Millstone/Raritan River 5/20

[SkillfulAngler908]

Launched the boat today with my buddy in the Millstone in Manville. We fished the lower Millstone down to the fish ladder, then went up the Raritan past the bridges and back. We ended up with a total of 6 smallies, 2 largemouth, and a rock bass in the boat. Surprisingly, we didn't get a single pickerel in the Millstone. We threw everything from salt-sized yozuri's to trout magnets. Hot baits of the day were husky jerks, tube jigs, and storm swim shads. Nothing huge, but a fun day with solid action.

[NorthJerzyG]

Never fished the Millstone before. Looks like some nice specimens though. Good job!!

[SkillfulAngler908]

Thanks man! The Millstone is actually similar to certain sections of the Passaic I have fished with murky water, a muddy bottom, and tons of shoreline structure. We usually catch a ton of good sized Pickerel with Bass mixed in, but today was all bass.

[AndyS]

Where are all the 50,000 pike that were stocked in the Millstone ? Yes the Passaic and Millstone look much the same.
Not a pick on the Millstone but you hooked up on the Raritan
Some nice deep holes up by the train tressels.

Nice little stretch of water, an easy float, thanx for the report !!

[SkillfulAngler908]

I've been wondering the same thing about those Pike, Andy. I have only personally ever seen 2 come out of the lower Millstone. And when I said "not a single pick in the Millstone", I was referring to Pickerel. Usually the Millstone is loaded with Pickerel when we fish it. We got 2 smallies out of the Millstone today and the rest of the fish came from the Raritan.

[bowzonly]

Been tryin for those pike myself on those rivers. Pic SM and LM, no pike. Saw a pict of a guy with a huge one said he got it in the canal in manville

[SkillfulAngler908]

I believe it, a buddy of mine caught the biggest pike I've ever seen in person out of the canal in Somerset. 40+in fish. You never know what may come out of the canal.

[Doug Vitale]

Originally Posted by SkillfulAngler908

I believe it, a buddy of mine caught the biggest pike I've ever seen in person out of the canal in Somerset. 40+in fish. You never know what may come out of the canal.

Are you sure it was a pike? I have the Hackettstown stocking records going back ton '94 and according to them they never put pike in the Canal. They did, however, stock tiger musky and muskellunge...could that pike have been one of them? The Canal also is full of pickerel. If it really was a pike, maybe it's a descendent from some pike that were stocked long ago.

[SkillfulAngler908]

It was 100% a Northern. I fish the canal several times a week and have caught countless pickerel there (still have never personally seen a musky there) and this was a Pike without a doubt. He hit my buddys tube jig right in one of the lochs while he was fishing for smallies. I wish I had a picture, but as we were pulling him up the loch (with a nylon rope and treble hook) he shook himself off the rope and broke the line. Looking back, I should have got the whole thing on video but I was too excited at the time to think of it Who knows where it came from with all the flooding that happens around here, but it was there lol.