Tag Archives: Ken-Beam

NJ Striper Fishing! A Indian Summer Adventure with Ken Beam

“NJ Striper Fishing and a beautiful Fall Day,…..The ideal combination for an awesome Indian Summer Adventure!” I thought as I was watching the weather forecast days before. 
Definitely like to take advantage of any prime-time fishing weather if and when possible and having three days of vacation-time left for the year, would make this the perfect time to burn one of those days. 
Loaded up the `Yak and my gear in the truck the night before, grabbed my Hat and made my way South to the Garden State parkway at daybreak. 
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“Was very excited to have a go at some NJ Stripers. as I was looking forward to getting towed in my `Yak!”
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Only fished for about an hour or so, and landed my 1st Striper I ever caught while fishing out of a `Yak! A smaller Bass, but nonetheless, still my 1st in the `Yak!
I fished all day enjoying this gorgeous weather and catching a few Stripers along the way. Then in the evening things got very interesting………
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While working a Bomber lure barely under the surface, the water exploded violently as a good-size Striper attacked it! BAM! Striper on indeed!
This was good, solid size fish as the big Bass gave me the “towing” in my `Yak that I was hoping to experience pulling me everywhere! WOW!
Now it certainly wouldn`t be a complete Adventure without a Go PRO Video right? This is the clip that I shot of the day`s adventure. You`ll enjoy this one!
I filleted that nice Bass and my girlfriend Sharon, made this incredible Herb Encrusted Baked Striper dish the next night! I certainly love eating fish, but I have to tell you,……Striper just became my all-time favorite fish after that amazing supper!!!  
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The perfect ending, to the perfect Indian Summer Adventure!
Till next time…..

NJ Musky Fishing – Crazy Wind, a `Yak and Ken Beam = NJ Musky Fishing!

My NJ Musky Fishing Adventure began at 4:50am, walked out my back door to an unbelievable howling wind this morning. I thought to myself, “The hell with this,….. I won`t be able to take the `Yak out in this today”……With that I went back to bed……. woke up again a 5:30am and “The hell with it, I`m goin` Musky fishing!” So I loaded up the `Yak in my truck and made my way to the lake. When I got there at 6:15am and stepped out of my truck, the wind immediately blew my hat off as if to say, “Better not try this today dummy!”…… Now this was only my second time trying for Muskies and after a 24-hour YouTube “Musky Fishing” video watching crash-course marathon, I figured I`d have another go at it. Unsure of what I was getting into exactly. I used a 6`6″ rod/reel combo last time and didn`t really know how to do the “Figure 8s” especially in my `Yak. This time around, I opted to go with my 9foot Striper pole and a heavier Shimano reel spooled with 65lb Power PRO, as the 6`6″ pole didn`t seem to cast the Double Cowgirls as far as I wanted too. The question was would I be able to do the “Figure 8s” with a pole of this length in the `Yak, coupled with the crazy-ass wind and not take a bath in the lake today??………. Well ultimately I actually figured out how to do a solid “Figured 8” with this pole as I practiced right before I went out across the lake. But I also figured out how to do something different retrieval-wise……..and I can`t tell you guys on here how to do “Ken Beam`s Big Musky Retrieval Method”,…..ha! ha! (But I will tell you this, at my second stop at about 6:45am, I used this method that I came up with and lost a monster at the `Yak that had to go 45″ or better! Then an hour later I landed the 35 incher that you see here using my “method” again!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I battled the wind as I paddled back to the dock with my prize Musky in the net. As I took a few pictures with my Musky, one guy couldn`t believe that I was even out on the lake in a kayak today. He said the wind was a nightmare for his 14-ft boat and couldn`t fathom fishing out of a kayak out there today.Then the other guy asked if I fished for these regularly and I explained how this was only my second time ever going after them. He said he couldn`t believe it because he had put in over 100 hours to date and still hadn`t caught his first Musky!
As I walked up to get my truck the third guy responded and said, “Hey that`s pretty much the normal gig…… you have to put in a lot of hours to land a Musky. What you did wasn`t really the “norm” Ken”
Well…..normal or not, it was certainly quite the fight in my `Yak!
Till next time…..

2015 End of Summer “Fun in the Sun” with Sharon & the pups

As Summer fades away, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather last weekend and head back up north to Blue Mountain Lake in Sussex County with the pups for a little fun in the sun.
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It was the perfect day to go swimming and to have an awesome picnic, as we were up there almost five hours. A very relaxing time indeed!
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As you can see, the “Gang” loved Sharon`s little raft-chair too! 
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As we were leaving Blue Mountain Lake, Sharon spotted and took this picture of this Black Bear! Plenty of wildlife up there that`s for sure, as Blue Mountain Lake is exactly where I almost stepped on that big Rattlesnake while Wild Blue Berry picking a couple years ago right by the parking lot!
On our way home, we stopped at Long Meadow Farm, just outside of Hope NJ, to do a little Raspberry and Apple Pickin`
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Well of course you all know by now………. There must be a Video right?! ha! ha! So turn up your speakers and enjoy this clip that I shot of the day`s adventure up north;
 
With Fall just around the corner, it was certainly a great way to spend the last weekend in August!
Till next time…..

