Passaic River Walleye 3/15

[FASTEDDIE29]

AH-HAAAAAAAAA, 3 THUMBS UP!!!! Big river up that way, let's stock it with the EYEBALLS and let nature take its toll. SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!!

[stevejordan]

Nice!!!

[NorthJerzyG]

[basspilot]

Pretty cool I must say. I've heard a few reports over the years and have seen a few photos as well. I have to ask though was it above or below the dundee and did you wind up picking it up on live bait?

[AndyS]

again, nice HEALTHY looking fish ya got there !! I think FE is gonna blow a chip !!

[Skunk City]

Originally Posted by basspilot

Pretty cool I must say. I've heard a few reports over the years and have seen a few photos as well. I have to ask though was it above or below the dundee and did you wind up picking it up on live bait?

Above. Hit a shallow running jerkbait in 2ft. of water.

Hoping Mark B. chimes in a bit here. Are they known to successfully spawn in NJ?

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by FASTEDDIE29

AH-HAAAAAAAAA, 3 THUMBS UP!!!! Big river up that way, let's stock it with the EYEBALLS and let nature take its toll. SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!!

Only problem is this.. walleyes are prolific... They can outcompete other fish.. They are active year round and feed day and night.. In a few years there would be a lot less pike , crappies ,and bass in the river. They usually do well in bigger systems like the Delaware or Susquehanna.. We have a lake up here called Whitney Point Reservoir.. It had some of the best crappie fishing around.. Walleyes had some good spawning years in the lake and feeder streams, and in a short time the good Crappie fishing was ended.. There are more Walleyes now, but at the expense of another species.
Perhaps thats why the state doesn't manage the Passaic for Walleyes.. They simply don't want them in there in any numbers.. There's no doubt they CAN survive, and probably would breed..
In big lakes, Pike and Walleyes can co exist because they utilize different areas of the lake.. Walleyes are usually on rocky substrates, and are generally more of an open water fish, and Pike are ambush feeders prone to weeds and cover in shallower water.
In the Passaic they would be in direct competition, and it would be interesting to see which one would win.. Here in NY state, rivers that have a lot of Walleyes don't have a lot of Pike,and vice versa . I see where you are coming from however.. Given the choice, I personally would rather have a river full of Walleyes than a river full of pike...bob

[MaCe1]

Very nice. The Passaic River continues to amaze me with the variety of fish, and you are catching all of them.

[AndyS]

Looking at the numbers of pike that get stocked in the Passaic each year I wouldn't worry ablout it.

[buzzbaiter]

Pike are considered a nuisance fish not only here in the US but other countries. Their voraciousness and fast growth rates can decimate any existing fisheries such as perch, trout, or bass. They don't reproduce well here in NJ(passaic is too fast and its flows fluctuate too much) which is why the state doesn't worry about stocking them. They need thick mats of submerged vegetation(preferably grasses) in shallow water for the duration of the spawning period. Not too many bodies of water have thick mats in the early spring(most plants die off in the fall). In fact, flooded grasslands along reservoirs/lakes/rivers were the areas that had the highest densities of pike eggs. Since these areas are often temporary, reproductive success varied widely from year to year.

Anyhow, back to nuisance subject. There are many cases of lakes having to be poisoned to kill pike. From California:

Northern pike are listed in the California Code of Regulations Title 14
Section 671 as a “detrimental animal” and it is unlawful to import, transport or possess northern pike alive except under permit.

On several occasion after finding just a few pike, they poisoned the lake(s) to eradicate them.