January Fishing Sessions: Schuylkill River (01/10)

Hello, Readers!
 
The cold front has finally reached us, huh? Higher 20's...ugh! Maybe this week will be ideal for some Ice Fishing, if the weather allows! Today, particularly, was FREEZING!
 
Well...My Spring semester at Temple University started today. Same old talk, guys - I'll have to post less for now, and dedicate myself more to Physics! HOWEVER, this doesn't mean that the Blog will "stop." I'll still post one post per fishing session, but the number of fishing sessions will very likely decrease (it depends on how well I am performing, and time management) until May. The Facebook page will still be VERY ACTIVE, hence I access Facebook on a daily basis.
 
Well...a couple updates/reminders:
 
- 1-on-1 fishing sessions are still on, even though college has started. In other words, feel free to shoot me an e-mail if you want to tag along one day. Send me an e-mail for more details. Kids are highly encouraged.
 
- I am planning to write a little "article" for the Schuylkill Banks' website about fishing in the Schuylkill River during Spring. The little article will cover Channel Cats, Flatheads, Common Carp, Striped Bass, and maybe Shad. Once it's done, I'll let you guys know about it - it will have TONS of information on it. I am planning to get it done by the end of this week.
 
- I've uploaded a couple more videos on my Youtube channel. The first 2 are about my secret "dapping" technique for baitfish. It's basically using NOTHING to catch small fish! It's the same as manipulating a bare hook in a way that it fools the fish. It's 90% technique! The last 4 are from my Carping session with my friend Erik K.. Enjoy:
 
 
Note that I'll emphasize these videos once again, once I write the fishing sessions for Audubon (01/20) and Upper Cooper River (01/21), which should be coming soon (before the end of January).
 
The post for today is pretty short, hence I got skunked on the 10th! =(
 
After I got my first Catfish of the year on the 9th, I went back to the Schuylkill Banks for some more action. It was colder, and the tide was almost the same as when I arrived the day before: high to low (the tides change a couple minutes per day). I managed to get to my spot around 1 p.m.: Same rods, same bait, same set up (see my previous post for more details).
 
The fishing session went from 1 to 3:30 p.m., with only 1 Catfish bite. I was very very excited when I saw the bite, and ended up setting the hook too early. In other words - I missed the fish!
 
Curiously enough, something else was biting on my nightcrawler. It was quite the mysterious phenomenon, since I wasn't able to visually detect the bites...Usually, people look at the line and the rod for signs of fish bites. In passive fishing (still-fishing), when a fish bites, it creates an extra force on the line, which either makes the tip of the rod bend - if there's no slack line, or makes the line straight - if there's slack line. It's usually by looking at these signs that a fisherman knows that there's a fish on the other end of his/her line. Whatever was biting that day did not show any of these signs AT ALL! I kept reeling my rod in from time to time, and no bait - the nightcrawlers were always totally gone.
 
I've worked with nightcrawlers since I was 8. I hook them in a very effective way, and there's absolutely no way that they would just fall off the hook. Even with the wildest amount of Newtons (Force), the nightcrawlers would still stay on the hook!
 
It's funny to mention this because I recently got into a discussion on a certain fishing forum about the differences between artificial and live bait. As I mentioned there, both are different arts, and both have their own merits! Some believe that anyone can throw a nightcrawler into the water and catch fish. I won't deny that - it's a fact. Any regular person - an inexperienced angler, or even a person who has never fished before, is able to go to a body of water and throw a nightcrawler in, and that same person will probably get a bite by a Bluegill (just an example) and catch a fish. This is one of the beautiful traits of fishing: it's a sport that is really open to ANYONE. As far as a person is willing to try and improve oneself, the same will succeed in fishing. 
 
The main factor when using live bait is not only in "catching the fish," but in the AMOUNT and SIZE of fish that you can get. For example - small fish can be fooled when a person puts a nightcrawler without covering the entire hook; big fish, however, can very well identify the hook and not bite the bait, especially the ones that were previously caught and released. Presentation of the bait, fishing location, knowledge on the targeted Species (habitat, feeding behavior, spawning) - these are all parts of the art of fishing with live bait.
 
But anyways...something kept biting on my nightcrawler without leaving me signs! My logic conclusion was that the fish biting were probably very small (minnows), since I wasn't able to hook them up using size 10 hooks. I can assume even further: they were probably Yellow Perch, since this Species of fish spawns at this period of the year in the Schuylkill River. I'll keep fishing the Skuke until I find out what is going on. Heh.
 
No pictures of fish today, guys! =) There's a picture of the Banks, though, below:
 
Beautiful afternoon on the Schuylkill Banks.

Best of luck for all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

January Fishing Sessions: Schuylkill River (01/09)

How is it going, Readers?
 
