Winter Fishing the Pennypack Creek (01/17/18, Northeast Philadelphia, PA)

Once again, some crazy warm weather is coming this weekend, folks!!!

Here is my fishing report for January 17th, 2018. The 2018 Statistical Fishing Chart was updated as well.

Location: Pennypack Creek

Time: 12:00-2:30 p.m.

Fishes caught:

- None

Video:

Below are the highlights for this fishing session:

My 3rd outing of 2018. Winter fishing in the Pennypack Creek! Don't forget to watch it in HD quality (1080p60)! If you enjoy watching my YouTube videos, please support the YouTube Channel by subscribing to it. More likes & more subscribes = more time to make videos!

Summary & Photos:

After watching the light snowstorm this morning, I was enticed to go out and spend some time outdoors! Since I didn't have much availability today (tutoring has been busy), I hopped on my local bus and stopped by the Pennypack Creek in Northeast Philadelphia for some "winter creek fishing."

I arrived at my favorite Old Bustleton Avenue spot around noon. Not too surprisingly, more than 90% of the Creek was clear of ice. Only a few stagnant pools had a thin layer of ice on top (less than an inch). The water was pretty clear and the current was pretty swift. Combining all those factors with the whiteness of the fresh snow, we had the perfect environment for a few shots. Heh.

Winter is here, folks!

Following the logic of winter fishing, I decided to choose the 4mm, #14 hook Kender's Outdoors ice fishing jig with small pieces of super-worm as my primary setup for the day. As anglers should be aware of, live bait is always the best choice during the colder months of the year. I paired the jig with 4lbs KastKing Fluorokote fishing line, a Shimano Sedona 500 FD fishing reel, and my trusted 5'6" Daiwa Spinmatic 2 pieces, Ultra-Light fishing rod. 

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EPF's tip of the day:
Why is live bait so effective during the winter months of the year?! Recall that fish are ectothermic organisms. Thus, they enter a state of torpor during the colder months of the year. The level of activity varies from Species to Species; however, it is a fact that all of them become more sluggish as water temperature drops. Therefore, they tend to nibble your bait instead of inhaling it aggressively. The livelier and more natural the bait, higher your chances of getting a strike!  
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The primary pattern of the day was to cast and retrieve the small jig in the current. The main target was the Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Sadly, after ninety minutes of fishing on the Creek, I ended up getting the skunk...And I even tried the 1/24 oz. Johnson Min-O-Spin and the 2 1/2 inches Rebel Floater jerkbait. 

The sad part of this fishing trip was that I chose my fishing spots very carefully. In other words, they were the most productive spots in that entire section of the Creek. Thus, after the skunk today, I can only presume that the Pennypack Creek right now has very very few Trout in it! As a matter of fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the entire number of Trout in the entire Creek didn't pass two dozen in total!  

Skunk or not, I had a wonderful time outdoors. And this fishing session reminded me of how harsh this particular Creek can be during the colder months of the year. Heh.

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights!

Sincerely,

Leo S. a.k.a. Extreme Philly Fishing

The Fall Trout Season in PA Finally Arrived!!! (10/10/17, Northeast Philadelphia, PA)

What's up, Blog Readers?! 

It has been quite a while since I have worked on the Blog, right?! To be more precise, about half a year! And boy...so many things have happened in six months, if you think about it. We are now above 100,000 subscribers on the YouTube Channel, and 25,000 followers on Instagram! SnapChat has been doing pretty well too, with an average of 3,000 views per snap. Folks have been helping out on Patreon as well (45 Patreonites+ thank you all for your support), and finally, although inactive, the Blog has reached more than 700,000 views, with an average of 400 views per day! :)

Thus, before getting to the post for today, I would like to dedicate this paragraph to all you folks who support Extreme Philly Fishing on social media: thank you so much for watching, reading, and following EPF!!! I may have not been working on this Blog, but you folks know that it has been busy and hectic. Heh. 

Anyways...here is my fishing report for October 10th, 11th, and 12th of 2017: fishing the Philadelphia County's Fall Rainbow Trout season at the Pennypack Creek.

Location: Pennypack Creek
Time: 3:00-6:00 p.m.; 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.; 1:00-4:00 p.m.

Fishes caught:

- 7 Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
- 3 Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus)

Video:

Below are the highlights for these fishing sessions:

My 128th and 129th outing of 2017. Fishing for stocked Rainbow Trout at the Pennypack Creek using Berkley Power Bait. Don't forget to watch it in HD Quality (1080p60)! If you enjoy watching my YouTube videos, please support the YouTube Channel by subscribing to it. More likes & more subscribes = more time to make videos! 

