Bass Expertise - Catching a 6lb+ Bass in Bucks County

It's been a while since I really wanted to write an article on "Christopher Eife" - a friend I first met on PAC (Philadelphia Anglers Club). While my fishing is not specialized in Bass fishing, Chris' expertise is in catching Bass in and near Philadelphia. Knowing that many people in Philly are just CRAZY about getting Bass (after all, their top water fights can be extremely entertaining and powerful), I finally decided asking him for permission to write and publish a small blog article on him. Therefore, with his okay, I hope you all enjoy the post below. Now it's not about me: it's about Chris!

Chris E. is certainly one of the most adventurous fisherman I ever met. When it comes to exploring new places, adventuring oneself into unknown waters and unexpected spots - Chris is absolutely the best shot. Don't ever be surprised if you encounter him at places you never thought you would because it's possible! As a matter of fact, there's a picture below that portraits him in a very excluded area - what seems to be a pillar of support that belongs to a bridge. It's common and logical to think that the best fish should be always in the most remote locations; places that people don't usually go or fish.

Recently, Chris achieved something that I've been longing to post here in this Blog: he fished a 6lb+ Bass near Philadelphia (In Bucks County). Now...it's well known in the United States of America that many of its watersheds can breed "trophy fish"; "trophy Bass". However, specifically around Philadelphia, I've been longing to see some Big Bass! Chris is here to prove to you that it's possible to fish a good sized Bass without travelling too far.

According to him, he caught his six pounder on a stick worm, on waters close to Northeast Philadelphia (the location is a secret. Sorry, people!). However, he had seen the Bass before. The Largemouth Bass was officially caught and pictured on August 12Th. However, he had seen the fish on July 30Th, when his friend "had something extremely huge on". All it took was to wait a little bit of time (a matter of a couple days), and go back to that spot. The Bass was definitely hungry for his lure...

Below are some pictures of CE with his fish. Enjoy!

His PB (personal best) Largemouth Bass. Surely a monster considering the size of a regular Bass around here.

CE holding a Catfish somewhere; Lord knows where. When it comes to adventure, as I mentioned before, he's #1.

CE with another good sized Largemouth Bass.

CE with a Largemouth Bass, directly from a creek.

There's certainly a huge variety of species around us... and Bass is absolutely one of them.

Best of luck for all of us, and for CE as well!

Long days and pleasant nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

Doing a Few Friend sessions at the Tidal Schuylkill

There's certainly been a lot of rain lately. However, weather itself does not stop crazy fishermen from fishing, does it? As my friends RZ (I first met at the PAC forum - Philadelphia Angler's Club) and Nadir Garvin (I first met at the Walnut street bridge last year) would say: "Let's go fishing!" And we did. And we caught a good amount of fish; and we had a lot of fun!

I did a couple sessions at the Tidal portion of the Schuylkill River these days, with one or both of them. A couple days ago, I did my first session with RZ near the Spring Garden section of the river. At the same day, Nadir Garvin was fishing in between the Market St. Bridge and Spring Garden. Secondly, after a day, RZ and me fished two different spots: between Walnut and Chestnut bridges, and between Locust and the Walnut Bridge - both spots showing good fish. Finally, yesterday, Nadir Garvin, RZ, and me were fishing between Walnut and Chestnut Bridges.

As the rain came and passed many times, fishing showed up to be very very promising. The huge amounts of eels were present from the first session until the last one, yesterday (after all, the river was muddy all the way through our sessions). In total, I've caught 44 eels on nightcrawlers during these past 3 sessions, the biggest one being 18 inches (picture is all below the post). RZ had his first eel as well, which ended up good. Nadir, on the other hand, fell victim to them: his line got all tangled and slimy because of these little "knot-masters". It's good to remind all fishermen that eels are a very curious type of fish (they spawn at the Sargasso Sea, and many factors about their behaviors cannot be explained by scientists yet), not to mention that they become really messy once they are outside of the water. Myself, particularly; I feel amazed every time I see a knot made by an eel on my line. They are absolutely the best knot makers in the World! Their body is naturally slimy, and flexible to the extremes. They can easily flip their bodies in a "S" motion, and rotate themselves 360 degrees while being hooked, messing up all your line! It handled without gloves, or protection, they leave a trace of slime on your hands that may last you two days, watching it constantly. In other words, they are good bait (which is the reason I fish and freeze them); However, really nasty to handle.

