Catching a Smallmouth on the Delaware River.

This is my first fishing video, taken with my new GoPro.  We are south of the Milford Bridge here (we could see the bridge behind us still) and trying to fish the current.  This smallmouth was caught in about 4 to 5 feet of water, with some steady current.  I use #1 circle hook with a 4-inch senko.

Delaware Float

Got to float down the Delaware River on Saturday and what a glorious day it was.  Aside from catching 5 smallies, we saw a load of fish.  The water level was low and the clarity was as clear as gin.  We must have seen 100 shad (or were they chub minnows, we were not sure).  I have floated the Delware many times but had never seen so many fish, nor this early in the season so it leads me to believe these must have been shad.  We saw about 10 carp, each over 10 pounds, a giant walleye in shallow (28 inches maybe), a couple catfish and of course a load of smallies.  

Now is a great time to float the Delaware.  The gage level is low, the water is clear and the landscape just beautiful.  We also saw a bald eagle and a couple deer.  

I also took my brand new GoPro Hero, so hopefully I can start doing some videos too.

Taking the Electric Kayak on to Swartswood

Friday, I finally took my electric kayak out on Swartswood Lake, looking for walleye.  I still have some kinks I have to work out with my electric kayak, as she would not run once I got her to the boat launch.  After some tweaking (loose connection inside my plastic tube), I finally got out on the water, and it was nice.  She shot through the water like a torpedo and while heading across the lake, I could sit back, relax and set up my lines.  I cannot tell you what a convenience an electric kayak is.

Once I started fishing, I found the West side of Swartswood just booming with structure.  There is a point on the west side in which it gets very shallow, with a pair of rocks jetting up about 40 yards off shore and a weed line.  As trolled my down-rigger down the drop off, that is where I caught my 16 3/4 inch smallie below.

I ended up on the south side of the lake around 8:30 and decided to head home, north, across the open part of the lake and into the wind.  This is where it got a little hairy for me.  With my 12-volt deep cell battery in the bow of my boat, the nose still cut through the wake, but the water would splash into my kayak.   With so much additional weight in the kayak (battery, trolling motor and myself), I did not dare pull the the scupper plug.  Again, having a trolling motor and being hands free, I was able to bail water on the trip home.

Pretty sure the next time I will finally catch that elusive walleye.

Delaware Shad Darts

Having taken 2015 off (from blogging, not fishing!), it has been a while since I performed an update. Since I have settled into Sussex County and believe I will be here for the remainder of my life, I decided this Spring I should try my luck at Shad fishing.  May is always a busy month for me, so it still may be a challenge for me to get out.  But I took the initiative to order some shad darts from Delaware River Shad Fishing Association (DRSFA).  You can now find their link to the right, under Related Local Fishing Sites.  Below is a picture of what I received. 

What a great bunch of guys.  I had unfortunately made the order with my Pay Pal account but I had no updated my mailing address with Pay Pal.  Unfortunately the shad darts were mailed to my former residency.  A gentleman by the name of Rusty promptly emailed me when the shad darts were returned to him.   After providing my new mailing address, Rusty got the shad darts in the mail right away, so I may still have a shot at shad fishing this spring.  I highly recommend ordering shard darts or spoons from the DRSFA.

Below is a snippet of who and what the DRSFA is.