Passaic River Fishin....

[NorthJerzyG]

First post here and I just wanna say I love the forum so far. Lots of great info!! I live in Essex county and mainly fish in the passaic. Here's a few of the beasts, lol, that I've hauled in. These were last summer........

http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i419/NorthjerzyG/IMAG0436.jpg
http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i419/NorthjerzyG/IMAG0438.jpg

And, here's some baby pike I caught out of a mudhole about 50ft off the main river. Caught 12 altogether, released 10 back into the river and kept 2 for my troubles. After about a year they're thriving.........

http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i419/NorthjerzyG/IMAG0594.jpg

http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i419/NorthjerzyG/IMAG0469.jpg

I've also spent a decent amount of time at the newark watershed lakes, mostly Clinton and echo. Caught my best ever at echo!! Huge musky (no weight or measurement and pre smartphone), from shore with a quantum micro light. I sh!t u not!! Took me all the way down to the knot and jumped 2 or 3 times before I finally landed it. It was amazing!! Anyway, lookin forward to posting more catch of the day pics and seeing more of yours!!!

[AndyS]

Welcome to the site and thanx for the reports and photos !!

[Wien21]

Welcome here, great site, isn't it?
Very cool Pickerels in the tank, what do you feed them?
Nice catfish, too!

[NorthJerzyG]

Thanx, pretty sure theyr pike though. Never caught any pickerel out of there. They eat rosies and goldies from the pet store.
Oh, and here's my first of 2012. She isn't huge, and didn't put up much of a fight on my 6# stren magnathin, but she sure put a smile on my face!! Caught last week off a shiner drifted about 30 yards down some light rapids. Soon as it settled in a pool she took it......
http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i419/NorthjerzyG/IMAG0630.jpg
http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i419/NorthjerzyG/IMAG0631.jpg

[Wien21]

Nice!
you are probably right, was confused by the "tear drop" at the eye.
Do you catch carp up there as well?

[NorthJerzyG]

No carp in a while. But I rarely fish with corn. Occasionally I would hook up a carp on nightcrawlers lookin for cats.

[Skunk City]

Nice pike man! What section of the river do you usually fish?

[acabtp]

welcome!

cool fishtank. i was also thinking about switching one of my tanks over to being a slice of a local pond/stream. they only take feeder fish or will they eat pellets too?

[mondofish]

Nice pics!!! I really enjoy fishing the Passaic. I do have to agree though that they are pickerel in the tank.

[Skunk City]

welcome!

cool fishtank. i was also thinking about switching one of my tanks over to being a slice of a local pond/stream. they only take feeder fish or will they eat pellets too?

I'm helping a buddy with a 125 gallon "Jersey Tank". It's got a nice variety of Jersey caught panfish in there that all readily accept pellets, as well as frozen food, live earthworms, and rosie minnows. It will take them a bit to adjust, but for the most part they're doing great. We've been hoping to catch a small enough Pike or Pickerel to give that a shot, but no luck yet.

The USGS site has been pretty helpful in that it gives you the pH and other water qualities of the body of water in which the fish are caught. Lock that in and there should be no problem with them doing well in the aquarium.

[Skunk City]

Nice pics!!! I really enjoy fishing the Passaic. I do have to agree though that they are pickerel in the tank.

I've got to 2nd that with the trademark "teardrop". There are Pickerel in the Passaic, last one I saw landed was about 2 years ago near Horseneck Rd. at the beginning of the Great Piece Meadows. Here's the Pick pic that my buddy landed.
http://cdn.stripersonline.com/9/9b/9b7a6f0a_vbattach376171.jpeg

[ReelErIn]

Welcome G look foward to your pics and reports

[NorthJerzyG]

Hey thanx everyone. I usually fish a bunch of different spots between totowa, little falls, west paterson, and Wayne.

And, I'm pretty sure if u do a Google search of juvenile pike/pickerel images, you'll agree they're pike. Something about the lateral line of a juvenile pickeral having no coloration like an invisible line. I dont know. Guess well see in a year or two, lol.

[NorthJerzyG]

Also, as they are gettin bigger, their fins are getting a red/Orange tint, which pike have.......

http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i419/NorthjerzyG/IMAG0652.jpg