Swimming at Blue Mountain Lake with our Dogs!

Last Sunday was my last day of vacation and we thought about hiking Merrill Creek. But it was going to be a scorching hot August Sunday. So I said to Sharon, “The hell with hikin`……let`s head north with the pups and go swimmin` up at Blue Mountain Lake!” – And we did just that!

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If you enjoy dogs as much as we do, I think you`ll really enjoy this Video
                            I shot that day up at Blue Mountain Lake!
Till next time…..

NJ Bowfin – Ken Beam goes after the Jurassic NJ River Monster

NJ Bowfin……. The “Jurassic” NJ River Monster, was the latest target in my quest for NJ outdoor adventures. Yes indeed, I did say the Jurassic River Monster and here is why; The Bowfin is a primitive type of fish and the sole representative of an ancient fish family that dates back to the Mezozoic Era, Jurassic Period – more than 180,000,000 years ago!
Just imagine dodging T-Rex while you`re out and about trying to catch your Bowfin supper many many moons ago!
I got the idea to chase Bowfin over a year ago and posted a question on a fishing thread, asking if anyone knew of a place to go after Snakeheads and Bowfin in New Jersey. This Lady wrote saying she knew of me from watching my You Tube Fishing Videos and that she knew where there were Snakeheads and Bowfins. So we chatted back and forth a bit and she shared some very impressive pictures of the Bass that she had been catching lately. Let me tell you something, she is quite the expert Bass-Fishin`-Fisher-Lady!
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I loaded up my gear and made my way down into South Jersey and met up with her. She graciously showed me around to the couple of spots where she had seen the Snakeheads. This was more of an exploring expedition. I needed to learn my way around this new area a bit and in doing so, this was definitely burning up my daylight, as I would only have a few hours to have a go at it in my `Yak.
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Definitely a different type of terrain than I had ever fished.
There were creeks seemingly
everywhere, that had an abundance of lily pads and plenty of excellent cover for those Bowfin and Snakeheads.
Only had one smaller Bass strike a Booyah Pad Crasher Frog that I was throwing in the lily pads that day.
Fished for about three hours then headed back up north. I was very excited about fishing these “new” waters and was on vacation all week, so I decided to get up at dawn the next morning, and run back down there to have a go at it all day. But I decided to really concentrate on just Bowfin and went and caught some live sunnies at daybreak, then headed south that next day.
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I brought my heavy poles that I use for catfishing on the Delaware River that next day, figuring I would live-line the sunnies that I had caught that morning for bait.
I sat up all three poles with steel leaders as everything I had read indicated that these primitive fish had teeth as sharp as a Pike`s.
I fished for about two hours without a strike………. Then BAM! A wicked strike! I grabbed the pole as I watched the line spin off wildly from the reel. It ran up and down river unlike anything I had ever seen. Then the line went limp, as the fished swam towards me, then it stopped. Then like a rocket on a launch pad, it shot out viciously and I set the hook! Fish on! As I reeled that fish closer to the spot where I was standing, the fish flashed sideways in the murky creek water…..and revealed itself……. A Bowfin!! And just as I saw it flash, it thrashed it`s head and threw my hook. I quickly re-baited and got the line back in. Not long after I sat the ple down, another hit on a different pole! Again, took off wildly and I yanked back attempting to set the hook. Nothing. A miss. As I reeled in the pole to check my bait, this is what I saw;
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A Bowfin dined on my sunny, biting it in half!
An hour later, the first line ran wildly up river…….. I let the fish really take it good, then set the hook very hard! Fish on again!
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I managed to wrangle up this nice `Fin! What an excellent fight too! Notice the `Fin`s battle-wounds….. the tail is bitten off! Remember the diagram above? On the male Bowfin the tail fin is rounded and has a “black spot” on the upper base of the tail. This “black spot” resembles an eye that predators will mistakenly attack, allowing the bowfin to get away. On this `Fin the tail had looked like it had been literally just recently been bitten in half.
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As you can see, the `Fin certainly had some extra battle-wounds. See the small puncture wounds in it`s side? This was definitely a fighter!
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Quite the adventure. The day I`ll always remember down in South Jersey when I caught my NJ
River Monster……… The Bowfin!
Till next time….

