Photo by John Merwin

After posting the other day about fishing and not catching, I thought I should redeem myself with a little fish porn. Here’s a nice largemouth--I guess around 6 or 7 pounds--that I took with a deeply fished soft-plastic swimbait on a very cold day. Our northern bass are still pre-spawn right now, and there are still frost warnings in the evening weather forecasts.

Bass jigs with soft-plastic trailers, plastic worms, and soft tubes are all taking bass this week, but low and slow is the key in still-cold April water. Green pumpkin is inevitably my favorite color choice for all the foregoing, but when it comes to bass jigs I also like a 
black-and-blue mixed color combination.

In a couple of weeks when the water warms up and the fish become a little more aggressive, I’ll be throwing jerkbaits along the channel edges. Twitching a floating Rapala just below the surface is a little more fun because I can see the fish taking the lure or even just swirling at it.

Those aren’t the only early season lure choices, of course. Any other ideas for waking up bass that are still lethargic in the cool waters of spring?

So the great Brooklyn, New York, bass-fishing expedition was a bust in some ways, a success in some other ways. Prospect Park Lake is simply gorgeous and very fishy looking with lots of shoreline cover. We didn’t see so much as a swirl, however, nor did any of the many other people fishing catch anything as we watched. The best part was that I was able to give some bass tips to my youngest city-dwelling son, while watching my wife showing his girlfriend how to use a spinning rod.

Photo by John Merwin

So we opted for culture instead of fishing. There were long walks in the sun through the spectacularly blooming Brooklyn Botanic Garden. And we spent Sunday at the world-renowned Brooklyn (art) Museum, which was equally impressive and left me feeling almost like a civilized person. I think this was good for me. My wife said it was, anyway.

I can also report that city people are really tough, unlike us country folk. After pounding concrete sidewalks for three days and climbing up and down interminable sets of stairs in and out of subway stops, my feet hurt like hell. I mean, out here in the woods I walk to the truck and drive to the store and back. Pretty easy. Down there in the concrete canyons, it’s pound, pound, pound all day long....

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of floating the upper Delaware River with F&S Senior Editor Colin Kearns and guide Gary Henderson from the West Branch Angler. The fishing was pretty good, with as much dry fly action as we could hope for on a cloudy, windy, chilly day. But what I could not have hoped to be better was Henderson's lunch of choice for a day on the river. Before putting in the float boat, he swung by the local grocery store and picked up a nasty, delicious, dirty, mouth-watering bag of extra-greasy fried chicken. Though it wasn't always so, I have officially decided that this is the best on-the-water meal going. Here's why:

Though I've been partial to Italian subs for many years, I have often fallen victim to the sub that slips in the cooler's melt-water and ends up a soggy pile of mayonnaisy mush. Sandwiches of any kind also require some sort of wrapper or bag that makes more trash on board, gives you something extra to clean up, or at worst, ends up in the water. Many pieces of chicken come in a single bag that is often lined with foil to keep them warm...and, though unintended, keep moisture out. The stuff is scrumptious hot or cold, and after you've gnawed a thigh to the bone, you can throw it in the drink worry free.

I cannot take credit for the fried chicken idea, as Henderson is one of many guides and anglers who take part in this joyous fishing food, but I have decided it is now my favorite, too. As you can see in the photo above, Henderson sneak-attacks the last piece of chicken while Colin is preoccupied with keeping an eagle eye out for risers. Very smooth. So it's official. As of today, I declare this dish the official pack lunch of anglers worldwide. Anyone want to argue? -- JC

Here's the scoop. I have been authorized by the powers that be to shoot a fishing show of my own styling for our website, dubbed "Field & Stream Hook Shots." Now, my own styling means loud music and antics, though my ultimate goal with this project is to bring you insider fishing info, tips, tricks, and a generally good way to waste time at work. Wherever I fish this season that I think would interest you guys, the camera comes along. I figure, if you'll watch Hank Parker for 30 minutes on Sunday, maybe you'll watch your old buddy Joe for 10. Presented below is the first official episode on American shad filmed less than two weeks ago on the Delaware River.

In these videos, you will (hopefully) see everything from sharks, to trout, to catfish and beyond. The video series will forever live at fieldandstream.com/hookshots. I'll keep adding episodes to that gallery, and give you a heads up here when a new one is posted.

So tell me what you think. I am certainly having fun filming them, and I hope you have fun watching them, and maybe learn some stuff in the process. Be sure to tell your friends! And by the way, if you're in a band with original recorded music you think would fit in an episode of Hook Shots, email me and I'll see if I can't set you up with a little musical exposure. I'm open to all genres.

JC