George DeHaven

The last 4 or 5 times out, I have been catching these nasty Pickerel. They've got a good fight in them and they're never small so I'm not complaining! The teeth are a bit of a bummer because they'll really tear you up if you're not wearing gloves. (Learned that the hard way) I wanted to bring this up because I have a question... Pickerel are obviously predator fish. Would it be smart to move to another spot after hauling one in? I figure that they've probably claimed that spot and have cleared the area of anything else. I've never had any luck after catching one of those suckers.

Sweet! Thanks for confirming! ...the fight in these little fish has been something I had only read about before. Only one other time before, I thought that I had a smallie on the line but it spit the hook after one jump. I've had Largemouths jump out of the water too so I couldn't bee 100% positive. My fishing addiction has just gotten worse. Smallies are so much more fun!

Prompton State Park here in NEPA. KVD 1.5 crankbait I'm still getting used to the difference between Large and Smallmouth bass. Around here, they can be very similar in size as I'm sure they are in most places. However, the fight to get it in and the amount of times it jumped out of the water, said smallie to me right away. Then I got it out of the water and it's definitely a brown color. I say Smallmouth.

Thanks JD! Amphibia has a great site! Now, you said that you looked into them but does that mean that you bought a pair?

I've been wearing a $18 pair of Berkley Polarized sunglasses that I bought a Walmart almost every time I go out on the water. However, recently I went out and realized that I forgot to switch them and still had my non-polarized Call of Duty promo sunglasses on. To be honest, I really couldn't tell the difference. I know that with most things, you pay for what you get. If I spend a lot of money on a GREAT pair of polarized sunglasses, I know that they will be MADE better and probably be more comfortable but will they WORK better? I'd really like to be able to see through the dark-green water around here and get an eye on the structure that is usually hidden from me.

Been using the Weather Channels fishing report for the various towns around me but I honestely have no idea if they're correct or not. Common sense tells me that the fishing is going to be the best in the morning, around noon and then at sunset. However, on any given day, the fishing report is telling me that the fishing is either "Excellent", "Good" or "Fair". Should I plan a fishing trip based on this information or is it BS? Is there another site I can check that is more accurate? Any info, as usual, is appreciated!

Good morning! I recently purchased a 10' jon boat from Craigslist. Originally, I had no intention of putting a trolling motor on it because of it's size. I assumed that because it is so small, I wouldn't have any problem using paddles or even turning it into a row boat. I was really wrong. I wound up turning my arms into Jell-O trying to paddle around and didn't even really get anywhere! LoL The problem is that the boat does not have a Hull Identification Number. Can any of our PA residents help me out and point me in the right direction? I've heard that the Fish and Boat Commission can issue a HIN? Any info is appreciated! Thanks!

No. Didn't measure OR weigh it. I could take a guess and say that it was almost 4 lbs. and somewhere around 14-16" long. I don't eat fish but I love the sport! All the fish I catch get their picture taken and then go back in the water ASAP. I love it when they slowly sink back in the water and give me a chance to see them swim.

Caught this beauty today at Prompton State Park here in Honesdale, PA. I'm going to start trying to snap the pic BEFORE I take the lure out! I was using a 3/8 oz. BOOYAH! spinnerbait with a white skirt, gold willow blade AND silver Colorado blade in shallow water on a point. I reeled in ALONG the shore line and just as it passed a small group of lilly pads... WHAM! Today was also the first day out in the "new" jon boat.

I tied it up the other day and it holds STRONG! I posted a good size largemouth that I caught and it held solid. I have a 9-10' leader so that even if I have to change lures a bunch, I will have plenty of leader. I will be happy to let everyone know if it ever fails, but it's actually pretty amazing.

Went with this one... "GT Knot"

This morning I officially have my confidence restored! It's been months since I caught a fish. Thanks so much to everyone on the forums who have answered my questions and given me advice! Thanks to Glenn for all of his videos! Check out this Large Mouth that I caught this morning on Lake Wallenpaupack! Felt like almost 3lbs! I was using a KVD 1.5 square billed crank on 20lb. braid with a 10lb. fluoro leader.

I was telling my step-dad (fishing buddy) about all the trials and tribulations I've been through lately trying to learn new knots to tie. Braid to fluorocarbon and fluorocarbon to the hooks. He's one of those guys that means well, but he thinks he knows everything about everything. Anyways, he suggests that I try a "Nail Knot". I've seen videos on tying it but it seems like it's primarily a fly fishing knot. I'm not going to try it because I don't feel like losing any of my lures. Am I correct in assuming that this is NOT a knot I should use?

