Holliday's World Famous Fishing Thread - 2023 Version

[The New Holliday]

. Finally a nice day and the river fishable levels. Spent the late morning, full afternoon nearly - about 5 hrs which is a long day at this time of year. It was interesting.
. I went with the idea of working some lures I don't ordinarily use often and never early season. River being a bit high and a bit cold for real wet wading so I decided to sling some metal. 1/4 oz Krocodile and 1/8 oz Sonar. They fly. American Shad are coming up river now to spawn - never have caught one. All I know is Shad Dart...that's what you catch them on. Apparently they also like both of the aforementioned lures too. Caught 3 which gave good fight. Also the Fallfish were abitin and I caught 5 of those plus 1 Walleye.
. Smallies still a little slow but I caught 5 to two lbs and lost 2 including one (I think) also weighty. I didn't see that fish even though I had it close so it wasn't another of the Shad...maybe a Striper(?) dunno - probably a big Smallie. A nice and interesting day all around. Toads getting ready to do their mating thing also - or did and a hanging around still. Lotza singing toads. I didn't see egg pearl strings though.
More cooling and rain tomorrow...then spring(?).

 

[oldslowandugly]

Holliday, do you ever use bait casting reels? I sent an Ambassadeur to my cousin in PA. He complains he can't cast as far as with a spinning reel. Well, DUH. They are two different things for different purposes. If I am casting a lure all day I use spinning- it is easier on my body. But if I am bait fishing with a big bait and a heavy sinker- I use a surf casting rod and reel. It is much more capable and if I nail a huge Bluefish- it will handle him much better. I do use small bait casters for bottom fishing. I have no place to use a bait caster for lures like the pro's on TV. They make it look easy.

 

[The New Holliday]

Holliday, do you ever use bait casting reels? I sent an Ambassadeur to my cousin in PA. He complains he can't cast as far as with a spinning reel. Well, DUH. They are two different things for different purposes. If I am casting a lure all day I use spinning- it is easier on my body. But if I am bait fishing with a big bait and a heavy sinker- I use a surf casting rod and reel. It is much more capable and if I nail a huge Bluefish- it will handle him much better. I do use small bait casters for bottom fishing. I have no place to use a bait caster for lures like the pro's on TV. They make it look easy.

For many years I used baitcasters exclusively fishing mostly reservoirs with heavy cover and larger Bass.
. When I moved to my present locale I started using spinning gear more because the river is the main fishery, but there are some places I'll still take the heavier gear...the big reservoirs and a couple or 5 Bass lakes and ponds including the one I was at today. Where I was today is a small lake but with plenty weeds and lily. It's all Largemouth. It was my first time there this year, a nice 40 minute hike in. Got 8 on mainly 5" Dingers, up to a little over 2 lbs. Also spotted a 5 line skink which is rare for me. When I am there I always bring my old Shimanos,
The 40 year old 21 SG, and an old Calcutta. They never fail.

 

[The New Holliday]

.. I thought today might be the day. Decided to go down to the favorite spot on the river. It really is a magic place and more so now with all the still fresh green around. 4 days of rain and such coming so even though the river was over a foot higher than I usually consider the highest worth fishing I go. I get down there and there are 4 guys in tiny rent-a-yaks moving through. I get a one word answer to "How's the fishing today" - Tough.
.Yeah, I could see that by looking...brown and movin fast.
I start in what is normally a productive spot with the same lure set I'd done well with the last time but 2 hours of zip even after moving downstream to a bit deeper wider stretch. By then I thinking this is the day I get skunked after over 2 years and over 150 outings. Not time to give up so I look through the arsenal for something that will get down a little in the water column. I locate a 1/4 oz ballhead rigged with a ribbed paddletail and start winging with a slow retrieve. A few casts only and WHAMO!, but I'm on a high muddy bank and got no good landing spot, so I spy a place 15 ft downstream...using my left hand to brace and control my slide down the bank while sweeping the rod across to keep tension on the great beast, I recover my footing in the shallow bankside. I get that baby in...all 3/4 of a pound of it and my streak is intact.
Next cast I pick up a Walleye, then another somewhat bigger beast of a Smallie. These things sure feel big in swift water. Then a much larger Walleye. As I brought it near me I considered keeping it for a dinner, but wondering at the good fight it put up and how much it seemed to want life, I released it unharmed.
Looked like storm moving in so I took a new way out which I had noticed as I passed earlier. It was a long way back and some areas it was necessary to stay in the water. Eletrical storms, water.... I climbed the bank up to an old farm road I knew was there. It will be a really time saver on the way in too when I want to start lower down.

