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.

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.

Overnight at Namanock Island on the Delaware

Finally, after much anticipation and much planning, I finally experienced my first overnight stay on the Delaware River.  It was everything I had hoped it would be!  We left Milford Beach, PA around 1:00 PM and landed at Namanock Island around 5:00.  Technically, our float was not long enough to justify using the campsite (floats are suppose to be 14+ miles), but I believe that rule is to assure campsites fare available or those individuals performing the longer floats.  Because it was mid October and temperatures were going to drop to near freezing, 

Some fall foliage near Milford's Canoe and kayak launch, looking up the Milford Bridge. 

For the preparation, we used my friend Dave's canoe for our primary source of transportation and loaded supplies up on my Wilderness kayak.  We brought one tent, two sleeping bags and two pillows.  We used two inexpensive buckets from Wal-Mart to store some extra dry wood (we wanted to make sure we had dry wood) and we also planned on using the buckets as chairs.  we tied the kayak to the front of the canoe but quickly learned the canoe (deeper profile) would be pushed down the river faster.  When we left Namanock Island on Monday morning, we tied the kayak to the back of the canoe.  We also put the heavier of the two of us (me) in the front of the canoe.  Both adjustments (heavier canoer in front) and tying the kayak to the back of the canoe ensured the canoe mostly went down straight and the kayak stayed out of our way.

The setup at Milford Beach, PA

We found ourselves doing more paddling and managing our boat position more than doing any actual fishing.  The Fall turnover had occurred and we found fewer smallies in the current than we had in the summer.  It should also be noted the gage was as high as 5.5 (Port Jervis) on Thursday and had descended down to a smidge below 3 feet when we launched.  So maybe the waning gage level had pushed most of the fish out of the current, or maybe it was the temperature.  Some time around 5:00 we landed at Namanock Island and elected to have our fire right on the river bank so we could stay warm while shore fishing.  We didn't catch anything but checking out the water the next day, it seems relatively shallow water where we were fishing.

Fire on the shores of Namanock Island

Despite the temperature dropping to 38 degrees at night, it was still relatively comfortable in our tent. I would recommend a suitable sleeping bag designed for 0 degrees weather.  We had caught one smallmouth, but had brought some potatoes and kibasa to eat in the possible scenario we did not catch a lot of fish.  Dinner was fantastic!

Smallmouth and Potatoes 

 Kibasa

We proceed to fish Monday morning from Namanock Island down to Dingman's Bridge.  This is the second time we have down this paddle and there is not a lot of current, so there is a lot of paddling here.  Most the of water was about 13 to 15 feet deep, but we did find a couple 20 foot holes.  When it was all done, we had caught two more smallies in this stretch.  Our three keeper smallies were caught in about 4 to 6 feet of backwater.  the river temperature was about 58 degrees on Sunday (in the sun), 57 degrees in the shade and 54 degrees the next morning.

Dingman's Ferry at the Delaware River

It was late afternoon on March 15th when my wife returned from work.  She had a bounce in her step and a smile on her face, one could sense spring was knocking on our door.  With a wink and a smile, my wife gave me the green light to head west with the Sun and see how far Spring is from waking the Delaware River from her winter slumper.  I didn't pause, I just reached fro the front door.  I packed the car with my shore casting gear and donned a grin that the Grinch would have stolen if had seen me driving West; car window down.

Unfortunately, upon my arrival and to my dismay, Dingman's Ferry was still frozen over.  It was clear to the eye where the backwater and deep holes lay as these areas were still covered with a slim cover of ice.  And I have no doubt in my eye the walleye I seeked, were active and feeding beneath those slim covers of ice.

But getting near the water and making a few cast sure did feel good.

2014 Fishing Goals

There is a thin line between New Jersey and Pennsylvania and it is buried beneath the cool, clean water from New York.  This cool, clean water from New York races with a swift current and prances along the rocky shoals; reminding us what beauty really is and the natural dangers mother natural possesses, all at the same time.  This simple line, cutting through eastern side of the Appalachian Mountains, I have come to know as the Delaware River; I have found no greater gift in the State of New Jersey than her mystifying shorelines and the wonderful fishery she is.

