Zel

Good luck there. Remember to go slow with plastics around the matted weeds. Don't get me started Sharkbite! Lake Nockamixon has a 20HP restriction. My boat has a 150HP motor, therefore I can only use the trolling motor there. Personally, I think any lake that allows gas motors should allow any HP, but limit it to NO WAKE. Unfortunately, government agencies have a tendency to legislate for the 2% of offenders rather than the 98% of law-abiding citizens. Beltzville Lake is a great example of an effective NO WAKE policy. It has an unlimited HP rule, but a very large portion of the lake is designated NO WAKE, and has very little problems with it. I've signed several petitions over the years in favor of the NO WAKE rule for restricted gas motor lakes, but I doubt I will ever see it in my lifetime. > And I usually fish with others that have boats with small motors, or a kicker motor, when I fish Spruce Run.

I was in a bass club for over a decade and was a tournament director... so I have fished a lot of lakes in eastern PA and a bunch in NJ. At the Nox, I usually go out of Tohickon, and since I only use a trolling motor there, I don't get to go very far. That area I find success in the matted weeds (but as I said before, the Nox hasn't been my most productive lake... but the ones I do catch seem to be of better quality than average for PA lakes).

As you said, there usually are anglers on the spot so I tend to fish where they aren't, and move in after they leave. But if the spot is empty I start on the shoreline (throwing to all that brush) and work my way out to the end of the point, working the entire flat and the edges of the dropoff. I tend to stick to stickbaits, Fat Ikas and 4" straight worms there. That area I work the plastics real slow.

The Nox hasn't been my most productive lake, but I've found that if you stick with weeds you find the bass. What does work for me there is Stickbaits around the edges of weeds, and Fat Ika's in the pockets of the weeds, and drug over the tops of the matted weeds.

ABSOLUTELY!

WELCOME. I know they rent boats there, but not sure about motorized. Here is the boat rental phone number: (908-638-8234) Only ever caught Walleye and Hybrids by accident fishing for bass. There have been numerous discussions about Spruce Run here at BassResource over the Years. Go to the Search function, 1. type in Spruce Run in Search For 2. stick with Northeast Bass Fishing 3. make sure you change This Post Was Made In the Last to (all posts). You will find some really good information. Good luck at SR. Right now the bass fishing is probably at it's best. I wish I could go, but no open time in the next month.

Dom, it's been a tough long painful winter. Haven't put a hitch on the van or gotten the boat motor fixed yet. Besides the license, I've only spent $7.99 on fishing so far this year (10lb XL line), and got a way's to go before that goal of $25 max. Glad to see you got out. I went to Mauch Chunk two weekends ago for the morning just to see if I still knew how to fish (and to test the knee and shoulder out). I just walked the bank near Launch A. Picked up one 14 LM on a Lucky Craft Slender Pointer. That was it not even another bite. Just not into it much this year hopefully that will change soon.

Any other WWII enthusiasts out there? My father served in the US Navy in WWII, and I always was fascinated by his war stories. Since he passed away over a decade ago, I have become somewhat of a WWII enthusiast. An old USAF fighter pilot friend of the family, who came over to the house for Easter dinner, told me about an event that happens ever year in a town less than 1 hour away from where I live. I must admit I was embarrassed not to have know about the event. He will be part of the B17 Flying Fortress crew that will be at Mid-Atlantic Air Museum's WORLD WAR II WEEKEND on June 5-6-7, 2009 in Reading, PA (USA). He said it has become the nations largest WWII Air event. He invited me as a guest to the event. I was amazed at the list of guests that are scheduled to attend, meet and talk with the public, and sign autographs. Some of the historical notables scheduled to be there are: John Alison - General, USAAF, fighter ace, CBI Clarence E. "Bud" Anderson - Colonel, USAAF, triple ace, test pilot Richard Cole - Lt Col, USAAF, Doolittle Raider, Plane #1 Co-Pilot Thomas Griffin - - Major, USAAF, Doolittle Raider Dutch Van Kirk - Major USAAF, 509th Composite Group, Navigator of the 'Enola Gay' Jack Widowski - Major USAAF, B-29 Navigator - Atomic Missions Hank Heim - Major, USAAF, B-17 Pilot and Pearl Harbor Survivor Frank Speer - Captain, USAAF, 4th Fighter Group, P-51 Ace Carl Constein - Lieutenant, USAAF Air Transport Command, Himalayas "Hump" C-46 and C-47 Pilot Robert Fergueson - Lieutenant, UAAF, P-61 Black WIdow pilot Evangeline Coeyman - Lieutenant, Army Nurse Corps, Concentration Camp Witness Mike Kuryla - Coxswain Third Class, USN, U.S.S. Indianapolis Survivor Paul Gordon - Tech Sergeant, USAAF, 92nd Bomb Group, B-17 Ball-Turret Gunner, POW Roy Sherman - Sergeant, USA, POW guard Bill Fili - Sergeant, USAAF, 450th Bomb Group, B-24 Engineer/ Top Turret Gunner, Ploesti Raid, POW Larry O'Rourke - Sergeant, USA, Manhattan Project Vernard Brinzehofe - Corporal, USMC, veteran of Guadalcanal, Coral Sea, Saipan, and Iwo Jima Jack Colby - Corporal, USMC, veteran of Marshall Islands, Saipan, and Tinian James White - PFC, USMC, Iwo Jima Also attending will be eight members of Co E, 506 PIR, 101st Airborne Division, who inspired the movie "Band of Brothers". And four members of the "Filthy Thirteen", the demolitions platoon of HQ / 506th PIR, 101st Airborne Division whose story inspired the movie "The Dirty Dozen." I have to go now, not just for a chance to ride in the B-17G Flying Fortress "Yankee Lady, but the chance to meet and talk to living legends of WWII... before they are all gone. http://www.maam.org/maamwwii.html

I haven't fished it yet this year, but I spoke to my neighbor this evening and he said his son took his new boat there yesterday. Seems they didn't catch anything. That's about all I know so far. If it reaches the mid 70's next weekend, I have to try and get there.