The populations of White Perch were in demand these past days. Once the river gets muddy, and the quality of the water drops (more particles = less oxygen), the White Perch tend to stay in deep places - under structures, or hiding in slow pools. However, once in a while they do feed in the bottom. All three of us fished one of them successfully in these past sessions, but none of them were extremely big. RZ was fishing ONLY with chicken "guts" (liver, heart, God knows what); Nadir was fishing mostly with Nightcrawlers; and I was focusing mostly on Nightcrawlers, and pieces of fish. The White Perch were caught on Nightcrawlers and chicken "guts" (I'll guess a piece of chicken liver? hehe)

There were absolutely no Yellow Perch (their population is already candidate in the Schuylkill River); which was not a surprise, considering that they don't bite in certain kinds of circumstances (e.g when the river is muddy or the current of the river is altered).

Spots are not present in the river yet, but they will be there soon (hopefully). In the past two years, my experience was that the Spots come to the river on Fall, between the beginning of September until the end of November. They usually feed on Nightcrawlers, and I have a hint that they feed on little mollusks and clams at the place where I usually fish for them. They are usually juveniles, portraying a fish with purple stripes. For the ones not familiar with Spots, feel free to browse the links below:

Picture of a Spot:

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/fishfacts/spot.asp

Article on "What are Spot Fish"?

http://daybreak.hubpages.com/hub/Spot-Fish

On my last session, I had a little sunfish frenzy with my friend Nadir. We fished over some structure next to the "loop", which is the little white boat located in between Walnut and Chestnut Bridges that belongs to the Schuylkill Banks Organization. I caught my biggest sunfish at the Schuylkill River this year over there. They were sincerely hitting on nightcrawlers like crazy. It was absolutely a good experience. The picture of my sunfish is below as well.

Of course the main event of all these fish sessions was the CATFISH. Once the river gets muddy, specially after short/heavy periods of rain, these fish get extremely active. Also, the chances of landing a big catfish increase dramatically when the river is muddy, and the current is faster. Also, chances of landing Flatheads also increase dramatically. First, for more information on "Flatties", you can access the website below, which belongs to the Boat and Commission:

http://fishandboat.com/pafish/catfish_flathead/00flathead_overview.htm

The only Flathead I landed in these past sessions was a very small one, 4-5 inches, and I was happy to do so. RZ asked me a very interesting question recently: "What's the average population of Flatheads compared to the Channels in the tidal Schuylkill River?" Well, I'm not scientist when it comes to Flatheads, neither am I a specialist on it. However, if I were to give away a guess from my fishing experiences, the amount of flatheads I've caught from the section below the Fairmount Dam and Locust St., my best shot would be 200-1. In other words, for every two hundred Channel Catfish there's one Flathead. Of course their concentration would be higher at the base of dam; However, they are certainly lonely warriors. The picture of the small Flathead is below.

The Channels were absolutely awesome in the past couple days. They put up gorgeous fights, living up to their names. RZ's biggest one was 5.5lb (the picture is below), being the winner among the three of us! Seems that the chicken guts are an extremely powerful weapon against Channels. Maybe it's like a Cheese steak to them, or a pack of Doritos (I love these stuff), lord knows! But literally, RZ couldn't handle both rods at certain times. While he was landing one fish, the other one was bending! For someone who started fishing catfish a couple days ago, he is doing more than pretty good - he is doing VERY WELL. It was extraordinary, and we have ourselves a very successful Catfish fisherman.

Also, RZ fished a very unusual Jet-Black Channel Catfish. It's not the first time I've seen one of these: full black body, as if covered in petroleum. Small eyes (sometimes nonexistent), and beautiful! The picture of the Jet-Black is below as well.

