DelawareRiver.net

Fishing Wacky Worms for smallmouth bass in the Delaware River

Author by: Al Winco (Smallmouthaholic)

www.wincoscustomlures.com

I find that wacky worms are especially productive during the summer and early fall period w/water temperatures in the 70’s. Lethargic smallmouth bass just can’t seem to resist them if they are presented w/a slow, horizontal fall w/an occasional twitch. They seem to favor certain sizes  and colors. I prefer the 4 ¼” size w/an “O” ring installed @ the rear of the egg sack for balance. My ‘wacky” Stick Worm Jr. is manufactured for fishing “wacky” style w/ either a  Owner #1-1/0 Mosquito or a #2 -  #4 Gamakatsu Octopus circle hook. Simply place the hook point into the worm, under the “O” ring and exposed on the other side. The “O” ring enables the worm to catch 3-5 bass before being replaced and the worms won’t fly-off into outer space when casting.

Fish them weightless as the salt & sand content in my custom wacky worms  causes them to sink for natural “wacky” action w/their soft and flexible movement.  An angler induced occasional twitch can certainly help to attract lethargic smallmouth. When river levels rise from their typical summer low flows, add a 1/32 – 1/16 oz crimp-on bull shot 6″-12” above the worm. I prefer to fish them w/out any weight that gives them a slow, tantalizing fall throughout the water column.

I don’t recommend fishing the wacky worms in fast currents.  They simply won’t get deep enough.  They work best when they are permitted to fall slowly on a horizontal plane in slack water and reverse current pools. Your boat should be stationary, anchored or very s-l-o-w-l-y drifting w/ the current. Give the boat an occasional upriver nudge w/the electric motor to momentarily stop the drift of the boat. Cast them up river and let them sink-naturally. Keep most of the slack out of your line and watch your line where it enters the water. An occasional twitch helps but be careful when you feel any resistance on the line. The smallmouth may spit them out if you continue to twitch them after the bass has  picked them up.

Most hits are subtle, 1 tap hits. Many times they just hold them and other times they will swim upriver w/them. Sunfish and rock bass w/give multiple taps on the worm in quick succession – sometimes ripping 2-5 feet of line out in a split second. Many anglers new to this style of fishing will set the hook and then think they missed a smallmouth bass. Bass usually give 1 or 2 taps, then slowly move up current when the take a wacky worm. These specialized wacky worms sink @ the rate of  1ft. every 2 seconds w/the salt and sand blended content of the worm .Count slowly to 9 and give them a light twitch when fishing in deeper holes w/depths greater then 4 feet. Count to 5 again and then lift your line carefully moving the worm approximately 1 foot. Alternating between a twitch and line lift will vary the presentation.

Persevere and give them an honest 45 minute work-out each time out on the river during slow-bite periods, or when the  bite has stopped completely. Be patient and you’ll soon be catching some quality river smallmouth bass as you master the Wacky worm technique in moving water.

A quality smallmouth bass from the Susquehanna caught w/the wacky Stickworm Jr. during a tough,slow bite!

During low water periods, the Delaware River can become extremely clear. I’ve been very successful using a special laminated Wacky Stick Worm Jr. I refer to as my-my” dead bite”-wacky worm .I believe it imitates the brook lamprey eel. Standard colors like watermelon and green pumpkin are the normal go-to baits but this laminated Green pumpkin/watermelon worm produces best in the ultra-clear water.

Here are before and after pictures of my “wacky” stick-worm jr.(with “O” rings pre-installed) after catching 6 smallmouth bass to 16″ in a river situation.

The used one is ready to be replaced, or broken by the 7th fish. This “O” ring, rigged stick worms can be expected to catch from 3-7 bass per worm before being replaced.

The red hook (middle picture) is an Owner #2 Mosquito (green pumpkin worm) and the other bronze hook(watermelon worm) is a #4 Gamakatsu Octopus circle.(watermelon worm). The weights pictured are “Water-Gremlin”, 1/32 oz bull shot crimp-on bullet weights. Give these Wacky Stick worm Jr.’s a try on your next river trip-the smallmouth love ‘em and you’ll save some $ on baits.
The” Wacky” Stick-worm Jr.(WSWJR. 4.25″) are available in 8 colors w/”O” rings installed

Fishing Trenton for Striped Bass

By Capt Karl Hoelper Jr.

