Field Trip: 02/28 - Visiting the Greater Philadelphia Outdoor Sportshow (Oaks, PA)

Hello, Blog Readers!

It's been quite a while, right? Pretty much one month since my last update here on the Blog! Well...for starters, here are my latest updates:

-- Uploaded a new Multi-Species video on my Youtube Channel. Yes -- I finally took the time to make another photo compilation for my up to date Species list. Now I am at 64 different Species of fish (in and around Philadelphia). I've embedded the video below:

64 Species of fish and ongoing. This year I am planning to spike that number to 80+. :)

I've also updated the Species hyperlink on the right side of the tab (first link under popular hyperlinks).

-- I've finally added and fixed descriptions for all of my videos on my Youtube Channel. I've also linked videos to their relevant fishing sessions on the Blog. Also, I've officially purchased a GoPro 3 and once it arrives, I will be taping all of my fishing sessions for this year. :) So, keep yourself updated in that department.

-- A couple more photos were added to the Facebook Public Fishing Album. As a reminder, anyone can submit photos to that folder! If interested, please click here for more information.

Now...here's my field trip report for February 28th: 

I attended the Greater Philadelphia Outdoors Expo with my friend Bryan KL and his kids. For those who are not familiar with "Expos," just keep in mind that the whole event is a combination of entertainment, local fishing industry, national fishing industry and small fishing businesses. Bigger expos tend to also offer some food shacks and educational seminars. Well...you will have a better idea after you go through the photos! So, photos are below:

One of the most entertaining activities at the Philadelphia Greater Outdoors Expo was the Trout tank! For a small fee, kids could pick a rod and catch their own Rainbow Trout (CPR only, though). To make the event even more fun, the organizers placed a couple Golden Rainbows (Oncorhynchus mykiss mutation) among the regular fish! Now...I didn't see any of the Golden ones being caught; however, there were plenty and plenty of Rainbows landed! As a side note: the organizers started the event by providing kids with a Trout Magnet as bait. Once the fish got too finicky, they changed the artificial bait to kernel corn! Hehe. Smart, eh? 

Here's a view of the Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) tank at the Expo. The tank was there mainly for the fishing seminars; thus, nothing too exciting going on there: just a bunch of Largemouth Bass "standing still" in the water.

Here's one of my favorite stands in the Expo: the exotic jerky stand. Man...they had some delicious and exotic jerky for sale! I tried every single one of them, and my favorites were the Elk and the Venison sticks. Can't beat a good jerky/stick in a Hunting/Fishing expo! 

Here's a nice photo that I took during the fishing seminar on the 28th. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to catch Mike Iaconelli, Brandon Palaniuk, or Dave Mercer's seminars at the Expo! But anyways...the speaker throws different lures into the tank from the top, so the spectators can watch the lure's action from a "sideways" point of view. Pretty neat! Also, they don't really place hooks in the lures, so viewers can see multiple Largemouth Bass strike the same lure.   

Here's the last tank of the Expo (I promise): the Nurse Shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) tank! They offered educational presentations at different times and even put a person inside the tank to swim among the Shark. Cool, isn't it? Definitely a good experience for the kids!  

As a bonus, here is a small Muskellunge (Esox Masquinongy) that I filmed at the Expo. :) Gorgeous, isn't it?

Archery was an interesting sub-section of the hunting portion of the expo. They had activities for kids and also different sales booths for homemade bows and arrows; professional hunting arrows, and bowfishing gear. 

At the end of the expo, I was quite surprised that I didn't take any photos of the "business" booths. On the other hand, I kind of realized that I was so busy talking to everyone there that I didn't really have the time to take photos at all. So, just for your information: the expo had plenty of booths selling fishing gear/tackle; local charter businesses and small guiding businesses; educational booths for fly fishing; etc.

Of course this whole post is just for anglers and the general public to have an idea of what an Outdoor Expo is all about. If you were interested in some of the descriptions, you should definitely pick up your family and friends and attend one! Believe me: people could use more outdoor activities nowadays. :)  

And, as a bonus, here is a photo of my friend Bryan KL on the non-tidal Schuylkill River. Heh. Safe ice in that portion of the River on 02/28:

Here's my friend Bryan meditating amid the non-tidal Schuylkil River, close to the Columbia Bridge.  

