North Carolina Trip Update (Jacksonville, NC)

Hello, Bloggers! 

It has been quite a while, hasn't it?! When you have busy days, you start to realize that time passes way too fast. Heh. :)

If you guys follow me on Instagram or have me on SnapChat (ExtPhillyFishin), then you know that I have been in Jacksonville, North Carolina for the past couple days. As a matter of fact, I left Philadelphia on Tuesday (16th) and came back only at Sunday night (21st). If you want a summary of the trip, you can check it out on my newest YouTube live stream: 

This live stream covered my NC trip update, as well as a few announcements and a Q&A session. Don't forget to watch it in HD quality (1080p60)! Also, please read the description of the video for the outline of the stream, so that you can save some time on it! If you like what you see, show some love: like the video and subscribe to the YouTube Channel.

For you bloggers, here are a few exclusive preview photos of my North Carolina trip:

A beautiful Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) from a little unnamed Creek in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

A close up shot of a Brown Bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) from the New River.

A beautiful close to state record Brown Bullhead from the New River! 

My friend Mike C. with a whooping 5lbs White Catfish (Ictalurus catus) from the New River! 

My friend Mike C. with his ever Bowfin (Amia calva) from the White Oak River.

My first ever Bowfin from the White Oak River! That is Species #116 for me. :) 

Needless to say, there will be a bunch of North Carolina fishing videos coming up on my YouTube Channel in the next 2 weeks or so. Photos of all the different Species of fish that I caught down there are on my Instagram account. :)

A summary of what I used and where I fished will be in those videos as well, so stay tuned! 

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

My Public Fish Photo Database on Smugmug (Last Update: 01/29/2017)

Hello, Blog Readers! 

Many folks have been asking me about the progress of my "fish photo database" on Smugmug, and I am very happy to announce that everything is going smooth and well!

--- NOTICE: THIS POST WILL BE CONSTANTLY UPDATED ---

--- MAKE SURE TO COME BACK OFTEN TO CHECK ON PROGRESSES ---

The front page of my Fish Photo Database on Smugmug. Never ending work there...Haha.

It does take me a long time to name all my photos by date, location, and Species, which is why the "completion" of the database will never come to an end! I will keep updating it as my fishing adventures progress! Up to date (01/29/17), there are 64 galleries in the watershed folder and 118 galleries in the Species folder. That is a total of 182 galleries in the entire database.

Below is a summary of the entire database:

The hyperlink to the fish photo database is here.

1. ABOUT THE DATABASE

For years, I have been wanting to document the photos of all my catches in a concise and organized matter. My Smugmug fish photo database is the result of that. My fish photo database collection portrays more than 2600 photos of fish caught in Philadelphia, New Jersey, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, etc. The database is uploaded on a weekly basis, as my fishing adventures continue throughout the USA and hopefully the world! 

2. WHAT DOES THE DATABASE OFFER?

The fish photo database offers precise information on different watersheds and different Species of fish. Each and every photo in the database is labeled scientifically. The following pieces of information are available for each and every photo:

A. Dated photos of all my Species catches for the past 6 years. Photos follow the format of day, month, & year.

B. Added locations for each catch. Additionally, Google Map search coordinates for every watershed are provided in the description of the watershed's gallery.  

C. More than 100 identified Species of fish.
D. More than 40 watersheds to fish at in and around Philadelphia. All locations disclosed are public and legal to fish at. Rules and regulations by the PA Fish and Boat Commission and Philadelphia Parks and Recreation applies.

E. Look-up system per "targeted Species" or per "targeted watershed." In the future, there will also be a look-up system "per state," and "per year." 

F. Continuous updates as fishing progresses.

As you can see, the fish photo database is a wealth of knowledge! :)

On a side note, using the database for a single specific Species or a single watershed may not be beneficial to you! Watersheds that are more productive have more photos in their galleries. Similarly, Species that are more common to be found have more photos in their galleries. Ultimately, some galleries may have only a few photos in them due to lack of productivity or rareness of the fish. Overall, however, the database will be beneficial to you in terms of identifying fish and finding public and legal bodies of water to fish at.