Bass Chaser’s Charters

www.delawareriverbass.com

Fishing for striped bass at Trenton can be explosive action with herring being tossed out of the water by big stripers. It can also provide some of the best shallow water sight fishing that I have ever witness. The combination of the swift current and the massive size and force of just a normal striper can put a bend in any class rod.

To get started fishing Trenton for Stripers in the spring migration you will need a few things;

You will need a boat, preferably a jet drive boat or rock boat. If you do not have a jet boat a shallow running jon boat with a prop will work but your water reading skills will have to be up to par.

A heavy river anchor is a must! Nothing is a bad as breaking loose when you don’t want.

Too many bad things can happen quickly. Wedge up on rocks, drifting into another boat, or being flipped by a bridge pilling. Swift water in the 50’s and 60’s water temperature is not a pleasant experience.

The next you will need is the right Rod and reel, I use St. Croix rods. The best rod I have found for plugging and flipping herring is an 8 foot long rod 12-25lb class with a bait runner reel loaded with 200-310 yards 15-17lb test.

For the leader material I use Seaguar fluorocarbon 25-30lbs. The reason I go so heavy is that the combination of shallow water and obstructions such as rocks, trees, and city debris. It is not uncommon to see a shopping cart or a full size dumpster wedge in between to big rocks.

The hooks I like to use are a small treble hook that is a 4x strength with a think shank j hook. The Trenton stinger rig has worked for so many years and provides the best hook-up ratio, but in the day of circle hook and conservation I have surrendered to using circle hooks. It does make a difference; a gut hook female bass most likely will not survive which means the eggs in her belly will never become baby stripers which in turn will not get to grow to be a monster bass that everyone seeks to catch. It is amazing how a circle hook can provide you with the satisfaction of a good corner of the mouth hook set and at the same time frustrate you with the amount of run offs that you can have, do to the position of the herring in the bass’s mouth and the hook never gets a chance to do it’s job. I have let bass eat for up to 20 seconds and still have missed the fish. It takes time to master the art of circle hooks in a fast current situation, especially when the fish is running down stream and you pull tight and the herring slips out of his mouth. Now that we have went over the equipment lets talk about catching bait.

To catch herring use to be a fun event and was what people use to go out fishing for. Now it has become only work and just a bait source for stripers. We use to tie are own rigs which consisted of three gold hooks size 8-12. Now there are rigs call sabiki rigs that are small gold hooks with iridescent wings that seem to be the norm no a days. The best color to me is the white but green does work. I like to take the green beads of my white rigs it seems to catch more fish. On certain days you can use larger rigs and on other days the guy with the smallest rig will be the only one putting the fish in the live well. The best thing to do is to go out and by a number of different styles and see what works for you. Storing these rigs can really be a pain, I found that a pole noodle float cut to about 6 inches works the best by just wrapping the rig around the noodle and putting each hook into the foam and pinning the swivel with a tooth pick as well as the snap. This keeps each rig nice and neat avoiding the tangles that happen all to often with sabiki rigs.

A live well or bait tub preferably round with a Circulation pump. I use a 20 gallon round tube with a drain hole at the top for over flow. For the Circulation pump I use an 800 gph bilge pump with about 6 feet of hose and a 90 degree valve inside the tube. The pump sits in the water off the side of the boat. This will give you fresh water from the river and circulate the water at the same time.

Finding herring can be done by three ways, watch other fishermen and see who is catching them consistently and move near them without encroaching on there fishing space. The next way is by using a good fish finder. Locate the school of fish and drop a rig down before you anchor make sure they are holding below you. The last way to find them is to drift fish. Drift while jigging until you locate the herring, then take land marks and remember where you caught them. Herring normally hold in the same holes year after year. After you have loaded you live well with plenty of herring it’s time to fish.