First, a couple small updates:
 
 
- An updated version of my old post: "Fishing at the Schuylkill River Banks (Walnut Bridge)"
 
- 1-on-1 Fishing Sessions: From this year onwards, I'll be offering 1-on-1 fishing sessions - free of charge. Kids are highly encouraged. If interested, shoot me an e-mail (my e-mail is on the right) for more details.
 
For the next couple weeks, I'll be updating all my old posts on the Blog. I'll be reviewing my own grammar (which is far from perfect), and adding more information to each of them. Gathering data is an on-going process; therefore, I realize that I can add so much more information to old posts instead of making new ones! So, every time I update a previous written post, I'll make sure to let you guys know!
 
So...I went fishing at the Schuylkill River on the 9th, willing to catch my first Catfish of the year! Since fish don't really hibernate during Winter time, I've decided to direct my empirical research (experimental data collection) to Catfish and its feeding times. I figured that targeting the same Species of fish for a couple days using the same fishing technique and varying the times of the day could give me enough data to support my hypothesis.
 
Therefore, I chose the Schuylkill Banks as my prime spot - between Chestnut and Walnut St. For bait, I chose nightcrawlers (1 rod with 2 hooks) and American Eels (2 rods with 1 hook each). As for the fishing sessions, I currently work from 4-11 p.m.. Because of my job, I decided to vary my fishing sessions between mornings and afternoons.
 
Since it was super cold that day, I arrived on the spot at 1 p.m.. My original plan was to perform short fishing sessions, and then compute the bite average after a couple of them. I fished until 5 p.m. with that set up, and finished the day with 1 Catfish! My first Catfish of the year! ("Yahoo!!!," like my Latin Professor would say)
 
It was funny because the bite was very light, but I was still able to detect it. For people that still-fish for a long period of time, it was the "Dragging" type of fish bite: the tip of the rod move 45 degrees, slowly, back and forth, without slack line. Everything else was old - I held the rod, felt the pull, and set up the hook! I call this the 4-step process: "see the bite, hold the rod (carefully), feel the force, and set the hook." It turned out to be a BEAUTIFUL Channel Catfish.
 
Pictures are below:
 
15lb Bag, Net, fishing case..everything good to go!

Winter Cat! =)

3.1lb Channel Catfish on a piece of American Eel
 
Best of luck for all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

January Fishing Sessions: Wallworth/Upper Cooper River (01/05)

Hello, Dear Readers!
 
The year has just started, and fishing is already picking up. The fish do not hibernate, and they will bite as far as you give them something to eat, in front of their faces. After a cold front, we finally have a couple "warm" days coming up (warm for some), with high 60s on Sunday! Amazing, huh?
 
As a tradition, I like to go to Wallworth Lake every beginning of January. I still remember the vivid memories of the first time I went there: the Pumpkinseed were BEAUTIFUL, as well as the Bluegills and Black Crappies. It was a huge surprise for me that they were in there, hence the water was always muddy because of Evans Pond. Curiously, I didn't find this spot by accident: I had heard rumours of the "fish ladder" project that was implemented to Wallworth and Evans Pond (for the migration of certain fish), and even stories of stocked Trout in Wallworth, back in the days...So, everything was planned: the trip, the rigs, and the bait. And it worked in the end! =) 
 
The weather was good and the conditions were right! So, I hit Wallworth Pond with my friend Erik K. on January 5th. In 2012, I hit Wallworth on the 7th, and ended up very well: 1 White Sucker, 1 Golden Shiner, tons of Bluegills and Pumpkinseeds, some Black Crappie, and even a Largemouth Bass! This year, things didn't go that well...
 
I fished the lower portion of Wallworth until Erik arrived (around 10:30 a.m.): no bites at all. No Pumpkinseeds, Sunnies, or Black Crappies. No wonder: the water was VERY COLD, and a portion of the Lake was actually frozen. From my observations, Evans Pond was 95% frozen; Driscoll was totally frozen, as well as Hopkins Pond.
 
So, after Erik arrived, we fished the upper portion of the Wallworth Lake. Erik's plan was to catch a Carp - therefore, he had 3 rods in the water with corn. My goal was to just catch a fish - anything, so I had nightcrawlers on all of my 3 rods. As far as I remember, I had 1 bite on a suspended piece of nightcrawler, and I missed it because the nightcrawler was too long on the hook. Around noon, I told Erik about my "side plan:" "If we don't get any bites here soon, we move to the Upper Cooper River."
 
Well, we didn't get any more bites at Wallworth. Therefore, we moved to the Upper Cooper River (the only place that wasn't frozen, besides Wallworth). We went to the same spot where I got my 5lb Channel Catfish on a piece of American Eel in the Summer of 2012, in water shallower than 12 inches. We set up the rods with the same baits, and I started to pick up bites on the nightcrawler right away! The Sunnies were pretty hungry! I got a couple Pumpkinseeds and Bluegills on the nightcrawler and super worms. Erik was still waiting for his Carp...
 