3. HOW TO ACCESS THE DATABASE?

The Database is currently free for all those who wish to see it! You can click here to access it. 
All photos are copyrighted. Usage of any photo will only be granted with my written permission. If you want to obtain a written permission, feel free to e-mail me at sheng12182527@gmail.com.

4. UPDATE FREQUENCY ON THE DATABASE

As one would expect, this fish photo database will be updated on a weekly basis! As I explore and fish different locations in the United States of America, I will archive all my catches in-between. Due to lack of availability, the database is currently delayed by: 11 months.

Expect update posts to show up here on the fishing Blog.

5. DATABASE CONTENTS (UP TO DATE: 01/13/2017)

So far, there are 118 galleries in the Species folder and 64 galleries in the Watershed folder. As a reminder, each photo is dated. Each Species is identified. Each location is revealed. Each watershed gallery has Google Map coordinates for the most productive fishing spots. Look up system goes by Species or by Watershed.

I. SEARCH BY SPECIES:

Homepage of the Species folder. Click to magnify. Most galleries have multiple photos of the specific Species in it.

In alphabetical order:

-- American Eel (17 photos)
-- American Shad (3 photos)
-- Atlantic Croaker (2 photos)
-- Ballyhoo (1 photo)
-- Banded Killifish (3 photos)
-- Bandtail Puffer (1 photo)
-- Bar Jack (1 photo)
-- Bergall (12 photos)
-- Bermuda Chub (2 photos)
-- Bigeye Scad (1 photo)
-- Bighead Sea Robin (1 photo)
-- Black Crappie (93 photos)
-- Black Drum (1 photo)
-- Black Margate (1 photo)
-- Black Sea Bass (5 photos)
-- Blue Catfish (5 photos)
-- Blue Runner (1 photo)
-- Blue Striped Grunt (4 photos)
-- Blueback Herring (1 photo)
-- Bluefish (6 photos)
-- Bluegill (172 photos)
-- Bluntnose Stingray (1 photo)
-- Bowfin (1 photo)
-- Brook Trout (2 photos)
-- Brown Bullhead (39 photos)
-- Brown Trout (both Wild and Stocked) (15 photos)
-- Butterfly Peacock Bass (1 photo)
-- Caesar's Grunt (1 photo)
-- Chain Pickerel (12 photos)
-- Channel Catfish (138 photos)
-- Checkered Puffer (3 photos)
-- Clearnose Skate (4 photos)
-- Common Carp (69 photos)
-- Common Shiner (4 photos)
-- Cownose Ray (1 photo)
-- Creek Chub (20 photos)
-- Crevalle Jack (2 photos)
-- Doctorfish Tang (1 photo)
-- Dusky Damselfish (1 photo)
-- Dusky Smooth-Hound (2 photos)
-- Eastern Silvery Minnow (1 photo)
-- Fallfish (5 photos)
-- Flathead Catfish (15 photos)
-- French Grunt (6 photos)
-- Gizzard Shad (6 photos)
-- Golden Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss mutation) (1 photo)
-- Golden Shiner (9 photos)
-- Goldfish (2 photos)
-- Green Sunfish (67 photos)
-- Grey Triggerfish (3 photos)
-- Hickory Shad (2 photos)
-- Houndfish (2 photos)
-- Irish Mojarra (1 photo)
-- Lane Snapper (8 photos)
-- Largemouth Bass (180 photos)
-- Long-Spined Porcupinefish (1 photo)
-- Lookdown (1 photo)
-- Mangrove Snapper (2 photos)
-- Mirror Carp (Cyprinus carpio mutation) (3 photos) 
-- Mummichog (8 photos)
-- Northern Puffer (1 photo)
-- Northern Sea Robin (1 photo)
-- Northern Snakehead (8 photos)
-- Ocean Surgeonfish (1 photo)
-- Orangespotted Filefish (1 photo)
-- Oyster Toadfish (1 photo)
-- Permit (2 photos)
-- Pinfish (5 photos)
-- Porkfish (3 photos)
-- Puddingwife Wrasse (1 photo)
-- Pumpkinseed (43 photos)
-- Rainbow Trout (37 photos)
-- Red-Bellied Pacu (1 photo)
-- Redband Parrotfish (1 photo)
-- Redbreast Sunfish (77 photos)
-- Redear Sunfish (3 photo)
-- Rock Bass (36 photos)
-- Sailor's Grunt (4 photos)
-- Sand Diver (1 photo)
-- Satinfin Shiner (2 photos)
-- Scrawled Filefish (3 photos)
-- Scup (3 photos)
-- Sergeant Major (1 photo)
-- Slippery Dick (5 photos)
-- Smallmouth Bass (52 photos)
-- Smooth Trunkfish (1 photo)
-- Snakefish (1 photo)
-- Southern Kingfish (1 photo)
-- Southern Puffer (1 photo)
-- Spot Croaker (4 photos)
-- Spotfin Burrfish (1 photo)
-- Spotfin Mojarra (3 photos)
-- Spotfin Shiner (6 photos)
-- Spottail Pinfish (4 photos)
-- Spottail Shiner (15 photos)
-- Spotted Bass (2 photo)
-- Spotted Hake (2 photos)
-- Spotted Tilapia (2 photos)
-- Squirrelfish (1 photo)
-- Striped Bass (10 photos)
-- Striped Shiner (3 photos)
-- Summer Flounder (6 photos)
-- Swallowtail Shiner (1 photo)
-- Tautog (5 photos)
-- Tomtate (6 photos)
-- Walleye (4 photos)
-- Warmouth (2 photos)
-- Weakfish (1 photo)
-- Western Mosquitofish (2 photos)
-- White Catfish (12 photos)
-- White Crappie (4 photos)
-- White Grunt (3 photos)
-- White Perch (38 photos)
-- White Sucker (9 photos)
-- Yellow Bass (1 photo)
-- Yellow Bullhead (4 photos)
-- Yellow Perch (20 photos)
-- Yellowtail Snapper (1 photo)

