Shakey Jig for Cold Spring Bass

For those of you who are unaware of the Shakey Jig and what it does, check this article out. The Shakey Jig basically allows the bait to tip up on the bottom of the lake, keeping it out of the muck and in front of the cold bass' face. A new way of fishing the Jig has been discovered--Wackey! Wackey rigging a Senko or other soft-plastic jerkbait on it will allow it to tip up an inch or two after hitting bottom.
Click here for the full article

Finessing the Little Guys

Having trouble catching the big bass? Try switching to your trout tackle and through on some crappie jigs. Little bass are really getting aggressive right now and these are the perfect baits for them. Fish them slowly still, dragging and bouncing off the bottom. Don't be afraid to let it pause on the bottom for a few seconds, then give it a slight reel, pause, then jig. The hits are coming really soft, so be ready. When you feel something, reel up any slack and see if your line moves before you set the hook.
Yellow, green, and white heads/tubes are working well.

Some Great new sites!

Check out my new website, chestercountyfisherman.weebly.com (For some reason this link does not work, just copy and paste into your browser)
This is basically the same site just in a website layout that is much easier to navigate

Also check out the Coventryville Trout Club's new site, coventryvilletroutclub.blogspot.com
This is a great club dedicated to keeping fishing fun in the Coventry/Pottstown area. Become a member and receive some great benefits!

One more good site to check out is the Chester Country Bass Masters. Join and compete in actual bass tournaments, boaters and riders welcome. Click here

PA State Stocking at French Creek

The stocking of the French Creek looked good so far, with the average size of the trout (all rainbows and palaminos) bigger than usual. I'd say the average size was 11-12 inches with many reaching 15. The palaminos were all lunkers or close to it, and reports of huge rainbows in some places was encouraging.
The PFBC saw alot of help for this stocking, but they said that what they really need is help during the season when less people come out to help. I recommend at least water-proof boots so that you can get into some of the tough to reach places that don't always get stocked.

Crankbaits for Bass

For some reason, this time of year can trigger some pretty aggressive hits on your crankbaits. But, you have to know when to use them to get maximum strikes. The main thing to consider is the weather. Crankbaits do best when there is a slight wind causing ripples on the surface. This is especially true when using shallow water crankbaits (in shallow water). And cloudy days seem to produce more often than sunny days for this method.
"Many bassers find slender, flat-sided baits work best on sluggish bass in cold water (they're quieter and emit tighter vibrations), while the more rounded varieties, many of which are filled with noisemaking rattles and swim with a wide wobble, tend to produce better in warm water"
from "Shallow Water" Crankin' by Don Wirth.
Click here for the full article on Spring time crankbaits
I have seen fishermen right next to me catching fish with this method while mine were just not working. So remember to keep one of these crankbaits in your arsenal for the Spring.

Dropshotting for Winter Bass

Ever wonder what dropshotting is or when to use it? Turns out right now is the perfect time to try it out. This method utilizes alot of action with very little change in location of your lure-allowing sluggish bass more time to attack. Dropshotting is traditionally used for catfishing and most bottom saltwater species, but has been adapted for freshwater bass. The basic idea is to have a weight at the end of your line with a lure/bait suspended about 10-12 inches above it tied with a palomar knot. This lets you bounce and flick the lure and not move it from the strike zone.
Here's some very helpful links for rigging and fishing dropshots:
Drop shot rigging
Palomar Knot

An Interesting Article

Here is an article discussing fishing in Special Regulation waters in PA. It brings up pros and cons, and gives very helpful tips for fly fishing and spinner fishing for trout in winter. The article comes from:

Anytime angling: Pennsylvania's special regulation trout program

Pittsburgh Post Gazette, USA

Lunker Tips continue to Produce

Fished the same pond this weekend with the Riverside Jerbaits and managed to get a picture of a 3-4 lber. Remember, this technique isn't meant for most winter fishing conditions--mainly just farm ponds that don't see too many fishermen.

The picture shows the jerkbait's color and style as well.