After a couple fishes, I decided to go fishing for some Black Crappie at another nearby spot (30 seconds walk). I changed one of my rigs for a Crappie rig, and got one on a Gulp! Minnow on the first cast. I looked at Erik, and he was getting ready to move as well, packing up 2 of his rods already. Just after a took a picture of the little guy (below), Erik started yelling that he got a fish on his remaining rod! I run there as soon as I could, and I saw a beautiful Carp surface to the top.
 
Since we didn't have a net, and the place was pretty high, I took a couple pictures of the fish in the water. Well...Erik was determined to land that fish (his first fish of the year), so, he asked for my lip grip. I have to say...he lay on the muddy floor to get that fish! After the dirty job, he measured the fish (5lbs) and we took some pictures.
 
After it, I got a couple more Black Crappies, and even a little Yellow Perch on a piece of suspended nightcrawler! We called it a day...Erik's plan worked out well, and I finished my day with 4 different Species of fish: Bluegill (7), Pumpkin Seed (2), Black Crappie (7), and a Yellow Perch (1).
 
Pictures are below, boys and girls of all ages (typical "Uncle Steve" here)! Enjoy: 
 
I was fishing at the upper portion of the Wallworth Lake with Erik K. I got only one bite, and missed it. That was it. 

First Bluegill of the year! =)

First Pumpkinseed of the year!

Another Bluegill - a bigger one. It's impressive that they all hang in that little portion of the River, which is only 12 inches deep, and really muddy! That's why that spot is such a good place for Catfishing in the Summer.

Another little guy, on a Gulp! Minnow.

First Black Crappie of the year!

Erik's Common Carp in the water. Beautiful fish.

Erik with his 5lber Common Carp. When it comes to Carping, perseverance is the key! If he had moved his last fishing rod at that time, who knows what would have happened, huh? Unpredictability is one of the many factors that makes fishing so much fun.

The biggest Crappie of the day - 8 inches.

Same Crappie, another angle. Thanks for the picture, Erik!

X-ray time! No wonder some people call them "Papermouth," huh? Force the retrieve a little bit too much, and you will lose them if the hook-set wasn't too strong. It's pretty interesting, isn't it? You can actually see the Gulp! Minnow and the jig inside its mouth.

Finally, I ended the day with a little Yellow Perch on a piece of nightcrawler. It was small (5 inches), but worth the trip! Yellow Perch are gorgeous fish.

Better enjoy this week, while the weather is giving us a break!

Best of luck for all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

A Little Bit More About my Past: Fishing in "Riacho Grande," São Paulo, Brazil.

Hello, Blog Readers!

As you may have already read about, I used to go fishing all the time with my father back when I was a young lad. Usually on weekends, we would hit this certain reservoir in the state of São Paulo (Billings/Guarapiranga), and fish mainly in the city of Riacho Grande. If you haven't read about any of this yet, you can click here to go to my Multi-Species post and read a little bit about my past. 

I've decided to write this post because I think it's important for anglers in this country to know and understand that fishing is very different from place to place; and that culture, economy, and even politics indirectly influence this sport everywhere. "Broaden your horizons," right? When I mentioned in another post that "we are blessed for having such good fisheries here," I wasn't lying or being delusional (heh). We are truly blessed for having such a fish diversity and good quality in this country, and we should be more than satisfied with what we have.

I've fished in Brazil, in China, and now in the United Stated. I've seen big fisheries suffer from over-harvesting (not even by poachers) and eventually dying over the years. My father always tells me on the phone: "some of our wonderful spots in Brazil are now empty. There's no fish left." I've seen non-point source pollution happen on a daily basis, polluting streams and rivers until no life was present anymore. Even more tragic -- I've even seen "dams of trash" blocking the water of streams, back in the days.

So...I'm here to talk a little bit more about how fishing was back in Brazil, during 1998-2005. I asked my father to take some photos on some of his recent fishing trips to "Riacho Grande," so I could show you guys how different is the fishing there compared to here, and how those differences have influenced the fishing over the years. Notice that I'll be using some words in Portuguese, but that shouldn't be a problem for you guys -- the readers. You don't necessarily need any Portuguese here to understand the subject, but I'm emphasizing my native language so that you can have an idea of how we -- Brazilians -- call certain fish in Portuguese. Also, I'm linking significant Portuguese words to external links in English, so the reader can have an idea of what I'm talking about.

First, here is a map of a portion of the Billings/Guarapiranga Reservoir from Google Earth (Notice that the Billings Reservoir was named after an American), so you can have an idea of where exactly my father and I used to fish. We chose this particular area to fish because the left side is the west end of the Guarapiranga Reservoir whereas the right side is the East end of the Billings Reservoir. In other words, this part is a junction of two different bodies of water; thus, having different Species of fish!

