I haven't abandoned the Porta-Bote. The Porta-Bote is great. I even upgraded it this spring by purchasing a well-maintained, used 5HP motor for it, making the Porta-Bote even more awesome. The thing with that boat is that I pretty much need a 12-15 hour day to use it. From the time I get up, til I get it on the car, til I get it to the lake... and on and on... til I'm done and home... my day with the Porta-Bote starts at 7am and then ends up at 9pm. I don't necessarily mind all that, especially if the weather is right and the fishery adequately productive. But with Lucy at the age she is now, and with Kate home all week, and with having only one car... now is not quite the time to be out of the house on a boat on a Saturday for 12-15 hours this year. But, you know, I can do 4-6 hours easily. That's where the Excursion 5 raft comes in.

I met my friend K at the John Heinz Wildlife Refuge at 11am. I hooked the air pump to the car's 12 volt charger and inflated the boat's 3 distinct, physically isolated bladders. We had the boat in Darby Creek in pretty much no time, which isn't too bad considering today was the first time I actually put the whole thing together. We cruised around, took some pics, threw some lures in the water, and generally enjoyed nature as much as two fellows could under blazing sun and near 100°F temperatures. My electric trolling motor attached perfectly to the motor mount kit and even the heavy marine batter was easily tucked under under my arm while I navigated up and down the creek. The ride was pretty comfortable, especially considering the whole thing is essentially a huge pillow. The sturdy vinyl material effortlessly made its way up and down the creek with the help of my Minn Kota electric motor. The boat easily could handle 2-3 adults plus 1-2 (< age 10) kids, or about 1,000 lbs of people, however you decide to do it. I'm not exactly eager to ram it into rocks in turbulent water, but as far as something to cruise around on little creeks and ponds and lakes, I'm totally happy with this boat.

As far as time and effort is concerned, I got what I wanted to out of this boat. I took it out of the car at 11am. We were able to inflate it and get everything together without even looking at the manual in no time. We then spent plenty of time on the water, came back, deflated it with the same device that inflated it, and wrapped up our trip by 2:30pm. Not bad -- 3.5 hours from the time I took it out of the car til I put it back. Like I sort of indicated -- its a heck of a lot easier for me to get out on a river or lake for 4 hours than it is to do so for 12 or 15 hours.

My friend and I used today as an experimental test run before taking it up to the Delaware River Water Gap in August for a fishing trip on the river and camping trip on one of the islands. No doubt, the test was successful. This is a great boat, and today was a great day on the water.

Pennsylvania rivers and lakes are filled with abundant quantities of bluegills, pumpkin seeds, redear sunfish, crappie, and rock bass -- all of which are generally more than happy to attach themselves to a hook containing a meal worm, a commonly sold bait in your favorite bait & tackle shop.

Pumpkin Seed	Bluegill

A meal worm on a #10 hook with a splitshot, or maybe a #10 with a jig, will get you bite after bite of panfish. If there are any around, they are suckers for this combination.

The problem I always have is that very few of the tugs result in a solid catch. Worm after worm is consumed and false alarm after false alarm is punctuated by an actual catch now and then. When you catch a dozen or so fish in 40 minutes, it doesn't matter. But it'll deplete your bait stash for the day. So, I switched to fake meal worms last summer, after growing tired of running through a container of real meal worms every 20 minutes.

Rock Bass

So, instead of fish consuming meal worm after meal worm, they'd end up just tugging on a piece of plastic. Again, more false alarms. And for every 10 nibbles a catch. This might sound like a lot of bellyachin' on my part, but when you've got a 3-year-old with you, that you're trying to impress with the joys of reeling in a fish, it can end up being frustrating and disappointing for both parties.

After another recent similar experience with endless nibbles and few actual catches relative to bobber dunks, I decided to take another approach -- a tube, which is an artificial lure that is a hollowed-out, cylindrical soft plastic lure, with a tentacle-encased open end and a closed rounded head.

Get yourself your ultra-light/light rod with 4# or maybe 6# test line, attach a swivel, with maybe a small split shot, and attach your tube. Flick it near weed lines and around structure and start counting the fish. Once I went to this set-up, out on Maiden Creek last weekend, all of those nibbles easily converted to catches on an almost a one-to-one basis.

Giving tubes a shot when it comes to choosing your panfish arsenal may very well pay off. If you don't feel like rigging up live bait after live bait, or disappointing an impatient child you're hoping to teach the basics of fishing to, your panfish success rate may very well sky-rocket with this approach.

Pro-tip: Smallmouth Bass are known to love tubes as well. You never know what you may end up on the line when you fish with a tube.