Stay tuned for updates! There will be a couple fishing sessions coming soon.

Best of luck for all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

February Fishing Sessions: 02/09 - Flathead Fishing at Meadow Lake (FDR Park)

Hello Blog Readers!

First of all, here are the latest updates for the Blog/FB Page:

-- I've updated my old post on the Tidal Schuylkill River (from South street to Fairmount Dam). I have also fixed its hyperlink on the right tab of the page. The tidal Skuke is certainly one of the the best fishing spots in the City of Brotherly Love! In that post, I introduce readers to the different Species of fish that my angling friends and I have caught for the past 4 years in Philadelphia. Here is a summary of what I added/changed in the post:

A. I've added information to all fish definitions, up to date! As a couple examples: After one decade, the Flathead Catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) is no longer considered to be an invasive Species in the Schuylkill River; thus, it is no longer a "must" to kill it. The Northern Snakehead (Channa argus) is currently present in the Schuylkill River, and we should expect its populations to rise in the next couple years. Etc.

B. I've added 2 videos to the post: one video of my friend Jay D. float-fishing for Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) at night time and one video of my friend Mike H. catching Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) and Northern Snakehead at the Fairmount Dam.

-- I've added the following new photos: 1 map photo of the tidal Schuylkill River, from Google Earth; 1 photo of White Perch (Morone Americana); 2 photos of Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) (portraying Mike H. and Moni C.); 3 photos of Channel Catfish (portraying Matt M. and Ronald J.); 3 photos of White Catfish (Ameiurus catus) (just shy of the state record for the Ameiurus spp.); 1 photo of Flathead Catfish (portraying Kevin W.); 3 photos of Striped Bass (portraying Linda Z., Chris E., and Jay D.); 1 photo of Hybrid Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis X Morone chrysops) (portraying Chris E.); 1 photo of Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus); 1 photo of Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus); 2 photos of Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu) (portraying Mike H. and my dad); 2 photos of Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides); 2 photos of American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) (portraying Stephen OT); 1 photo of Spot Croaker (Leiostomus xanthurus); and 2 photos of Walleye (Sander vitreus) (portraying Rob Z. and my dad)

-- I've added 14 photos to the Facebook EPF Public Fishing Album. As a reminder, anyone can submit photos to that folder! If interested, please click here for more information.

Alrighty! Now, here's my fishing report for February 9th:

--- February 9th, 2015 ---

Location: Meadow Lake (FDR Park, South Philadelphia, PA)
Time: 2:30-5:00 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- None

It's pretty sad to say it, but unfortunately I got skunked again! On one hand, I knew that the chances of catching a fish on a brutal Winter day like that were extremely low. Ponds and Lakes were still frozen from the previous cold front and water temperatures for open water were just slightly above 32F. On the other hand, I was really really hopeful that I would get at least one bite if I fished the "warmest part" around the area for a little while. After all, it's common knowledge around the country that the biggest Cats are actually pulled during or just after the coldest months of the year; in other words, they do bite during the slowest of the days!

Once I got to Meadow Lake in South Philadelphia, the local joggers were already giving me the weird looks after seeing my fishing rods. I guess that was expected, since the "Big Lake" was still frozen:

A nice view of the biggest Lake in Meadow Lake -- a.k.a. "The Lakes." I took this photo from the wooden platform, right next to the gazebo.

As a matter of fact, during the colder months it's a rule of thumb that back Creeks warm up much faster than the main body of water. Therefore, I already expected that much. Heh. My original plan was to fish the back Creek, next to the two isolated tennis courts (that would be #4 on the map in this post). So, summarizing, besides the main Lake, the back Creeks were quite "fishable:"

If you use the map in my old post (hyperlink above), this would be the inlet that leads to the back Creek #1. I took the photo right next to the gazebo. As a sidenote, there's always a Northern Snakehead under that bridge during the warmer months of the year. Heh.

Using the same map as reference, this would be the inlet that leads to the back Creek #4. Some ice can be seen in the background of the photo! As a sidenote, there are always some Black Crappie under this bridge at all times of the year (doesn't mean that they will bite, though).