Fishing for stripers in the rocks at Trenton is just like fishing for smallmouth bass. They like the same structure, they like baits presented to them the same way, they wait in ambush points wither it’s a rock shelf , a boulder, tree, dam, or a ledge, and they also love to push baits up into structure pinning them. So now you know where they like to feed you know where to fish for them. The key for a Trenton is to develop some A 1 hole that I can depend on at any tide. From there I make every trip I fish different area, never getting into a routine where I just skip over spots completely. Stripers are a migratory fish feeding on migratory baits. One school of stripers may like a certain rock chute another school may never go by that rock chute. It is important to fish in different travel routes or places where stripers find it the easiest to move up river and of course eat their lunch. I have seen so many anglers fish their favorite hole and catch no fish or a few fish and stick with their spot all day, just cause on day they did good there. It may produce fish for them but there are betters ways to find these fish. When I start fishing I always drift the three bridges between all possible routes, tide permitting. I then move up the Jersey side and take a long drift down the wall. I will then move towards the center of the river and set a long drift. I do the same thing with the Pennsylvania side as well. By now I can figure out what side of the river the bass are trending to move up. Of course if I catch fish on a drift I will continue to drift that stretch of water or anchor and drift baits back.

Once I have located fish and have decided to set the anchor down I always drift a live herring back. What I mean by live herring is not a beat up bait that does not want to swim, a fresh, lively bait that looks like candy to a striper. I see so many people toss half dead baits back into their drift, yes you will catch fish on these baits but the smart fish that are generally larger fish, will hit lively baits more often then the beat up bait. Remember the herring are free and the beat up baits will become my chunk bait. As I am drifting live baits back typically with two rods, I make sure I take another rod or so and put a chunk down or maybe free line a head. This will do two things for you, One it will keep you from having a large tangle with tons of line out. (basically cutting you four rods down to two or possibly one). Remember you have to have you line wet to catch fish. Second it covers ground. By having short baits, 3-6 feet off the corner of the boat and maybe another bait about 10-15 feet you cover water, stay out of tangles, cover a different depth, and now you have a scent trail. More often than not I catch fish on the chunked heads and half bodies. When chumming as always cutting baits in small chunks as not to feed the stripers but merely an appetizer. These small pieces will also cover a lot of ground as it travels down stream. A hand grinder has been one of the best tools that I have added to my boat years ago while bunker chunking. When live lining I make sure I count how many strips of line I take off my reel just like tuna fishing, that way I know where and how far back the fish are holding. Developing successful patterns and duplicating them is what fishing is all about.

Picking the right place to fish can be easy and hard. Sometimes a set of rocks or a channel looks so good that you would imagine stripers holding there but they don’t. I can’t tell you why but some places just don’t hold fish. I tend to fish fast breaking water with a nice eddy behind rocks. I like to anchor just above the obstruction cause the fast water and eddy and pitch live baits through the chutes and let them swim for a little bit if there are no hits I let more line out till I reach the next eddy, chute, or boulder. When I am just swimming baits off the back of the boat I tend to keep a short bait, a mid range bait and a way back bait. The herring must be able to swim in the water you are keeping them or they will end up at the surface rolling. Adding a slip sinker or a fish finder will help the herring stay down in fast moving water. Drifting the rocks with the boat can be great action and will also cover a lot of territory. This can be done with one person running the boat and the other person pitching baits in the chutes and rock piles. This technique can be difficult by your self, but it can be done. You need to watch for large rocks that you boat might get hung up on or spin you around violently. Drifting with the boat has always been about boat position on the initial cast and then keeping the bait almost even with the boat. Most cast with be about twenty feet or so. You don’t want to pitch your baits high in the air. This will stun or even kill your baits. What you want to do is pitch at low angle so the bait does not slap the water. You may even want the herring to skip across surface of the water once or twice on impact. Once the bait is in the water keep your rod tip up high and allow the bait to swim up and over rocks. You will target the same places that you would drift baits back to when anchored.

Plugging and artificial baits is always a great time. Early morning is the key to success. Years ago I never fished herring. We would fish plugs like fast tracs, Long A’s, and poppers an hour before dawn and until about an hour after dawn. Some days we would catch 20 bass just on plugs. This seems to be a lost tactic. When plugging you could anchor, drift, or run the boat to stay even with the structure you are plugging. What I like to do is simply cast across the river to and above the structure you are targeting and let the plug or popper swim in the current and then swing back to directly behind the boat. Most of the fish you will catch will be on the swing of the plug. It is basically what you do with live baits as well. In the deeper what under the bridges I will work the plugs slowly and erratically. The pace of the retrieve will vary to each days conditions and tide phase.