Oh, and before I made that tough and very fun climb out I decided to take a leak. Put my rods down (3), and turned while still in the shallow to water the river, then I thought - I know I won't fall but better not to have the pack on as a standard safety precaution. I take it off then turn back and as I do, across on the opposite bank I see a black object just disappearing behind some low vegetation. Maybe a bear. While still leaking I call out "Hello bear". Moments later the bear rises up on rears to spy me. I wave. I always like to let a bear know I am around and that I am one of the friendly humans. Then..I see two little black balls at the riverside. Mom's cubs are having a swim...she calls them back, and they disappear.

OH..PS. It was the new Battle III I was using and also on those Shad and Smallies last time. Working good.

 

[oldslowandugly]

Sounds like a great day. I find dirty water/darkness is usually good for poppers. A little noise lets them find the lure easy. Sometimes that is all they will take.

 

[oldslowandugly]

I found my old Mitchel Salt Water 302. This is the first reel I ever bought, on my own, with paper route money. I got it at EJ Korvettes in the 1960's. I had also bought a 10' surf rod which I still have. I caught my first Striper with that rig. After an extensive overhaul, I am ready to use it. The inside was pretty clean, but the drag was stuck. I had to research how it worked- complicated! I took the bail off of another one my friend gave me. [I had made it manual bail- good for surf- bad on a boat]. I half-filled it with bulk 25 lb line and topped off with 20 lb Gold Stren. I put it on a PENN 7' graphite Spinfisher rod. Ready for battle with Bluefish.

 

[The New Holliday]

I found my old Mitchel Salt Water 302. This is the first reel I ever bought, on my own, with paper route money. I got it at EJ Korvettes in the 1960's. I had also bought a 10' surf rod which I still have. I caught my first Striper with that rig. After an extensive overhaul, I am ready to use it. The inside was pretty clean, but the drag was stuck. I had to research how it worked- complicated! I took the bail off of another one my friend gave me. [I had made it manual bail- good for surf- bad on a boat]. I half-filled it with bulk 25 lb line and topped off with 20 lb Gold Stren. I put it on a PENN 7' graphite Spinfisher rod. Ready for battle with Bluefish.

You should do a vid for me of them battles.

 

[oldslowandugly]

Believe me- when you are in the midst of a Bluefish blitz- no one has time for pictures. It is all-hands-on-deck before they sound and are gone. And I have yet to meet a fisherman willing to not fish while they are jumping out of the water!

 

[oldslowandugly]

Holliday- I was watching a show about the rivers with problems, pollution, over development, silting, and your Lenape was the one being investigated. The Lenape tribe was interviewed and they are the 'river keepers', that take care of stuff and raise awareness the about health of the river. Removing dams, getting buildings away from the flood plains, and monitoring the river temperature which is rising every year. They began at the Beaver Kill tributary and went all the way down to Philly. As they kayaked down the river at most spots I noticed fish breaking not far from the filming crew. A professional guide said the fishing is shifting more to winter and even the bug hatches are affected.

 

[The New Holliday]

Holliday- I was watching a show about the rivers with problems, pollution, over development, silting, and your Lenape was the one being investigated. The Lenape tribe was interviewed and they are the 'river keepers', that take care of stuff and raise awareness the about health of the river. Removing dams, getting buildings away from the flood plains, and monitoring the river temperature which is rising every year. They began at the Beaver Kill tributary and went all the way down to Philly. As they kayaked down the river at most spots I noticed fish breaking not far from the filming crew. A professional guide said the fishing is shifting more to winter and even the bug hatches are affected.

. The water is pretty clear unless the rains muddy them up. One thing I will say is that there have been more motorized craft on the river even in the mid Delaware. I have made complaints about this since often those boaters are rude as hell, having no respect for other people, for the river and its wildlife. I've spoken to rangers who have told me that there is less policing (them) because rangers are quitting because they are tired of dealing with assholes. One solution comes to mind is to ban motors, but law says that if it's navigable waterway motors are permitted. I say fuck motors. The simple fact is that the more city shitheads (aka citiots as they are known) that move or recreate this way the more fucked up things become.
Also, I don't want to mention specific demographics but there are groups who come and take over an area on weekends and leave trash everywhere, and I mean tampons and disposable diapers etc. On the PA side many access points are closed on weekends since cleanup became an impossible task. These are people from the outside coming and fucking things up. ..... Actually, don't get me started......

