." 

The water level in the Wissahickon Creek was extremely low. We seriously need some rain, folks...

This set of rapids used to be a wonderful spot for Trout Fishing with in-line spinners; however, it was way too shallow to hold fish due to the lack of rain.

Here's another good location for Bass and Trout. The rock formations are beautiful, aren't they? :)

Little greedy Smallie bit on a 4" Senko. This fella was my smallest one of the day.

And finally, here's a proper "Wissy Smallie." The beautiful coloration on the fish portrays the environment it lives in: low saturated water with plenty of diffused oxygen. Any ideas where the "Bronzeback" nickname came from? Heh.

Best of luck for all of us!

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.