Walkin’-the-Dog Surface plug fishing

by Al Winco

www.wincoscustomlures.com

Walking-the-Dog is a top-water technique using a cigar shaped surface plug that moves side to side on the retrieve. It is a deadly technique for smallmouth and largemouth bass. Many anglers try the technique but become easily frustrated when the plug won’t go side to side w/a constant cadence. I became fascinated w/the technique 20 years ago and quickly found that all plugs are not created equal and many fail miserably in moving water. Here are some tips to help you master this technique.

How I walk the Dog

Standing in a stream, I work the spook type plugs with the rod tip @ the 10 of 12 or 10 after 12 position. Remember, walking the dog is performed on SLACK line. For every turn of the reel handle your lure should complete 2 to 4 complete left to right maneuvers. Simply, walk the lure …. left-right and then take up some of the slack. Repeat. Always cast slightly upstream and work you plug across the current and down. There comes a point working downstream where the lure WILL NOT walk due to current pull and the swing – which remove all of your slack line. When this happens and/or you wish to work a tail-out section of the river, simply raise your rod quickly, pulling up 5-7 feet of line and start walking with quick wrist flicks. DO NOT TURN THE REEL HANDLE. Repeat when the SLACK GOES OUT.

Practice in a Quiet Pond / Drifting a slow section in a boat/canoe

Go to a pond with NO wind or current and practice until you can co-ordinate 4, left to right walking maneuvers first and 1 reel turn next. In a lake situation, never try to walk the dog with a strong wind blowing from the side. It takes the slack out of your line and inhibits the side to side action. Drifting a slow section of a river in a canoe or boat is the easiest way to learn. Since you’re drifting with the current, you don’t have to reel the slack-up and can concentrate on your wrist movements to create an appealing, injured baitfish, side-to-side type of retrieve.

Water Temps/Retrieve Speeds/Tackle

I do best in water temps above 70 in rivers and streams. Spring–time water temperature of 62-64 degrees can provide fast and furious top-water action BEFORE the spawn. Usually a constant retrieve works best. Folks would be astonished if they witnessed my aggressive retrieves with a 4 1/2 -5″ spook-type plug and watched how savagely smallmouth bass attacked them during weather frontal periods of light winds and overcast conditions. I make up to 8 complete L to R maneuvers in a 5 second period when they are really turned on. That being said, there a many times when the fish want a more subtle retrieve with pauses between the left to right “walks.” I.M.O., when a bass hits your plug with their tail, they are either a small fish or the plug is being retrieved too quickly for their “mood- of- the day.” However, I have experienced many times when 4 deliberate left to right walks (in a 5 second period) followed by a 15 second pause was the “match that lit the fuse”!

A 6′- 6 ½’ Med. light spinning outfit w/8-10 lb test works best on these plugs in the 3-3/12″ size. I personally prefer 10 lb. Sufix Performance Braid for creeks/rivers) with a 8-10 lb. mono leader joined to the braided line w/a double uni-knot. The plug is joined to the monofilament line with a Palomar knot. Do not use a fluorocarbon leader w/top-water lures – it will inhibit the walking action with the sinking leader. Casting tackle is recommended for the 3 3/4′- 5″ models. Practice and perfect the technique and you’ll enjoy some of the most exciting and explosive smallmouth fishing of your life

The thrill of summer-time top-water smallmouth bass


Rattles / Tail feathers/Missed Strikes

Rattles will create attracting noise in plastic, hollow models. The pointed nose models are usually poor for creating a spitting, popping noise in wind and wave conditions. Under these conditions, it has been my experience that models with a nose cup do have the advantage of drawing the attention of aggressive smallmouth bass. I believe the addition of any tail feathers to create a target are not necessary and the feathers would interfere with the walking action. If you get just the smallest piece of weed on the tail hook, the walking action is greatly reduced. There are going to be times when fish miss or boil under the plug. When the bass are really turned on to the top-water W-T-D- bite, mutiple passes (attacks) are normal when they strike at a lure going side to side. That’s the nature of the beast -so to speak. When they boil or slash and miss you plug, keep your retrieve in motion and don’t stop the routine. If they didn’t feel the hooks on a previous pass, cast out again to the same rock or pool and another strike may result .I once hooked and landed 4 Smallmouth bass (from 16-18″) on 7 casts to the same 4×4 boulder in a 3 1/2′ deep, slow-moving riff in the Susquehanna River. I’ve also had some monstrous smallmouth bass come completely out of the water and miss the plug and refuse to give me another pass @ the plug. Frustrating but that’s the reality of top-water lure fishing.

