storm-recovery smbs

[thmyorke1]

Hope everyone here has their power back, I lost mine last week, Tuesday, but luckily it came back on after a few days.
There's a bunch of new trees and blowdowns to explore in the rivers at least lol:D

Last Friday night/Saturday morning since it cooled down we tried for muskie with some good success. Moved some , and had one hooked and fought for two minutes until it popped off. No worries! next one I hook will be bigger anyways. :p , yet that will be whenever it cools back down.

https://i.postimg.cc/3wy2zCC9/image.png
https://i.postimg.cc/8zQJXQXK/image.png

Tonight I checked out some shale/rock flats on the North Branch Raritan and found some bass shallow, think they were staging behind wherever the flat rocks had gaps and drops. They slammed weightless zoom trick worms.
Best 1 came out just under 16 inches. no shortage of 9 inch bass which was all I was expecting.

https://i.postimg.cc/QtPvgbN7/0811201832a.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/nVjyF6TG/0811201832f.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/PJw9Sw-NR/0811201840-HDR.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/fLk60FsZ/0811201825a.jpg

[Esox Luciano]

Good to hear the power's back on. Those winds were crazy! That muskie was soo damn close, I can see it's tail! That water's looking pretty damn clear, good way to beat the heat while searching for some fish. Some healthy looking smallies out there!! Nice pics!

[Hookmanski]

Another quality smallie post from the whisperer himself! :D bummer about the musky, but hey you'll get a bigger one. Hope you're doing well man!

[Stella blue]

Nice fish! Are you fishing from a canoe or a kayak?

[thmyorke1]

Nice fish! Are you fishing from a canoe or a kayak?

this is Nick's canoe. For the smbs I was solo wading; in that part of the NB, I believe it's too skinny for a canoe + two guys, unless youre cool with scraping bottom and walking most of the way.
But anywhere downstream of the lamington confluence is good canoe water.
I think you can also get away with a kayak in the upper NB too.

[Stella blue]

Thanks!!

[Stella blue]

Thmyorke1, are there launch spots downstream of the lamington confluence for a kayak? Not asking you to give up any of your spots, but river small mouths from a kayak and combination of wading is on my short list of freshwater trips. Is that part of the river slow enough to paddle back upstream so I don’t have to worry about having a drop in and pick up point. Thanks!

[thmyorke1]

Thmyorke1, are there launch spots downstream of the lamington confluence for a kayak? Not asking you to give up any of your spots, but river small mouths from a kayak and combination of wading is on my short list of freshwater trips. Is that part of the river slow enough to paddle back upstream so I don’t have to worry about having a drop in and pick up point. Thanks!

I cant give advice about paddling back up. I never did it and dont know how much energy it takes. You can put in right about lamington confluence, at the steel bridge, burnt mills roads. A few pulloffs around there. Rt 28 park is good too but i think it's closed due to party goers last time i checked. Id just suggest burnt mills but it's not still water , lots of runs, up yo you i guess to decide how far to go down in order to paddle back up

[Stella blue]

Thanks man!

[thmyorke1]

The main raritan river isnt exactly slow either but you can find stretches where you can just paddle up as far as you want then float and fish back. The millstone is slow. You could try this stretch from Lincoln Ave park to the confluence with the raritan and perhaps try up the raritan a bit too. Mind theres not much wading here above the dam/confluence. If you go to robert street you could do the same and fish up into duke island park. Upstream of Queen's bridge you can also fish the slippery shallow shale flats and find the holes. Theres a launch right under queens bridge itself on north side

[FASTEDDIE29]

Nice river Bass my brother. They gotta be hiding in fast water or under bushes and trees with the low clear water. :D