Thanks to everyone who responded to this thread! Hey NathanW, sounds like you know this spot! As soon as I can get my waders repaired, I'm going to be able to trudge up and down this shoreline and might be able to explore some better areas.

First of all, thank you all so much for the advice and encouragement! I will definitely give a weightless worm a try. I think it's one of the only rigs I haven't tried yet! So in terms of lure selection in any situation, what do you tie on first when you're trying to find the fish?

I've seen some videos for the Albright or Albright special knot for tying on a fluorocarbon leader. Any suggestions or "how to" videos?

So I guess what you're saying is "don't give up". Half the reason why I love to fish is getting out of the house and enjoying the peace and quiet. I will continue to work on my technique, although it would be nice to know if I'm fishing correctly or not. I suppose only time will tell. I'll keep at it. Thanks for the advice. And hey, if there are any Northeastern PA fishermen out there, a little advice would be appreciated!

I live in Honesdale, Pennsylvania and the river I'm talking about is the Delaware. There is a boat launch/parking area that has a great shoreline. The water flows underneath the Narrowsburg Bridge and is the border between PA and NY. It has a strong current but there are a few calm spots with rock piles and structure. Today was windy, the current was good, the sun was shining, the water was clear and I was hitting every spot that I could reach with my casts. Nothing. I was throwing a spinnerbait, poppers and flukes into the shallows, near the structure. Nothing. I was casting spinnerbaits, flukes, worms, cranks and a popper into the current and covering a lot of water. Nothing. This is a fairly popular place to fish off shore and I was successful... once... so I know that there's life in those waters.

Hey all, I've been trying real hard to get into fishing lately. As I said before, I used to fish all the time with my dad when I was a kid but only within the past 2 - 3 months have I taken it up as a serious hobby. I did some research, picked up some better gear and went down to the river one evening. It happened to be a fluke with a 5/0 RB and a swivel. 6'6" Medium MATZUO spinning rod. 12lb mono. Within 20 minutes, I had a nice little smallmouth hit the fluke and give me a good fight! I thought I was on my way to being the greatest fisherman alive! I mean, 20 minutes? That never happens to me! I was so happy that I didn't care about not catching any others that day. I have been out at least once a week, sometimes more, since that first day. Maybe 12 - 14 times both throwing from the shore and on a boat. I've been to that river several times and also a few local lakes. Not one bite since I caught that first fish. Not even a nibble. I've thrown everything from flukes, to spinners, to poppers, to frogs, to tubes, to shaky worms. I've watched videos and read articles. I've gone from shore and I've gone in a boat. I've thrown at structures, lillies and cover and I've thrown into open water. I've gone in the morning, the afternoon and even after the sun has set. I can't get them to bite. What could I be doing wrong?

I just want to know if they're any good or if anyone on here has used them.

Anyone know anything about these? I was just wandering around on the Walmart website and saw that these are being sold for 91 cents each! I bought 2 of them because it seems like they don't have many left. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Strike-King-Promo-Spinnerbait/20552267

Thank you for clearing that up. I don't want to pick up a rod to use in light weeds if there is a chance I will be fishing over lillies or in the thick stuff. Might as well grab one of the Abu's or maybe something heavier. Thank you SO much for the help! I wasn't going to ask at first and that would have been a mistake. It's a shame that Jeremy Wade has put his name on the River Monsters rod. It's very deceiving. He's a guy that has caught some of the biggest fish I've ever seen but he endorses a rod that can't do the same? Fail.

Thanks for the advice! I found this on eBay too... http://www.ebay.com/itm/190826281992?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649 I think that's more along the lines of something I should get. Is it really better to go with a HEAVY rod?

Hi All! I'm new to the forum and fairly new to fishing as a serious hobby. Sure, I used to go fishing with my dad as a little kid, but now I find myself doing research and going out to the lakes by myself. I'm looking for a "Froggin' Rod". I've seen that most of you guys will use a heavier rod with heavier braided line to throw your frogs. I've got my line picked out (50-65lb PowerPro) but I can't spend a lot of money on the rod. Has anyone seen the River Monsters rods and does anyone OWN one? They're fairly cheap (around $25 on eBay) but is it a case of "you pay for what you get"? Any info is appreciated! Thank you! http://www.ebay.com/itm/River-Monsters-RM-GL702MHS-Fishing-Spinning-Rod-Rm-Goliath-72Pc-MH-Spin-Rod-/261267927956?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cd4c83394