Summer-time, top-water smallmouth bass

Smallmouth bass are funny and picky fish at times. It has been my experience during the summer months on the Susquehanna River, that smallmouth’s’ will respond better to a smaller (3-3 1/2″ ) W-T-D- type bait under stable weather conditions. They only seem to give the bait one shot and will not pursue them with multiple strikes. Now when you have an approaching weather front or thunderstorms with a falling barometer taking place, that’s the time to put away the small surface plugs and bring out the big guns. Now the bigger bass will aggressively attack plugs in the 4 1/2 – 5″ sizes that are splashing, popping and walking 6-12″ side to side in an aggressive manner. The strikes are absolutely vicious, heart-stopping attacks with multiple strikes the “norm” until hook-up. Many times I’ve purposely worked the plugs extra fast to entice multiple, savage strikes. All smallmouth bass anglers should have the thrill & excitement of experiencing this type of fishing.

My younger son Brian w/a Susquehanna “football” smallmouth bass

Custom Wooden W-T-D- plugs

I have manufactured my own type of wooden Walk-the-Dog plugs for the past 20 years. I became very frustrated with the available, commercial plastic models. Their inconsistent action and inability to attract strikes during windy conditions gave me the need to create my own type of W-T-D surface plugs. The special angle and depth of the nose cup is similar too but different then a popper. This creates more fish-attracting splashing sounds on the zigzag retrieve. They also have a fixed, internal tail weight and are balanced to sit on a precise angle in the water.(they do not stand straight up). I make 4 basic colors in 2 sizes- all have pear colored bellies.

These medium size plugs- 3-3 1/2” are the most popular w/anglers

,br />Key words: Top water plugs,Walkin’-the-dog, Smallmouth bass surface plugs

River surface plug fishing for smallmouth bass

The Float ‘n Fly and Smallmouth Bass

Authored and written by: Al Winco

www.wincoscustomlures.com

*What is it?* How do I fish it? *How do you rig it?

The float’ n fly rig is a 1/16-1/8 oz. sparsely tied jig made from craft hair that is suspended beneath a surface float which is usually fished @ 12’ depths. It is a specific technique for winter time anglers that originated in the clear, cold water lake of Dale Hollow Reservoir in Tennessee. They use fixed bobbers,9-11 ft. rods and 4-6 pound test line. This technique will catch both smallmouth and largemouth bass. I’ve modified the tackle and rigging techniques for ease of use in our northern waters that is equally productive. The float ‘n fly is associated w/Lake fishing but has also been productive for me in the river fished specifically in reverse current and reduced current pools.

IF YOU REALLY WISH TO LEARN THE FLOAT ‘N FLY TECHNIQUE -REMOVE all other lures ,rod & reels out of your boat and fish nothing but the Float ‘n Fly all day.

1-Spinning tackle, 6-8 pd test line(depending upon water clarity) and a 6-7′ light to med. light action spinning rod (I use a 20-30 ft. section of 8lb. test -Stren, Clear Magnathin line ,joined to 10lb. test Sufix braided line w/a double uni-knot.

My personal favorite rod is a 6′8′ Shimano Crucial -Medium light/Fast action 4-8lb. line lure weight 1/16-1/4 oz.

2-Rigging- Tie a single uni-knot/bobber stop ,up 6-15 feet from the end of your monofilament leader 1st. Slide a round or faceted RED-plastic bead up your line 2nd. Then slide a 1″ diameter Thill -“Day and Night Slip float 3rd. Tie your desired Float’ n Fly pattern to the end of your leader last

Bobber stop knot-

http://www.steelheader.net/knots/float_stopper.htm

Thill-day and night slip floats-

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_30560____SearchResults

Faceted plastic beads-

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_2059____SearchResults

I tie my own bobber stops using 17 lb. monofilament and the illustrated knot above. The plastic bobber stops have broken on me too many times in cold water temperatures. The wire stops and pre-tied Dacron stops are not recommended since they inhibit casting distance. Pull both ends of bobber stop-knot very tight and trim the tag ends very closely or it will inhibit casting.