NJ Pike Fishing – Watch Ken Beam catch those Passaic Pike fishing in his `Yak

Planned on doing a little NJ Pike Fishing before the storms blew in on Saturday morning. As I watched the forecast the night before, it wasn`t looking very good weather-wise. They were calling for severe thunderstorms between 8-9am, so I decided to have a go at it at first light.
But that didn`t pan-out like I planned……..`cause I overslept by an hour! I left the house at 6:10 and arrived at my destination at 7:00.
As I hastily unloaded the `Yak there were already a couple rumbles of thunder in the distance. As I hiked my `Yak to the river bank, I was in for another unexpected surprise…… The river was muddy!! I put the `Yak down and stared for a moment. I was sure the river would be clear as it hadn`t rained in the immediate area for days. But I was wrong. Apparently it had indeed rained somewhere upriver and the tributaries feeding into the Passaic were the culprits causing the chocolate-muddy water that I was looking at in disbelief.
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I sat in my `Yak in the very muddy river, looking up at the sky, thinking maybe I should`ve “overslept” even longer! It certainly wasn`t looking very promising situation as the skies were darkening quickly. 
I worked the stretch of river I was on for a good hour without a strike, thinking it might just be a little too muddy today. Then I switched to a Crazy-Color Clown Bomber and that `ol magic kicked in! BAM! Fish on!
A good Pike at that!
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A strong, heavy Pike indeed! As I got him closer to my `Yak, he must`ve sensed it as the water erupted from his mighty thrashes as I attempted to “introduce” him to my “friend” the Net!
A very nice, thick-bodied Pike that weighed in just over 8.5lbs. Not a monster, but not too shabby by any means!
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Now I certainly have a pair of big “mitts”(hands)…..take a gander at the size of this big boys head! They have a mouthful of razor-like teeth that can definitely do a number on your fingers! Trust me, my fingers have gotten too close to a nasty Pike`s mouth on more than one occasion! 
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Turn up your speakers and watch this short Video of the day`s Adventure;
So in a nutshell, the river looked way too muddy and with the threatening storms quickly moving in, it definitely looked like bad odds. However, I managed to wrangle up three Northern Pike in under two hours and didn`t get my ass lit up by the lightning in my `Yak! So onward……
Till next time…

NJ Fishing – Ken Beam uses “Wonder Bread” fishing at Merrill Creek

It was a hot, muggy Summertime morning as I made my way out to Merrill Creek Reservoir. The forecast was off and on showers with heavy thunderstorms predicted late in the afternoon. Typical Summertime weather in New Jersey.
So I figured I`d try something a little different that morning, as I hadn`t used this one in quite awhile…..
“Wonder Bread”
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Well now not exactly that kind of Wonder Bread!
But you`ll see why the lure is named that.
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As I made my way out through the thick fog that morning, I came upon quite the sight!
Two Bald Eagle “dining” on a dead deer along the water`s edge! My Go PRO`s case had a little moisture
in it and it made the pictures too foggy. But what an amazing sight as I paddled up very close to them.
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On only my second cast of the morning, this nice Bass
jumped on the “Bread”!
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A nice `Hawg to start off the morning indeed!
As a I worked my way around the dead, submerged trees, it wasn`t long…..BAM! Fish on! Swore it was another `Hawg Bass, as he demostrated his acrobatic-abilities, breaking water and getting air-bound about
thirty yards away from the `Yak.
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Boy was I wrong……… it was a nice size Chain Pickerel!
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Like that Largemouth earlier, he too enjoyed the “Bread” that I was serving!
I managed to wrangle up another really nice “Chain-side” about an hour later, as I kept “serving” the “Bread”.
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Turn up those speakers and enjoy the Video of the day`s adventure:
So in a nutshell,…………….. always remember to bring your “Bread” when you`re out and about!
Till next time…………

NJ Kayak Fishing – Ken Beam was back in his `Yak fishing Merrill Creek

I was back in my `Yak doing a little fishing for a couple hours up at Merrill Creek the other morning. Thursdays I go in to work at 1pm, so I got up at the crack of dawn and headed over to the beautiful Reservoir located in Warren County NJ, which is less than a half hour drive from our house.
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The water was as smooth as glass as I paddled my way across the scenic water. Barely any breeze at all, as temperatures were expected to climb in the mid-eighties later that day.
 The combination of warm Summer air, with the sun rising over the mountains, and seeing a few deer drinking water along the banks, as you paddle your way out, is very tranquil at that hour in the morning.
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Wasn`t too long before I set the hook into something that felt really decent in the scenic, crystal-clear water of Merrill Creek! I thought I might be in trouble of losing this battle, as the fish repeatedly dove around the standing, half-sunken trees out there, making the drag scream on my reel!
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I managed to tire out and net this beautiful, 24 inch, very thick Chain Pickerel! The only other time I had ever caught a Pickerel with similar girth, was while I was in the Air Force back in 1985 down in Louisiana.
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Quite the Chain Pickerel!
Turn up your speakers, and enjoy this short clip of the day`s adventure out on Merrill Creek Reservoir-
After a little “C,C & R” (Catch-Click and Release) that beautiful Chain Pickerel was on his way back into the clear depths of Merrill Creek.
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It was certainly a good morning to be out and about at Merrill Creek for a NJ Kayak Fishing Adventure!
Then again, anytime in my `Yak is just fine by me!
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Till next time…………