WORK IN ETERNAL PROGRESS (Last update: 01/29/2017)

Total number of photos up to 01/29/17: 1441 photos

II. SEARCH BY WATERSHED:

Homepage of the Watershed folder. Click to magnify. Galleries have all the different Species of fish that I have caught in that specific body of water. Watershed coordinates are given in the description of each gallery.

In alphabetical order:

-- Absecon Inlet (Atlantic City, NJ) (31 photos)
-- Afton Lake (Yardley, PA) (3 photos)
-- Anglin's Fishing Pier (Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, FL) (67 photos)
-- Audubon Lake (Mt. Ephraim, NJ) (17 photos)
-- Big Timber Creek (Runnemede, NJ) (4 photos)
-- Buck Creek (Yardley, PA) (13 photos)
-- Byberry Creek (Philadelphia, PA) (22 photos)
-- Cape Cod Canal (Bourne, MA) (8 photos)
-- Cape May Zoo Lake (Cape May Court House, NJ) (2 photos)
-- Caroline Lake (Fairless Hills, PA) (2 photos)
-- Centennial Lake (Philadelphia, PA) (7 photos)
-- Chatsworth Lake (Woodland, NJ) (2 photos)
-- Chattanooga Nameless Pond (Chattanooga, TN) (5 photos)
-- Constitution Gardens Pond (Washington DC) (2 photos) 
-- Cooper River Lake (Camden, NJ) (28 photos)
-- Core Creek (Middletown Township, PA) (30 photos)
-- Covered Bridge Park Pond (New Britain, PA) (3 photos)
-- Crosswicks Creek (Hamilton Township, NJ) (6 photos)
-- Cypress Creek Canal (C-14) (Fort Lauderdale, FL) (4 photos)
-- Delaware Canal (Yardley, PA) (24 photos)
-- Delaware River (NON-TIDAL) (Morrisville, PA) (6 photos)
-- Driscoll Pond (Haddonfield, NJ) (23 photos)
-- Gropp Lake (Hamilton Township, NJ) (3 photos)
-- Haddon Lake (Haddon Heights, NJ) (29 photos)
-- Intracoastal Waterway (FL) (25 photos)
-- Ironworks Creek (Southampton, PA) (4 photos)
-- Jacksonville Nameless Ditch (Jacksonville, NC) (4 photos)
-- Kirkwood Lake (Lindenwold, NJ) (25 photos)
-- Knight Lake (Collingswood, NJ) (10 photos)
-- Laurel Lake (Lindenwold, NJ) (2 photos)
-- Linden Lake (Lindenwold, NJ) (30 photos)
-- Meadow Lake (Philadelphia, PA) (32 photos)
-- Mills Creek (Southampton, PA) (8 photos)
-- Mountain Creek (Chattanooga, TN) (7 photos)
-- Neshaminy Creek (Newtown, PA) (32 photos)
-- New River (Jacksonville, NC) (9 photos)
-- Newton Lake (Collingswood, NJ) (69 photos)
-- Nickajack Lake (Chattanoogs, TN) (6 photos)
-- North Branch Big Timber Creek (Lindenwold, NJ) (5 photos)
-- North New River Canal (G-15) (Sunrise, FL) (6 photos)
-- Oswego Lake (Chatsworth, NJ) (2 photos)
-- Pennypack Creek (Northeast Philadelphia, PA) (107 photos)
-- Pine Run Creek (New Britain, PA) (8 photos)
-- Pine Run Dam (New Britain, PA) (4 photos)
-- Pompano Beach Fishing Pier (Pompano Beach, FL) (5 photos)
-- Poquessing Creek (Philadelphia, PA) (7 photos)
-- Potomac River (Washington DC) (8 photos)
