Winter Carp Fishing at the Upper Cooper River! (01/22/18, Haddonfield, NJ)

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Want to support EPF financially? Help me out with production and traveling costs?! Donations are always welcome via PayPal, or via my Patreon website! 

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I just came back from my New York trip with Tim Galati Outdoors and First State Fishing! It is time to catch up on the Blog, as always. ;) 

Here is my fishing report for January 22nd, 2018. The 2018 Statistical Fishing Chart was updated as well.

Location: Upper Cooper River

Time: 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Fish caught:

- 2 Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio)

Video:

Below are the highlights for this fishing session:

My 6th outing of 2018: fishing the Upper Cooper River for Common Carp! 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:

My carping friends used to tell me that when it comes to winter Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) fishing, "preparation is key." And within that process, they always emphasized that the technique of chumming was crucial to attract those big beasts to bite your hooks during the colder months of the year. Thus, after finishing my previous fishing session at the Upper Cooper River in Haddonfield, NJ (last post), I walked a few steps upstream and chummed a whole can of corn in preparation for my next fishing session.  

I arrived at the same place the next day, around noon. With my Oakley polarized sunglasses, I quickly took a glance at the river. Immediately, I was able to see patches of mud around the area where I chummed. In other words, I knew at that point that there were some fish on my chum. 

The Upper portion of the Cooper River is always saturated. However, with a nice pair of polarized glasses, one can still see the bottom in its shallower spots.

I set up two Baitrunner reels for my carp session: a KastKing Pontus 4000 and a Sharky III 5000. For both reels, I used the Perigee II, 7'0", 2 pieces, medium-heavy with 20lbs Fortis braided line. Since this Species of fish is quite finicky, I used 8lbs Fluorokote (Fluorocarbon) leader on a slip-sinker setup -- a 1 oz. egg sinker with a size 1/0 Riptail rolling barrel swivel and a size #8 Gamakatsu octopus hook. I baited each hook with two-three pieces of canned corn. 

After casting both setups around the chummed area, it really didn't take me long to get my first bite of the day! Although, it wasn't quite the type of bite that I was expecting. Instead of bending the rod and peeling the drag on the baitrunner, the bite was very subtle. And after it, the line just went slack! Therefore, I slowly held the rod (without moving the sinker), flipped the drag switch, and finally set the hook after the slack on my line disappeared. 

After a short fight, the first Carp of the day finally surrendered: 

First Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) of the day: a ~4lbs fish. After a few shots, the fish swam away strongly.

The rest of the day was actually pretty slow. I ended up catching one other small Carp (same bite pattern), and that was pretty much it. 

On one hand, I was quite disappointed. After all, the biggest Carp that I ever landed in that particular spot was a 10lbs+ fish. In other words, I ended up catching only the small stuff for the day. On the other hand, I was quite pleased that I didn't end up getting skunked. I mean...fishing during the winter months of the year around PA & NJ is never an easy thing to do. 

Overall, it was definitely a productive day and a positive experience. 

Even so...I hope I land some giants next time!

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights!

Sincerely,

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

Winter Multi-Species Fishing at the Upper Cooper River! (01/21/18, Haddonfield, NJ)

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Want to support EPF financially? Help me out with production and traveling costs?! Donations are always welcome via PayPal, or via my Patreon website! 

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Folks -- Winter is finally coming to an end!!! Next week we have some good weather (40-55F)! I think it is time for us to catch up on this Blog as well. :)

Here is my fishing report for January 21st, 2018. The 2018 Statistical Fishing Chart was updated as well.

Location: Upper Cooper River

Time: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Fishes caught:

- 2 Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus)

- 5 Spottail Shiner (Notropis hudsonius)

- 3 Golden Shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas)

- 4 Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens)

- 4 Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)

- 1 Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)

- 1 Bluegill X Pumpkinseed Hybrid (L. macrochirus X L. gibbosus)

Video:

Below are the highlights for this fishing session:

My 5th outing of 2018: still-fishing the Upper Cooper River, below Driscoll Pond. 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:

Every winter of every year, I tend to keep one of my fishing traditions alive: to go micro-fishing for some shiners at the Upper Cooper River in Haddonfield, NJ. The fact is: shiners are just so underappreciated in the fishing community nowadays! After all, they are sold in tackle shops as bait; thus, they have a "baitfish" reputation. But let me tell you something, my fellow friends...when it comes to their sizes, even a chunky Golden Shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas) can give you a nice bend on an ultra-light setup! Even better -- many Species of Shiners are very resilient when it comes to cold weather. Therefore, they will always be there for your bait -- even when other Species are not willing to bite. 