Note that you can also just type in "Riacho Grande" on your Google Earth, and locate the portion of the map below, so you can have a magnified view of it. If you do so, you will notice that there are 4 pumps just below the number "2" in the map, which pump water from Billings to Guarapiranga and vice-versa, so the levels of water between both reservoirs are closely the same (notice that there's land below that bridge; therefore, the water between both reservoirs are divided). The neat fact about this little fishing place is that the water would always overflow after heavy periods of rain, meaning that the pumps would get entirely covered, and fish from Guarapiranga and Billings were able to pass from one side to the other! I guess my father was an interesting person even when it came to choosing his fishing spots.


Fishing spots, 1-4:

(1) Great pool with Tilápia-Do-Nilo (Nile Tilapia -- Oreochromis niloticus) and Carás (Pearl Cichlid -- Geophagus brasiliensis), if cast towards its inside. If cast towards the outside area, great spot for Carpa-Comum (Common Carp) and Bagre (A type of Catfish of the Rhamdia Sp. I couldn't find a picture or good page of it). My father and I used to fish this spot very often: it was our favorite fishing spot. For the Tilapias and Pearl Cichlids, we used just regular garden worms or wax worms, on floats or on the bottom. My father's PB (personal best) for Nile Tilapia came from this spot: 4.5lbs. For the Carp, it was a little bit more complicated: we always made a special dough for it, either peanut and sugar or banana and honey flavor. Chum and cast. This is where I caught my first Koi (white and yellow), measuring about 7lbs. As for the Catfish...oh well, they would eat ANYTHING, and we would always catch them by accident.

(2) That's the beginning of the Billings Reservoir. We used to catch all the Species above there, plus another two types of fish. One was called the "Lambari Vermelho " (Astyanax fasciatus), which is a DELICIOUS fish. Brazilians love to eat it deep-fried, and my dad always ate it with a Bohemia beer and some lime and salt on the side. But anyways...The finickiness of this little fish is unbelievable! If you read the Lambari link, you should know about it. In order to catch the big Lambaris (15-20 cm long -- 6-9 inches), my father and I used to cook Spaghetti, cut it in small pieces on a size 14 hook, and dip it and leave it in Parmesan cheese for a couple days (Italian fish, perhaps? Hah). The big ones there measured only 6 inches, but the feeling of catching one of those was great. It was similar as to catching a Largemouth Bass -- through skills and plans. I believe that it's from the Lambaris that I first attained this love for fishing for different small Species of fish. It was really my first Micro-fish. Unfortunately, due to overharvesting and the construction of many dams and blockages, the Lambari Vermelho is currently endangered in Brazil.

Another type of fish present there was the Muçum (Marbled Swamp Eel -- Synbranchus marmoratus). They were lots of fun to catch as well, especially because they lived between the rocks! They had two color variations: one was light grey, and the other one was even more beautiful -- it had yellow spots on its body. The fishing process was quite complicated, though. First, we had to dig a little "well." In other words, we had to create a little hole by moving rocks from one location to another, until we could see water. After some tiresome work, we would drop a metal leader fishing line in with a piece of fish, chicken, or beef, and just wait! Heh. It was fun because you could see them coming out of the rocks, and even grabbing the bait! They were big and long, reaching even 1.5lbs! It was lots of fun...

(3) That was my father's best spot for Nile Tilapias (up to 2.5lbs). The sizes weren't very big, but he could easily fill a 20lb bucket in an hour or so. Fishing there deteriorated over the years, since the people from the "favelas" turned spot 3 and 4 into their own little "urban beaches." Now these spots are reserved for swimming, even though nobody is supposed to swim there.

(4) This spot is well-known for big Traíras (Freshwater Wolf Fish -- I gave credit to Jeremy Wade, and linked it to River Monsters. Hahaha. But it's really a fish of the Hoplias Sp.). The picture at the end of the post is of my father holding a baby one, but there are big ones in this spot, especially after dark. That particular spot was where I got my first Freshwater Wolf Fish, on a piece of cut Lambari Vermelho, measuring 2lbs (a small one). Notice through the picture above that there's vegetation there, all year long (since Winter in Brazil is as low as 10 degrees Celsius -- 50F), and this fish loves to stay in the shallows. As a matter of fact, there used to be a good population of frogs there before, but now they are scarce. They have all been eaten! Brazilians catch all of them with live or cut bait. Can you imagine if you gave it a try with your favorite frog lure? They would hit it for sure!

