PDA

View Full Version : NJ ice season = multispecies mayhem!

Chrisper4694
03-02-2022, 12:58 PM
it looked like we could've gotten on NJ ice one more time this weekend, but opting to head upstate again to close out the season.

It was a pretty good season. got on first ice in early january and fished nj ice til just the other week... my only complaint was that bad down pouring rain we got screwing us over on some of the better spots, but we iced plenty of nice fish despite that!

we did a lot of panfish jigging catching plenty of jumbo perch and some decent bluegills. I hunted at night many times for the bigger crappie but my biggest one ended up coming on an over cast day right as we started getting hit with a snow storm (made for an awesome picture!)... it ate my jig that i left unattended in the water and one of my tip up shiners at the same time haha. 16" my best through the ice and second best ever all water.

I was also able to pull my first NJ walleye through the ice which is inexplicably difficult on nj's frozen lakes haha

I did a little salmon fishing too and nailed 2 large nj pike as well as some nice bass of both types. we really took advantage of the nj ice multi-species variety!

enjoy the NJ fish porn and feel free to tag on your ice season escapades to the tread!

https://s3.amazonaws.com/photos.fishidy.com/6200a21b6e8bb80ad8a26771_800

https://s3.amazonaws.com/photos.fishidy.com/6200a2486e8bb80ad8a47a24_800

https://s3.amazonaws.com/photos.fishidy.com/61f4d86a6e8bb805d4cb510a_800

https://s3.amazonaws.com/photos.fishidy.com/62048ed36e8bb807d8942652_800

https://s3.amazonaws.com/photos.fishidy.com/621fad3c6e8bb805b4ce8b00_800

https://s3.amazonaws.com/photos.fishidy.com/621591786e8bb805b48c0e16_800

https://s3.amazonaws.com/photos.fishidy.com/621e96566e8bb9067415d971_800

https://s3.amazonaws.com/photos.fishidy.com/6209e2826e8bb8055c9741d5_800

https://s3.amazonaws.com/photos.fishidy.com/6215928e6e8bb805b4917e83_800
icebadger
03-02-2022, 01:46 PM
That is a real nice collection of fish. that crappie is huge well done. you did well this season. lets hope we have better ice conditions and a bit longer season next year. man we hammerd the perch at that spot this year they were chowin down on the herring there. it was fun fishing with you guys. let's do it again next season but for now let the jig-n bobber season commence.
thmyorke1
03-02-2022, 02:15 PM
crappie looked like a bass when i saw that get hauled up lol. it was a lot of fun tagging along this winter :)
DanH
03-02-2022, 03:09 PM
Wow! Very impressive !
Jigman13
03-02-2022, 03:44 PM
Nice Chris. What was the tape on those Northerns? That crappie is a PIG.

I swung for the fences all season with only one decent marker to show for it... that's how it goes!
Chrisper4694
03-02-2022, 11:24 PM
Nice Chris. What was the tape on those Northerns? That crappie is a PIG.

I swung for the fences all season with only one decent marker to show for it... that's how it goes!

They were about 35” each
Chrisper4694
03-02-2022, 11:26 PM
That is a real nice collection of fish. that crappie is huge well done. you did well this season. lets hope we have better ice conditions and a bit longer season next year. man we hammerd the perch at that spot this year they were chowin down on the herring there. it was fun fishing with you guys. let's do it again next season but for now let the jig-n bobber season commence.

Looking closely, i can see an ice badger in the background of that perch pic hahaha
icebadger
03-03-2022, 09:57 AM
Looking closely, i can see an ice badger in the background of that perch pic hahahashhhhhh don't tell anybody .
fishingbuddies
03-03-2022, 08:50 PM
Some Studly looking fish right there. I'm most impressed by that 17inch Slab. One day...NJ will give up a 17. In the meantime... I'll keep crappie hunting!
Great Ice season dude. Too bad the NJ meet n greet over ice was canceled.
Maybe a spring meet n greet?? Some killer panfish action!!
Chrisper4694
03-07-2022, 08:32 AM
Some Studly looking fish right there. I'm most impressed by that 17inch Slab. One day...NJ will give up a 17. In the meantime... I'll keep crappie hunting!
Great Ice season dude. Too bad the NJ meet n greet over ice was canceled.
Maybe a spring meet n greet?? Some killer panfish action!!

someone always has a story. i've heard of crappie to 21 inches, but never really seen proof. I'm not sure if it's recorded how long the state records are or just weight, but i'd be curious how long those fish were. Just recently i saw a claim of an 18" crappie, but of course no proof and in the picture (even straight armed to oblivion) doesn't look any bigger than the 14-15" slabs i've seen.

I love crappie fishing and i specifically target them a lot and one over 16" is hard to come by these days. 14-15" are more common, but that 16" zone seems to be tough to get to. I, personally, wish people would show panfish the same respect as other game fish and release the bigger ones... the big ones are just worth more in the water, laying eggs and passing on their genes.
Jigman13
03-07-2022, 10:03 AM
someone always has a story. i've heard of crappie to 21 inches, but never really seen proof. I'm not sure if it's recorded how long the state records are or just weight, but i'd be curious how long those fish were. Just recently i saw a claim of an 18" crappie, but of course no proof and in the picture (even straight armed to oblivion) doesn't look any bigger than the 14-15" slabs i've seen.

I love crappie fishing and i specifically target them a lot and one over 16" is hard to come by these days. 14-15" are more common, but that 16" zone seems to be tough to get to. I, personally, wish people would show panfish the same respect as other game fish and release the bigger ones... the big ones are just worth more in the water, laying eggs and passing on their genes.

Was slip corkin' them this weekend with fat heads. Got em' up to 14" and that looked HUGE lol. I personally saw one 18", measured on a legit tape measure, a few weeks ago in Mercer County. It was a behemoth. It's wild seeing one the length of a NJ keeper fluke.

Bunch of years back I was fishing with my dad in some quarry lakes down in Cape May. We were live lining killies. He caught a black crappie that had to be over 20". It's head from forehead to front of the dorsal had to be 2-2.5" thick. It was absolutely massive.

Out of all sweetwater panfish, they're def my favorite to catch.
Chrisper4694
03-07-2022, 11:05 AM
Was slip corkin' them this weekend with fat heads. Got em' up to 14" and that looked HUGE lol. I personally saw one 18", measured on a legit tape measure, a few weeks ago in Mercer County. It was a behemoth. It's wild seeing one the length of a NJ keeper fluke.

Bunch of years back I was fishing with my dad in some quarry lakes down in Cape May. We were live lining killies. He caught a black crappie that had to be over 20". It's head from forehead to front of the dorsal had to be 2-2.5" thick. It was absolutely massive.

Out of all sweetwater panfish, they're def my favorite to catch.

they are awesome, especially when they get that big