~*~ Spruce Run Night time 04-16-2015 ~*~

[Andrushkin33]

After a nice morning at Hopatcong and terrible day at work it was time to head out to Spruce.

Target species were white cats and hybrids.

What transpired was a complete surprise to me and my buddy.

Time: 7pm to 11pm
Area: Spruce Run boat ramp
Bait used: Shiners and chicken livers

Two rods were set up with chicken livers and on one rod I decided to mess around with the shiners.

As usual was quiet until 8:30 - 8:45 pm. 3 boats were in water with the darkness falling those guys were pulling in.

A little liquid courage for me and all of the sudden I see my bobber gone. Whats the hell I was thinking. Hook was set and fight was one. After about 10 minutes and some somersaults later my first northern pike was inching to the shore. Just when I was about to bring it in .... line snaps. I have to give a huge credit to my fishing buddy. His reaction will rival the fastest computers in a world. In nano second he jumped in the water in his cloth and was wrestling the beast. It was like watching the late Steve Irwin wrestle a gator. He managed to catch it and bring the price home. Finally my first northern of the year and she was a beauty. Solid 30 - 32 inches but could not weight it.

Now i am not good at reviving the fish and i found that out the hard way yesterday. I could not get her to revive. Any tips from anyone of you will be appreciated since it was sad for me to keep that beautiful fish. Tried multiple times but it just sat in water without moving barely alive. I tried.

Next i missed couple of bites on the chicken liver rods. They were toying with me. And then bobber was gone again. This time it was a largemouth about 17 inches that was quickly released.

To finish the night off with another solid hit. Crappie and it was my PB. Solid 16 inches (was measured at home) and fat as a cow.

Great night and thanks to my buddy for making sure i get that pike even though i think we did more damage while wrestling it instead of just letting it be.

Pictures are coming up.

Sorry for bad quality.

Me and my buddy Vlad with the pike:


My PB crappie:


Andre

[Chrisper4694]

I once had to hold a musky in the water for about 10-15 minutes before it swam away strong. As long as the gills are flapping it has a chance. After a long fight, let it stay in the water in the net for a few minutes before you take it out for a picture. Think about you sprinting a 50 yard dash then sticking your head under water, you'll wish you rested a bit first haha.

Also hold it by the tail and do not move it forward and back. Instead very slightly turn it back and forth just a little. For such beasts they are real wusses when it comes to reviving. You have to stay with it and it can take a long time to get going again.

Awesome moves by your friend I don't know anyone that would do that! Unless it was the biggest fish I've ever seen! Haha

[Andrushkin33]

Chris,

Thanks for the pointers. I couldn't get the hook out, it was pretty deep. After holding in a water for awhile and with barely any movement I put in on the rope and left it in a water for the next two hours. It didn't move an inch.

In this case I actually felt bad. That fish needed another chance and I messed it up. Had better luck with pickerels than with this one.

But I will learn.

Andre

[UglyStick]

Andre - check out this "101" thread for some tips - It applies to pike as well

http://www.njfishing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76805

[Andrushkin33]

Originally Posted by UglyStick

Andre - check out this "101" thread for some tips - It applies to pike as well

http://www.njfishing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76805

Thanks you Jim those are good pointers for me.

Andre

[Eskimo]

.

Nice catch. Compared to other bodies of water where pike are stocked, I actually see very few pike in Spruce Run.

Maybe the hook punctured an artery and it bled out internally. These things happen. I'm glad to see someone making an effort to conserve gamefish.

Incidentally, if anyone doesn't know, all bass must be released alive from April 15 until June 15. This period of time has to do with giving the fish an opportunity to spawn and make more baby bass.


.

[Andrushkin33]

Thank you Eskimo,

After reading the muskie release techniques by Jim, I would say there were number of things that I should of handled differently. Wrestling it and taking it out on the rocks is definitely one of them that I wish I could take back now since I think that's the one that done the most damage.

Live and learn.

Andre

[Chrisper4694]

Can I also recommend a better camera? Hahaha

[Andrushkin33]

Chris,

Stupid phone. Not to mention still were shaking with adrenaline.

But suggestion noted.

Andre

[Jedhead]

Don't sweat it too much about one pike not making it, as much as no one wants to believe, there are thousands in there. Many are kept every year and they do taste good. The big ones are the ones you want to release, they are the females who produce all the eggs. Your efforts prove you are the kind of fisherman we all should be. A difficult place to deal with at times, like most big bodies of water in NJ, the fish are in there. I live close by and don't get to fish it enough. My pb pike has come from there 43 " and probably pushing 25 lbs, a complete female slob caught early in March thru the ice and returned to drop the eggs she was full of. Many species inhabiting the resivior will put you to the test but may help you achieve your personal best. Have fun.