Driftb

It's a tough call. At 6'6" tall, 250 lbs, most fish look small in my hands. The fish in my avatar pic is 22.5" and I did not weigh her. If you look up length and weight of record smallies, you will find that few of them are much over 24", regardless of weight. If that guy is over 6'3" tall, he could easily go 350. He did force the perspective on the fish, but it looks about right to me. Considering all of that, if the fish died, why didn't he go back and go through the record process? So that he wouldn't give away his spot? A GPS number? I didn't realize that you needed to give up a GPS number to enter the record book. I would guess that the fish would have died anyway, if it wasn't fizzed and released quickly after he caught it, unless it was actually caught in shallow water. A lot of those lake fish look fatter than they actually are because they were caught deep and are inflated by decompression. As if you guys don't know that! Anyone serious about catch and release should do it. The IGFA has a new catch and release record book that is based solely on length, not weight. Catch, measure, photograph, and release. On the spot you caught the fish. That being said, if you catch and release all of your fish and you catch a potential record fish, I have no problem with someone keeping it. It is only ONE fish near the end of it's life cycle anyway.

It's common for sunfish to hybridize and you could have a bluegill/green sunfish.

I have a lot of fun with topwater too, and I try it periodically throughout the day. If I get bit in a few casts, I will stick with it longer. The Upper Delaware river that I am usually fishing gets to be gin clear in the summer, and If it is overcast or cloudy I feel more optimistic. In the bright sun, it is an unusual day that I catch fish all day on top although yesterday was one of those days. I think my favorite topwater for smallies has to be a Heddon Spittin Image, and a close second is a Sebile Bonga minnow. They are both short, fat, fairly heavy short, fat, walk the dog type lures with a super loud rattle that you can hear from 80' away. Some days its a Sammy, and I also like the BPS Slim Dog. I will walk it for 5 or 10 seconds, then pause for another 5 seconds, then walk again. I make sure that every hook is sicky sharp too, so if a fish just touches it with his nose or back, he usually gets hooked. Yesterday I had a response from a fish on more than 50% of my casts. Early in the day or late is when I will usually concentrate on topwater, and it isn't unusual for topwater to account for the biggest fish of the day. Funny that I see a lot of guys like buzz baits in rivers for smallies. I love fishing a buzz, and I will fish it all day if it is getting a little attention from the fish. I do well with a buzz in the lakes, but in the Delaware river it is a very tough sell. Maybe it's the water clarity and lack of weeds. I have had a few days when they would catch fish, but there has always been something much better in the boat. Yesterday you couldn't keep the fish off a green pumpkin Berkely Havoc Beat Shad swimbait on a 1/8 oz 2/0 jig head. They were also all over a Zulu shad on a 1/16 oz t-rigged weighted 3/0 hook. Of course when the water temp is at 75, they are very agressive, but amazingly my buddy threw a Lucky Craft Pointer 65 for maybe 1/2 hour with barely a touch.

Occasionally when I am fishing a lake and in a search pattern, I will fish docks. To be honest, I usually am pretty embarrassed to do it and I feel like when I have to stoop to dock fishing, I must be out of ideas. I'd much rather be fishing a spot that is free of the human touch.

The cause of intersex fish isn't that easy to diagnose. It turns out that certain plastics are estrogen mimics can also cause intersex condition. The coating in food cans has been shown to do this in some young men. I am sure there will be a long list of chemicals eventually to blame. As for water quality in NYC- I hardly think that NYC residents drink "the most polluted water". NYC residents drink from a reservoir system 100-150 miles from NYC that NYC had the foresight to buy and raze, including all of the surrounding towns and pretty much every farm in the watershed. They don't allow any motorboats, and they have a gestapo like police force that patrols the res system and I assure you, the water is very unpolluted. The reservoirs then feed the Delaware river, which is the water source for another ten million or so people downstream, including Philadelphia. When I lived in Columbus, Ohio, I was amazed to find that the drinking water came from a reservoir just outside the city surrounded by suburbs and If I remember correctly, close to fifteen golf courses. This is the situation that is more typical in the midwest, if not the rest of the country. I read somewhere that golf courses are one of the worst non-point sources of water pollution, using pesticides, fungicides, algaecides, herbicides, worm killers, etc. Farms aren't much better. Everything is being saturated with Roundup, which is an endocrine disruptor and has been found to cause Parkinsons disease in humans. These chemicals are almost everywhere, and we really don't have any idea how bad it will get in the futture. We are going to have to wake up

I always found long sleeve shirts to be unbearable in the heat, but I got ahold of a few Simms Solarflex shirts this year and I have never been as comfortable in the hot weather. I'll usually wear a similar short sleeve tee underneath. When I start getting hot, I take off the long sleeve tee, soak it and wring it out. I put it back on wet, and it feels like I have air conditioning. I haven't quite found a perfect formula for long pants though, but I have been wearing the light nylon zip off pants and find they aren't too bad, plus the flies. don't bite through them. I never worried about sun damage as a youngster, but once the dermatologist starts cutting chunks of meat off you, it's hard to ignore.