  

My 130th outing of 2017. Fishing for stocked Rainbow Trout at the Pennypack Creek using the Johnson Min-O-Spin in-line spinner. Don't forget to watch it in HD Quality (1080p60)! If you enjoy watching my YouTube videos, please support the YouTube Channel by subscribing to it. More likes & more subscribes = more time to make videos! 

Summary & Photos:

The 2017 "Fall Trout Opening" day in Philadelphia County was really no different than all previous years'! First and foremost, the amount of Rainbow Trout that was stocked in the Bustleton Avenue portion of the Creek was laughable compared to the Spring season's numbers. And although I wasn't there to see it, I did hear from locals that they stocked only "a few buckets of fish" in each spot around the Creek. Taking in consideration that each bucket usually contains 30-50 fish, it is plausible to say that only 200-300 Trout were stocked around there. 

On the first day of the Fall Trout season, I arrived between the Bustleton Avenue/Roosevelt Boulevard portion of the Creek around 3 p.m. EST. The first thing that I did was ask the local fishermen about the stocking, and soon I found out that they had stocked the Creek "less than a hour ago." 

Taking in consideration that those Trout need quite some time to adapt to the Creek before feeding, I immediately concluded that my best choice for catching them at the time was to use some Berkley Power Bait. 

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SIDENOTE
There are many different colors and flavors of Berkley Power Bait in the market nowadays, but my favorite one is definitely the yellow one. No glitter, and no additional scent. Thus, that is the one that I recommend you folks! Note that this decision comes from years of playing and experimenting with the stocked Trout (both Brown and Rainbow Trout). Heh.
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I rigged my Daiwa Spinmatic, 5' 6", Ultra-Light rod and my Shimano Sedona 500 FD reel (old model) with 4lbs KastKing Fluorokote fluorocarbon line, 3 small Water Gremlin split-shots (I call them the Wal-Mart special) and a size #12 Mustad hook. I put on just enough Power Bait to cover the hook! The primary technique for the day was sit and wait; thus, still-fishing for the Trout. 

It took me a good thirty-minutes for my first bite. Sadly, I missed the fish because I didn't give it enough time to swallow the bait. Ugh! Well...As someone wise once said: "Impatience is the root of all injuries." And raise thy hands the first angler who never gave a premature hook set, right? Heh. We all get excited from time to time.

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SIDENOTE
As portrayed in the YouTube video above, the Berkley Power Bait is a type of dough bait that stocked Trout tend to swallow! Since the Oncorhynchus, Salmo, and Salvelinus genera of fish are very sensitive and have a high mortality rate when it comes to human handling, I don't recommend anglers who practice Catch & Release to use it on stocked Trout. If one must really use it, just make sure to:
(1) wet your hands when handling the hooked fish
(2) unhook the fish in the water
(3) clip the line as close to its mouth as possible
To avoid internal bleeding and minimize mortality ratio, C&R anglers should definitely not place the gut hooked fish outside of the water, or try to recover the hook!!!
Another alternative is to use Power Eggs and be very quick on the hook set. 
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After a few missed bites, I finally gave a stubborn Rainbow Trout enough time to chew on the bait! After setting the hook, I felt its solid weight on the other side of my line. And, as it turned out, it was a beauty indeed:

My first stocked Raibow Trout of the Fall season of 2017! 

Sadly, for the remaining of the first day, that was the only fish that I was able to land. Most of the stocked Trout were still in an adaptation stage. 

And so the first day ended.

The second day was much easier compared to the first. That is because most (if not all) of the stocked Rainbow Trout were already adapted to their surroundings -- to the Pennypack Creek. Therefore, instead of using a still-fishing approach with the Berkley Power Bait, I decided to use the wait-and-jig technique for it.

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SIDENOTE
The wait-and-jig technique is fairly simple and very effective, and yet a lot of anglers underestimate it. The technique itself consists of casting the bait in the water, and moving it every 30 seconds or so. Thus, its name: wait and jig. It is usually during one of those pauses that the bait is positioned directly or close to a feeding fish, inciting it to bite! Summarizing...the Trout bite usually comes really fast just after the pause. The con of this technique is the amount of snags that the angler will get, of course.
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Differently than the previous day, it took me only a measly forty-five minutes to get my limit of three fish for the Fall season. 