-- Queen Anne Creek (Fairless Hills, PA) (6 photos)
-- Ridley Park Lake (Ridley Park, PA) (13 photos)
-- Round Meadow Run (Willowgrove, PA) (4 photos)
-- Runnemede Lake (Runnemede, NJ) (4 photos)
-- Salem River (Salem, NJ) (9 photos) 
-- Sassafras River (Cecilton, MD) (3 photos)
-- Schuylkill River (NON-TIDAL) (Philadelphia, PA) (88 photos)
-- Schuylkill River (TIDAL) (Philadelphia, PA) (200 photos)
-- Susquehanna River (MD) (2 photos) 
-- The Ponds (Downingtown, PA) (9 photos)
-- Tohickon Creek (Bedminster Township, PA) (5 photos)
-- Tookany Creek (Cheltenham, PA) (42 photos)
-- Unicorn Mill Pond (Crumpton, MD) (4 photos) 
-- Upper Cooper River (Haddonfield, NJ) (69 photos)
-- Village Ponds (Newtown, PA) (3 photos)
-- Wallworth Lake (Haddonfield, NJ) (40 photos)
-- White Oak River (Maysville, NC) (3 photos)

WORK IN ETERNAL PROGRESS (Last update: 01/29/2017)

Total number of photos up to 01/29/17: 1260 photos

Total number of photos in the database, up to 01/29/17: 2701 photos

Tight lines!

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

Recent Oil Spill on the Schuylkill River (Philadelphia, PA)

Hello, Blog Readers!

I am sure that many of you have already heard about the oil spill on the Schuylkill River. If not, here are the news for it.

The oil leak on the Schuylkill River (January 24th, 2016)

I was fishing there three days ago (Sunday). I saw the red stuff. The place smelled like fuel. Folks stopped by to ask what was the red stuff on the ice. It just so happens that us anglers are usually the first ones to notice these things; after all, we are always on the water.

I noticed that there was some oily material in the water since Friday of last week. I contacted a person from the SRDC, who told me that it was very likely "something coming through the Samson St. sewer outlet." We both didn't imagine that it would be so bad! Sunday, firefighters came down to check it out while I was fishing. Monday, things were already extremely bad and the whole place was closed down.

I just hope that these 250 gallons didn't cause too much damage. The Schuylkill River has a history of pollution due to industrial waste and it has been recovering for the past century or so. Hopefully its recovery will stay strong!

Needless to say, don't forget to report anything suspicious in your local body of water as soon as you see it! Things like this heating oil spill on the Schuylkill or the Chlorine leak at Round Meadow Run are things that kill our fishes and destroy the ecosystem.

Below are a few extra photos of the oil spill:

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

Newest Updates on the YouTube Channel, "Fishing Photo Database," and P.O. BOX (Philadelphia, PA)

Hello, Blog Readers! 