After arduously walking through the main Lake, I was finally able to arrive at my destination. It was a pain to get there because everything was iced up. So slippery...! Once I got there, I promptly set up 2 rods with American Eel and 1 rod with frozen Bunker. The main objective for the day was to catch any type of Catfish -- either Channel or Flathead! 

I decided to set my gear at the widest spot of the back Creek. 

I ended up staying at that location for about 90 minutes without a single bite! It was super cold and a little bit windy. Not only that, there was some sleet after 3:30 p.m. or so...

There was some freezing rain and then sleet. You can see some build up over my fishing bag. Heh. The conditions for fishing during that day were certainly brutal.

Around 4:00 p.m., I was pretty much frozen solid. It was around then that I decided to pack up my Catfish rods and change my game plan: active to passive fishing (to build up some interior heat)! I switched from 3 rods to 1 and started moving around for smaller Species of fish. My goal was to catch at least one Sunfish -- either a Bluegill or a Crappie.

I pretty much circled the whole back Creek #4. I tried along submerged logs, under the bridges, deep holes, and even around the Skuke-Meadow gate inlet (photo below). However, my actions were all in vain. No signs of life whatsoever. 

The legendary Schuylkill-Meadow Lake gate inlet. The gate was made with the purpose of allowing water from the Schuylkill River to flow into Meadow Lake (perhaps to prevent stagnancy?). According to local anglers, the gate used to work until about 20 years ago. Nowadays, the gate "kinda" functions: there is a one foot water level difference every six hours at Meadow Lake, making it partially tidal. Note that fish from the Schuylkill can still get into Meadow Lake through this gate, though. And vice-versa.

I ended up my session around 5:00 p.m. Here's a bonus photo for you:

"Things that you don't see when you stay at home:" No need for an auger now. Here's your homemade "ice hole" for ice fishing at Meadow Lake. Hehe.

Hopefully I will have some fish to show you guys next time!

Tight lines, brothers and sisters,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

February Fishing Sessions: 02/08 - Catfishing on the Schuylkill Banks

Hello, Blog Readers!

Here is my fishing report for February 8th:

--- February 8th, 2015 ---

Location: Tidal Schuylkill River (between Walnut and Chestnut)

Time: 12:00-4:00 p.m.

Fishes caught: 

-- 1 Channel Catfish (3.5lbs)

It was another tough day on the Schuylkill River! As you can see below, water temperatures were just slightly above 32F (freezing point):

The photo portrays my friend Hannibal standing right next to my fishing gear. Note the background: a part of the River was still frozen! 

Air temperatures were a little bit higher, in the range of 40-45F. However, that didn't help us much! The ground was still frozen solid; thus, my friends and I had to punch our rod holders in with the help of a hammer (thanks for the hammer, Bryan!). Heh. During the length of my fishing session, I had my friends Bryan KL, Christopher J., Karl H., and Hannibal P. join me. Here's a photo of Karl and Chris on the Banks:

Chris and Karl ready to give up on the Banks! After a couple hours of fishing without a single bite, they decided to give a shot at the Fairmount Dam.

After many hours of fishing, we finished the day with a single fish: a 3.5lbs Channel Catfish on a piece of American Eel. Here's a photo of the fish:

The only fish of the day: a feisty 3.5lbs Channel Catfish.

Tight lines, brothers and sisters! And hopefully we will catch more fish as February goes. :)

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

February Fishing Sessions: 02/04 - Fishing at Haddonfield + Shopping at Dicks in NJ

Hello, Blog Readers!

Before I bring you my fishing report for February 4th, here are the latest updates on the Blog/FB Page:

-- I've uploaded tons of photos to the "Public Fishing Album" on the EPF FB Page. If you sent me a photo and it's not there, I may have missed it! If so, I apologize. I promise to post it as soon as you send me the photo again (remember, though: one photo per Species, folks).

As a reminder, anyone can submit photos for that folder. If interested, you may click here for more details on how to submit your photo.

