# Two Reports for the Price of One: 3/14 7 3/15



## Captain Ahab (Mar 16, 2008)

*FRIDAY MARCH 14, 2008*

The day started out warm, in the upper 40s and got warmer, until it was near 60* by the afternoon. I had a bunch of paperwork to complete for the week so I sat at my desk working and staring out the window wishing I was fishing. by early afternoon my fishing sense too over so I sent off the last mailing of the day and started gathering my fishing gear.

Tackle bag - Check
Nice selection of cool water type baits - Check
Camera - Check
Earthworms, just in case I found some hungry Crappie - Check
Boots - Check
Hat and glasses - Check


So I loaded up the car and headed out around 2:30 p.m. hoping that I would find the sunny day had warmed up the ponds sufficiently to get the LM Bass active. Drove about and hour (with traffic) to get to the spot .

About ten minutes from the pond, while I was dreaming of what I woudl throw 1st and where, I look over at my tackle bag and noticed that i forgot to load a necessary piece of gear - I forgot my rod!!!!!!! I( began muttering curses and doing time line math in my head - 40 minutes back, another hour to return and it was already 3:30 p.m. Sun goes down at around 7 p.m. DAMN IT DAMN IT DAMN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I then had a revelation bordering on Genius, Ethan (Leibs16) lived very close to this pond, I would contact him and borrow a rod. A few quick calls, a short drive, and I was back in business, Leibs saves that day!

Not only did Ethan most graciously lend me a fishing rod, he lent me his pride and joy, a brand new Kistler with his brand new reel. What a nice set up! THANKS LEIBS!


Hit the lake around 4 p.m. and tried many different lures without any hits. It also got windy but was still nice and warm at least. A stupid Swan followed me around trumpeting at me as I was clearly trespassing in the bird's territory. I tried using a small husky Jerk in the spillway and got an immediate hit from what I believe was a trout. It threw the hook so I never got the fish to hand.

Found a nice downed tree in the water and was rewarded by these Dinks:













That was it for the day, but it was still far better to be out fishing that sitting in the office working!

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*SATURDAY MARCH 15, 2008 - BIG D*


Headed out very early Saturday morning for a much anticipated trip to the lower Delaware River to try for spring stripers. Met up with NicDicarlo and we left Philadelphia around 8 a.m., on the way there Nic gets a speeding ticket from a police officer who was in a bad mood and wearing way too much cologne - whew! What a buzz kill. 

We recovered from this delay and made our way to the area we wanted to fish. Neither of us had ever fished this area of the River but I did have a reliable report and some directions. We parked in a safe area and knew the direction to the river, but had no idea which path lead where. 

We hiked in the correct direction carrying way to much gear. After a few hundred yards we found a little used "path" that was going. what appeared to be, directly to the river. We veered onto this "path" and about 500 yards later the path starts to get muddy and wet. Nic stops and puts on his waders (I was already wearing mine) and we think, great since the path is wet the river cannot be far. Mind you, we were in a vast area of tall rushes so our visibility was limited to a few feet; the rushes formed a tunnel over our heads and were at least ten feet high.

We start to see daylight at the end of the path and I though, great that has to be the river - how wrong I was. The water on the path is now knee deep and when we reach the end there is a pond!!!! On the far side of the pond is a 30 foot tall berm of earth. We opt to wade the edges of the pond, the water is up to our waist, and finally make it to the earthen berm. We get there and realize it is more like a cliff and, after brief deliberation, we craw up the side, dragging rods, cooler, boots and other assorted fishing gear.

At the top we figure the river must be right there - NOPE! There is another vast field of swamps and rushes, with no path. We finally see the river about a mile away and follow the top of the earthworks until we spot a feeder stream with a path nearby. We make it to the river.

A few minutes after getting our bait in the water my rod goes off and I fight a decent fish to the shore only to have my leader break! We are happy that there are fish hitting so I reset and the rod goes off again, and I land a smaller channel cat:






I land another one slightly larger and we both miss several fish. Action is steady but everything is a catfish - no stripers. The delays have caused us to miss the top of the tide and we are now fishing a quickly receding outgoing, not the best striper conditions in this area. We remain resolute determined to catch the channel cats and hope for a big cows striper.

Nic misses about ten fish, he was having a bad luck day. I land one more nice cat:






We finish up the day fishing another area for LM bass without any luck.