Some More Winter Bass Tips

If your fishing a larger local pond, try fishing near it's dock or any structure you can find in the deeper parts. Try throwing a Senko or other 4-6 inch jerkbaits out past the structure, then SLOWLY reel the bait in. Jerk it up a little and then let it sink then reel in some slack and repeat. Most strikes will come when it is sinking-look for your line to get tight. Use a size 4 wide gap bass hook and be sure to really set the hook hard-these baits are thick and it takes some effort to get it through, even if you have stuck the point all the way through before hand (recommended). This technique helped me land a 5 lber and two 2 lbers yesterday. Lunker recap:

• Fish deep structures (Dock, drain pipe, logs)
• Use 4-6 in Senkos or other Jerkbaits with size 4 wide gap hooks
• Reel slowly, jerking upward and letting it sink for a few seconds
• Set hook hard and make sure to pull hook point all the way through bait before hand

Also, don't expect this method to work everywhere, just in good ponds with little pressure.
Here's a helpful link for Senko Soft Jerkbait rigging

Chester County Trout Stockings

Here's a list of trout stockings from March 10th to April 3rd in Chester County from the PA Fish and Game website.

According to the Allentown Morning Call newspaper, the PFBC are stocking 3.4 million trout in PA this year from their 14 hatcheries.

Tips for winter Largemouth

It can be tricky landing largemouth this time of year, and don't expect to catch many lunkers. Most bass that bite are younger, so size your presentation accordingly. Some proven lures include:

• In-line spinners (Rooster Tails, Panther Martins...)
• Small Jigs-ones that are usually used for crappie
• Slowly presented soft-plastics with no weight (Senkos, salamanders, curly tail worms)
• Bass Jigs with crayfish trailers
• Use shallow running Crank baits in open water up to 8 ft deep (when there is wind causing small ripples on the surface)
  
• Texas/Carolina rigged small plastic worms or salamanders
  

Remember to keep your presentation as slow as possible. Also, sunny days are going to produce more in the cold weather-except with the crank baits. Fish near fallen logs or shallow cover and use slightly smaller hooks as well.

Don't Forget the Year Round Trout Sections!

Just because Approved Trout Waters are closed for the season it doesn't mean trout fishing is done. Remember, there's still plenty of fly-fishing and artificial lure spots, and even an all tackle section open year-round.

Catch And Release (all tackle)
Valley Creek – at Valley Forge and tributaries including Little Valley Creek. Be aware that Valley Forge National Historic Park has imposed special bait restrictions. Check local posters. Click here for some pictures of the trout being caught here right now.
Catch and Release (flyfishing only)
French Creek – 0.9 mile; from the dam at Camp Sleepy Hollow downstream to Hollow Road
Delayed Harvest (artificial lures only)
East Branch Brandywine Creek – 1.2 miles; from SR 4019 (Dorlan’s Mill Road) downstream to SR 4004 (Dowlin Forge Road)
Pickering Creek – 1.5 miles; from SR 1019 (Charlestown Road) downstream to 330 yards upstream of the railroad bridge
Middle Branch White Clay Creek – 1.7 miles; from SR 3009 (Good Hope Road) downstream to the confluence with the East Branch
West Valley Creek – 1.2 miles; from the confluence with the unnamed tributary (locally known as Colebrook Run) upstream of SR 2020 (Boot Road) downstream to 0.25 miles downstream of the railroad tunnel

Information gathered from www.fish.state.pa.us

What to do now that Trout are Out

So trout fishing is down for a month, there's still plenty of fishing to be had in Chester County. Try out the many lakes that are not Approved Trout Waters, such as Struble and Chambers lake for panfish and walleye (This site lists many of the Chester County parks and fisheries) . Drive a little out of Chester County to get to the PPL powerplant warm-water discharge on the Susquehanna river for the best smallmouth and walleye fishing in years (click here for recent fishing reports for the Susky and other places). Did you know you can get fishing forcasts on Weather.com for just about any lake? Here's a forcast for March 7th at Marsh Creek Lake.