Inspired by our recent exploration of Darby/Cobbs Creek wathershed, the wife and I set out to find the origins of Brandywine Creek, which we located with a little help of a GPS and a turn-around or two in the car. Unexpectedly, we found some other interesting local resources I was not previously aware of, including Hibernia Country Park and Lakes Struble and Chambers, all of which are great places close to Philadelphia worth being checked out by regional urban outdoor enthusiasts.

Nearly 45 minutes from University City and we are off of the PA Turnpike at the Morgantown exit. If you're hungry this exit is a good spot to stop for food, because there isn't much in the way of food for miles. If you're looking for Brandywine Creek or any of the sites detailed here, the first thing you'll want to do is head south on Route 10. Keep an eye out, because it wanders here and there. Follow Route 10, cross 32 in Honey Brook, and you'll be in the township where the west branch of Brandywine Creek begins.

You'll notice almost immediately just how geographically close Amish culture is to Philadelphia. You'll see a horse and wagon or other signs of plain folks just as soon as you hit the back roads. It gives one the immediate feeling that one is no longer in West Philly any more, and it happens with less than an hour's car ride.

Interestingly enough, my re-discovery of fishing as an adult happened because I was temporarily living in Morgantown due to a work commitment a few springs ago. In order to keep myself busy and out of trouble after hours I took to exploring the region and took up fishing after not being terribly involved with the sport for a number of years. For whatever reason, for those few months, my travels were exclusively north and west, bringing me to French Creek Park, Blue Marsh Lake, and Tulpehocken Creek. It was nice to be back in the area, checking out things I neglected to find the last time my rubber met the road on the fringes of Philadelphia's exurbia.

At the sign welcoming you to the community of Honey Brook, you'll notice nearby a rather wet ditch. On the east side of the road it'll look marshy, and there will be puddles. On the left side, the ditch will contain something slightly resembling a brook. This is where the west branch of the Brandywine Creek begins.

A few miles away, up around Lake Stuble, begins the east branch in a rather undramatic fashion. I like the term they use to describe where a river begins -- where it "rises". I thought it to be a peculiar term the first time I encountered it, but in time I have come to consider it appropriate. Usually, there is not flowing water. Then there is. And, because of rocks, drainage systems, and other features of the land that make everything not entirely accessible, I find where a river rises to be almost entirely impossible to pinpoint, even when standing at the precise spot.

Before this branch of the Brandywine can even get started, it is almost immediately dammed, producing Lake Struble. The manmade impoundment was completed in 1971. It has a normal surface area of 146 acres and is owned by Chester County Water Authority. The lake looks great for fishing and boating, as long as it is unpowered or has an electric motor. Fishing reports indicate the basic Pennsylvania menu of 'gills, perch, catfish, bass, and the like, but with the notable inclusion of walleye. Check the website for rules and regulations.

After getting a good look at Lake Struble, we headed back towards the west branch and found ourselves in Chester County's Hibernia Park, a little north of Coatesville Reservoir. I had never heard of this place, nor Chambers Lake, which is part of and sits along the western edge of the park, but I have a feeling I'm going to be spending some more time there in the future.

Hibernia Country Park in Chester County boasts 900 acres of trails, woodlands, meadows, open fields, play areas, pavilions, camping, and picnic areas. In addition to Chambers Lake on the western end, the eastern end is bordered by Brandywine Creek's western branch. Other fishing sites in the park include, Birch Run and a children's pond. Small boating and fishing occur on the 90–acre Chambers Lake.

Brandywine's western branch, along the eastern border of the park, is 20-30 feet in width and 18-36 inches in depth. It is a picture perfect trout stream, that is often stocked during the season.

At the opening of the season, Hibernia's 3/4-acre children's pond is filled with bluegills, largemouth bass and stocked trout. The pond is limited to children and disabled individuals for the first few weeks of trout season, and opens for the general public after Memorial Day.

Supposedly 48 feet at its deepest, the 90-acre Chambers Lake is stocked with warm water species, including panfish, channel catfish, chain pickerel, and smallmouth and largemouth bass. Chambers is one of only three Pennsylvania lakes that is a Panfish Enhancement Area, and one of a select number in the Big Bass Program. Fishing is permitted 24 hours a day on Chambers and there is a public parking lot and boat ramp available. It is always a good idea to read up on the latest fishing and boating regulations.

When we went to check out the upper end of the Brandywine watershed, we didn't really expect to find these excellent parks and lakes. I can't wait to get my boat with the electric trolling motor out this way. Check back for details on our exploration of the middle and lower reaches of the Brandywine water shed that I hope to put together by the end of the season.