 

[oldslowandugly]

And here I thought you were immune from the Asshat Navy. By me, there is plenty of room for boats. And they still manege to fuck things up. They actually have 'wake boats' that fill the stern with water to intentionally make huge wakes for kids to wakeboard behind. Of course they never go outside because it is 'too rough'. So they plow around inside making a huge wake wherever they go. Totally inconsiderate. And blasting moron music at maximum volume.

Here, the first rule of the sea is - If my boat is bigger than yours- you are not there. The more expensive the boat- the bigger the asshole. I actually see racing craft flying around the back bays at WOT- then turn around at the inlet and go back. Pussies.

I can't even count the places the morons have shitted up and now the NO FISHING signs are up. They leave bait, booze bottles, food, junk, and yes, diapers. WTF is up with that ?!?

This why I avoid weekends. I prefer to go at Sunset. High tide is best. A setting Sun and rising tide and I will get fish.

 

[oldslowandugly]

We went out on Juneteenth, asshats everywhere. Still, we had the correct wind/tide combo to fish my favorite Fluke creek. We got ten of these throwback guys. The one biggest keeper we kept for dinner. It fed four of us with leftovers. Notice the Fluke pliers. An old 1960's product that is still the best way to handle razor toothed fish.

 

[oldslowandugly]

I had a day off, so I went fishing. Drizzly, foggy at first, so no boat traffic. My creek was paved with throwback Fluke. Wind and tide were good, and it was just me and a guy with a jet ski rigged for fishing. Then the Sun came out, asshats showed up, but the fish kept biting. I finally got a fat slob out of all the throwbacks. Tide quit, I left. A good day after all.

 

[The Best Holliday]

. Hasn't been much Bass fishing going on - a couple decent days for LMB at a hike in PA lake, little opportunity on the river with all of the rain, but finally down to fishable levels. Probably head out tomorrow, or even later today for a bit.
. In the mean time, however, I got a couple of good days in on the wild trout river. 6 nice ones the one day and 5 the following, up to about 1 1/2 lbs (Browns). Yesterday I go because a buddy is camping along side and the conditions had completely changed. The plan was to catch and enjoy a waterside meal....but no. One undersized in 2 hrs - low water, sun. Death to trout fishing. It's a beautiful place though so there's no going wrong and I did meet a very nice Buddhist lady on the way out.

 

[The Best Holliday]

...and I did get out today upriver for the first time.
. About half way there I was like...Uh, oh yeah it's the 4th.
So there were rafts everywhere, but I've found on a good day it doesn't seem to bother the fish, so I found the less fished spots and commenced to casting. I found quickly that 1/4 oz ballhead jig with 3.25 and 3.5" paddletails was the ticket. Caught 11 in the first location (1 1/4 hr), one on a popper, and lost another 3. Skipped down to another spot which I've never fished this early in the year. I get down to the water and there's a young Tex-Mexican with a loverly straw cowboy hat. He looks at me quizzically.. "You catch fish here?". He hadn't got any. Yeah, ordinarily, sez I.
. 20 minutes later not a bite. I leave and go further down to a spot that always produces.
.25 minutes and 1 catch on a popper, one other hit that didn't hang.
It's still heating up and hit or miss it seems, but it is coming.
Maybe I'll get back tomorrow or Sunday.
. If the fishing ain't great there will still be plenny girls in bikinis.

 

[oldslowandugly]

My neighbor and his kid were leaving to go down to Far Rockaway. I had given them each a decent fishing rod to get started. When I heard Rockaway I gave him an eight foot Berkley surf rod with a big Daiwa reel I had been saving for him. I told him you need to always have a rod rigged for Bluefish because when they show they are not going to wait for you to rig up. I showed him the Improved Clinch Knot, and tied a short steel leader on. I gave them some AVA tube tail jigs and a Kastmaster. I also gave them some sand spikes. He is a plumber so I told him he can cut some more from PVC pipe as needed. He did not even wait for me to go along and show him the ropes, they just went. Gotta love that. They want to fish. The locals down there are good at teaching newbies, if you are respectful. I learned a lot from those old timers.