Walpack Bend

To that, I spend these cold winter months outlining all the things I yearn to accomplish this coming season of 2014... and here they are in descending order of difficulty:

6. Fish the Walpack Bend.  From boat or from shore, it does not matter but I want to see this.

5. Spent one day fishing Silver Lake for Perch

4. Land a 5 pound largemouth bass

3. Land 20+ Smallmouth from the Delaware this year

2. Land 6 walleye this season.  (2a) one from Monksville Reservoir and (2b) one from Swartswood Lake

1 Land a Delaware River Grand Slam; 3 walleye (18+ inches each) and 5 smallies (12+ inches each).

November Walleye Fishing on the Delaware

November 16^th, 2013

Water Temperature was 41.5 to 42 degrees

Water Clarity was 16 feet

I hit the Delaware River Saturday (2013-11-16) evening from 3:30 PM to about 7:00 PM.  There really is something beautiful about the Delaware River in the fall; the fall foliage, the low seasonal gage level of the river and the clarity at which her water flows.  In 16 feet of water, I could see my jig bouncing off the bottom; hopping and skipping over the dark colored shale.

One of the more challenging aspects of fishing in November is trying to figure out the walleye pattern for the fall turnover.  The old adage is true, I am here to say, “What works in the summer, does not work in the fall.”  For late summer, my go to tactic is the bottom bouncer with a fire-tiger Colorado spoon and a worm harness.  I struck out in late September.  This weekend I was going to try something new; an orange & yellow 3/8 once jig tipped with a shiner.

It was a slow evening.  The walleye would not cooperate.  I did get a hookup after dusk though and there was no doubt it was a walleye.  The light hit, the constant head shaking and the slow rise from the depth of the river.  Call it intuition, call it experience, but during the retrieve I never felt like I really got a good hook-set.  Sure enough, before I saw the fish at the surface, he spit the bit.  I don’t think it was a big fish and most likely was under 18 inches, but it sure would have been nice to see him.

In the end, a bad day fishing beats a good day of work.

4th Quarter Turn Around Nets 4 Smallmouth

Sunday I got to go fishing and being October, I was 100% focused on walleye.  I arrived at the Delaware River abotu 6:41, about 30 minutes before sunrise.  I was able to soak in the brisk morning air and appreciate the beauty of the river.  Being October, my hopes were high!  I found a couple spots that seemed to hold schools of fish towards the bottom; one at 22 feet and another at 28 feet.  I fished the entire length of the backwater with my Little Joe Fire-Tiger worm harness and did not catch anything.  I probably fished for the walleye for 150 minutes.  

I was trolling back to shore when I decided, "Well, since I am here, I should try and fish the other side for smallmouth."  My back-up pole was already outfitted for the senko, so I beached the kayak and made a cast.   I was probably a good 15 to 25 feet upriver from an inlet hooked a 12-inch smallmouth on my first cast.  I walked down the entire shoreline without another bite. Again, I was contemplating releasing my 12-inch smallmouth and heading home.  I made a second cast into the same area upriver of the inlet and hooked up with a 13-inch small mouth.  A couple more cast and I had landed a 15-inch and 16-inch smallmouth.

Trip Tip:

This is my second consecutive Fall fishing for smallmouth in the Delaware River and I have started to put together a couple pieces of knowledge; 1) The bite is best with a low gauge level, that means under 3.0 at Port Jervis, NY Station [Link is always to the right] 2) The bite picks up late morning to early afternoon. If you are fishing during the NFL pregame shows, then you are probably catching fish.

New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife - Walleye Stocking Program

For those of you who are just as interested in New Jersey Walleye as I, here is the stocking program over the past 5 years for the New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife Page.

Walleye Stocking Program

The Bell - Gives up a 2-Pound Walleye

As I have searched the Delaware for walleye, I may have found my favorite walleye fishing hole.  The spot is just north of the Milford, PA bridge where a creek enters the Delaware.  There, I found a nice 25 foot hole in some backwater and hit the bottom with a lindy-rig, baited with a nightcrawler.  This hole has no significant landmarks (unlike Dingman's Bridge or the Milford Bridge) and the bend in the river is a long, bending arc; I thought it resembled the bottom of a large bell...and thus decided to name it "The Bell".