Fishing for all those different Species of fish was certainly very entertaining. However, for many different reasons, the sport deteriorated as time passed:

(1) Due to economical factors, people would harvest 100% of their catches for human consumption, diminishing fish populations over the years. Notice that there was no such thing as "fishing licenses" or "creel limits" in São Paulo, and even other states. Now, there's a governmental agency that sells licenses online, but the main point is that the country is not able to maintain the law. The execute branch is really bad. Or better saying -- the country itself is not interested in investing in this field for many different reasons. Over there, you will NEVER see someone come over to check your licenses, and even more -- who would go to the favelas to check for fishing licenses?! That's like...asking to die, seriously. I don't recall how many times my father and I have fished among people with light weapons, or even guns. All of us were bounded by our love for the sport; therefore, nobody hurt each other (Brazilians are actually very charismatic towards friends and acquaintances); however, if the Game Warden ever showed up there, they would very likely end up dead in the mountains or floating down the River. Plus, how would the poor people be able to purchase the license ONLINE without a computer? In the favelas, they barely have TVs. If you have a TV or microwave, you are a wealthy person in your neighborhood.

Sadly enough, as mentioned above, the country wouldn't be able to enforce environmental conservation even if they wanted to. The Brazilian government is very corrupted, and they can barely control all the criminal activity in the favelas...Although the country is economically progressing, the social aspects of São Paulo and Rio are still deteriorating.  

So, if someone actually got 200 fish a day, they would take all 200 home (no creel limit -- sizes or numbers) and probably partake among his poor neighbors, family, and be a hero for bringing food home. I remember that some people would release the small fish to "let them grow," but the huge part of uneducated anglers would take even the smallest fish to "deep-fry them." Different than this country, fish there is still a good source of "free-food," and there is no law enforcement that supports a sustainable aquatic environment. It's truly a shame...

(2) Due to point and non-point source pollution, the quality of the aquatic ecosystem decreased. Littering (from plastic bags to gigantic tires), toxic waste from certain local industrial facilities, illegal dumping of toxic substances...everything contributed to a decrease in water quality. The pH of the water decreased over the years, some areas becoming more acidic than others (like spot 1 and 2). Certain fishes started to migrate to other areas and even spawn in different locations due to pollution! Not only that, the amount of snags in certain fishing spots became unbearable, making those places "unfishable."

Sadly enough (again), the government doesn't give enough attention to that at the moment. With low-educated individuals in the favelas, most of them don't even have the slight idea of the consequences their actions are bringing. Worse than that, they are not educated not because they are lazy or don't want to be educated; they have not been educated because of many different social economical aspects that I'll not cite here. It's seriously not their fault -- the government really fails to provide at certain times. 

Well...I could continue on the list, but I'll stop here because I'm getting frustrated. I love my country, but I'm also a very realistic person. These two examples are good enough to show you how social, economical, and political factors can actually affect the population, and eventually the sport of fishing. I hope you can compare both scenarios: Brazil and USA, and have the big idea of how things are actually better here even when it comes to fishing.

Sometimes people here complain about others not respecting the laws, or they find the laws or government agencies lacking; however, it's good to realize that it's not easy to maintain this "order." It requires a lot of education, labor, common sense from the public, and a good budget as well. It would be nice if everyone woke up every morning and looked at life in a positive way: "This is how much we have accomplished here, and every little bit of my actions every day contribute to the whole" (that's actually part of Emile Durkheim's Functionalism theory in Sociology). For those who never saw something worse, it's hard to fully comprehend and value what they currently have.

It's because of my past experiences in Brazil, and all the things that I've observed during the years of my youth, that I firmly believe in social shaping as a solution for certain problems related to fishing. Rather than saving fishing spots for myself, and just thinking about how am I going to enjoy fishing tomorrow, next week, next year; I really prefer to go "all out" and share all my knowledge with the public. This is what this Blog is about, isn't it? Recreational and Sustainable Fishing.

Well...below are a couple pictures that my father took during his last fishing sessions at Riacho Grande, on spot 4:

Did you ever get annoyed because someone that you don't know was fishing too close to you? Well..as I mentioned in the other post, fishing in São Paulo is like looking at a line of fishing rods. There is no limit of rods per person; therefore, some anglers use as much as 12 rods at once. Now, in 2012, there are more spin casters and baitcasters; however, there are still variations of the old bamboo rod fishing style. In the picture above, my father got his rod holders and his two PENN baitcasters in the water. 

This is another spot where my father and I used to fish at. Other than all the Species of fish mentioned in this post, another one that can be caught here is the Piau-Flamengo or Ferreirinha (its slang name -- Leporinus fasciatus). Believe it or not, a common bait for this type of fish is suspended cheese (usually mozzarela). Talk about a finicky fish, huh?

My father giving an overhead cast with his PENN reel. He's seriously the only one who uses conventional reels there. Back in the days, some of the anglers used to come around and ask us "what kind of reel was that."   