Now, here's my short fishing report for February 4th:

--- February 4th, 2015 ---

Location: Wallworth Lake, Upper Cooper River (Haddonfield, NJ)

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

Fishes caught: 

-- None

My friends and I decided to go to Haddonfield (NJ) for a short fishing session. Since temperatures were up to 40F+ with almost no wind, it was hard to stay indoors! Heh. Unfortunately, the water was still very cold (of course) and most places were still frozen (i.e. Hopkins Pond, Upper Wallworth Lake, Driscoll Pond). Thus, our only option turned out to be the Upper Cooper River. Sadly, the grass was still wet and most places were muddy; therefore, we got ourselves pretty dirty as well. Haha.

I started at the junction of the Wallworth Lake with the Upper Cooper River:

The falls between Wallworth Lake and the Upper Cooper River. This spot NEVER freezes during the Winter.

I got a couple nibbles on my "1/64 oz. jighead + 3" Gulp! Alive Minnow" setup; however, I wasn't able to land any fishes. I did hook two fish (small Bluegill), but they fell back as soon as they left the water! What a bummer... In the end, I couldn't even catch my first Bluegill of the year!

In between, I decided to "fix" the fish ladder at Wallworth Lake: 

This is a photo of the top part of the fish ladder located at Wallworth Lake, Haddonfield, NJ. As you can see, the place was jammed with branches and leaves. There was barely any water flow at that point. The main idea behind the fish ladder was that Blueback Herring and Alewife would be able to swim up the Upper Cooper River, Wallworth Lake, and Evans Pond for their spawning grounds. The ladders were build back in the 2000's. You can read more about it here.

Here's a photo of the fish ladder after I took all the leaves and branches away. This photo makes absolutely no justice, as you are not really able to see how well the water is flowing! So, if you want to check the ladder out, make sure to go down there one day. :) 

After miserably failing at Wallworth Lake, I walked my way down towards the base of Driscoll Pond -- where my two buddies where fishing at. While going through the muddy trail, I was still confident that I wouldn't get skunked! However, I was soon informed upon my arrival that they didn't have a single bite since the beginning of their fishing session. Here's a photo of the two of them sitting their butts and waiting for the fish that never came (hehe):

Yes...there are two people fishing in this photo!

In the end, we soaked our baits for a little bit longer, but no success whatsoever. We finally decided to pack things up, call it a day, and go shop for some fishing gear (of course!). You know the deal -- gotta stock for the Spring! Since I don't have any fish photos for the day, here are the products that I purchased from Dick's Sporting Goods! Enjoy the technicalities and reviews. :)

Berkley Powerbait Chigger Craw (Green Pumpkin): this is certainly one of my favorite soft plastic trailers. I usually combine them with a 3/8-1/2 oz. Strike King jighead, and they work FINE with the Largemouth Bass. Plus, I truly believe that their "shrimpy" smell helps a lot. 

Matzuo America Nano Minnow (NM4, NM5): They all dive between 0-3'. In other words, this is my lure of preference when it comes to shallow Ponds with Largemouth Bass and Chain Pickerel or shallow holes with Smallmouth Bass and Trout.

Comal Tackle Weighted Oval Snap-on Float: this is pretty much the float that I use in junction with my "Gulp! Alive Minnow" setup. The weight on the float really allows me to cast far away (very important for me); the size of the float allows me to see a small bite from a great distance; and this float works extremely well with an ultralight setup. Not only that, a medium sized Bluegill will easily submerge it! Easy to put on and easy to remove. Highly affordable. 

Storm WildEye Swim Shad: My friend Mike H. really got me into this product. I mean...I've seen him catch plenty of Striped Bass on the Schuylkill River with these Swim Shads (and Walleyes as well)! So, there you go...getting ready for the Spring Striped Bass run. 

Heddon Chug'n Spook: Unfortunately, I lost my last Chug'n Spook to a seagull on the Schuylkill River while walking the dog. After an intense fight, the bird won. Lol. I have seen people have great success with this lure on the Schuylkill River, not to mention that it's always fun to work on a top water lure! Believe me: it's a GREAT feeling to see a Striped Bass hitting a top water lure. 

Rat-L-Trap Rattletrap: I love using my Rattletraps in muddy water, and I always carry 2 of them with me. My biggest Largemouth Bass from Meadow Lake and Manayunk Canal were caught on a Rattletrap.