 

[oldslowandugly]

Here is one for the books. I was done gassing the boat, decided to fish a bit. No Fluke in my local creek at all. The Blueclaw crabs are in, attacking the baits. So I switch over to the middle of the big channel where I can drift up and over a shallow section then back down the deep side. The Fluke like to lie along the slopes and ambush bait. I get a few shorties, nothing special. I finally get a decent hit, set the hook, and start to reel it up. It stops. I can't get it to come up at all. Then is starts to move away. WTF?!? It just keeps moving, slowly, away from me. I am losing line, the drag is howling, what to do? I try to add pressure to the spool with my hand, it keeps moving. Then- what looks like a huge chunk of telephone pole slowly comes to the surface. It is brown, thick, and oblivious of me. It is a HUGE COW STRIPER!!! I can't turn it with a small Fluke rod and baitcaster reel with 14 lb line. It just keeps going, slowly, away. Then the line pops. Gone. Bass have sharp gill covers. Maybe she sliced the line that was annoying her. I'll never know. I figure this Bass saw a Fluke struggling, off the bottom, and just slurped up an easy meal. Then just kept slowly going along, thanks for lunch, later. It was probably not even hooked, the Fluke was. It took the entire rig, hook, line, swivel, and leadhead jig. I just stood there wondering what the fuck just happened. I cast around a bit, but, this day was done. Holy moley.

 

[The Best Holliday]

Here is one for the books. I was done gassing the boat, decided to fish a bit. No Fluke in my local creek at all. The Blueclaw crabs are in, attacking the baits. So I switch over to the middle of the big channel where I can drift up and over a shallow section then back down the deep side. The Fluke like to lie along the slopes and ambush bait. I get a few shorties, nothing special. I finally get a decent hit, set the hook, and start to reel it up. It stops. I can't get it to come up at all. Then is starts to move away. WTF?!? It just keeps moving, slowly, away from me. I am losing line, the drag is howling, what to do? I try to add pressure to the spool with my hand, it keeps moving. Then- what looks like a huge chunk of telephone pole slowly comes to the surface. It is brown, thick, and oblivious of me. It is a HUGE COW STRIPER!!! I can't turn it with a small Fluke rod and baitcaster reel with 14 lb line. It just keeps going, slowly, away. Then the line pops. Gone. Bass have sharp gill covers. Maybe she sliced the line that was annoying her. I'll never know. I figure this Bass saw a Fluke struggling, off the bottom, and just slurped up an easy meal. Then just kept slowly going along, thanks for lunch, later. It was probably not even hooked, the Fluke was. It took the entire rig, hook, line, swivel, and leadhead jig. I just stood there wondering what the fuck just happened. I cast around a bit, but, this day was done. Holy moley.

Didn't you have your harpoon?

Hey, do you catch and eat crabs?
.I had an aunt lived in Brielle. Me and my brother used to catch crabs at an inlet like a 1/2 block away, and my aunt would prepare them for us. There were loads of horseshoe crab shells all around.
A very good memory from my yute.

 

[The Best Holliday]

Been lean on the fishing front. I got to a small lake or large pond that just opened to the public. Town bought it.
. Checked it out quickly then went back the next day appropriately geared. Shore fishing is limited but I tried to cover the areas that weren't too overgrown or swampy. Highly tannin stained.
.Third cast I get a smallish Largemouth and a few minutes later a smallish pickerel.
Another hr and zip...I leave. Only way I'd return is with a boat.

Today I decided to go to a hike in lake I haven't been at recently. Sunday the place is usually under pressure, so I never take gear - who wants to fight for elbow room. Took to it from a more remote parking area, so it's a nice 1 1/2 - 2 hr round trip. Get there...not a soul around and the conditions even in the afternoon seemed prime with a sketchy day and dropping barometer. Oh well, maybe later this week. I found loads of Wineberry though. They seem to be expanding their number in the area. Very yummy - taste like watermelon.

 

[oldslowandugly]

Hey, do you catch and eat crabs?

Blue Claws have to be the most tasty crab on the planet. Not too hard to catch if you are set up properly. We like to anchor up and rig a chum pot to draw them in. You can either use collapse-able traps or hang a chicken leg on a string, slowly lift it, and net them right before they drop off. We often can fill a five gallon bucket, sometimes two. Kids love crabbing.

The issue is that they are incredibly messy to clean and eat. You drop them live into a pot of boiling water. Then the fun begins opening them and picking the meat out. I will say that Flounder stuffed with crab meat is particularly delicious.

 

[realgrimm]

 

[The Best Holliday]

Blue Claws have to be the most tasty crab on the planet. Not too hard to catch if you are set up properly. We like to anchor up and rig a chum pot to draw them in. You can either use collapse-able traps or hang a chicken leg on a string, slowly lift it, and net them right before they drop off. We often can fill a five gallon bucket, sometimes two. Kids love crabbing.

The issue is that they are incredibly messy to clean and eat. You drop them live into a pot of boiling water. Then the fun begins opening them and picking the meat out. I will say that Flounder stuffed with crab meat is particularly delicious.

I miss those summers, or that aspect of it, though god knows how polluted that water was.
. Maybe I'll fix myself a seafood dinner.

 

[oldslowandugly]

Take out?!?