Taking that in consideration, I went to the Upper Cooper River with my ultra-light setup for some "shiner still-fishing" action. I arrived at my usual spot -- the bridge, under the Driscoll Pond, around 11:30 a.m.. I equipped my Daiwa Spinmatic Ultra-Light Rod with my Shimano Sedona 500FD and 4lbs KastKing Fluorokote Fluorocarbon line. For my rig, I tied a dropper-loop rig with a size #10 Mustad Hook and a Water Gremlin Dipsey Swivel sinker. My main choice of bait was small pieces of big red worms.

After my first cast, it didn't really take long for the first Species of the day to show up. And to top it off, it wasn't a Shiner:

First Species of the day: a Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus).  

Second cast in, I got my first Shiner Species of the day:

Second Species of the day: a Spottail Shiner (Notropis hudsonius).

And I have to say, folks: I was delighted! Heh. Not only I was happy at the fact that my objective of the day was accomplished, but also because the Spottail Shiner is not easily found in the state of New Jersey. 

In Pennsylvania, this Species can be found pretty much in every little Creek here and there. That includes places like the Pennypack Creek, or the TTF Watershed (Tacony, Tookany, and Frankford Creeks). Even the Poquessing and Byberry Creeks have a healthy population of Spottail Shiner. New Jersey; however, is a whole different story! Per se, NJ already doesn't have a lot of "clear water creeks" in the southern portion of its state -- which by the way, is the prime habitat for this specific Species of fish. Thus, catching one of those in NJ waters is always an accomplishment for a micro-fishing angler!

Continuing my fishing session for the day, the following Species showed up soon after:

Not quite a Species, but a Hybrid: a Bluegill X Pumpkinseed (L. macrochirus X L. gibbosus)

Third Species and second Species of Shiner of the day: a Golden Shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas).

Fourth Species of the day: a Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus).

Fifth Species of the day: a Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens)

The Golden Shiner were definitely putting a great fight on the ultra-light setup! And among the Bluegill that showed up, there were a few "jumbos" here and there. In quotes, since a jumbo panfish in the Upper Cooper River only ranges from 5-6 inches. :(

And to end the day, a neat little Bass decided to bite on the red worms as well:

Sixth and final Species of the day: a Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides).

For a winter fishing session, the Upper Cooper River did not disappoint! To be able to land six different Species of fish in open water, in the harsh month of January, that is quite an accomplishment for any PA/NJ multi-species angler. :D   

And therefore, I left the spot without any regrets. Another annual tradition was fulfilled. 

Hope you folks have been doing good recently! 

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights! ,

Sincerely,

Leo S. a.k.a. Extreme Philly Fishing 

I Caught my FIRST 2017 Fish! (01/10/17, Haddonfield, NJ)

What's up, fellow readers?

Here is my fishing report for January 10th, 2017. The statistical fishing chart was updated as well.

Location: Upper Cooper River

Time: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 16 Golden Shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas)

-- 3 Spottail Shiner (Notropis hudsonius)

-- 3 Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens)

Video:

Below are the highlights for this fishing session:

My first outing of 2017! Don't forget to watch it in HD quality (1080p60)! If you enjoy watching my videos, please support my YouTube Channel by subscribing to it. More likes and more subscribes = more time to make videos.

Summary & Photos:

With the objective of catching my first fish of 2017 in mind, I decided to hit the spillways and the over-saturated waters of the Upper Cooper River in Haddonfield, NJ. After all, everyone knows that those places are the last ones to freeze over when Mother Nature is not so forgiving. Heh. With a minimum of 19F (-7ºC) and a maximum of 32F (0ºC), I really decided to give the place a shot.

I started my fishing adventure at the spillway that connects the Wallworth Lake with Evans Pond. With the exception of the little spillway, everywhere else was pretty much frozen solid. I set up two rods with slip-sinker setups, chummed the spillway with sweet corn kernels, and waited for some Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) action. Last but not least, I set up a third rod -- an ultra-light -- with a small 1/64 oz. ice fishing jighead, tipped with a small piece of nightcrawler.