Nadir didn't do bad neither. He landed most of the White Perch (we got ourselves another winner. I think he landed more White Perch in his life than anything else!), and his biggest catfish ended being 3lb (caught on a Nightcrawler). His fishing may be a little bit "blessed", "special", but he definitely has a heart and soul of a fisherman. The picture of his 3lb Catfish is below as well.

I ended with a 4lb catfish caught on a piece of Gizzard Shad. I was sincerely expecting bigger ones, but I didn't get lucky this time. I won't give up, though...I'll be constantly hitting the river this year until I land a 7lb+. So, I guess people will be seeing me there a lot!

Notice that the pictures were taken from different cameras; therefore, please, don't hate the quality. Despite the quality of the pictures, the purpose is clearly to show the fish. Also, all pictures of people are published here with their authorizations.

I didn't quite measure this one. Nadir took this picture for me, so it's a proof that I got at least one. Hahaha.

Even though the quality of the picture is not good, notice how the tip of the rod is bending. Catfish are good fighters, and not well-known here in Philadelphia. If you are a fisherman, I highly recommend "Catfishing".

A Picture of RZ with his second best Channel Catfish (a bit less than 5.5lb)

RZ's Jet-Black Channel Catfish. Very small eyes.

Another close picture of the Jet-Black Catfish.

My biggest sunfish of this year at the tidal Schuylkill. It was caught next to the "loop".

Nadir's 3lb Channel Catfish. Unfortunately, this picture was taken without anything in reference with. Therefore, it's hard to picture how small/big the fish was. However, it measured 3lbs.

Biggest eel of these sessions: 18 inches long.

Fishing in between Market and Chestnut St. Bridges at night time. The view is surely beautiful.

Cute small Flathead Catfish caught between Market and Chestnut St. Bridges. 4-5 inches long.

Fishing between Chestnut and Walnut st. Bridges. Notice how muddy the river is, and how the color is different from its usual.

Same location as above.

RZ with his best Channel Catfish: 5.5lb. Please, don't notice his closed eyes and happy smile (he was too excited!). The fish is gorgeous!

This picture has nothing to do with our last sessions. I accidentally put this picture up, and felt lazy to delete it. This is a batch of White Perch that I caught a week ago for heavy metal experiments. All of them were caught on Nightcrawlers.

Fishing next to Spring Garden with RZ. Beautiful view! Beautiful sky!

Hope you all enjoyed this post. It's been good fishing lately at the Schuylkill river!

Best of luck for all of us!

Long days and pleasant nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

Fishing for Different Species at the Tidal Schuylkill River

This morning started as a beautiful day! Very good weather to fish. It did get a little bit hot during noon, but the weather was still nice compared to the other days.

Anyways...I'll make today's post short - I'll make it a QUIZ! So, I've heard ALL THESE PEOPLE passing by, and telling me how the Schuylkill river is "dirty"; "there can't be fish inside the river"; "they don't have the right conditions to survive"; etc.

Well...that's a MYTH. Any fisherman that knows the city knows the fact that the Schuylkill River is a valuable place to fish. Therefore, we should sincerely conserve it as much as we can. Incredibly, the water temperature; depth; oxygen levels; pH of water; structure; allows many different species of fish to survive in the Tidal waters of the Schuylkill River.

I did a good session today, pursuing different species of fish along the river. Like I said above, it's QUIZ time. Readers: Can you identify the different kinds of fish below?

FISH A

FISH B
FISH C

FISH D

FISH E

FISH F

FISH G

FISH H

FISH I

FISH J - Three pictures above

FISH K

It's definitely good to know that these different kinds of species are inside the river, despite its sizes. It means that their aquatic cycles of spawning and growing are doing good. Credits for my friend Nadir Garvin for fishing FISH B. Note that most fish were caught on Nightcrawlers, and few caught on pieces of eel. Note also that its evident that FISH H, for example, is a catfish. That's why you should try to guess its full species' name!

Have fun, people...and I hope you all get a lot of fish.

Best of luck for all of us!

Long days and pleasant nights

Sincerely,

Leo S.