Zoom Salty Super Fluke (White Pearl): These are my "to-go" trailers for any type of aggressive game fish. I usually combine them with a 1/2 oz. jighead, jigging them on the bottom at regular intervals. My biggest Walleye from the Schuylkill River came on a Zoom Fluke. I like them in different colors, but white and pink are my favorite ones.

Eagle Claw Nylawire Snells: I don't particularly like the hooks on this product, so I buy them solely for the "nylawire." I usually replace the hooks with 5/0-8/0 Gamakatsu hooks and use them for Flathead Catfish. :)

Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon Line (8lb test): This is my line of preference for Multi-Species fishing. It remains clear under the water; thus, it's invisible under water.

Hopefully the next fishing session will produce some FISH! Heh.

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

January Fishing Sessions: 01/26 - Catfishing the Schuylkill River

Hello, Blog Readers!

First, let's talk about the latest updates:

-- After reviewing all my quantitative fishing data for the previous year, I finally finished my statistical fishing chart for 2014! Compared to 2013, I fished 52 less days in 2014. I also caught 1650 less fish. However, qualitatively speaking, I was still able to catch a fair amount of different Species of fish (38, counting hybrids). Overall, it was a good [and busy] year. Enjoy the data and the photos!

-- The Statistical Fishing Chart for 2015 is up! I will do my best to update the post as the fishing sessions go by. As a matter of fact, "fishing session posts" will be written individually this year, and not as a monthly pack.

-- The Fishing Log post has been updated all the way to January 26th, 2015. There you will be able to see "where" I went, as well as "when" and "what" I caught on those days. 

-- The "Public Fishing Album" has been reopened on the EPF FB Page. Anyone can submit photos, as well as it passes the guidelines. For more information, you may read this post. Please note that I've also updated that post, and even added a wonderful bonus photo of my friend's grandfather with his catches, back in the days! And when I say "back in the days," I mean to say that the photo was taken pretty much one century ago. Neat, eh? Heh. As for the old photos that were already in the Public Fishing Album before it got deleted, I'll try my best to salvage them! There should be a couple photos in by the end of the day.

Now, here's my short fishing report for January 26th:

--- January 26th, 2015 ---

Location: Schuylkill River (tidal)
Time: 11:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 1 Channel Catfish (22.5 inches, 4.85lbs)

To tell you guys the truth, the month of January has been extremely troublesome to me! I seriously tried my best to go out and fish; however, Physics and life were always in the way. In other words, too many responsibilities to handle. Then, when I did have a good day off, the weather wouldn't help at all! Lakes and ponds were frozen, but not frozen to the point that ice fishing could be done (recall: 4 inches for safe ice!!!). Either that, or the weather would be below 32F with gusting winds. So, you guys get the idea...the weather was just nasty throughout January.

Thankfully, we had a couple days of rain around the 20th. Temperatures raised slightly above freezing point; thus, the warmer water really helped to melt the ice. Being my last chance to fish in January, I didn't miss the opportunity! 

I wrote to a couple friends and gathered a crew for a Catfish session on the Schuylkill River. I was glad to see my friends Don G., Bryan KL [with his two kids], and Blaise FP down by the river with me! Of course everyone else thought that we were crazy to be fishing under that type of weather. After all, the grass was still snowy and it was still "cold," just like Winter is supposed to be! Also, for some reason, people tend to believe that the fishes are completely inactive during the Winter, which is not true. Remember: fish do not hibernate. As a matter of fact, if one does a little bit of research, one comes to realize that the biggest Cats in the US are pulled during the colder months of the year! Astonishing, isn't it? 

We started our fishing session around 11 a.m., and we knew that the "biting window" would be very short. This is usually how it happens during the Winter time, folks: the action happens really fast and for a short amount of time (if you read my post above, you now understand why). I had my cut American Eel ready! Don was soaking his Bunker, and Bryan was trying some bagel.

In the end, our expectations did not betray us: my friend Don G. was the first one to set the hook, around 12:45 p.m.. After fighting the fish for a couple minutes, he landed a 3.92lbs Channel Catfish -- his first fish of the year! About 20 minutes later, his rod bent again. His second fish came in: a 4.94lbs giant. At that point, Don pretty much convinced me that the fish were really into the Bunker! 