I have been fishing tubes in the Delaware river on both a Fenwick Smallmouth Elite 6'9" MXF with 10 lb Nanofil line, and also a Fenwick 6'9" MLF walleye elite with the same line. When I am fishing a 4" mizmo big boy tube on a 1/4 or 3/8 oz Lucky strike tube jig head, I like the medium action rod. When I am going under 1/4 oz I'll usually choose the ML rod. Sometimes when the bite is on the timid side the softer tip is a big advantage. Other times I find that the hook setting power of the MXF rod makes a big difference. The stonecat is on of the favorite foods of big smallies in the Delaware river. A stonecat, is a 3-5" catfish with a wicked sting. The 4" tube looks just like a stonecat, The bigger fish will usually hit a stonecat hard and then shake and hold them tight until they are dead, or at least stunned. The XF medium rod has the power to shift the tube in that death grip and penetrate the bass' jaw. Lots of times the softer rod just won't do the job. I have a Loomis IMX 6'9" MXF, but it is also a slower action than I like for tubes and a little heavier in the hand as well. I used to fish the ST Croix Legend Tournament 6'9" MXF but it just doesn't have the same sensitivity, and I though it was way too stiff. I might add that the tip snapped on a hookset and I didn't think the rod was good enough to repair at $75 for GS warrenty+ $25 S&H

Smallmouth bass, Rainbow and Brown trout were all stocked by NY state into the Delaware river in the 1870's. Largemouth, walleye and musky later. I don't know if there is any record of the species that they displaced. The main Delaware has always been too warm in Summer to supprt native brook trout. American shad have been spawning in the Delaware river for millions of years. Brown and rainbow inhabit the coldwater upper reaches of the river. Smallmouth and walleye like current and live in the coolwater zone a little south of there all the way south to the lower river. Largemouth don't compete with smallies here on the Upper river at all. Largemouth start moving downstream as soon as they get into the river, and a lot of them don't stop til they get to the salt line. . My guess is that unless there is a good supply of cool water that the spots will hold their own. I have heard spots are stocked in water that is too warm, turbid or fertile for smallies to thrive. Each of these species will usually find it's own favorite ecological niche especially in the bigger bodies of water with varied conditions . Largemouth favor still water. Spots can tolerate a variety of conditions. Smallies are considered a coolwater species. In the bigger bodies of water

If you are fishing a river, Like the Del, look for current breaks. If the fish are on baitfish (shad), you may find the fish on weedy flats. If they are on Bugs, craws, stonecats, you'll find them in the current, especially where there are lots of current breaks, like big rocks, logs or sudden changes in depth. If the water is high, fish the banks. If it's low, fish the current. Sometimes you will also find them in shallow gravel areas near heavy current. I usually fish shallow in Summer, deep in spring and Fall.

The Number 1 easiest lure for the beginning smallmouth bass angler on the Delaware river has to be a smoke or watermellon wacky rigged 4" Yammamoto worm . If the water is up or you are dealing with a lot of current, try a 3.5 or 4" green pumpkin tube Jig, swimbait, or grub with just enough weight on it to hit bottom on a slow drop. Stickbaits work well all year, but especially in stained water spring and fall. If water is coming up or down, high and muddy, try a white or chart 1/2 oz spinnerbait. Summer evenings and fall try topwater. Small lures work in summer, but don't be afraid to go big, especially in Fall. The smallmouth go totally nuts for walk the dog type topwater lures in the fall as the shad exit the river. Please practice catch and release, especially for the big fish! If you want to eat fish, go for walleyes, which Pa and NJ stock like crazy into the river.

When the water is low and clear, try a 3.5-4" tube or grub in natural colors, like Green pumpkin or root beer. Make sure you get the hook size and weight right. Just heavy enough to hit bottom on a slow drop. If the water color is stained, go to brighter colors, like Chart or white, Stickbaits are can be good anytime, but especially in cool, somewhat stained water. If the water is really riled up, I will fish a 1/2 oz spinnerbait white or chart with brass blades. Evenings and fall, try topwater, and don't be afraid to go big. I like to walk the dog, but you'll have to figure out what works for you. Poppers, props, dogs all catch fish.

Don't pass up trees, especially in current. I think that largemouth<=>wood, Smallmouth<=>rock thing was invented by a writer, not a fisherman. I catch big smallies near wood all the time. I also catch Largemouth near big rocks all the time. Big rocks in rivers creat current breaks, which is what you are really looking for. Current breaks and cover.

Hey Cheif- did you ever try Skaneatles? I have done great there in July and I don't think it has an algae problem.

Most of the lakes around here have awful algae blooms with very little visibility. The reservours are full to the brim first time in ten years and the fish are spread out. All that being said, the Delaware river is finally starting to come down and clear up. River fishing in the Delaware has been picking up and we have been catching big numbers of smallies on tubes and swimbaits.Yammies too. Size hasn't been anything special, but that has started to improve too. I had two guys put 80+ smallmouth up to 17" in the boat a few days ago. . A couple walleyes and a few stripers also around. If you have a river in your area, try fishing it.

A good braid like fireline or Nanofil will give you significantly the best feel. Using very small diameter like 6 or 8 will usually work fine in clear water conditions, altho the abrasion resistance isn't as good as copoly or mono. Flouro has good feel too, because of it's low stretch. The thing to remember with Flouro is that once it has been stretched to it's breaking strenth, as in a breakoff, the structure of that piece of line has been significantly weakened. So cut off a bunch of line and retie. The yozuri Hybrid seems to have a better feel and excellent abrasion resistance when compared with most mono, and is very tough, without the knot issues of flouro.

If the fish are on small bait, try a small lure. When the smallies are on baby shad in the Delaware river, I use a spittin image or a Sebile Bonga Minnow. Both of these lures have been putting the Sammy to shame. Other times I like Bass pros Slim Dog. I have caught doubles on the slim dog many times.