It is mid-April and that means Striped Bass season in this part of the country. The Delaware Bay and back bays of NJ are of course great hunting grounds for these cows, but if you're like me, you like to get a change of scenery now and then. Maryland's Chesapeake Bay is a good place for that.

Being a Philadelphian means most outdoor activity is oriented towards a northern or westerly direction. Although there are certainly many folks in the tri-county area who make use of the Chesapeake, its not the first place that's on most people's minds in these parts when it comes to fishing.

My wife and I are celebrating the birth of our first child this month, so I won't be heading down. But certainly, next year I'll be checking out the legendary Susquehanna Flats for catch-and-release action.

If you choose to participate in this yearly event, please remember, treat the fish you catch gently. If you are taking pictures, do it quickly and if at all possible leave the fish in the water until the last second. Bear in mind these fish are spawning and if future generations are going to be able to enjoy this activity, the fish will need to be returned to the water asap after catching them.

Here are some potentially useful resources to get started this season.

Gear:

• Versatile surf combo rod/reel
• Topwater plugs
• Striped Bass flies

Rules and Regs:

• Maryland Fishing License
• Tide predictor for the area
• State run boat ramps
• Bay fishing regulations

Camping info:

• Elk Neck State Park
• Camping info: Woodlands Camping Resort

Wissahickon Creek forms one of the major watersheds of Philadelphia. Rising in Montgomery County, it runs about 23 miles, passing through Philadelphia before emptying into the Schuylkill River at the south/east end of Manayunk. Like many other natural features in the area, the name of the creek comes from the Lenape language, and means "catfish creek" or "stream of yellowish color".

Much of the creek now runs through or near parkland, with the last few miles running through a deep gorge. The area can be quite picturesque and has been a source of inspiration for artists for a dozen or more generations. Today, the gorge is part of the Fairmount Park system. The Wissahickon Valley is known as one of 600 National Natural Landmarks of the United States.

I picked up my buddy in Roxborough, drove a few blocks, parked the car, and followed a trail down to the creek at the bottom of a hill that started in a dense urban area. The first spot we got to was essetially a text-book area of "where to catch trout a few days after stocking". It was a nice, wide, deep pool of slow moving water with a riffle on either end. We got there at just about 8am, when the season technically starts, and found the this spot already surrounded on all sides by eager anglers in waders.

I was pretty excited for my first non-ice fishing experience of the season with a new ultra-light rod I bought that was appropriate for our pursuit this day. Before I could finish getting a swivel and a lure on my line, my fishing buddy immediately landed three nice trout and dropped a 4th before being able to unhook it and release it himself. The crowd assembled, looking like serious pros in their waders and such, were probably a bit taken aback by the newcomer on the scene. I got my line in the water, but unfortunately, given the crowd, ended up in a spot I would not have chosen myself. On pretty much any other day, one has their choice of locations along this creek, but opening day draws large numbers, like anywhere else.

The bite turned off for my friend as quickly as it turned on. And, in my location, without the aid of waders, I was skunked for the first hour, but I didn't really care. I took the opportunity to take in the quiet and the fresh, cold air that is still lingering late in the region. It is hard to get frustrated when surrounded by the natural beauty of the Wissahickon Gorge.

As the morning advanced, and the first few lucky souls started to aquire their limits, some space opened up and we found a much more clear area a few dozen yards down the creek. I did a little climbing over some rocks and through some brush and quickly homesteaded an area along the creek with a clear shot to a good 20 yards of open space on both of my sides. While I had what might have been a brief opportunity to fish in a lane wider than a two yards or so, I concentrated on a slowly moving pool of water in front of me, throwing a rooster tail about a dozen times into the water. While doing so, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a submerged tree trunk off to my right and decided to target the sides of it, in case any fish were resting who might have been avoiding the riffle flowing by the far bank.

I cast out to the end of the trunk and slowly reeled the line back in along the side of the felled tree, let the lure drop towards the bottom, then reeled again. On this, the first cast along the tree trunk, I felt a tug. And then the line went taunt and the movement of it took on a motion independent of my reeling or the movement of the water.

Fish on!

Lesson learned: be aware of your surroundings and take note of where fish might be. Don't get too caught up in events or surroundings to ignore where fish might naturally lurk.

Last season, the action started slowly in the spring for me. It was a great feeling to reel something in a few hours into my first outing of 2011, especially since this was the first opening day I've been to since I was a kid. Hopefully, this first day's luck is an indication of my luck for the rest of the year!