Urban Fishing Trend Growing Along Philadelphia Creeks And Rivers
By Melony Roy
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Many people don't associate fishing with Philadelphia, but a local man shares his love for the sport on his blog.
Leo Sheng's love of fishing began as a child in Brazil and it didn't stop when he moved to Philadelphia to attend Temple University.
"People would stop by when I was fishing on the Schuylkill river and ask me about it, you know are there really any fish in the river"
So he started a blog for city fishing enthusiasts called Extreme Philly Fishing.
"There's a huge portion of the population who think the Schuylkill River is really dirty, they actually call it the sewer of the city and they really think there's no life in it and that's why I started doing what I do," said Sheng.
He shares his adventures on the Schuylkill, Wissahickon, and Pennypack Creek on his blog and various social media accounts.
"I really just wanted people to know there are fish here in Philadelphia. Philadelphia has a lot of pot for fishing esp the Schuylkill river."
Sheng fishes up to 180 days a year and throws most of the fish he catches back in the water.
"It's not just about showing people places to fish in Philadelphia but it is also about teaching anglers about a positive way of fishing," said Sheng.
The blog also documents all the different species of fish in the area.
"I also focus a lot on fish consumption in Philadelphia, a lot of anglers think every fish in this area is safe to take home and eat which is not true," said Sheng.
Sheng says there are a couple of species of fish that you can eat in Philadelphia but most of them are not edible.
"I have eaten one time a striped bass from the Schuylkill river but that was during the striped bass migration. Every spring and fall the PA fishing and boating commission stocks trout in local creeks in Philadelphia"
LISTEN: To learn more about "Extreme Philly Fishing," listen to the podcast (runs 14:31)...