Busted up little Pike

[Skunk City]

This guy was above the 3 major dams/falls, but below Pompton Lake dam, so if he did go over that, hes one lucky little bastard. Made two jumps despite the 41 degree temps, was very impressed for such a beat up fish. Had the heart of a future 36"+ for sure lol.

[bigfishy]

Could be a failed attempt from a bow fisherman?

[dfish28]

I say eagle or osprey

[acabtp]

Originally Posted by bigfishy

Could be a failed attempt from a bow fisherman?

probably not; pike aren't legal to bowfish, and if that fish had gotten hit on its head like that with an arrow, it would be dead

[bigfishy]

Your probably rite about it being most likely dead even with a miss....
But don't bring up legalities in NJ....If we had the man power to enforce half of our utdoors laws you would find a lot less fisherman and hunters....

We would probably have at least 50% less licensed fisherman...Nimrods would get caught and ticketed and simply refuse to buy next years license...

No data to back it up but i would venture to say that less than 5% of fishing offenders are caught in the act....If every fisherman in the state played by the rules there would be ten times more trout in our waters than there currently are....PPl don't seem to follow the DAILY bag limit... They simply go back out the same day or use the cooler in the car technique, which i've seen more often than not...


Sorry for ranting , i just wish that a larger portion of license fees went into patroling and controling our waters instead of just replacing fish that poachers steal....Its a shame but NJ is and for a long time , has been a put and take trout fishery....Lessin limits and enforce laws and 90% of jersey fisherman would be a lot happier with the results...

[Gatto1227]

Wow good thing they supposedly don't feel pain cause that little guy is f***** up lol

[mcfish82]

I hooked this fella over the summer at my local pickeral paradise...I think it was the result of an osprey/eagle looking for dinner and dropping him back in the drink

[Skunk City]

Thats serious! Guess thats the risk they take by living in the shallows.

[buzzbaiter]

Mishandling by previous angler(s) is the more likely reason. Anglers grabbing it, dropping it, dragging it causes damage the fishes protective slime leading to fungus then open sores/infections. The cold may slow down the infection but by summer, it'll be a dead fish more than likley. Anglers love to catch them but show little mercy when it comes to handling/releasing them. I particularly like the pictures of fish laying on the bank covered in sand or lying across laps. That's really good for them If not for the state stocking them every year, we'd have very few left due to poor handling. Nobody is eating them so no need to haul them into your boat or onto shore. Clip down your barbs, keep them in the water and use pliers to release them. A money shot is okay but do it quick. If you lose it or it escapes, so what, its not like your losing a pic worth any money. If you enjoy this great fishery the state has created, then fishes safety SHOULD come first above all else. I was guilty of the mishandling at first in my eagerness to get pictures but came to realize i don't need photos of every damn fish.