YOU CAN ADD A SMALL SPLIT –SHOT 1 FOOT ABOVE YOUR FLOAT’N FLY . THIS WILL KEEP THE END OF THE FLOAT FROM JAMMING AGAINST IT AND INTO THE EYE OF THE JIG.(that will keep the fly from sinking)

4-To start fishing, set the bobber-stop @ 1 foot shallower then the depth of the water you are fishing.

If your slip bobber does not stand straight up, your bait is on the bottom and you need to set the stop shallower (you want the fly suspended 1 ft from the bottom-minimum)

5-Fish slack water and reverse pool areas as well as productive wintering holes in rivers. I like points, ledge and rocky high spots and/ or deep –water bluff walls in lakes

6-The retrieve:

Cast out, wait for the slip-bobber to stand straight up-start a series of 3-6 short wrist movements causing the top of the bobber to tip over to the waters surface and then stop so that the float stands straight up. Pause(15 seconds to 1 minute) and repeat the sequence. Sometimes just shaking the bobber in place will trigger a strike.

7-I have witnessed smallmouth bass hit during the series of wrist manipulations as well as the pause. I have had smallmouth and largemouth bass play with the FnF like it was live bait and then pull the float completely under the surface. You should set the hook when any different movement is noticed in your surface float. If your float suddenly goes horizontal, reel up your slack and set the hook immediately-the bass has taken the fly and is swimming at you.

It is best to experiment and develop your own successful routine / retrieve w/out overworking the fly

8-Don’t make the mistake of staying in one pool or spot too long fishing the Float ‘n Fly. If a smallmouth bass is present and wants it, they will take it the first or second time they see it presented in the proper fashion.

9-Some folks prefer to apply fish attractants to their fly. I’ve caught plenty of bass with and without an attractant. You’ve got to be willing to experiment. The bass as always have the final say.

10-The Float ‘n Fly can be equally effective for largemouth in lakes during the cold -water periods (60 degrees down to ice- up)

11-Pike and pickerel will also take the Float ‘n Fly.

Here’s a picture of a March-2008 5pd. 10 oz. Float ‘n fly Smallmouth bass-Water temperature-42 degrees

Look closely and you’ll see the faceted red bead and slip bobber on top of my index finger and the fly in the top of the “smallies” mouth. The only indication of a hit was the vertical slip bobber went to a horizontal position during a pause in the routine of working the fly.

Don’t be surprised if one of these “Golden Bass’ inhales your Float ‘n Fly.I set the hook when the slip-bobber went horizontal and this Bugle gave me quite a battle for 5 minutes before I even saw her. It took an additional 5 minutes to finally bring her to the net

Here’s the pic of my 1/8 oz F’nF patterns I tie using natural mallard flank.