Fishing Merrill Creek Reservoir-Ken Beam fishes for Bass at Merrill Creek 6/27/2015

Fishing Merrill Creek Reservoir today seemed like the perfect answer to a rainy day forecast. The forecast was calling for on and off showers early in the day and very heavy rain was expected late in the afternoon.
Temperatures weren`t expected to get much above seventy degrees.
My favorite fishing weather…..Cloudy, rainy and cool.
Loaded up my gear and `Yak in my truck on Friday night, figuring I`d make my way to Merrill Creek Reservoir at first light on Saturday morning. Merrill Creek is only about a half hour drive at the most from our house. I must say, living in Warren County, affords me very short drives to many awesome fishing waterways. Spruce Run Reservoir, Round Valley Reservoir, Mountain Lake, Oxford Furnace Lake and Merrill Creek, are all within twelve miles of where we live. Not to mention, the Pequest, Musconetcong and the South Branch of the Raritan Rivers are all also only minutes away.
I arrived at Merrill Creek Reservoir at 5:45am, parked my truck and chatted with the gentleman in the guard house as I unloaded my `Yak. He told me he was surprised as to how few fishermen were out here today. The forecast definitely was keeping them away. He said that tomorrow would be packed, as there was a Bass Tournament going on.
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As I made my way across the Reservoir, I was suprised at the calmness of the water. Much calmer than I was used too. Seems like whenever had I come up to Merrill Creek, there is always a strong breeze blowing across the water.
Working my way along the line of dead trees, it reminded me of when I was stationed in Louisiana at England Air Force Base. My old Air Force roomate. Boyde and myself fished out on Kincaid Lake chasing pickerel and bass around protruding, old dead trees just like these at Merrill Creek.
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Wasn`t long before the first Big Largemouth Bass erupted from the water around those dead trees. And it was a really good fish at that! A nice 5.5lb Largemouth!
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It was indeed a “Hawg” Bass!
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I proceeded to catch three more “Bucket-Mouths” over the course of a couple of hours. All were really nice size Bass.
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So here is the Video of the day`s adventure up on Merrill Creek Reservoir….I think you`ll enjoy this one!
Yep, fishing at Merrill Creek Reservoir for a few hours, was quite the ticket today! Definitely will be heading back out that way to try my hand at some of those monster trout that are in there also.
Till next time………

Passaic River Fishing – Out & about scoutin` new fishing territory on the Passaic River

Took a vacation day yesterday as I was planning to venture way down South Jersey, to have a go at some
Snakeheads and Bowfins. Well with all of the torrential rain storms the last few nights, I decided not to chance it, because of possible high/ muddy waters in the Delaware River tributaries that I wanted to target.
So I decided to head east rather than south for a new fishing adventure.
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Loaded up my `Yak, gear and gassed up the truck and made my way up Rte. 80 to head to my targeted destination about forty five miles away. I mapped out a spot on my Passaic River map, Googled a general street in the area(As you can`t just Google “Spots on the River”! ha! ha!) got my directions and was on my way.
Got the `Yak on the water and made my way upstream
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The river was definitely a bit on the muddy side, but I did indeed like the looks of this part of the Passaic River. It seems to split in various directions. As a matter of fact, so many different directions, I`m not positive where it becomes one main river-artery. As I said, this trip was really about scouting new fishing territory and that is exactly what I was doing.
Did manage however, to wrangle up a decent Smallmouth Bass in the muddy water.
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The sky`s started getting dark and threatening as a storm seemed to be brewing on the horizon with thunder in the distance, I did manage to catch a young Northern Pike also.
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Turn up those speakers(a little louder towards the end, as I had the protective cover on the Go PRO so it muffled me a bit) and watch this short clip of the day`s adventure:
Turned out to be a really nice scoutin` adventure and got to give advice to a very enthusiastic, younger fellow-fisherman. Which is something I enjoy doing when I`m out and about.
I`ll have a go at those `ol Snakeheads another day down in South Jersey. To be continued……