A very good spot for the Freshwater Wolf-Fish (Traíra). Cast a live Lambari or some cutbait during dusk and they will certainly strike.

As I have mentioned earlier in this post, the city of Riacho Grande is now an "urban beach," one of the few places around for the poor people to have some entertainment. Due to that, fish has deteriorates dramatically on spots 3 and 4. 

A photo of the Guarapiranga Reservoir. On the other size of that building starts the Billings Reservoir.

A typical Brazilian family fishing around the Reservoir. They even brought their pet chicken out for a walk. When spending some family time close to the favelas, the kids usually fish, the father does the BBQ, and the mother gets a tan. Very traditional. 

A photo of multiple Lambaris, but not the red-tailed ones. Though, they are from the Astyanax family. 

My father and his friend holding up a set of Freshwater Wolf Fish (small ones -- Hoplias Sp.) caught on live minnows. The guy is obviously going to dip it into flour and deep-fry that little guy, and probably eat it with lime and a beer. Hah.

A Brazilian Pearl Cichlid. This one is already considered a medium size nowadays. Back in the days, this was a small one, and the big ones would get up to a pound. Due to over harvest, the results are quite obvious.

One of my father's friend holding a nice-sized Pearl Cichlid. If you click on the photo to magnify it, you will see that he was using a rig with two small hooks, bullet sinker, and earthworms.

My father holding a nice Pearl Cichlid, also caught on earthworms. Never mind the Extreme Philly Fishing Under Armour T-shirt and the NY cap... Hehe.

A variation of the Tilapia Species that can be found in the Guarapiranga Reservoir. I have yet to identify it; however, it's certainly a member of the Tilapia family (Tilapiine Cichlid)

Well...I hope you guys enjoyed reading a little bit more about my past, back in Brazil. I truly miss those days, but I can't say that I regret coming to USA and fishing here. I'm having a blast, after all!

Best of luck for all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

January Fishing Sessions: Lake Luxembourg (01/01)

Heya, Readers!

Note that from now on, all my fishing reports will be posted separately instead of a big monthly post. This will make the "search" button above more useful. After all, it is a pain to type in a specific word, and have a gigantic post show up. I recommend using "Ctrl+F" (search function) in that kind of situation.

Also, I've started the Statistical Fishing Chart for 2013. It's pretty empty now, but I'll be filling it as a fish along the year! 

Since I spent my new year at my sister's place in Trevose, the Lake Luxembourg was my first fishing session of the year. My sister, brother-in-law, and nephew joined me for a quick fishing session at the spillway below the big Lake. Since they are not very fond of the cold (temperatures at 30-37F), I knew the session would be pretty quick, and my chances of getting skunked were pretty high. Not surprisingly, there was no one fishing at the big Lake. There were people jogging, walking their dogs (as usual), but nobody fishing the wooden docks and no boats near the water output.

Haha. That's exactly what happened, as a matter of fact. No fish for the day. I got a total of 3 bites on the nightcrawler, but failed to pull any fish out of there. I got to see a Rainbow Trout coming up at a certain point, but I lost it because of a poor hookset. 

Despite the skunk, it was fun to be outside with my family on the first day of the year. My 5 years old nephew had a fun time playing with one of my fishing rods too.

I took some pictures of the local scenery. Enjoy!

Just a little bit of the Seagull population at Core Creek Park. Is it just me, or have the numbers increased during the past couple years at different locations? 

For those who couldn't identify the bird in the previous post (under December 24th), here's a clear picture of it! I saw it catch a Crappie there that day. It was pretty neat.

As mentioned before, this is one of the main challenges of this particular little spot: fishing between bars. That "anomaly" sign is still disturbing me as well. Heh.

Skunked for the first day of year, but it was still fun to be outside!

Best of luck for all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

Statistical Fishing Chart for 2013 (COMPLETE)

This will be my Statistical Fishing Chart for 2013. Every catch that I perform will be registered in terms of size (length, sometimes girth), and have an estimated weight. This will help me create a little "fishing diary", and keep scores and data along the year. This post will be updated along the year.

If you want specific data on a certain Species, location, bait, or time of the catch, shoot me an e-mail: sheng12182527@gmail.com

Click here for my Statistical Fishing Chart for 2012.

Last update/fishing session: COMPLETE (12/31/13)
Days fished this year: 137
Maximum number of fish caught in a day: 206 (Hilliards/Linden/Kirkwood - 04/24/13)
Maximum pounds of fish caught in a day: 39.40 lbs (Schuylkill River - 02/17/13)
Number of different species caught this year: 49
TOTAL # of Fish caught in 2013: 2352
TOTAL # of Pounds caught in 2013: 1002.74 lbs.

