When the Bassmaster Elite Series rolls into Philadelphia next August for its first taste of the Delaware River, anglers are going to find a tidal river full of feisty largemouths that don’t stay put for long due to the massive tide swings. That’s just a partial overview of the Delaware courtesy of Pete Gluszek, a three-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier and co-founder of Bass University who lives in Mt. Laurel, N.J., and does a handful of guide trips for bass on the Delaware each month. BassFan tapped Gluszek for a rundown of the historic river that forms the border between Pennsylvania and New Jersey after it was announced as one of the venues on the 2014 Elite Series schedule.
It’ll mark the first time the B.A.S.S. will venture into a major metropolitan area of Philadelphia’s stature for a tournament since the 2000 Bassmaster Classic was held in Chicago (Lake Michigan). The last B.A.S.S. event to take place at the Delaware was the 2011 B.A.S.S. Nation Mid-Atlantic Division that went out of Burlington, N.J., during the first week of September.
“In my mind, I love it,” said Gluszek. “The river generates a lot of numbers once you understand a few things about the river. Not everyone will agree with me, but when I’m out on guide trips or just fun fishing, I can catch 15 to 50 keeper-sized fish between 1 and 5 pounds with the 5-pounders being more uncommon. My opinion of the fishery is that it’s a really good fishery that’s under-fished and underappreciated.
“It has eluded the public’s awareness for so long. People in the city of Philadelphia and New Jersey don’t even know there are largemouth bass in the river. This tournament will let them know there’s a great fishery right under their nose. There have been times where I’ll be going down the bank in a bass boat that says Bass University on the side of it and people will ask me what I’m fishing for. When I tell them I’m fishing for bass, they’re shocked.” Read the rest of this very good article by Todd Ceisner with Pete Gluseks views on the Delaware….