My limit of three Trout for October 11th, 2017. The one on top was definitely a chunky one!

Finally, for the following day -- the third day in the season -- I decided to switch from a dough bait wait-and-jig approach to a more aggressive steady-retrieve approach, with in-line spinners. To make my YouTube video a little bit more entertaining, I decided to use some of the lures that one of my subscribers sent me:

From left to right: three different patterns of the 1/8 oz. Johnson Min-O-Spin, and two different patterns of the 1/8 oz. Thomas Lures E.P. Series in-line spinner. And yes -- this photo was taken on a Septa Bus. LOL.

   
The premise of the video was to show my fellow anglers and viewers that (1) when the fish fully adapt to their new environment (a.k.a. the Creek), they are forced to drop their hatchery feeding behavior and pick up different natural food sources for their own survival; and (2) in a period of 48 hours after the stocking, most of the sample population had already adapted to the Creek.  

After a few casts here and there, more victims started to show up on the Johnson Min-O-Spin: 

One of the many Trout that fell victim to my Subscriber's Johnson.

Let's just say that it didn't really take me a long time to catch my limit on those lures. 

And this pretty concludes my post for today, folks! 

Those were definitely three very interesting fishing sessions for stocked Trout, and shooting those YouTube videos was definitely a lot of fun. :) Of course catching the Trout and eating them was equally fun. Hehe.

For those who have never tried this type of fishery before -- I truly recommend. After all, with all the heavy metals and PCBs that we have in our local fishes nowadays (different Species), it is never a bad idea to eat some "farm raised" samples here and there. Plus, the stocked Trout tradition in the United States of America is a great way to get kids initiated in the sport! Think about it! 

I hope you folks enjoyed the knowledge and the read! Make sure you watch the YouTube videos to complete the experience. 

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights!

Sincerely,

Leo S. a.k.a. Extreme Philly Fishing 

There are Still Some Trout Left at the Pennypack Creek... (01/14/17, Northeast Philadelphia, PA)

What's up, fellow readers?

Here is my fishing report for January 14th, 2017. The statistical fishing chart was updated as well.

Location: Pennypack Creek

Time: 12:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- Nothing

Video:

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

Summary & Photos:

Taking my hectic day in consideration, I decided to hit the Pennypack Creek at Verree Road for a few hours in the afternoon. The weather wasn't really "good" -- 32F with some rain/snow. On the other hand, it was a chilly, but windless day! Thus, I had hopes of catching some stocked Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) without freezing to death. Heh.

I set up camp right above the Verree Road dam -- three rods, all with small split shots and Berkley Powerbait. Since it was a cold winter day, I decided to use my personal MCGS technique ("Maximum Coverage Grid System") to find those lethargic stocked Trout.

A view of the Pennypack Creek right above the Verree Road Dam. One of the deepest portions of the Creek, around that area.

The good news -- I was able to find two Trout in the Creek, since I had two bites. Both bites were Trout bites: line slack at first, then a faint pull. The bad news -- I wasn't able to land a single fish! Every time I saw the bite, my impatience got the best of me. In other words...I ended up setting the hook too early on both fish. :(

As they say, folks -- "Impatience is the rood of all injuries." On the positive side -- I know for a fact that there are still a few stocked Trout in there. Thus, my hopes for catching a Trout in the near future haven't perished yet.

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights! 

Tight lines!

Sincerely,

Leo S. a.k.a. Extreme Philly Fishing

2016 Trout Season: Pennypack and Wissahickon Creeks Closed for Fishing Until April 2nd (Philadelphia, PA)

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Newest Updates:

Smugmug Database: Added the following galleries for the watershed folder: Cape Cod Canal (Bourne, MA), Knight Lake (Collingswood, NJ), Newton Lake (Collingswood, NJ), and the Schuylkill River (NON-TIDAL). For all recent updates, you may click here.

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Hello, Blog Readers! 

The post for today is a gentle reminder that (1) Spring is coming, and (2) our local Trout Approved Waters are closed for fishing! 

Anglers fishing during the Trout Opening day at the Pennypack Creek

As you guys may or may not be aware of, the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission has a law that states that Trout Approved Waters "are closed to all fishing (including taking of minnows) from March 1 to 8 a.m. on the opening day of the trout season. A person shall be deemed to be fishing if he or she has in possession any fishing line, rod or other device that can be used for fishing while on or in any water or on the banks within 25 feet of any water where fishing is prohibited."