A view of the Evan's Pond spillway. Still-fishing with two rods for Carp.

A view of the Wallworth Lake. Don't let your eyes fool you -- 95% of the photo here

is solid ice

  

I jigged and I jigged, and I jigged some more. I jigged the fish ladder. I jigged the pieces of structure around the area. I jigged on the bottom. I jigged one feet above the bottom. I jigged two feet above the bottom. And in the end, not a single bite. Once I realized that the jigging wasn't doing me any good, I added a float and jigged some more. :) After three hours of still-fishing and jigging, and not a single bite, I finally decided that it was time to move on. I decided to scout the Upper Cooper River below Driscoll Pond for some open water. On my way there, I wasn't too surprised to see the tundra at Hopkin's Pond. 

A view of the frozen Hopkin's Pond. Dead, folks. Dead.

After arriving at the Upper Cooper River, I was very pleased to see some open water. I wasted no time! Once again, I set up two rods with slip-sinker setups; however, this time, I baited both of them with pieces of nightcrawler. As for the third rod...the jigging remained.

A view of the Upper Cooper River, below Driscoll Pond. Due to its saturation level,

the River rarely freezes over entirely during the Winter

It was one hour after setting camp there that the first bite came. By then, I had grown tired of the jigging. Consequently, I had placed a float above the jighead, in hopes that some lost fish would hit my dead-sticking presentation. For my surprise, the bite was subtle! The float wobbled only a little bit. And then, the fish was gone...I was seriously pissed at my own laziness at that point! Hahaha

Thankfully, I got another hit seconds after the first one. I set the hook. Fish on! And as I was reeling in my first ever 2017 fish, my other rod was also getting a hit! That's right, folks...after four hours of no signs of fish whatsoever, the action was finally heating up! Sooner than I realized, I was reeling in Golden Shiner after Golden Shiner.

My first 2017 fish: a Golden Shiner! Greedy creature attacked my nightcrawler with a revenge 

I seriously thank the fish Gods for sending me that school of Golden Shiner. Heh. And on a serious note, being a Multi-Species angler paid off. After all, a Multi-Species angler is satisfied with anything that bites, regardless of sizes or Species. :) Among the Golden Shiner, I was also able to land a few Spottail Shiner and Yellow Perch.

A typical Yellow Perch from the Upper Cooper River. Typical = full of parasites. :)

A Spottail Shiner from the Upper Cooper River. Very strong colors during the winter.

And that is how my first fishing session of 2017 ended, folks. 22 fishes caught. 3 different Species of fish. Plenty of Golden Shiner! I couldn't ask for more! :) Even as I was leaving, the school of minnows was still there. And it may still be there for a while...So, if you are up for some fishing, why not hit the good old Upper Cooper River for some micro-fishing?! :P 

Best of luck to all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights!

Tight lines!

Sincerely,

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

June Fishing Sessions: 06/28 - Multi-Species Fishing in Different Bodies of Water (Haddonfield, NJ)

Hello, Blog Readers!

Today I'm bringing you my fishing session for June 28th:

--- June 28th, 2015 ---

Location: Wallworth Lake/Hopkins Pond/Driscoll Pond/Upper Cooper River (Haddonfield, NJ); Lake Alverthope (Abington, PA)
Time: 1:30-5:30 p.m./ 7:00-9:30 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 5 Green Sunfish X Bluegill Hybrid (Lepomis cyanellus X Lepomis macrochirus)
-- 2 Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus)
-- 8 Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)
-- 1 Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus)
-- 3 Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)
-- 1 Spotted Bass (Micropterus punctulatus)
-- 2 Brown Bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus)
-- 1 White Catfish (Ameiurus catus)
-- 3 Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus)

Video:

Below are the highlights for this fishing session:

This video is divided mainly in seven parts: (1) Introduction (0:00-3:20); (2) Setup (3:25-5:20); (3) Fishing the Wallworth Lake below the dam (5:21-11:28); (4) Fishing the Wallworth Lake above the dam (11:30-12:00); (5) Fishing the Hopkins Pond (12:01-13:17); (6) Fishing the Driscoll Pond (13:18-16:35); and (7) Fishing the Upper Cooper River (16;36-32:20). Don't forget to watch it in HD quality (1080p50)! If you enjoy watching my videos, please support my YouTube Channel by liking and subscribing. 