I might be interested... will have to check and see what's going on then. Is it a team tournament format or will there be a draw? Would it be considered cheating if I asked for help in winning the tournament during the prayer? I was a bass club tournament director for almost 10 years. If you have any questions, shoot me a PM. Thanks for the info.

If I were to harbor a guess I'd say Sylvan Lake.

Prespawn I will stick to the Original Floating Rapala for the upper range, and a Suspending Rattlin Rogue for deeper. Post spawn I will still go with the Original Floating Rapala and move to thinner profile deeper running hardbaits like the Rapala Shad Rap and a Rat'L'Trap. Just seems to work for me in NJ lakes. I've never gained a comfort level with shallow running crankbaits.

I'm not familiar with the lakes you noted, but this time of year in the NJ lakes I do fish - I stick with suspending jerkbaits (worked slowely with long pauses), and go small on plastics with 3 grubs and 4 straight worms on 1/8 oz jigheads (and I only use dark natural colors this time of the year with plastics, like pumpkinseed, watermelon, smoke and black), again worked slowely.

Prespawn Spring (NE PA & NJ): Original Floating Rapala LC Pointer Hand Poured 4 straight worm on a Slider Jig Fat Ika 5 Stickbait Soft Plastic Jerkbait Hair Jig & Pork Jigging Spoon

Vertical spooning is one of my favorite techniques. I key on areas in the 20 30 foot zone, normally on dropoffs, but the zone must have some bottom structure, and nearby path for the bass to shallow water. When the graph shows fish holding a few feet off the bottom in that depth, the spoonin' rod comes out. I prefer the Kastmaster spoons myself. I usually change out the treble hook for a thinner better quality in one size bigger than comes with the spoon. The other modification I utilize is not tying directly to the split ring, but thread the line through the split ring and tie to another treble hook (2 trebles on the spoon). Also, at the beginning of the year before the season starts I get out my fly tying equipment and tie glass rattles to about a dozen trebles (with red line and a few strands of mylar tinsel), and keep them handy to throw on a spoon when I want to change things up (seems to work for me at times when they don't want to cooperate). Don't rule out blade baits in a vertical presentation either.

When are you planning on visiting the Lehigh Valley? It would be easier to give some recommendations if we knew when.

Here are my Merrill Creek Res. deep water spots... circled in red. Jigging Spoons, Blade Baits, Jigs and Carolina Rigged Tubes is what I use. http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i282/zelmonster/MERRILLCREEKMAP.jpg

Anyone up to date, or have a handle on the recent National Park Service (NPS) announcement that it would ban lead fishing tackle (and ammo for hunters) in national parks by 2010? I'm wondering if it includes any type of fishing tackle with lead... like spinnerbaits, jigs, etc http://home.nps.gov/applications/release/Detail.cfm?ID=855

Welcome Jack. Round Valley is a hit or miss lake for me. Gin clear and you can see down 30 feet or so. I've caught some real quality bass there though. When it's tough there, I have a few deep spots with structure that jigging spoons and blade baits produce. No better place to spot fish during the spawn than RV. Ever fish Merrill Creek Reservoir while you lived up north? (Now that's my favorite NJ lake.)

Here's Zeppelin when I saw them (Who dat on drums?) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AzIsSHJJq4&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VD7ysELB5xo&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aReWlouaXuA&feature=related Here's a pic of me at the concert ::

You will enjoy yourself, I did. I was there for a week once for the college basketball tournament thing they have every year around New Years. I will never forget my snorkeling trip. It was me and the Michigan basketball team on the bus. I'm 6ft tall, but felt like 4ft that day. The organizer of the trip told me the story of how she had to search the entire island looking for huge flippers at all the snorkeling and scuba trip businesses just to find equipment for these guys. If you do go snorkeling in that old volcano, watch out and don't go beyond the coral barrier, it will tear your skin apart (ask me how I know). Enjoy the trip, and don't be afraid to do the tourist type things. It helps the local economy, regardless of what the SNL Hawaii skit portrays.

Whatever's on sale. Side note: anybody see the TV show "Life On Mars" last night (story of a NYPD Detective waking up in 1973 New York City after an accident). One of the detectives (Ray) used the word MOOKS when talking about members of the Weather Underground.

Spruce Run is my second favorite lake in New Jersey Here is a contour lake map of Spruce Run for you... no need to graph it. http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/lakes/sprucern.pdf And here are my 2 favorite locations on the lake. Weightless 5 Trick Sticks, Rapalas, and 4 straight finesse worms on a jighead do the trick for me in the springtime. http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i282/zelmonster/spr1.jpg (The ocassional 10 pound striper will get the heart pounding.)

Well, here are some fishing laws still on the books in Pennsylvania: You may not catch a fish with your hands. You may not catch a fish by any body part except the mouth. Dynamite is not to be used to catch fish. Though you do not need a fishing license to fish on your own land, but a hunting license is required to hunt on your own land. And if Muddy wants to know why I was often lake for a nite-bite fishing trip in the past, its because: Any motorist driving along a country road at night must stop every mile and send up a rocket signal, wait 10 minutes for the road to be cleared of livestock, and continue. (I keep running out of rockets)

i-i-i-identical! (remember what movie that's from?)