Therefore, you have been advised. Hah. Make sure to not get fined on the Wissahickon or Pennypack Creeks, as Game Wardens will be around to check the conditions of the Creek.

If you are wondering why the government does this, the answer is quite simple: they introduce this closed fishing month in Trout Approved Water for stocked Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Brown Trout (Salmo trutta) to adapt in the wild! As a matter of fact, every passionate stocked Trout angler knows to "scout" Trout Approved Waters a few days before the opening day. In other words, many anglers tend to go to their honey holes and check if there are plenty of Trout swimming around the area. :)

It is when they close down those Creeks that I start to get extra excited about the upcoming Trout season! Their closure reminds me that yummy Trout will be in my freezer soon. :) Thus, this is a good time of the year to gather all of that dusty Trout gear, clean it up, and put everything in check! If you are willing to catch some Trout in 2016, here are a couple pieces of advice for you:

1. Catch-And-Fry

For many reasons, Extreme Philly Fishing is a big supporter of the "Catch-And-Fry" movement in Philadelphia when it comes to Approved Trout Waters. It cannot be forgotten that these stocked Trout -- both Rainbow and Brown -- are invasive Species of fish to our local Creeks! As a matter of fact, these stocked Trout were born, raised, and introduced in the wild mainly for human consumption. The government is pretty much begging us to catch them and fry them up. Hah.

A Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) from the Pennypack Creek. Despite what many anglers believe in, the Rainbow Trout is not a native Species of fish in the United States of America. When they are stocked in Trout Approved Waters, they considered an invasive Species of fish. 

Here is a very interesting article on the whole culture of raising Trout in the United States of America. I believe that the New York times summarize the cons of Trout hatcheries very well; so I will be skipping that part here. :)

There is a multitude of other reasons why one should take these stocked Trout home. For instance, (1) they don't really survive the hottest and coldest months in the Pennypack and Wissahickon Creeks; (2) they fight with the Bass, Sunfish, and other Species of fish for food; (3) they have low levels of mercury, heavy metals, and PCBs -- they are ideal for human consumption; etc.

Summarizing...you would not only be doing our Creeks a favor by removing them, but also increasing your intakes of Omega-3. :D

2. Go Light

Either if you want to catch some dinner or just practice CPR, you will have to catch them first! And folks -- catching Trout, stocked or wild, is no joke. When targeting these elusive Species of fish, one needs to take into account its top wariness. Thus, go light on your tackle! 

I usually recommend anglers to use 2-4lbs test line, preferentially Fluorocarbon. Why Fluorocarbon over Monofilament, you ask?! The answer is quite simple: Fluorocarbon line has an index of refraction that is close to the water's index of refraction. In common words, the line becomes invisible under the water. Size #6 hooks will work okay; however, size #8+ is recommended. For weight, split-shots. For rod and reel, any ultra-light or light setup will do! 

In-line spinners, meal worms, wax worms, bread, corn, trout magnets, Gulp! Minnows, Powerbait, small jerkbaits -- these will all work for stocked Trout! Natural baits and Berkley Powerbait usually work better at the beginning of the season, when the Trout are still "stupid" from the low-to-none fishing pressure in Trout Approved Waters. Once they have been caught-and-released a few times and have adapted to the wild, in-line spinners and other lures will work better for them.

It doesn't matter what style you decide to go with, just keep this in mind: go light and you will catch tons of Trout! 

3. Bring your friends and your family

You must do that, especially if you are looking for a meal. Bringing someone else means doubling your slot limit, which is 5 Trout per day during the Spring season. If your friends eat Trout, good for them! If not, more for you. Ultimately, more Trout means more food on the table.

If you think about it, bringing your amateur angling friends/family is a win-win situation for everyone! If you bring friends/family who are 16+, that means that they have a Trout stamp and a fishing license. In other words, the PA Fish and Boat Commission has already profited from that. If they are amateurs in the sport or even first timers, that means that they will have a good opportunity of perhaps catching their first Trout ever, which will be a fond memory for sure. Finally, inviting more people for the Trout season means inviting more individuals to the sport of fishing itself -- let's not forget that declining participation is one of the biggest issues that we have in fishing nowadays. Therefore, the sport itself profits from it.