And guess what? As soon as I changed my cut Eel to the Bunker, I got a hit on my noodling rod. I ended up landing my one and only fish of the day: a 4.85lbs Channel Catfish!

After that, my friend Blaise FP arrived on the scene; however, the action was already gone...Bryan KL was trying to catch some, but he spent a lot of time setting the rods for his kids. So, I guess he missed the action time as well. We fished for a couple more hours, leaving around 2:30 p.m..

Overall, it was a good day: 3 fish; all above the 3.5lbs range! They were all safely released. Photos of the session are below:

Well...I guess common folks would really think that we were crazy for fishing there. The grass was snowy and the soil was frozen solid! We even had to use a hammer to punch our rod holders in. Heh.

My friend Don G. with his first Channel Catfish of the day: a 3.92lber on frozen Bunker. Also his first fish of the year! (not a bad start, if you ask me...)

Don G. strikes again: second Catfish of the day, at 4.94lbs. Also on bunker.

As mentioned previously, I switched to Bunker after Don landed his two Cats. Here's the result: a healthy one-eyed Channel Catfish (missing the eye towards me), weighting 4.85lbs.

A photo of our set up, after noon. Note that the snow is almost gone. At this point, the ground is as nasty as it can be: muddy and dangerous! In the photo, you see Bryan KL in front and Don G. all the way back.

Finally, here's a photo of Bryan's daughter. This is an excellent reminder that there are still outdoor activities for kids nowadays. Parents at home, heed my words: technology is good and everything, but it shouldn't consume all of your kids' time. Take him/her out for a walk, fishing, hiking, something! But being outdoors is certainly healthy...

February will certainly be MUCH BETTER than January! 

Tight lines, readers.

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

Statistical Fishing Chart for 2015

This will be my Statistical Fishing Chart for 2015. Every catch that I perform will be registered in terms of size -- i.e. length and estimated weight. This will help me create a little "fishing diary" and keep scores and data along the year. I'll attempt to update this post regularly.

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

-- Most small fishes are measured by length and have their weights estimated by a "growth chart." Most of the growth charts can be found on the PA Fish and Boat Commission's website. The remaining ones were self-made, after analyzing the collection of many samples of the same Species.

-- Some Species of fish here are identified using "special" methods. Those include microscope analysis for micro-fishes, particularly a special analysis of their physiology (i.e. anal fin count, scale distribution, etc). The microscope that I use is a Biological M500 series from AmScope.

If you want specific data on a certain Species, such as location, bait, or time of the catch, just shoot me an e-mail at sheng12182527@gmail.com. I have everything recorded in my fishing logs.

Enjoy!

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.

Last update/fishing session: 04/02/14

Days fished this year: 14

Maximum number of fish caught in a day: 23 (Tacony Crek - 04/02/15)

Maximum pounds of fish caught in a day: 4.85 lbs (Schuylkill River - 01/25/15)

Number of different species caught this year: 9

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Results for last year:

Days fished in 2014: 85

Maximum number of fish caught in a day: 51 (Upper Cooper River/Wallworth Lake - 09/27/14)

Maximum pounds of fish caught in a day: 57.70 lbs (Schuylkill River - 06/16/14)

Number of different species caught in 2014: 38

TOTAL # of Fish caught in 2014: 702

TOTAL # of Pounds caught in 2014: 575.92 lbs.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note: Size is in inches; weight is in pounds.

1 Inch = 2.54 Centimeters

1 Pound = 0.45359237 Kilograms

Log format:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-- Name (Species) -- #/ Max. Size/ Max. Weight/ Total Weight

Location caught (Biggest, in terms of lbs) - Date caught

Photo

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

# = Number of fish of certain Species caught in 2014

Max. Size = Longest fish of certain Species caught in 2014 (In Inches)

Max. Weight = Heaviest fish of certain Species caught in 2014 (In lbs)

Total Weight = Total amount of weight of certain Species caught in 2014 (per Species)

Location caught (Biggest - in) = Where the biggest fish of certain Species was caught

Date = When the biggest fish of certain Species was caught

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) -- 1/ 12.0 (in)/ 0.07 (lbs)/ 0.07 (lbs)

