Raritan river 9 hr. float 4/29 report:

[AndyS]

Started off by leaving one car down at the 2nd 287 crossing and Hatterr and I driving up in one car to where the N. & S. branch meet. I think we were on the water some time around 7am or so with my 17ft. flat bottom canoe.
Big slow water, tough. Portage at Duke Island Park is nothing short of a major PIA, but we did what we had to do. Anchored up in the fast water below the falls for a bit, it's very strange and what I call squirlly anchored up in there, first fish, a stockie rainbow.
Big slow water again, and alot shallower than I had thought going down to Roberts St., again a PIA portage but we pressed on. Anchored up below the falls at Roberts St. where I got a small walleye and a smallmouth. Amazing how big the trees are laying at the bottom of Roberts. St, and they look like a jewlers case, glittering with all the lures hanging off of them.
We press on.
Through Bronzeback's home turf and out to Nevieus. A quick jump over the falls, easy for a change. We found a huge dead gizzard shad there.
We blew through Nevieus like it wasn't even there.
Down to the Rt. 206 crossing, strange water, pits and runs. Through the Somerville stretch without a fish.
Took a break above Manville to re-organize and do a few throws in some fast water, had a few chunky smallmouth hit and fly through the water, gone.
Manville rip-rap, one smallmouth, disapointing. We get into the fast run and Hatterr had been throwing BIG stuff all day, he gets crushed and the smallmouth flies through the air, waves a fin, and says good-bye. I think that fish was every bit of 5 lbs.
Train tressels in Bridgewater, deep holes, nice looking stuff. Portage at South Bound Brook falls, easy, lunch time. Anchored up in the crazy fast water for a bit, nothin' doin there.
Get to the 1st 287 crossing and Hatterrs plug gets crushed at boatside by something big and fast, walleye ? pike ? musky ? Swing and a miss, the plug was fouled when he was bringing it in.
Bound Brook, slow and steady.
Just as we are getting to get out of the water Hatterr throws his plug and connects with his 1st walleye ever, right by the 2nd 287 crossing, nice fish, no skunk, cherry broken. After that he looks over in a wood pile and finds his plug he lost last week fishing in South Bound Brook, too funny.
All in all a fun day. We didn't hit EVERY spot and passed over some really sexy spots, but thats floating. We threw everything from BIG yo zuris to musky lures to husky jerks to fake crayfish and jigs.
AVERAGE water depth through the whole float was 4ft. deep.
I had my GoPro on for a bit but when I thought it was on it was off and when I thought it was off it was on, so we'll see if any video comes out of this ( old dog learning new tricks )

I'm thinking just a little early for Merrill Creek yet, so if I get the time I'll float some more, who knows, South Branch, or maybe the main Raritan again.