Here are some of the newest updates on my YouTube Channel. Newest YouTube videos:

Multi-Species fishing at the Kirkwood Lake, Lindenwold, NJ.

Exploring and fishing the Laurel Lake and North Branch Big Timber Creek in Lindenwold, NJ.

Exploring and fishing the Pine Barrens in New Jersey for some Chain Pickerel, featuring my friend Mike C..

Update on my fishing photo database:

As you guys know, I started a "fishing photo database" for my contributors not so long ago. I initially picked Photo Bucket as my host; however, the website crashed a lot while I worked on it! Ultimately, I changed host sites from Photo Bucket (free) to Smugmug (paid). You can see two sample folders there at the moment. 

The database will have more than 2500 photos, not to mention that all of them will be dated! Species will be all identified and the locations of the catches will be disclosed. That's a wealth of information, folks! 

Users will be able to search the database in two different ways:

1. By Species: user will be able to see different photos of a specific Species of fish and where each one of them was caught. See the "American Eel" sample folder on my smugmug profile.

2. By Watershed: user will be able to see all the different Species of fish that I have caught in a certain body of water. See the "Meadow Lake" sample folder on my smugmug profile.

A third search option will be implemented in the future, once I fish more states in the USA. The third option will be a search "by state."

Summarizing, this is gotta be an AWESOME database, folks! It will contain all my fishing photos since 2011; all with detailed information. The database will also include photos of my recent Florida fishing trips! 

Note that only contributors can access the full database! After all, this whole project is being made for my VIP folks. :) The "locked" folders require a password, which will be sent to my Patreonites and PayPal folks at the beginning of every month. If you have donated to Extreme Philly Fishing via the PayPal button on this website OR donated via Patreon, rest assured -- you will be receiving a password by February 5th. This includes all donors from 2015 as well! 

Needless to say, the database will be uploaded on a weekly basis. As I continue to explore and fish different locations in the USA, the database will continue to grow.  

Update on my P.O. BOX:

Friends and YouTube fans have long voiced their needs of sending me "stuff." So, I finally got a P.O. BOX setup just for this majestic occasion! Hah. If you want to send me letters, questions, comments, fish photos, packages, etc, please send them to the following address:

Extreme Philly Fishing

P.O. BOX 7019

Philadelphia, PA 19149 

Positive contents will be portrayed on my YouTube Channel! Who knows...If I have time, I might even reply some letters! 

Stay tuned for more updates and more fishing session posts on the Blog!

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights!

Sincerely,

Leo S.

September Fishing Sessions (2015): 09/15 - Catfishing the Schuylkill River ft. my Subscriber Miles

Hello, Blog Readers!

As mentioned in my previous post, the new tentative schedule for this Blog is one post for every two days. Since I missed a couple days already due to my crazy jobs, I am posting two posts tonight. Heh. Let's finish the September fishing sessions from last year and try to catch up with January of this year by the end of February! :)

Here is my fishing session for September 15th:

--- September 15th, 2015 ---

Location: Schuylkill River (tidal portion at Spring Garden)

Time: 1:00-5:30 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 5 Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus)

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:

Enjoy a refreshing video of my subscriber Miles T. and I catching some Catties on the mighty Schuylkill River! Most fish in the video were caught on corn. :) Don't forget to watch it in HD quality (1080p50)! If you like watching my videos, please support my YouTube Channel by liking and subscribing to it! :)

Goals:

---

Setup:

---

Summary: 

---

Photos:

Below are the photos for this fishing session:

A nice photo of Miles' first fish of the day: a Channel Catfish!

Frontal view of the same fish.

Probably one of my best catches for the day. Heh. In the range of 3.5-4lbs.

My subscriber Miles Taylor with a nice 5lbs Channel Catfish!

P.s. For my complete set of fishing photos, please access my fish photo database: 2500+ photos -- all dated, Species identified, and locations revealed. The database can be searched "by Species" or "by Watershed." Note, however, that only my contributors can access the full database! You can become my contributor by donating via Paypal here on the Blog (button on the right) or becoming my Patron on my Patreon Page.

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights!

Sincerely,

Leo S.

New Tentative Update Schedule for Now! :)

Hello, Blog Readers! 