Schuylkill River - 03/20/15

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) -- 20/ 4.7 (in)/ 0.11 (lbs)/ 1.85 (lbs)

Kirkwood Lake - 03/16/15

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) -- 4/ 22.5 (in)/ 4.85 (lbs)/ 10.22 (lbs)
Schuylkill River - 01/25/15

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Common Shiner (Luxilus cornutus) -- 4/ 4.5 (in)/ 0.05 (lbs)/ 0.16 (lbs)
Tacony Creek - 04/02/15

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Creek Chub (Semotilus atromaculatus) -- 7/ 4.5 (in)/ 0.03 (lbs)/ 0.10 (lbs)
Tacony Creek - 04/02/15

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) -- 2/ 12.0 (in)/ 0.70 (lbs)/ 1.35 (lbs)
Mill Creek (Narberth) - 03/31/15

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus) -- 8/ 4.0 (in)/ 0.09 (lbs)/ 0.58 (lbs)
Tacony Creek - 04/02/15

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Spottail Shiner (Notropis hudsonius) -- 2/ 3.0 (in)/ 0.02 (lbs)/ 0.04 (lbs)
Tacony Creek - 04/02/15

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- White Sucker (Catostomus commersonii) -- 1/ 7.0 (in)/ 0.27 (lbs)/ 0.27 (lbs)
Tacony Creek - 04/02/15

Happy 2015!!! EPF's Goals and Expectations for this Year.

Happy [Late] New Year, folks at home!

I hope you have all enjoyed your holiday season and I wish a blessed year for you and your loved ones! I can definitely tell you that I could have enjoyed mine better; however, I was satisfied to a certain point. Heh.

As you may have noticed over the time, the number of posts in the EPF Blog dropped drastically in the year of 2014. As I have mentioned many times previously, life gets in the way of fishing! Please keep in mind that a good Blog takes a good amount of time and sweat: all the hours from field experience (i.e. fishing), hours for writing posts and blog management, hours for answering e-mails; all of that while leading a student's life and working to make a living. As much as I love the sport of fishing and the free sharing of information in this Blog, life has been so hectic for me over the past year that I had to cutoff a few hours here and there for fishing; therefore, for the Blog itself. Thus, I hope you folks understand why everything is delayed! 

Right now I'm still catching up on answering e-mails; however, I do have my goals and expectations for 2015! First of all, rest assured -- although there will be fewer updates in the year of 2015, the Blog will still be up and all previous posts will be available online. Since my time this year will be very limited for fishing, most of the posts in the Blog will be technical. A typical example of it can be found here.

For now, the main plan is to:

1. Finish the following posts:

-- Post on still-fishing.

-- Post on Northern Snakehead and their influence in the USA.

2. Perform the following updates:

I will also try my best to update all my previous posts to a certain extent. In other words: fix the grammar, change the font color to a more "comfortable" one, add more information, etc. As a side note: I would like to apologize in advance for all the grammar errors in older posts. English is actually my fourth language and I started learning it back in 2007; thus, fortunately, I've improved it year by year. I promise that I will fix all the errors when I can!

I will eventually post each update along posts on the Blog and Facebook Page.

3. Create new introductory posts:   

I actually have plenty of material to work on new introductory posts for Philly/South Jersey watersheds. Along the months, I will be doing formal posts for the Manayunk Canal (Manayunk --PA), Newton Lake (Collingswood -- NJ), Kirkwood Lake and Linden Lake (Lindenwold-- NJ), East Brandywine Creek (Downingtown -- PA), Centennial and Concourse Lakes (West Philly -- PA), etc.

4. Keep posting fish up! 

As hectic as life can be, fishing is still my number one passion in life. In other words, I will be reserving 1 day a week for fishing and Blog management! That means a weekly post on my fishing sessions, throughout the year.

That's it for now, readers! On a final note, please do not forget to renew your fishing licenses for the year of 2015! For a PA fishing license, you may purchase it online here. Here are the links for NJ -- freshwater and saltwater -- and finally, DE.

My fishing sessions will start once again after January 23rd! 

Tight lines,

Best of luck for all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.