 The creek entering the Delaware River, now know as "The Bell"

I departed Saturday morning before sunrise and pushed off from shore about 6:30 AM.  I was armed with  a 3/8 once weighted bottom bouncer and a fire-tiger Colorado spoon Lindy rig...rigged up with a large nightcrawler.  I paddled the kayak around the mouth of the creek and there was a significant drop from 6 feet to 12 feet just downriver of the creek that was holding lots of fish and lots of big fish!  The current was a bit more swift, as my paddling did not result in much upriver headway.  Given the feedback of my fish finder, I was going to give this little spot a go.  After about three drifts over this spot (fish finder lighting up like a pinball machine each time), I got zero hook-ups.  That is the funny thing about a depth finder (fish finder), it tells you if fish are down there, but not what kind of fish they are.  Those big fish could have been carp, catfish, musky or God knows what else, so I moved on.  I paddled up-river along The Bell and eventually found a nice 20 to 25 foot hole.  Not shortly after, in about 16 feet of water, I got a hook-up!  I immediately know it was a walleye as the fish at the end of my line was holding steady to his position and shaking it's head - instead of going on a typical epic smallmouth run.  As I got him closer to the boat and off the bottom, he made a small run and took some line off.  My hopes were high for a possible 5-pounder!  I decided to let him fight a little more before bringing him next to the kayak and try the balancing act of holding a pole and a net within the confines of my kayak.  I saw a couple of nice flashes under the surface and my heart may have skipped a beat.  I pulled out the net, brought the walleye towards the kayak and scooped him! As I did, I saw him open his mouth to show his rows of teeth ... as he barely fit into my net.  My immediate thought was, 'this was a big fish'.  

I put the walleye on the stringer and chose not to measure him, thinking he easily cleared the 18 inch minimum. However, when I got to shore and measured him, I was shocked to see he was only 19.5 inches. After my initial thoughts of some disappointment, my next thought was, 'I may need a bigger net' when I come back to this spot!  

Two of my daughters (Dagney and Lillian) holding the fish.

My favorite photo technique, asking my 6-year old daughter to put her hand on the cutting board for perspective.  Almost looks 30 inches now, heh?

Heading Out to the Delaware River This Weekend

This weekend I am taking two good friends out to the Delaware River for some sallies.  The first thing when fishing the Delaware is to check the Gage Height at USGS Station, Port Jervis, NY.  What I am looking for is a Gage Level at or around 3.5 or lower.  For future reference, this link can be found on the right side of my blog under "Weather and River Conditions".  

I should also mention this Saturday is the opening of bass season in New Jersey, so I could not be more excited!  Our plan will be to fish a couple shore points with Wacky Rigged 5-inch Senkos.  One of those spots will be Dingman's Ferry on the PA side as well as the New Jersey side.

I am putting the over\under for keeper bass at 7 for this weekend.

Delaware River Was High and Muddy

I was entertaining guest this weekend, so I could only get out for a few hours on Sunday.  The fall afternoon was wonderful and I was hoping to snag some smallies on a 4-inch wacky rig.  I fished from about 2:00 to 3:30 and didn't even get a bite.  The water was high and muddy and the there were lots of leafs in the water. The Gage Height at Port Jervis, NY was about 5.3 feet.

I did get to try my neoprene waiters and they are a great addition to my arsenal of fishing.    I got a pair of Field and Stream (with no boot) waders and some accessory boots which go on over top the wader socks.  I figured I could still use the accessory boots in the Summer without wearing the waders.  There are some locations I fish on the Delaware that are just sooo rocky and potentially dangerous.  But even in the winter, these waders should keep me warm in the winter months, should I choose to fish the winter months.

I hear a lot groaning and moaning when the Delaware is high and dirty and my voice can now be added to the list.  I am still hoping for a few more good weekends to catch some more walleyes, as I think the bite will be good up to late November.

Fall Smallmouth Fishing on the Delaware

This is what Fall smallmouth fishing is all about on the Delaware river!  I found a lot of success Friday evening as well as Sunday morning, both times throwing a dark natural color (watermelon or pumpkin seed) 4 inch senko, rigged wacky style.  I search out fast moving current, preferably in the 4+ feet of water range and throw the wacky rig straight out (not up current), or maybe 10 degrees up current and just let it drift down river.  I caught 7 smallies south of Dingmans Bridge Friday evening, but none of them were larger than 13 inches.  The Delaware current seemed much weaker on Sunday morning when I went out, so I headed north of Dingmans Bridge searching out some faster current.  I caught another 6 smallies, 3 of which were about 13-inches or bigger (pictured below).  

Delaware River Update:

Friday Evening - Water was clear and low, current was moderate (for late Summer, early Fall).  The green algae which has been a bother for the past few weeks has resided at Dingmans Bridge.  I received little if no algae on my cast..

Sunday Morning - Water was clear and extremely low.  Current was exceptionally weak.  Could not fish my wacky rig South of the Bridge as there was not enough current (relatively speaking of course for the Delaware River).  Went north of the bridge and found a big rock in the middle of the river to anchor the kayak (with my feet, not a real anchor).  The smallmouth bite did not really start until late Morning (10:00 AM) when the sun finally broke.