My custom tied Float ‘n Fly’s feature-

1- epoxy/powder painted jig heads-3d eyes

2-Undulating craft hair

3-Mustad 1/0 Ultra-point-point ,black chrome(BLN) hooks

4-Kevlar thread sealed for durability

Authored and written by: Al Winco

www.wincoscustomlures.com

Water temperatures in the 36-42 degree range are usually considered as the cold water, winter smallmouth fishing time on the Delaware river. Smallmouth bass move to their off- current, wintering holes and can be caught by the knowledgeable angler who is properly and safely prepared to fish during the cold air and water temperatures. Winter smallmouth bass anglers look for a 2-4 degree rise in water temps during winter warming trends that will get the bass looking and eating. An ice free river is mandatory for safe jet-boat navigation. Winter lure presentations are usually smaller then their warmer water cousins, as the smallmouth bass prefer a smaller meal during this cold water period. The cross-cut, rabbit hair jig, w/and w/out a trailer was considered the Gold Standard for many years and still is a fine producer for lethargic winter smallmouth bass. Three years ago, I created 2 specific, 3” soft-baits for the cold water period. The C.W. and W.W. Smallies delight Jigs. Originally, I intended the C.W. for cold water and the W.W. for warm water but they are both equally effective for winter bass. These soft-baits have12 externally rigged,3 color silicone strands that provide life-like action to the salt and scent impregnated jig-even when sitting still on the bottom. Bass usually hold onto these soft-baits,giving the angler time to set the hook. These 2 jigs were proto-typed and tested 3 years ago on a late winter, guided smallmouth trip w/Blaine Mengel of the Backwoods Angler Guide service. Air temperatures were 26 degrees @ the start of the trip and warmed to a balmy 41 degrees w/ 15-25 mph NW winds. Water temperature ranged from 38-40 degrees. I split the charter w/ another hard-core river smallmouth addict. We boated 29 smallmouth bass that day to 19” on the C.W. and W.W.Smallies delight Jigs These jigs are fished slowly across the bottom w/spinning tackle in weights of 1/8-1/4oz. Braided line w/a fluorocarbon leader works best for feeling the mush-mouth winter hit. I hold my rod still w/ tension, @ the 10 after 12 position when I feel any resistance during the retrieve. If I feel the mushy, tell-tale head-bob of the smallmouth bass munching on the jig, I’ll set the hook. These jigs are basically snag –free when use w/my new, weighted flutter heads. Here’s a pic of the kit I offer: (#FHCP) | 10@$30.00 Mustad Ultra-point (Black Chrome) 2/0 Swim-bait hooks w/Hitchiker coil keeper. Available in 1/16,3/32 , 1/8 ,1/4oz. jig weights Here’s the ultimate kit for reducing snags, using these popular 3″ soft-bait jigs for smallmouth bass in river, creeks and lake fishing. For cooling water temperatures, the proven design of the salt & scent impregnated C.W. and W.W. Smallies Delight 3″ soft-baits have earned a place in every serious anglers jig arsenal. The flutter heads slip through most difficult rocky bottom structure with 70% less snags then open hooked baits. The texposed, Mustad, Ultra-point swim bait hook provides positive hooksets-even for the cold-water, mush mouth bite of lethargic smallmouth bass. The hitchhiker coil keeper holds the head of the soft-bait firmly in place. The unique & durable attachment / placement of the multi-colored, silicone skirt strands provides life-like action to the jig-even in a stationary position. The kit includes 5 /W.W.S.D. and 5/ C.W.S.D. soft baits rigged on painted, 1/8 oz. flutter jig heads. The kit also includes 10 additional, un-rigged soft-bait replacement bodies- 5 of each style plus 2, un-rigged flutter jig heads. Available colors: #02 Black, #06 Green Pumpkin, #07 Watermelon, #24 Brown Pumpkin Fantasy, #32 Roadkill/camo and #33 Mudpie. I will gladly mix colors depending upon availability. An additional cold-water presentation was again proven in March of 2008 w/the “USUAL SUSPECTS” aboard the Backwoods Angler’s jet boat. I call these the C.W. Jig Worm Kit. The kit has various head designs, w/ and w/o dual wire rock guards for a stand-up presentation that have the approval of cold-water smallmouth bass. The baits range from 3to 3 ¾’ in length. These jig worms accounted for every big smallmouth over 14”caught that day including a real nice 20” er. C.W. Jig Worm Kit-#CWJWK 3/16-5/16 oz. heads w/ Mustad Ultra-Point & BLN Ultra-Point hooks PRICE: $25.00 per Kit Experienced anglers soon learn how finicky smallmouth bass can be. Fishing for small mouth bass gets tough after cold fronts and when the water temperatures decline into the 40’s . Smaller presentations appeal to smallmouth bass under these conditions. This kit contains high floating, smaller worms from 3-3 3/4”-all on true, stand-up jig heads that bass can easily see w/the worm raised off of the bottom. This is “shaky – head”, finesse fishing @ its finest which many fine smallmouth bass have agreed with. Simply slowly craw these jigs across the bottom w/pauses and/or add a “shake in place” to the retrieve. All jig heads are powered painted in black or green pumpkin and feature dual barbs to securely hold all types of soft plastics in place. This kit Includes * 3/ 3 ¼” Un-rigged creatures on 3/16 0z. stand-up football jigs w/Ultra-point hooks & dual wire rock guards * 4 complete Stand-up bullet jigs(2-3/16 & 2-5/16) w/8 ,hand-tied silicone layers on Mustad BLN Ultra-point hooks * 4 complete Stand-up bullet jigs(2-3/16 & 2-5/16) w/dual wire rock guards on Mustad BLN Ultra-point hooks * 4 complete 3/16 oz. Stand-up football jigs w/8 hand-tied silicone layers on Mustad BLN Ultra-point hooks. * 30 additional high-floating worms in 2 styles/lengths and three colors-watermelon, green pumpkin and black. For various, effective presentations, these worms can be easily trimmed from 3 3/4” down to 3” and anywhere in-between simply by cutting along the segment lines. Here’s a pic of these jigs underwater Cold water largemouth bass love these finesse baits! Dressing for cold weather and the wind chills associated w/ long distance jet-boat runs is recommended. Cold hands and fingers can ruin your day on the water. This system may seem like overkill but when my hands get cold and the finger tips start going numb, I warm them quickly. Holding onto a sub-freezing temp.reel seat will produce cold hands,no matter who you are. I used the heated muff 4x’s during the 1st hour on the water to warm both the left and right fingertips. The body warmer packs work the best I use these 1st- http://www.damartusa.com/pls/portal/site_framework.product?p_product_code=QQD264X Then put these on- http://www.flyfishingoutfitters.com/p/s/viewitem.aspx?pid=GLO-SIM-WIND-GLO I use two of these- http://heatreliefdepot.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=464 Inside one of these- http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=null-cat601725&id=0021064920009a&navCount=0&podId=0021064&parentId=cat601725&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=XJ&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat601233&cmCat=netcon&cm_ven=netcon&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=hand%20warmer%20deer%20muff&cm_ite=netcon&rid=0180101070502 I also use a Damart Balaclava under my Watch cap to keep my entire face/neck warm when running the river in the jet. Never put Damart double force items in the clothes drier. They will shrink to 1/3rd their size. They air dry very quickly. The Damart double force turtleneck sweater is awesome for warmth.I’ll carry 2 pair of the Damart liner gloves in the real cold weather so after 1 pair gets wet I can change over to the dry pair. Al Winco – Winco’s Custom www.wincoscustomlures.com wincolures@verizon.net