It's now 2016, and here is the first post for this year: a tentative schedule. Hah. I am fully aware that the Blog is still about 4 months behind its regular schedule; however, as I have pointed out previously, time is quite a commodity nowadays. Thus, below is our tentative update schedule for now:

-- 1 Fishing post every 2 days.

Hopefully I will be able to catch up here, little by little! I have yet to finish the 2015 Statistical Fishing Chart. I have all the data on paper; however, I must finish all fishing sessions from last year to complete that. Once that one is done, I will open the Statistics for 2016.

Needless to say, my other social platforms are being updated on a weekly basis:

-- YouTube: one video every 2 days.

-- SnapChat (ExtPhillyFishin): snaps every time I am out fishing.

-- Instagram: photos every time I am out fishing.

-- Facebook Page: one post every week or so.

-- Patreon: rewards will be out every month for those who are contributing to my work.

Here are some of the most recent updates:

Two most recent videos on YouTube:

Multi-Species fishing the Intracoastal Waterway in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Species in the video include the Gray Triggerfish (portrayed above), Lane Snapper, Sailor's Grunt, Tomtate, Blue Striped Grunt, Bandtail Puffer, Slippery Dick, and Porkfish. Another Florida video will be out next week! 

Winter Multi-Species fishing at the Kirkwood Lake in Lindenwold, NJ, portraying the following Species of fish: Brown Bullhead, Bluegill, Bluegill X Green Sunfish Hybrid, Chain Pickerel, Largemouth Bass, and Black Crappie. Part two of this video will be coming up tomorrow 4:00 p.m. EST.

Videos will be uploaded on YouTube on a two days basis, since YouTube is pretty much my main source of income for fishing at the moment.

Fishing Photo Database on Photobucket:

This is an ongoing project for my Patreon rewards! It's a database consisting of all fishes that I have caught in the USA up to date. The database is divided in two sections: "per Species" or "per location." Here is an example of a single folder from each division:

Per Species: American Eel. The folder shows you all the American Eel that I have caught up to date, from multiple locations in and around Philadelphia. Each photo is dated and locations are revealed.

Per Location: Meadow Lake. The folder shows you all the different Species of fish that I have caught in Meadow Lake, over the years. All photos are dated and all Species are identified and named.

This is an extraordinary ongoing project that will have more than 2500 photos (it was about 1000 photos for now)! It will include photos from my Florida trips as well, not to mention that the database will be updated on a weekly basis in the future. This is a PATREON exclusive. In other words, only my Patrons on Patreon will be able to access this huge database. For more information, please read this link.

Fishing sessions:

Needless to say, I will continue to post fishing sessions here on the Blog. Unfortunately, the fishing posts will be incomplete! 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.

Thus, for this year, the main plan is to catch up here! That means no didactic posts here on the Blog, no community events (no Catfish Tourney on the Banks), etc. As much as I hate to keep the Blog plain, I have to accept the reality of things: it's tough managing all this social media with two jobs and a wife. Hah. Thanks for being understanding! 

Many thanks to all of you who have been following me here on the Blog! Your support is always appreciated. May 2016 be a better year than 2015 was.

Tight lines!

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S. 

Blog Recap + Happy Holidays for 2015, Blog Readers!

Hello, Blog Readers! 

Time passes way too fast, doesn't it?! In the blink of an eye, it's already one day before Christmas! A couple days before new year! Thus, I'm here to wish you all a wonderful holiday season! Happy holidays, folks! Time is valuable; therefore, make sure to spend your holiday season with the ones you love. :)

Now, let's talk a little bit about the Blog :)

1. 2015 Blog Recap

2015 was certainly a tumultuous year for the Extreme Philly Fishing Blog. The year started great; however, update rates on the Blog went down as soon the YouTube Channel went up (back in April). Regardless, I used all the time that I could to bring you folks my fishing reports -- one by one! 

Differently than previous years, where I had one big post for a whole month's fishing sessions, I decided to write every session individually this year. This way, the overall level of organization on the Blog went up. The search engine on the main page also became more effective. To make things even more effective, I added "tags" on all my posts, so that readers could find posts here in an easier fashion. The list of tags is located on the right side of the Blog's main page.   

