Passaic River Pike 1/7

[Skunk City]

Got the chance today to take advantage of this mild winter day and hit the Passaic with a buddy and my new buddy Mark, better known as CatfishOnTheLake. While Mark and I have been sharing fishing intell for a while here, it was the first chance we got to get out there and get some lines wet. I've been following Mark's daily fishing blog since he started his quest, so it was nice to finally put a face behind all the good reports. If you've been living under the NJFishing rock for the passed year, his blog can be seen at www.catfishonthelake.com.

We fished the river from a little before noon until about 4pm. While the weather was more than cooperative, the fishing was a bit slow. Lower water levels, as well as the single-digit-to-mid-50's temperature jump this week may have shocked them a bit. I ended up landing my 1st fish of 2012, a decent 26" Northern. Fishing for these fish, I've learned to always take my time with the retrieve, especially if I'm close to shore, as these things WILL hit your bait close to shore. Sure enough, while retrieving my shiner, I spotted the fish follow my shiner, check it out for a few seconds, then smack it and run. Any time you can watch a fish take your bait is pretty cool. Here are a few pictures from the day.