Union County Kayaking Spots?

[Eskimo]

Originally Posted by logs22

Anyone ever kayak the UC portion of the Passaic? It looks like good access in Berkeley Heights/New Providence?

Yes, I used to live there.
Kayaking and fishing there is only so-so. The Passaic is shallow there and only about 30-40 feet wide. Even during high water, you'll have to get out to portage around or over fallen trees.

There are two dams between that stretch of river and where they stock pike, so it's not much of a pike fishery. There are a couple of local experts that manage to find pike in there, but I have never caught any there.

As a kid, I used to spend a lot of time carp fishing there. You have to be stealthy because the carp are easily spooked in the shallow water. The carp aren't huge and you'd be lucky to find anything over 8 or 10 pounds.

Other than carp, the dominant fish in that section of river is Yellow Bullheads. There are lots of small sunfish and various types of minnows. If you search hard enough, you may find a small bass, but it's a lot of work for a small fish.

If you go, bring mosquito repellent. Those swampy flood plains breed clouds of blood-thirsty mosquitoes, even during a dry summer.

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