Re: Good day on lower raritan=variety
 

LOWER RARITAN RIVER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's all I have to say about that!
Nice job looks like everybody was hungry.............

Re: Good day on lower raritan=variety
 

The little carp had faint horizontal black stripes on it,is that coloration common with juvenile fish?

Re: Good day on lower raritan=variety
 

Yeah I know thats when they spawn but these fish were close together maybe less then a foot and in pairs?

Re: Good day on lower raritan=variety
 

Sweeeeet!! That's a NICE mixed bag!!

Re: Good day on lower raritan=variety
 

Nice brookie...might need to soak those hands in Clorox though after that carp!!!

Re: Good day on lower raritan=variety
 

They can have black dots down the middle that look like a line. Sometimes it's very pronounced, sometimes it's not there at all. There is a lot of variety in color and shapes of carp. Also, they probably weren't spawning but it won't be long until they do. They jump against rocks or weeds when spawning spraying their eggs but they don't do that until the water hits the mid to high 60's. When the weather warms up and they become more active they'll start to jump. I think it's because they're feeding more and they surface to try to clear the sand and mud from their gills.

Re: Good day on lower raritan=variety
 

Anything is possible. I go after them ice out each year, The activity peaks when the water reaches 45-50F and you'll see splashing near shoreline structure like a stump or deadfall or where there are tree branches in the water. They are solitary hunters(unlike bass which are often in hunting 'packs') so any pairing would be unusual. Then again I've fished some ponds where several were close together but not together if that makes sense.

I forgot to take into account you were fishing a river. Rivers take longer to warm up so spawning may take place later in the spring so you could be right.

Carp spawning is very aggressive as the males chase the females in the shallows. You can practically grab them by hand if you want but they are damn strong.