Holliday's World Famous Fishing Thread - 2023 Version

[The New Holliday]

Wow I just saw this thread from the bump.

This looks awesome.

It is. Not only that...it's World Famous.
...or
that may be why it's world famous.

 

[jack]

It is. Not only that...it's World Famous.

I love fishing. I get really expanded when I'm around the water like that.

 

[The New Holliday]

I love fishing. I get really expanded when I'm around the water like that.

...so, you are very absorbent?

 

[jack]

Something like that. I have some gear and love to trout fish. Love pickerel, pike, sea bass.

Fish are fun to chase around and catch.

 

[oldslowandugly]

It is known now more commonly as the Delaware.

Aaaaah, OK. A co-worker used to fish the upper Delaware. Around Port Jervis I believe. Searching I saw a lot about the Lenape people.
I was on a beer run to Wilkes-Barre for some Stegmaier Porter. He had convinced me to try fishing at some of his sneak spots where we would not be asked for licenses. We caught nothing but the spots were beautiful.
Here's another blast from the past. Notice it is from Germany. We used a lot of ANDE line, also from Germany. I'd say between STREN and ANDE that did us well until DuPont made PRIME. That is a co-filament line. Inside, no stretch at all. Outer layer is STREN. Expensive, did not sell, I grabbed a much as I could when it was on closeout sale. I have been using it for almost 30 years.

 

[The New Holliday]

Aaaaah, OK. A co-worker used to fish the upper Delaware. Around Port Jervis I believe. Searching I saw a lot about the Lenape people.
I was on a beer run to Wilkes-Barre for some Stegmaier Porter. He had convinced me to try fishing at some of his sneak spots where we would not be asked for licenses. We caught nothing but the spots were beautiful.
Here's another blast from the past. Notice it is from Germany. We used a lot of ANDE line, also from Germany. I'd say between STREN and ANDE that did us well until DuPont made PRIME. That is a co-filament line. Inside, no stretch at all. Outer layer is STREN. Expensive, did not sell, I grabbed a much as I could when it was on closeout sale. I have been using it for almost 30 years.

. I know good stretches of the river from Narrowsburg NY to the Water Gap. Below as you get closer to the bay is where you get the Stripers and larger smallies from what I hear but I never get down there. Believe it or not the most wild stretches are through (bordering) northern NJ which is all state lands.
Speaking of PA though, I want to get out to the Susquehanna (which is also in NY state) which is said to be a top notch Smallmouth river. I came across the vid below recently. The guy there is from Tennessee and usually is fishing little creeks for 6" Bass. It's a riot really the way he gets all juiced over them. Thing is I have to do more research into the better access points for shore fishing and wet-wading, and where the campgrounds are since it will be more than a day trip. Suskie is always muddy it seems.

 

[oldslowandugly]

We may have fished some of the same water. I went to Wilkes-Barre on 80, but we came back on 84 because he knew that area north of Port Jervis. I can't remember where exactly, but we were far from any civilization. Woods and stuff, sneak spots.

When we cross at Harrisburg the Susquehanna always looks fishable to me. Lots of islands, snags, structure. I never had time to stop . In Binghamton it looked smaller but even more fishable. I had to get to a funeral in Pittsburgh and it was the day after a hurricane nailed upstate. The Delaware at the gap was about 100ft deep of muddy water and wall to wall. Trees where totally submerged.

I drove to Baltimore to buy an outboard motor. The guy had a Whaler, and went up the Delaware for fishing. He did not like the salt section and wanted brackish or fresh water.

 

[oldslowandugly]

Holiday- so far no more 704Z reels on that Fleabay store. I may have gotten the last one. Now I am seeing used reels going for more than I paid for that new one.

I have a lot of Cod fishing tackle. I haven't gone deep sea fishing in years. But fresh Cod is a real treat. My wife came up with a Cod Balls recipe that made it into a few cookbooks. Maybe I will take my daughter and grandson out on a party boat if the weather is nice. This is one situation where braided line is king. I use 50lb green spot braided dacron line. I used to know a knot that attached a mono leader/hook to the line so the leader stood out at an upward angle from the line. The old timers showed it to us so as to reduce the hardware like swivels and stand-offs. Now I'm an old timer and I can't remember how to tie it.

 

[oldslowandugly]

AAAARGH!! I had to extract myself from the politics section. Let me wipe the troll dung off my feet and catch some fresh air. I am aggravated I can't go fishing so I vent over there.

Any Christmas deals? I got very lucky. I nailed another Abu Garcia 1021 PLUS. This is my go-to Fluking reel. It has the flipping switch I call the Fluking switch. I can drop down into a channel or hole and re-engage the reel just by releasing my thumb. Very affective. Best of- it is NEW! Good price too. I don't find these very often and when I do I jump on them.

I was watching some expensive lots of rubber worms on Fleabay. I like 100 packs. The Fluke and Blues have super sharp teeth and will burn through your baits like crazy. Someone had several 100 lots of old school Mann's Jelly Worms. Some reddish brown, some purple-ish blue, but there was a bag of my favorite color- motor oil with gold flakes. They look exactly like marine sandworms. Fluke slurp them right down. So I have them in my cart for a while, and getting close to Christmas, the seller offers a healthy discount. I ask if I can get that discount with the other packs. They said YES. So I ended up with 600 worms. Most are 6" but some are 8". Just what I need.

I need to try and rig my jigs so the hook tip is buried in the worm. I get lots of seaweed snagged on the hook and it looks phony. Is this a technique, or a special jig hook that beds into the worm?