2013 Trout opening day at the Pennypack Creek, above the Roosevelt Boulevard Dam. If you are planning on fishing during the opening day, be ready for some combat fishing! Try your best to not cross any lines and be polite and respectful with your fellow anglers, even if you don't get the same treatment back. :) 

So, there you go -- don't forget to bring some companions with you on this upcoming Trout season! 

If you follow these tips wisely, you will eventually have much more fun while catching your Trout out there.

Finally, don't forget to say hi if you see me around the Creek! I will be fishing the Pennypack Creek above the Roosevelt Boulevard Dam on April 2nd, 8:00 a.m. EST. Feel free to come over and say hi! 

I wish all of you a successful upcoming Trout season for 2016! Expect to see lots of posts here, photos on my Instagram, short SnapChats, and, of course, YouTube videos! 

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

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

Hello Blog Readers!

Here is my fishing session for July 5th:

--- July 5th, 2015 ---

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

Fishes caught:

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

Video:

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

Goal:

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

Setup:

Rod: Cortland Endurance 9' noodle rod

Reel: Shimano Symetre 4000FL

Line: 12lbs Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon

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

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

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

Summary:

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

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

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

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

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

Photos:

Below are the photos for this fishing session:

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

2nd Species of the day: a Redbreast Sunfish.

My father with a gorgeous Pumpkinseed from the Creek.

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

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

My father with his miniature Green Sunfish.

A beautiful holdover Rainbow Trout from the Pennypack Creek

Very likely the biggest Pumpkinseed of the day. :)

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

My dad with a Pennypack Smallmouth Bass.

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

Greedy Rock Bass on a 5" Senko!

Biggest Pennypack Bluegill of the day

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

A Largemouth Bass from the Moreland Pond.

A wounded Bluegill from the Moreland Pond.

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

My biggest Moreland Pond Bluegill of the day. :)

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

May Fishing Sessions: 05/21, 05/26 - Short Fishing session at the Pennypack Creek + Schuylkill River (Northeast Philadelphia, Philadelphia; PA)

Hello, Blog Readers!

Today I'm bringing you folks two short fishing sessions in one:

--- May 21st, 2015 ---

Location: Pennypack Creek (@Old Bustleton Avenue, PA)

Time: 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 1 Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu)

-- 2 Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus)

-- 1 Brown Trout (Salmo trutta)

--- May 26th, 2015 ---

Location: Schuylkill River (@Chestnut Street, PA)

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

Fishes caught: 

-- 1 American Eel (Anguilla rostrata)

Video:

Below are the highlights for my short Pennypack fishing session:

The video is divided in three parts: (1) Introduction (0:00-3:05); (2) Setup (3:05-5:45); and (3) Fishing (5:45-end). Unfortunately, the sound of the GoPro wasn't so nice after I changed the casing of the chesty mount to the waterproof one. Don't forget to watch it in HD quality (1080p50)! If you enjoy watching my videos, please support my YouTube Channel by liking and subscribing. :)

  

Since I caught only one measly American Eel for my Schuylkill River fishing trip, I decided to compile that small video as an extra content for another video. Thus, the video is below:

The extra contents start at 16:10. I actually saved that American Eel as bait for future Catfish. Heh. Once again, don't forget to watch it in HD quality (1080p50)! 

Goal:

The goal for the Pennypack Creek trip was to catch some Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) or Brown Trout for my mother to eat. She had just arrived from Brazil and she loves to eat Trout!

The goal for the Schuylkill River trip was to catch some Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) for fun!

Setup:

The setup for my Pennypack fishing session consisted of a single rod: an ultra-light Daiwa Spinmatic fishing rod with a Shimano Sedona 500FD reel. For line, I used 4lbs Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon. Throughout the course of the day, I used the following lures: a Thomas Fishing Lures E.P. Series in-line Spinner, 1/8 oz., nickel/gold; and a size #6 eagle claw hook with Berkley Power Bait for the Trout.

The setup for my Schuylkill River session consisted of three rods for Channel Catfish. The first setup consisted of a Cortland Endurance 9' noodle rod with a Shimano Symetre 4000FL and 12lbs Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon line. The second setup was a heavy action Daiwa Samurai rod + reel with 20lbs Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon line. The third set up was a Daiwa Samurai medium action rod with a Shimano Sedona 2500FD and also 12lbs Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon line.. Two setups were rigged with a 2 oz. egg sinker, a medium sized Eagle Claw golden snap-swivel, and a snelled size 7/0 Gamakatsu Octopus hook. Those two setups were baited with cut American Eel. The third setup was as you saw in the video -- a high-low rig with Eagle Claw three way swivels, snelled size #6 hooks, and nightcrawler. 