Important Concepts for Harvesting Fish in Pennsylvania

Angling is certainly a fun sport, and there's always the question of what to do with the fish once it's landed. On one hand, some fishermen put them back - they practice the "catch and release", and fish for the fight, excitement, and the sport. On the other hand, some take the fish home - they appreciate the fight, as well as the flavor of the fish (Some species are extremely good table shares). Of course there are a set of rules for taking certain species of fish in Pennsylvania, as well as minimum requirements (in terms of size, for example).

As a matter of fact, I went fishing at the Schuylkill Banks yesterday (Walnut street bridge), and ended the day harvesting 42 White Perch. Many people asked me if it was "legal" to take so many fish at one time, not to mention that some of them were really small. My answer was immediate: "There's a maximum limit per day, per species - which in the case of White Perch is 50 a day, and there's no minimum size to take it." Therefore, hence I've gotten so many questions about this subject, I've decided to post the Boat and Commission page on "Sizes, Seasons, and Creel Limit":

http://fishandboat.com/fishpub/summary/inland.html

Please note that there are three factors that are very important when harvesting fish, as the title of the page implies:

(1) the period of the year you are fishing at: Some fish can only be harvested during certain seasons of the year. For example, the bass can't be harvested from April 16Th to June 17Th, which is the time for their spawning season. Other fish are opened year-round, and trout and salmon have special restrictions when it comes to their fishing periods.

(2) The size of your fish: Species that are abundant don't usually have a specific minimum size requirement (invasive species ALSO). The Gizzard Shad is one example, as well as the Carp, Perch, etc. Some fish, on the other hand, are not so abundant - such as fish from the Bass family. Therefore, one should always watch out for these regulations, and stay in legality.

(3) The maximum amount of fish you can take: For the same reasons stated above, some fish have a creel limit. Trout, which is stocked by the Boat and Commission, has a limit of ONLY 5 per day on the regular season. American Shad and Muskellunge are up to only 1 a day. The law for harvesting Striped Bass is also very strict: only 2 a day.

Note that taking fish that does not comply with the Boat and Commission's rules are strictly illegal, and will result in a penalty (probably a charge). If the person is nice enough, your equipment will stay with you. If not, they will even take your equipment away. These same rules also apply when the person is fishing without having a fishing license. I believe the minimum penalty for that is $120 dollars.

Also, please note that the Boat and Commission made these rules to protect the aquatic biodiversity and prevent overfishing. Also, they give suggestions towards many different species, as well as information on them, at their website below:

http://fishandboat.com/fishes.htm

One example of a useful suggestion is the recommendation of taking Snakeheads out of the PA waters for being an invasive species. Another one is to take Flatheads out of the water for unbalancing the aquatic biodiversity. For more information on invasive species, feel free to check the Boat and Commission's websites below:

http://fishandboat.com/ais.htm

Lastly, it's VERY IMPORTANT to check the website below, which is on Threatened and Endangered species. Believe me: you do not want to hold a specie of fish that is classified under one of these two! You are going to gain a heavy penalty if the Boat and Commission sees you with it, not to mention that you are possibly killing a fish that is very valuable for its aquatic cycle. Even one fish counts when it comes to these two classifications. Also, note that there's a section for "Candidates", which means species of fish that can be classified as threatened or endangered in the future. Even though the Boat and Commission does not have a law to release them, one may consider the fact that they are endangered, and release them. The website is below:

http://fishandboat.com/endang1.htm

And this is a direct link for the list of endangered species: http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/058/chapter75/chap75toc.html

Once someone told me that laws are made towards certain actions surely because certain actions happened before. Therefore, people must have taken a lot of small fish in order for the Boat and Commission to create minimum size requirements, and so on. Overfishing is a scary global environmental problem, and possibly the nightmare for all fisherman! After all, what will be of us fishermen if one day we do not have fish to fish anymore? Two examples of overfishing can be clearly seen in Philadelphia right now:

(1) The populations of Smallmouth Bass in the Schuylkill River: One may say that their population is low due to the quality of the water. However, it's evident that this species of fish was over fished at the river. They were already in very small quantities, and fishermen didn't give them enough time to reproduce, and grow their populations. Nowadays, it's quite rare to land a good sized Smallmouth at the Schuylkill River; below the Fairmount Dam.