Great day fishing and very entertaining :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Derek777 (Mar 16, 2008)

this is the most unbelievable fishing report ever! not the fishing catching part, as Dave is a fish catching machine whos bright shining light is only eclipsed by the true mastery of mr. fish, who in my opinion, has caught more great fish in this area than anyone ive seen, and is supreme in his abilities!

i just cant believe Dave was finally driving! 
however, this topic is useless without driving pix and or video of the actin progress and the inquiring public want visual proof! lolololol



esquired said:


> *FRIDAY MARCH 14, 2008*
> 
> 
> *So I loaded up the car *



does this mean you are mobile again?

btw, as you were on the lower delaware, and nicdicarlo has had experience down there, i was wondering is hes ever caught or seen any snakeheads, as ive heard that theyre in the roosevelt reservoir.
id love to go on a snakehead expedition.


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## Captain Ahab (Mar 16, 2008)

Derek - WTF kind of stupidity is this - I have always drove, i just share the car with the wife and do not like to leave her without a vehicle.

Go find your fish pictures :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Derek777 (Mar 16, 2008)

i just want to see you driving up in a sexy caddy eldorado convertible someday!
youd be able to fit tons of tackle in the trunk.


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## Captain Ahab (Mar 16, 2008)

Derek777 said:


> i just want to see you driving up in a sexy caddy eldorado convertible someday!
> youd be able to fit tons of tackle in the trunk.



They have not made that car in years

I do not own tons of tackle


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## FishinsMyLife (Mar 16, 2008)

Nice cats and monster bass. What were you using for bait for the cats/stripers?


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## Captain Ahab (Mar 16, 2008)

Thanks man  

We were using bloodworms


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## DocWatson (Mar 16, 2008)

esquired wrote:


> We were using bloodworms



Expensive bait for catfish. :wink: 

Nice report. Glad you guys didn't get the skunk. And you had a nice nature walk too. 8)


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## slim357 (Mar 16, 2008)

damn dave you might be edging out bass for the horse ass award


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## jkbirocz (Mar 16, 2008)

Nice reports, I'm glad you guys caught some fish. I spent saturday cleaning up a leaky waterbed


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## Waterwings (Mar 16, 2008)

Nice catchin' and neat story to go with it  . 


hey, I have a cap just like the one you're wearing in the top pic 8)


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## nicdicarlo (Mar 16, 2008)

Good synopsis Dave. It was a good trip. Even though I got the skunk, I had plenty of chances for hook-ups...damn circle hooks. I just hope I didn't miss a 40lb cow because I am not a master of the cirlce. That second channy you caught was a pig. I don't think that pic does it justice. It truly was an adventure...a nature walk it was not. It was more of a swamp trudge...carrying 4 striper rods, 2 bass rods (who knows why), 2 tackle bags (when all we really needed was some lead, a few hooks, and a camera), 2 sand spikes, a pair of work boots, and a bait cooler....wearing heavy neoprenes that Dave let me borrow. haha. I really wish we had some pictures of the terrain we took on to get to the river...Dave you described it pretty well though. That tunnel of reeds was pretty surreal.

Derek, I do have a lot of experience bank fishing the lower Del for cats and stripers, but I have never tangled with a snakehead. Also, they are in the FDR ponds, but I've never fished for them. Some of the other philly boys here may have though.


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## mr.fish (Mar 16, 2008)

Great report Dave. From the wave action in those pics, it looks like you guys were fishing a sod bank down the ocean. I heard horror stories from Adrian about the walk back into that area. I guess there true. Were you guys throwing any lures down there?


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## nicdicarlo (Mar 17, 2008)

Mr. Fish, it was super windy at first, then it died down. We didn't attempt any lures. I had a few big jerkbaits, zooms, and shads in my bag, but didn't give them a shot.


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## shamoo (Mar 17, 2008)

Nice report, just glad you guys arent still exploring.


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## redbug (Mar 17, 2008)

nice cats and it sounds like you had a nice walk in the wild..
won't be long before the strippers show up

get the cut bait ready

Wayne


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## little anth (Mar 17, 2008)

nice job you guys are on fire


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## mtnman (Mar 17, 2008)

I was just wondering if you were saving them first 2 picturess for me for bait? Just Kiddin nice catch.


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