Goal:

The goal for the day was to catch as many different Species of fish as possible in Haddonfield, NJ. 

Setup:

My setup for this fishing session consisted of a Daiwa Spinmatic Ultralight Rod with a Shimano Sedona 500FD and 4lbs Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon line. Throughout the course of the day, I used the following types of rigs/baits/lures: (1) a Thomas Lures E.P. Series In-line Spinner, 1/8 oz., nickel/gold color; (2) a 1/64 oz. Trout Magnet jighead with a 1" Gulp! Alive Minnow; (3) a piece of nightcrawler on a size #6 Eagle Claw hook; and (4) a piece of cut Bluegill on a size #4 Eagle Claw hook, rigged under a couple split-shots.

Summary:

If you folks read my fishing Blog a lot, you should know that Haddonfield is one of my favorite places to go to when it comes to Multi-Species fishing! Anyways...

I started my day fishing the Wallworth Lake under the dam. I ran an in-line spinner against the current without much success. Therefore, I quickly switched my setup to a "Gulp! Alive Minnow" on a 1/64 oz. jighead. I caught a couple Species of fish and moved on! I followed the path after the dam and walked all the way up to the dam below Evans Pond, where my friend Peter S. joined me. I gave a couple casts here and there, switched to some nightcrawlers, and caught a decent sized Bluegill that I decided to save as bait! 

Peter and I then moved to Hopkins Pond, where I caught a small Brown Bullhead. Hopkins is known for having winter kills due to lack of oxygen; thus, only Common Carp, Brown Bullhead, and a couple of other Species of fish inhabit that body of water. 

After spending fifteen minutes there or so, we moved down to Driscoll Pond. I caught a small Black Crappie and Peter caught his first Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) in a long while. We fished there for a little bit more, ending up with a few extra Bluegill and Largemouth Bass.

Finally, we ended up fishing the Upper Cooper River below Driscoll Pond. Peter ended his day with two nice Common Carp whereas I ended up with a really nice White Catfish! 

Even after all those catches, Peter's thirst for fishing was still up in the air. Thus, we decided to hit Lake Alverthorpe in Abington for some night-time Catfishing! We got there around 7:00 p.m., initially targeting Largemouth Bass and Sunfish. I eventually caught a couple neat Species, including a beautiful Brown Bullhead! Unfortunately, we ended the night with no monster Channel Catfish.

Overall, it was a very productive day in terms of Multi-Species fishing.

Photos:

Below are the photos for this fishing session:

A chubby Bluegill from the Wallworth Lake (below the dam).

Peter's first Yellow Perch in a long long time! It was wonderful to see that Driscoll Lake still had one of them in there.

A Bluegill X Green Sunfish hybrid from the Wallworth Lake. A couple folks have been confusing these hybrids with Warmouth (Lepomis gulosus) -- recall, folks: the soft-dorsal and anal fin on Warmouth are red colored and not yellowish.

An authentic Green Sunfish from the Wallworth Lake.

A Largemouth Bass with Hyperpigmented Melanosis. Up to date, ichthyologists are still not sure how the Bass obtain Hyperpigmented Melanosis; however, so far, there have been no signs of malignancy when it comes to it. In other words, our understanding up to date is that it does not hurt the fish.

A nice view of the Hopkins Pond. :)

My little Brown Bullhead from Hopkins Pond. :)

A beautiful Black Crappie from Driscoll Pond.

A small Spotted Bass from the Upper Cooper River. Anglers usually don't bother to differentiate Largemouth Bass and Spotted Bass; however, they are different Species (despite their similarities). Spotted Bass tend to have (1) tooth patches on their tongues; (2) a mouth that does not extend past the eye when the jaw is closed; (3) broken lateral stripes; (4) clear ventrolateral stripes; and (5) scales on its soft-dorsal fin. 

Same fish, another angle -- this little fella had "toothy patches" on its tongue.

A Largemouth Bass from the Upper Cooper River.

Catfishing at the Upper Cooper River using an ultralight rod. :)

My White Catfish! Very nice sample for NJ.

Peter with his Common Carp from the Upper Cooper River.

A beautiful Pumpkinseed from the Alverthorpe Lake in Abington.

A Brown Bullhead from Lake Alverthorpe.

Best of luck to all of us,

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.