(2) The populations of Largemouth Bass and Snakehead in the Lakes at the FDR Park (Franklin Delano Roosevelt): Just because there are not rules for Snakeheads at the Boat and Commission's website, it does not mean that they should be taken or killed despite their sizes. As a matter of fact, the Commission highly encourages the removal of this species for being invasive here in PA. However, as a fisherman, it's up to the person to catch and release or take it. The quantities of fish at the FDR park dropped dramatically during the past years, and will continue to drop for two main factors: people are consecutively taking fish out of those waters, and those waters are not stocked right now.

It's up to us to take the right actions and preserve fish here in Philadelphia. Doesn't it hurt to think that our future generations will not be able to enjoy what we do simply because we are the ones destroying the aquatic environment right now? It's a matter of fact that the World is not sustainable right now. However, I truly believe we should do our best to at least preserve it the most we can. I've seen many fishermen complaining that the fishing is "not like before". Therefore, I'm just saying: we should all follow the laws, and work together for a better aquatic environment.

Reinforcing what I said above: what will be of us fisherman without fish in our waters?

Think carefully, as I did one day.

Best of luck for all of us!

Long days and pleasant nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

Visiting the Wissahickon with Nightcrawlers

I had the guts to go fishing at the Wissahickon yesterday morning, even knowing that the weather was not really good and reliable. I packed my equipment, and stuffed my bag with nightcrawlers, willing to get some bass or trout at the Wiss.

I arrived there at 9 a.m.. First, I hit the big and high dam right next to the Wissahickon Transfer Center. Equipped my rod with a size 10 hook, and a float (no weight). The sunfish were hitting the nightcrawlers like nuts! In less than 10 minutes, I got more than 20 sunfish. However, nothing extremely big.

After noticing that I wouldn't get anything big at the first dam yesterday, I walked up to the second dam. There, the sunfish proved to be a big bigger, but not as big as I've fished them there before. Also, I ended the day with two Smallmouth Bass, and a few Rock Bass (nothing really big, really).

Despite the lack of big fish, I have decided to post the pictures because the fish there are just BEAUTIFUL, gorgeous! Despite their size, they are extremely pretty.

Unfortunately, it started to rain not long after I arrived. I have to pack my equipment quickly, and run to the bus station. It ended up being a nice day, though - at least I got some fish.

The First dam

The Second dam


Above the second dam - notice how the water there is forming a whirlpool. Fish tend to swim in them.


One of the biggest sunfish of the day, which disappointed me. However, it's extremely beautiful!

One of the two Smallmouth Bass - also very small.

A picture of the Rock Bass, one of my favorite fish in Philadelphia. I LOVE the color of its eyes.

Another Rock Bass, a little bit chubbier, but still small.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take more pictures of the other fish due to the rain. I fished only for 35 minutes, and I'm sure I could have gotten something bigger if I stayed longer. However, the rain was just pouring, and I got soaked wet - even though I was under a tree.

Best luck for all of us!

Long Days and Pleasant Nights

Sincerely,

Leo S.

Fishing for eels and flatheads at the muddy Schuylkill (after rain)

After all the rain these past few days, the Schuylkill River became a muddy and "dirty" place to fish. It happens almost every year: it rains for a certain period of time in/around Philadelphia(sometimes a couple days), and the river becomes a mess! All the water from the rain runs down the Schuylkill River - a combination of logs, branches, different kinds of vegetation, and all sorts of litter. The current becomes violent, and the water stays muddy for a couple days. Sometimes it even floods the banks, bringing a lot of trouble to the Schuylkill Banks' staff. However, a messy and muddy river doesn't necessarily mean "bad". Sometimes, these are the best conditions for fishing if the angler knows the right spots and baits to use!