Summary:

For the Pennypack Creek, I arrived around eleven in the morning. I hit my usual spots for Trout without much success. When I say my "usual spots," I refer to the stretch of the Pennypack Creek that goes from Roosevelt Boulevard to the Old Bustleton Avenue. 

I ended up catching one small Smallmouth Bass and two Redbreast Sunfish on the Thomas in-line spinner, and a left-over Brown Trout on the traditional Berkley Power Bait! 

For the Schuylkill River, it was seriously a tough day. Over the course of three hours, I had only one solid Catfish bite. No hook ups! Besides that bite, I had two to three small bites on the nightcrawler, which is how I hooked my American Eel. :) 

Photos:

Since it was raining at the Pennypack Creek, no photos were taking for that fishing session.

For the Schuylkill River fishing session, I only took one scenic photo:

A nice scenic view of the Schuylkill Banks between Walnut and Chestnut street bridges.

Best of luck for all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

April Fishing Sessions: 04/06-04/09 - Fishing for Trout at the Pennypack & the East Branch Brandywine Creek

Hello, Blog Readers!

Today I'm bringing you my fishing report for April 6th to the 9th. I decided to compile these three fishing sessions, since I mainly got Trout on all of them.

--- April 6th-9th, 2015 ---

Location: Pennypack Creek (6th-9th), East Branch Brandywine Creek (6th) (PA)

Time: 6th: 7:00-10:00 a.m.; 4:00-5:30 p.m.; 7th: 7:00-1:00 p.m.; 8th: 8:00-11:30 a.m.; and 9th: 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m..

Fishes caught:

-- 16 Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

-- 1 Brown Trout (Salmo trutta)

Below are the highlights for these fishing sessions:

The video is 14 minutes long. This time there is no introduction or setup portion, since you guys should be pretty familiar with my Trout setup by now. If not, the setup is described once again below. The last 2 Trout in the video were CPRed and notice: I forgot to wet my hands when handling them! Since they are very sensitive fish with a high mortality ratio, hands should always be wet when touching them. If you enjoy watching my YouTube videos, please show your support by subscribing to my Channel and liking my videos. It does take a long time to edit these 1080p50 HD quality videos. :)

Nothing too exciting about all these fishing sessions, folks. My fishing setup for all of them was the same: a Shimano Sedona 500FD reel with a Daiwa Spinmatic ultralight rod, 4lbs Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon line, and either orange colored Power Bait or a Thomas E.P. series in-line spinner as bait.

I ended up going to the Pennypack Creek over and over and over again, taking full advantage of the Trout stocking season in Philadelphia. As a matter of fact, they are all smoked and vacuum sealed by now. Heh. All of my spots in the video were between Roosevelt Boulevard and the end of the Pennypack trail at the Old Bustleton Avenue. During my fishing sessions, I saw at least two Golden Rainbow Trout swimming in the Creek, but I wasn't able to make them bite. :(

On the 6th, I decided to hunt for some Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu) at the East Branch Brandywine Creek in Downingtown, PA. However, after walking and casting for a good while, I was still unable to catch any! By the end of the day, I had two Rainbow Trout on the spinner...

Photos of these sessions are below:

A nice view of the East Branch Brandywine Creek under the Septa Regional Rail Bridge.

The East Branch Brandywine Creek right below Kerr Park.

"Things that you don't see when you stay at home:"As portrayed in the video, I found this dead White Sucker (Catostomus commersonii) by the margins of the East Branch Brandywine Creek.

A nice healthy Rainbow Trout from the East Branch Brandywine Creek in Downingtown, PA.

A nice Rainbow Trout from the Pennypack Creek, caught on a Thomas E.P. Series in-line Spinner, 1/8 oz., nickel/gold.

"Things that you don't see when you stay at home:" Mother goose in her little nest, protecting her eggs. Make sure to never approach them when they are in this "mode." Otherwise, you will be attacked! If the male is around, you will be double attacked...Heh.

A nice Golden Rainbow Trout swimming in the stretch between Roosevelt Boulevard and Bustleton Avenue.

A small Brown Trout from the Pennypack.

A nice rocky dropout at the Pennypack Creek, close to the Old Bustleton Avenue.

"Things that you don't see when you stay at home:" Mallards! However, do you notice the light coloration for the female? That's very likely a laced fawn.

Best of luck for all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.