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Results for last year:

Days fished in 2012: 184
Maximum number of fish caught in a day: 238 (Schuylkill River - 09/08/12)
Maximum pounds of fish caught in a day: 131.81 lb (Schuylkill River - 07/26/12)
Number of different species caught in 2012: 34

TOTAL # of Fish caught in 2012: 2476
TOTAL # of Pounds caught in 2012: 1242.38 lbs.
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Note: Size is in inches; weight is in pounds.
1 Inch = 2.54 Centimeters
1 Pound = 0.45359237 Kilograms

# = Number of fish of certain Species caught in 2013
Max. Size = Longest fish of certain Species caught in 2013 (In Inches)
Max. Weight = Heaviest fish of certain Species caught in 2013 (In lbs)
Total Weight = Total amount of weight of certain Species caught in 2013 (per Species)
Location caught (Biggest - in) = Where the biggest fish of certain Species was caught
Date = When the biggest fish of certain Species was caught

Format:

-- Name (Species) -- #/ Max. Size/ Max. Weight/ Total Weight
Location caught (Biggest - in) - Date caught

Photo

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-- American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) -- 10/ 20.0 (in)/ 0.30 (lb)/ 1.82  (lb)
Schuylkill River, PA - 07/13/13


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-- American Shad (Alosa sapidissima) -- 8/ 20.0 (in)/ 3.05 (lb)/ 7.48  (lb)
Schuylkill River, PA - 05/17/13


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-- Atlantic Croaker (Micropogonias undulatus) -- 19/ 12.5 (in)0.55 (lb)/ 8.74  (lb)
Absecon Bay Inlet, NJ - 08/11/13



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-- Banded Killifish (Fundulus diaphanus) -- 17/ 2.2  (in)0.03 (lb)/ 0.35  (lb)
Byberry Creek, PA - 05/06/13


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-- Bergall (Tautogolabrus adspersus-- 19/ 7.0  (in)0.31 (lb)/ 4.94  (lb)
Cape Cod Canal, MA - 08/07/13



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-- Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) -- 117/ 12.0 (in)0.88 (lb)/ 30.35  (lb)

Linden Lake, NJ - 10/23/13




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-- Black Sea Bass (Centropristis striata) -- 20/ 10.5 (in)/ 0.45 (lb)/ 6.80 (lb)
Cape Cod Canal, MA - 08/05/13



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-- Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) -- 4/ 4.0 (in)/ 0.09 (lb)/ 0.31 (lb)
Absecon Bay Inlet, NJ - 08/11/13



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-- Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) -- 820/ 9.0 (in)/ 0.48 (lb)/ 140.96 (lb)
Concourse Lake, PA - 03/11/13



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-- Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) -- 1/ 17.0 (in)2.55 (lb)/ 2.55  (lb)
Haddon Lake, NJ - 04/07/13


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-- Brown Bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) -- 39/ 15.0 (in)/ 0.93 (lb)/ 21.04  (lb)
Linden Lake, NJ - 04/18/13


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-- 
Brown Trout (Salmo Trutta) -- 6/ 14.5 (in)/ 0.72 (lb)3.50  (lb)
Pennypack Creek, PA - 03/31/13


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-- Chain Pickerel (Esox niger) -- 5/ 18.0 (in)/ 1.35 (lb)/ 2.88  (lb)
Crane's Lake, NJ - 06/22/13


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--
Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) -- 97/ 25.0 (in)/ 5.25 (lb)/ 252.22  (lb)
Schuylkill River, PA - 09/04/13



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-- Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) -- 23/ 29.0 (in)20.67  (lb)156.65 (lb)
Frankford Creek, PA - 06/08/13



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--
Common Shiner (Luxilus cornutus) -- 44.0  (in)0.11  (lb)0.25 (lb)
Byberry Creek, PA - 05/06/13



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-- Creek Chub (Semotilus atromaculatus) -- 206.0 (in)0.08 (lb)1.01 (lb)
Tacony Creek, PA - 05/02/13


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-- Eastern Silvery Minnow (Hybognathus regius) -- 1/ 4.3 (in)/ 0.08 (lb)0.08 (lb)
Schuylkill River, PA - 03/10/13


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-- Fallfish (Semotilus corporalis) -- 46.5 (in)0.17 (lb)0.41 (lb)
Poquessing Creek, PA - 07/15/13


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-- Flathead Catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) -- 1031.5 (in)18.20 (lb)86.45 (lb)
Schuylkill River, PA - 08/26/13



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-- Gizzard Shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) -- 213.2 (in)1.08 (lb)1.96 (lb)
Schuylkill River, PA - 04/29/13


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-- Goldfish (Carassius auratus auratus) -- 2/ 9.5 (in)/ 0.75 (lb)1.00 (lb)
Dinosaur Lake, PA - 06/17/13


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-- Golden Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss - Alt.) -- 1/ 18.0 (in)1.75 (lb)/ 1.75  (lb)
Wissahickon Creek, PA - 04/06/13