To make everyone's lives easier, I devised a new setup for fishing posts; in other words, I divided every fishing session in five parts: video, goals, setup, summary, and photos. On one hand, the posts became much more organized, informative, and effective. YouTube videos were incorporated to them as well. On the other hand, they also became more time consuming -- to a point that I could no longer fill everyone of those sections out! 

Summarizing...I did what I could in 2015 with the little time that I had in my hands. This is the part that hurts me the most -- I had my ambitions and my plans for this year, not to mention a handful of cool projects and educational posts for the Blog! I wanted to work more on the "Different Places to Fish around Philly and NJ" tab. I wanted to run more events and promote more community engagement. However, I just did not have enough time to do so. 

Truth be told -- it just sucks when you have so many cool ideas, but you can't incorporate them due to lack of availability. As you guys may or may not be aware of, unfortunately, I do have two jobs and a house to sustain. For now, fishing is a hobby and it will remain a hobby; though, hopefully I will be able to make a living out of fishing one of these days! That is certainly my dream. 

In this type of society, you can have dreams and aspirations, but you won't be able to survive without money. That is the downside of our capitalistic world, where human greed dominates all. This is the type of society where individuals have to sometimes throw away their dreams and aspirations and live in misery by doing something that they hate. Thankfully, I don't hate any of my jobs! But would I rather do what I love the most for a living? Absolutely. 

Anyways...for now, fishing sessions will still come out; however, each report will be incomplete. :( I am currently on September 8th, and I plan to catch up with the Blog little by little! Some sessions will remain empty for now (i.e. goals, summary, and setup), but the video and photos sections will be there! 

2. A word of thanks to my Sponsors, Benefactors, and Patrons.

I would like to use this section of this post to thank all of my supporters out there. There are different ways of supporting my work, including the following:

A. Become my Patron on Patreon (Note that there are amazing rewards there). This website is subscription based. You can check my page by clicking on the hyperlink above. I have just added a full access to my fishing photo database for only $5 a month, where you can see which Species are in which bodies of water! All photos are dated as well, so you can also know what time of the year the fish was caught at. :) Additionally, one of the goals on my Patreon page is to "revive" the Blog once I hit $500 per month! Thus, you would be contributing to that goal as well.

B. Donate via Pay-Pal through the Blog (button on the right). That is a one time donation, which is very well appreciated! All the money will go towards fishing (i.e. transportation, fishing tackle, equipment cost, etc) 

C. Subscribe to my YouTube Channel and watch my contents. Extra props to all my subscribers there and extra props to everyone who supports me on YouTube! My YouTube Channel is my main source of income for fishing at the moment; thus, it's extremely important to me! :)

I would like to take this moment to thank everyone who donated to Extreme Philly Fishing this year, giving emphasis to the following individuals for their unique contributions:

-- Rob Z.: Thank you very much for your support, old friend! I still have that "net video" from the Fish-A-Thon saved on my computer. Can you believe that? It's been 3 years already! I hope everything has been well with you; I hope you have found many rare coins out there. :) If we cross paths again, we will make sure to schedule a fishing trip! 

-- Jay D.: Since we met, back in the days, we have been through quite a lot, haven't we? Many things happened in my life and many things happened in your life! Thankfully, it seems that you are going for the better. I am very happy for you! Your support here on the Blog is well appreciate.

-- Tanasit S.: Thank you very much for going out of your way and helping Extreme Philly Fishing! Your monthly subscription on Patreon is golden! And, as we have discussed just recently, I will make sure to take you fishing one of these days.

-- Brodie-Man: Many many thanks to you, Brodie-man! The GoPro Hero 4 that you contributed to Extreme Philly Fishing is being put to good use! I don't have words for your generosity. Know that a lot of people are benefiting from your support -- all YouTube subs included. And I will make sure to schedule that ice fishing trip next year!  

I can't say thank you enough for your support! 

Additionally, I would like to say a big "thank you" to my biggest sponsors this year:

-- Mystery Tackle Box

-- Recycled Fish

-- Thomas Fishing Lures

Fellas -- thank you very much for all the support for 2015! 

Hopefully 2016 is going to be a year filled with more Extreme Philly Fishing. :)

Once again -- Happy Holidays, Blog Readers! 

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.