September Fishing Sessions: 09/27 - Multi-Species Fishing at the Upper Cooper River and Wallworth Lake in New Jersey

Hello, Readers!

Here's my fishing report for September 27th:

--- September 27th, 2014 ---

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

Time: 9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Fishes caught:

-- 1 Bluegill X Green Sunfish Hybrid

-- 1 Pumpkinseed

-- 5 Bluegill

-- 7 Black Crappie

-- 1 Yellow Perch

-- 25 Largemouth Bass

-- 11 Gizzard Shad

I usually like to tell my fellow anglers that size is not everything when it comes to fishing. Of course size is important: I believe that at a certain point in life, anglers have all experienced that punch of adrenaline when fighting a "trophy" fish! You know...that wonderful moment when you get all shaky? For a Multi-Species angler, it's not so different! That punch of adrenaline can easily come in while reeling in a rare Species of fish or a surprise catch! I remember very well when I first caught a Common Carp; a Channel Catfish; and even a Banded Killifish, a Common Shiner, and a Warmouth -- and man...I was shaking back then, over and over and over again. Heh. It's an awesome feeling, isn't it? I truly believe that this "shaky feeling" is one of the aspects that makes fishing unique. If you are reading this and you are not an angler, I highly recommend you to get a pole and hit your closest body of water! It's at moments like these that I like to quote Robert Altman: "You put that line in the water and you don't know what's on the other side. Your imagination is under there."

But anyways...when it comes to Multi-Species fishing, there are a couple locations that I'm very fond of. Most of these locations are able to produce 5-10 different Species of fish in a single fishing session! It turns out that the Upper Cooper River and the Wallworth Lake in Haddonfield are some of these fond locations.

The plan was to tag along with my friend Bryan K.L. and catch some fish. I started by introducing him to the Upper Cooper River, and later we moved to Wallworth Lake. I was quite happy to see that my friend Bryan was enjoying not only the fishing, but the environment as well (there are a couple photos of him below). As cited at the beginning of this post, I was able to catch 7 different types of fish around the area.

Photos of the session are below:

"Things that you don't see when you stay at home:" A Blue Jay wandering close to Hopkins Pond, Haddonfield.

My first fish of the day: A Black Crappie on a float-jig setup. 

This one was my biggest Black Crappie of the day, surprisingly caught on a Thomas Gold/Nickel in-line Spinner at the Wallworth Lake. The fish was safely released above the falls. :)

A healthy male Bluegill from the Upper Cooper River. It was caught on a small Gulp! Alive Minnow, hooked on a 1/64 oz. jighead.

Here's a Bluegill from the Wallworth Lake, right below Evans Pond.

A beautiful Green Sunfish X Bluegill Hybrid from the Wallworth Lake. Note that it has "Bluegill traces" on its Operculum and "Green Sunfish traces" on its Anal and Caudal fins (yellow/orange coloration).

My friend Bryan K.L. with his trophy catch of the day -- a trophy Largemouth Bass from Wallworth Lake. Sarcasm aside, that smile is golden, though. :) 

While fishing for Largemouth Bass with my in-line spinner, a couple Gizzard Shad tagged along. It just so happened that they were having their Fall run; thus, gazillion Shad were just swimming around the Wallworth dam. It was nearly impossible to not snag them.

The first of 25 Largemouth Bass. Most of them were caught in the Wallworth Lake. The hypothesis is that they were following their "food supply" around (a.k.a. Gizzard Shad). 

Another Largemouth Bass -- this one with a beautiful lateral line. Note that I released all the small Largemouth Bass above the dam; therefore, there are 25+ Largemouth Bass between Evans Pond and the Upper Cooper River now. Heh.

This fella was one of the biggest Largemouth Bass of the day! 

"Things that you don't see when you stay at home:" A very very suspicious needle at the Haddonfield PATCO station.

A nice Pumpkinseed decided to go after my in-line spinner at Wallworth lake.

A nice scenic view of my friend Bryan K.L. focused on catching the big one.

A nice view of the second dam that divides the Wallworth Lake and the Upper Cooper River.

Here's a Yellow Perch from the muddy Upper Cooper River. Note its faded colors, which is typical for a fish living in high saturation waters.

Hope you guys found this report informative. Also, if you have never tried before, I would definitely recommend Multi-Species fishing! :)

Best of luck for all of us!

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.