The Pennsylvania Environmental Council (www.pecpa.org)
We are conducting a survey to gauge interest and understand any potential barriers to the increased recreational use of the waterways in and around Philadelphia, specifically the Tidal Delaware River. As a group that has a clear interest in utilizing waterways such as the Delaware, we appreciate your help.
Survey Link: Click Here to take survey.

BWO is the  largest, oldest and ONLY  fly shop and guide service located  in Hancock NY at 140 East  Front Street.

Join Jim “Coz”  Costolnick and the BWO staff for a day of fly fishing the fabled waters  where the East & West  Branch of the Upper Delaware River System join to form the  famous Main stem of the Delaware.

FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF OUR  GUIDE AND OUTFITTER SERVICES  go to WWW.BORDERWATEROUTFITTERS.COM OR CALL 607-637-4296

SEE YOU ON THE  RIVER,
JIM  “COZ” Costolnick

Landmark Towns is a cooperative venture between the four boroughs of Bristol, Morrisville, Yardley, New Hope, and the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor. Our focus is on economic development and tourism growth in the downtown business districts of these four riverfront communities. While each community is unique, they share similar challenges and opportunities. Working together with the DCED, local municipalities, and the D&L, we are looking forward to tremendous growth during the next few years. For more information on Landmark Towns of Bucks County, please contact Regional Main Street Coordinator, Donna Boone at 215-781-2605 or by email at donna@delawareandlehigh.org.

Delaware River Power Squadron offers safe boating courses in Philadelphia. Call Mike Day 267-250-2474 for our schedule of classes.

Soaring Eagle is a family owned Campground on the Upper Delaware River located by the famous Kellam’s Bridge at Stalker PA. We offer camping, canoeing, kayaking and tubing river trips on the portion of the river from Hancock to the Soaring Eagle which is not crowed, has great fishing and boating.

You will marvel at the wildlife as you float down the river. Our campsites include clean bathhouse, picnic table and fire ring. We have a several sites with water and electric hook up and a dump station. River and Brooks sites available. We are only 12 acres and do not crowd campers in on top of each other. We are only 20 minutes from Bethel Woods Performing Arts center at the original Woodstock site. Woodstock Museum is opening this spring. Check out our website at:

www.soaringeaglecampground.com