It's well known already that fish are opportunists. They take full advantage when opportunities show up; specially when it comes to food. It doesn't really matter if the fish is not hungry: it will eat if good food is available. Rain usually messes up the current of the river (it becomes stronger), and brings with the current a lot of food available for fish. However, not every fish can take advantage of this opportunity, hence some species cannot stay long in muddy water (e.g. White Perch - they will not bite that often when the river is muddy). On the other hand, catfish and eels take full advantage of this opportunity to feed!

One of the best techniques for fishing the river when the current is extremely fast is finding places where water runs "slower". By logic alone, fish tend to get CLOSER to the banks when the river's current is extremely high because the current of the river is faster in the middle than in its borders. I could take 10-15 minutes to explain "capacity" and "competence" of a river, but I've decided to just post a link below with an article on it:

http://www.enotes.com/earth-science/stream-capacity-competence
Knowing angling techniques and etc is very appropriate for fishing itself, but learning some environmental science (specially when it comes to the aquatic cycle, rivers, waterfalls, hydraulic force, etc) is definitely plus knowledge that may increase your success in catching fish. As a matter of fact, all the fish I caught today at the Schuylkill River was withing 2 feet from where I was standing. Note that this does NOT mean that fish are not present in the river's outwards! Today a guy fishing there caught two channel catfish on clams, casting far outside.

Another technique is simply placing a set with a very heavy sinker (2-4oz) and heavy line set (15lb+). Cast next to structures (e.g. bridge supporting pillars - it cuts the current, making the current after the pillar slower. Fish can rest in these kind of places, and even feed), or anywhere else with obstacles that may cut the current and form slow pools of water.

Last year, I caught a bunch of channel catfish after a heavy period of rains - the biggest one exceeding 8lb. The video below was made by someone that was nearby, while I was landing a catfish. Despite the music, I just wanted to show you guys that fish do BITE in this kind of circumstances, hence a lot of people asked me if fish would bite in days like these. The link for the video is below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_nlNNznRMg

I started my session today at 9 a.m., loaded with nightcrawlers. I was really expecting to fish eel for bait, as I use it a lot to catch catfish at the Schuylkill and the Delaware river. People usually hate to catch eels for two main reasons: (1) they are extremely slimy, and if you touch them bare-handed, be aware that their slime will NOT go off easily, even if you wash yourself. (2) They are the "knot masters". They can make knots on your line by twisting their bodies that even the most skilled fisherman can't make. It's a pain to untie the knots, and usually the person just cuts that portion of the line. Well...I do have to say that I hate to fish for them as well. However, they do serve as a very good bait for catfish - second best bait I would use for it (I'm not telling what the first is =D). I ended the session with 17 eels, all caught on nightcrawlers - bottom and still fishing with a 1oz weight and a size 10 hook, no further than 2 feet from where I stood.

It was around 11:30 a.m. that something very surprising happened. I was fishing for eels with one rod, and catfish on the other rod. The rod with catfish had a number 4 hook with a flat 2oz weight (also no further than 2 feet from the wall), loaded with a full eel on the hook. It turned out that something heavy hit on it. At the beginning, I suspected a channel catfish right away. The fish was giving me a hard time, as it tangled itself in some debris at the bottom of the river. I decided to leave my rod there, and see if the fish could set itself free of the snag. It was right after I put my rod down that the tip of the rod bent in an unbelievable way! My drag started to burn, releasing a huge amount of line. It certainly reminded me of a carp by the way it was fighting it, but I knew it was quite rare to catch one under those circumstances (and impossible to catch one on an EEL). It fought crazily for ten minutes, until I finally could see the tail for a heartbeat - it was a catfish! After a long fight, the beast finally emerged, showing itself beautifully - a 12.5lb (measured) flathead catfish caught on a whole eel. It was definitely the highlight of the day.

I ended the day with 2 white perch, 1 sunny, 17 eels, and a flathead. I was more than satisfied, and went to South Street to eat some Indian food. Everything went back to the river (including the flathead), excluding the eel - which I'm keeping for future bait.

I hope there are more surprises tomorrow! Stay tuned for future updates...

