Last Saturday I had made plans to chase some Shad up north, with a buddy & his son. Was really looking forward to wranglin` up a few fiesty Shad. But that didn`t happen. We called it a day around 10am as a steady rain stated to fall. Now I`m definitely not one to call it quits because of a little rain, but hell, when the fishin` sucks, I ain`t getting a wet ass & not catching anything!
So we said our goodbyes & parted ways for another day.
But I was still locked in that “fishing-mode” as I pulled into Dunkin` Donuts & grabbed a coffee.
As I headed back towards the house, they were calling for the rain to blow out by early afternoon. “Perfect” I thought to myself. Time to get my `Yak & head out to the Passaic River as I had some “New Territory” to scout out in the Great Swamp.
Got home, changed my gear, loaded up the `Yak & away I went. Forty-five miles to my destination to be exact. By the time I arrived, The rain had stopped & the sun burned off the clouds & it was turning out to be a beautiful Spring day in Jersey.
Tied down all of my gear in the `Yak & made my way slowly down-river working my Chartreuse Spinner-Bait among the blow-downs & submerged brush. As I diligently searched for those toothy river-Wolves lurking in the murky waters of the Passaic.
I was using my left-handed Gold Calcutta Spinner Bait Reel paired with an Ugly Stick Rod tossing the spinner-bait accurately in precise spots that I knew would hold a Pike……sooner or later.
Then……BAM! Pike on! And a nice at that, as my pole doubled over. As Esox thrashed on top of the water, I estimated it to be about three feet long.
Here`s the Go PRO Video I shot that day:
He was a dandy as he was 34″ & a little over eight pounds. Definitely a nice way to start the fishing season eh?
Well I guess……. some of us take lunch and some of us need to quench that “thirst” for adventure! Ha! Ha!
I opted for the latter today and took my Ronco Pocket Fisherman to the river for a hour to see if indeed I could tangle and wrangle with a Northern Pike.
I think you`ll enjoy this quick Go PRO Video I shot of my Friday Lunch-time Adventure;
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.
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!
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!
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!
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……
Yesterday definitely wasn`t the best afternoon weather-wise, as the forecast was calling for severe thunderstorms late in the day. It was really a little too late of a start, but I threw the `Yak and gear in my truck, got some gas, a couple cold drinks and decided to roll the dice for a little NJ Pike Fishing on the Passaic River.
Decided to try some new territory, which again, I wasn`t sure how this was all going to pan out as I was hearing thunder rumble the further east I went down Route 80.
I arrived at my new spot at 4p.m. and figured I`d fish and be back at the truck by 6:30 at the very latest, that is if the weather would hold out that long. My plan was to paddle up river and estimate roughly how long it would take my to drift back down to my starting point, as I worked the murky waters of the Passaic River for those razor-toothed NJ Pike.
I had just got the `Yak in the River and it really began to rumble. Thought for sure this would more than likely be a very short trip as lightning was flashing more frequently and the thunder was rumbling much quicker and closer now.
Every now and then though, the sun would peek through momentarily as I began to work some deep pools as I drifted downstream.
Then it happened…….. A strike! Fish on! And a good fish at that!
The Jersey Pike dove quickly under my `Yak as I set the hook and the fight was on!
Then the mighty Pike danced in the air, showing his acrobatic moves!
The water boiled around the `Yak as I got the Pike closer!
A very nice NJ Pike indeed!
Enjoy the short Video below I shot of my latest adventure;
Only fished for an hour and a half and managed to wrangle up that one nice NJ Pike before the sky started getting a little too dark as a flash-flood warning was out.
All in all, a mighty fine fast-action, NJ Pike Fishin` Adventure in some new territory!