This is the motor oil color that is big medicine by me.

 

[The New Holliday]

I recall them 1021 reels from olden times.
Do you rig the worms Texas? I use Eagle Claw Lazer Sharp worm hooks (LO45) - that's what they call them today. They are offset with a curved shaft to facilitate hooksets. They used to be called Tru-Turn Automatic Lazer .45. Luckily I still have many though they are not the ones I use for unweighted. I think you could use them with a pegged bullet weight which is how I used to boat-fish 6" curltails - 3/0 or 4/0 was the size I used for Largemouth. Today I mostly use EWG hooks unweighted for senko type worms. You need the weight though so bullet weights should be good to slip the weeds.

. Yesterday I was watching a vid on some guy's fav topwater baits of the year. He mentioned one which is a fav of mine and another similar lure I hadn't heard of - the Ice Glider which has some very nice finishes. Got to pick up a couple. Then he mentions a Norman lure I have one of - the Top Dollar - which is long out of production. I used it once, found it casts poorly on casting gear and put it away. Today of curiosity I got on ebay to see if any were available. Yes - 4...all 4 unpackaged between 50 and 75 beans. I know I got mine from ebay and no way I paid that much or anything close. Now I can't use it.

17 bucks for a 50 ct - 4/0 size

Norman Top Dollar: (and it's only 50$)

 

[oldslowandugly]

Ah, so. A special hook. I get it. I have used bullet sinkers with worms, mostly for the 'fish finder' function so the fish can hit the worm and not feel the sinker. I usually just use a lead head jig, slip a worm or grub on, maybe a squid strip for flavor. But that catches sea weed. How about this here? A lead head with a worm hook.

 

[The New Holliday]

Ah, so. A special hook. I get it. I have used bullet sinkers with worms, mostly for the 'fish finder' function so the fish can hit the worm and not feel the sinker. I usually just use a lead head jig, slip a worm or grub on, maybe a squid strip for flavor. But that catches sea weed. How about this here? A lead head with a worm hook.

Thems EWGs so the flat part of the hook lays exposed along the plastic. I find they tend to need attention every few casts, but you get a good hookup ratio. Also, in that case the weight is fixed, where with a two piece system you can mix and match your weights and hook sizes.

 

[oldslowandugly]

with a two piece system you can mix and match your weights and hook sizes.

I see. How does the weight attach to the hook? Or do you mean the bullet weight ? That would be important to me as depths change fast and weight requirements change too. I do have an assortment of bullet weights but I never tried them in deep water. In my area I can go from 1/4oz to 8oz in a short time. I have learned that on a rising tide the fish will drive the bait right into very shallow water. That is where a Whaler shines as I only draw less than a foot of water. I have been in water so shallow I can see the fish fighting over the bait.

 

[The New Holliday]

I peg my bullet weights with a toothpick - you know ram er in there, and break off the excess (most of it).

They got the new fangled line/weight/bobber stops. Never tried em.



with toothpick: (this guy goes through the top where I always go through the hook side)

 

[oldslowandugly]

Hmmmm. I have never pegged the weight. I expect the weight to swing free. If stuck at the hook, the fish can feel it. I mostly use a bullet weight on my line on a sandy slope in the inlet, from shore. I toss it out and slowly slide the rig up the slope. If a fish bites he only gets the hook and skirt- no weight.

I also use a 'fish finder' which is a plastic sinker holder that lets the line slip freely. Fish takes bait, sinker stays put, fish feels nothing until I set the hook. Sinker never gets close to hook because I use a swivel about three feet from the hook to attach the leader. I particularly like a float rig so the bait stays away from the crabs.

Here is the shoreline rig I use. I stand just inside the inlet at Far Rockaway. I add maybe a squid strip and toss it out to the end of the ledge into the channel. Work it up the slope slowly. Fish doesn't feel weight. First is expanded view, next is as in use.Wide gap hook, a glow bead to fill the head of the glow skirt, bullet weight.

 

[The New Holliday]

Hmmmm. I have never pegged the weight. I expect the weight to swing free. If stuck at the hook, the fish can feel it. I mostly use a bullet weight on my line on a sandy slope in the inlet, from shore. I toss it out and slowly slide the rig up the slope. If a fish bites he only gets the hook and skirt- no weight.

I also use a 'fish finder' which is a plastic sinker holder that lets the line slip freely. Fish takes bait, sinker stays put, fish feels nothing until I set the hook. Sinker never gets close to hook because I use a swivel about three feet from the hook to attach the leader. I particularly like a float rig so the bait stays away from the crabs.

Here is the shoreline rig I use. I stand just inside the inlet at Far Rockaway. I add maybe a squid strip and toss it out to the end of the ledge into the channel. Work it up the slope slowly. Fish doesn't feel weight. First is expanded view, next is as in use.Wide gap hook, a glow bead to fill the head of the glow skirt, bullet weight.

Of course if you peg the weight you can position it up the line if you like, or let it ride free w/o pegging. Naturally if you Texas rig then you have to hit it harder to drive the hook through the plastic, but it is a very effective weedless rig.

 

[oldslowandugly]

Lots of stuff to think about over the winter. I never got the chance to make those ball head jigs over the summer. I have 1-1.5-2-3 oz cavity DO-IT mold. A hundred hooks for each size. Last winter I was too busy. If it is going to be as cold as I think it is I may just stay down the basement making rigs and jigs.