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-- Golden Shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas) -- 16/ 6.5 (in)/ 0.22 (lb)1.46 (lb)
Delaware River, PA - 07/24/13


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-- Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) -- 1646.5 (in)/ 0.48 (lb)21.29 (lb)
Concourse Lake, PA - 06/12/13



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-- Hickory Shad (Alosa mediocris) -- 215.7 (in)1.15 (lb)/ 1.88 (lb)
Schuylkill River, PA - 04/29/13


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-- Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) -- 70/ 17.6  (in)3.08 (lb)/ 86.23 (lb)
Newton Lake, NJ - 04/14/13


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-- Mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus) -- 19/ 3.0  (in)0.02 (lb)/ 0.21 (lb)
Byberry Creek, PA - 06/04/13


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-- Northern Puffer (Sphoeroides maculatus) -- 1/ 5.5  (in)0.16 (lb)/ 0.16 (lb)
Absecon Bay Inlet, NJ - 08/13/13


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-- Northern Snakehead (Channa argus) -- 4/ 19.2  (in)/ 3.05 (lb)/ 2.35 (lb)
Newton Creek, PA - 05/20/13


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-- Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) -- 40/ 7.3 (in)/ 0.55 (lb)/ 7.00 (lb)
Delaware River, PA - 06/20/13



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-- 
Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) -- 28/ 12.5 (in)/ 0.44 (lb)10.66 (lb)

Pennypack Creek, PA - 10/14/13




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-- 
Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus) -- 2696.5 (in)/ 0.18 (lb)34.43 (lb)
Byberry Creek, PA - 05/06/13



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-- 
Rock Bass (Ambloplites rupestris) -- 1706.3 (in)/ 0.18 (lb)25.56 (lb)
Wissahickon Creek, PA - 05/04/13



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-- 
Satinfin Shiner (Notropis analostanus) -- 2/ 3.1 (in)/ 0.03 (lb)0.05 (lb)
Schuylkill River, PA - 05/19/13

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-- 
Scup 
(Stenotomus chrysops) -- 410.2 (in)0.85 (lb)3.70 (lb)
Lagoon Pond, MA - 08/06/13



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-- 
Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu) -- 1116.5 (in)/ 2.10 (lb)/ 11.39 (lb)
Schuylkill River, PA - 10/07/13


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-- 
Spot Croaker 
(Leiostomus xanthurus) -- 96.2 (in)0.25 (lb)1.89  (lb)
Absecon Bay Inlet, NJ - 08/12/13



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-- 
Spottail Shiner (Notropis hudsonius) -- 134.2 (in)/ 0.06 (lb)/ 0.46  (lb)

Tacony Creek, PA - 05/02/13


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-- Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) -- 1/ 6.8  (in)0.18 (lb)/ 0.18  (lb)
Schuylkill River, PA - 05/09/13



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-- 
Summer Flounder (Paralichthys dentatus-- 418.0 (in)2.32 (lb)7.36  (lb)
Barnegat Bay, NJ - 07/14/13



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-- 
Swallowtail Shiner (Notropis procne) -- 52.0 (in)/ 0.01 (lb)/ 0.05  (lb)
Byberry Creek, PA - 05/06/13


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-- Tautog (Tautoga onitis) -- 1/ 10.5  (in)1.33 (lb)/ 1.33  (lb)

Absecon Bay Inlet, NJ - 08/12/13

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-- 
Western Mosquitofish 
(Gambusia affinis) -- 31.5 (in)--- (lb)---  (lb)
Newton Lake, NJ - 08/14/13



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-- 
White Catfish (Ictalarus/Ameiurus Catus-- 318.0 (in)4.58 (lb)5.05  (lb)
Schuylkill River, PA - 06/16/13



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--
White Perch (Morone americana) -- 385.0 (in)/ 0.13 (lb)3.46  (lb)
Newton Lake, NJ - 04/11/13

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-- 
White Sucker (Catostomus commersonii) -- 14/ 14.0 (in)/ 0.58 (lb)3.79  (lb)

Tookany Creek, PA - 07/10/13

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--
Yellow Bullhead (Ameiurus natalis) -- 713.5 (in)1.05 (lb)4.45  (lb)
Haddon Lake, NJ - 04/07/13


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-- Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) -- 86.1 (in)/ 0.15 (lb)1.36 (lb)
Upper Cooper River, NJ - 01/21/13


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-- Hybrid Sunfish (---------------------- 197--- (in)--- (lb)33.49 (lb)
------------------------- - --/--/13


Bluegill X Pumpkinseed -- Haddon Lake

Bluegill X Green Sunfish -- Dinosaur Lake

Pumpkinseed X Green Sunfish -- Dinosaur Lake

Bluegill X Green Sunfish -- Delaware River