Best luck for all of us!

Long days and pleasant nights,

Leo S.

Fishing for White Perch at the Schuylkill Banks (Walnut Street Bridge)/ Nightcrawler month!

Now that it's August (late summer), I finally decided to purchase some Canadian nightcrawlers and adventure myself into different places with it. It's impressive how nightcrawlers ALWAYS have worked for me, despite of location or season of the year. Sunfish, trout, bass, perch, catfish, crappies, etc. - they chow the nightcrawler down! Sometimes, even the Carp, Striped Bass, and Snakeheads get hit on the nightcrawlers (rarely, but they do).

I'm not certain if it's in their genes, but nightcrawlers are absolutely a must if you are trying new ground. Therefore, in other words, if you are visiting a new place: nightcrawlers are a must! This month of August, almost all the posts here will show fish caught on NIGHTCRAWLERS. I'll focus on its importance, as well as its reliability. Well...I'll call this the "worm month" (Original name, huh?).

Since I have purchased nightcrawlers, I decided to go down to the Schuylkill Banks (At the Walnut street bridge) to fish for some catfish and perch. At this season of the year - late summer throughout all fall - the fishing at the banks is very productive. The small catfish are very often caught on nightcrawlers, while the bigger ones are usually caught there on shrimp, chicken liver, or fish fillets (some people fillet a white perch for bait, which is very good). However, I've seen many people land big catfish on nightcrawlers as well. At the beginning of the fall till the beginning of the winter, "Spots" are present in the river. They don't get big in sizes, but they are worth a picture - after all, who would think there are actually "spots" at the Schuylkill River, right?

My focus for yesterday was not the catfish, though, but the white perch. I usually go fishing at the Walnut Bridge portion of the Banks every late summer/early fall (for the reasons I've mentioned before). That's is the time when small fish start to get CLOSER to the banks (you can actually drop your line - not all the way to the bottom - and get certain species of fish), and big catfish start to patrol the bottoms of the closer banks. Last year, I caught 20-25 catfish by dropping my line straight down to the bottom, no casting at all. The biggest one was around 7lb, caught on a piece of shrimp. Also, by leaving the line 5-10 feet down, one may be able to get sunfish (bluegills, pumpkin seed, etc), small bass (largemouth, and very rarely a smallmouth), yellow perch, and white perch. If you are willing to fish the smaller ones, make sure you use a number 6 or higher hook.

Yesterday my focus was directly on the white perch. I usually cast out with an 1 oz weight (it's enough for me, even though some people use 2-3oz there), past the first pillar of the bridge; and 15lb or less of line (yesterday I was using 14lb fluorocarbon). The perch don't really get big at the Schuykill River (the biggest one, rarely, pass the size of a palm of a hand), but the action is constant and steady. I did my homework, and I came to observe and learn that schools of white perch pass through that location every ten minutes or so. Therefore, if there are breaks, they don't exceed the ten minutes limit (usually). Of course there will be days that the fishing is really bad (due to a number of factors - weather and temperature being some of them), and on those days no perch will bite at all. Don't give up: just come another day.

I started early this Saturday, around 11 a.m., and stayed until 3 p.m. in the afternoon. I landed a couple small catfish (the biggest one nearly exceeding a pound), and ended the day with 22 White perch. My goal with the white perch at this portion of the river is to test them for heavy metals, and usually I need a sample of 50-60 of them (same location, different sizes) to do so. Therefore, I'm harvesting them right now despite its size. I'll definitely post the results of my testing once I collect the rest of the sample (Tuesday I'll probably be down by the banks again). Basically, I'm testing them with an Osumax heavy metal testing set, and I'm testing it for: Manganese (Mn), Nickel (Ni), Copper (Cu), Mercury (Hg), Cadmium (Cd), Cobalt (Co), Lead (Pb), and Zinc (Zn). Like I said before, I'll definitely post the results here, as well as the process, once it's done.

Stay tuned for the next updates! This is going to be an awesome month, as fishing will start picking up in late summer and early fall.

Best of luck for all of us!

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Leo S.