I'm itchin to get out!

[dboyd101]

So, you read the subject. You know you feel it too. I want to go FISHING! I live in Riverdale (north jersey) and want to head up to either Monksville or hike up the Skyline Drive trails tomorrow and try for SOMETHING that MIGHT be hungry. A question I pose is this: Do you think today and yesterday's mess of weather is going to push them too deep and make them too lazy to chase a senko type rig or even a light spinner? I want to go early early morning because I miss beating the crowds and fishing while the sun comes up.

Well, let me know your thoughts. Oh, and I'll be trying my new $20 sports authority rod which will replace last years that I successfully broke while wading for trout. Nothing like a good slip + water in the waders... all on top of my reel. Here is vertical order, top to bottom: Me, Water, Waders, Reel, Rock.

Hopefully tomorrow I dont' decide to go in the water as I won't have my waders. lol

[ALL SEASONS GUIDE SERVICE]

You should try the spillway coming from Pinecliff lake. on Rt 513 in west milford. you can park in the Valley Veiw Pub Parking lot. should be 1000's of perch in there for the spawn. a slow spinner works great under the bridge, but what works best is a tiny jig 16 inches below a small bobber.... limit guaranteed!!! Im the Freshwater sponsor for this site and it's one of the spots i personally go & take the kids for constant action. Monksville will wake up after some warmer weather...every place i've been was great until that second coming of january settled in...it did push em deep.

[dboyd101]

Thanks for the quick reply! I think I might head up that way... very close... should take all of 15 minutes to get there. Here is a screenshot what I saw on Google Streetview. I wanted to see if there were any no trespassing signs, but I couldn't really tell. All I saw this this one, which I think is a 'No Parking Any Time' sign meant for the side of the road. I am pretty sure I can park in the southbound lot closer to the bridge, but in the lot, not the side of the road. I don't believe I will be bothered there. Here is the sign I saw:

http://tinypic.com/r/29ek3ed/7
http://tinypic.com/r/29ek3ed/7

Thanks again for the reply - and I think I saw that you recently became a sponsor? Welcome aboard!

[Moz]

Good luck tomorrow.

I'm itching too, the big trout I sighted last week has led to big dreams of catching him this weekend! :D

[catfishonthelake]

Dropping the canoe in the Passaic tomorrow for a shot at some pike. And before someone chimes in with this, which someone will, the section of the Passaic that we are fishing is not trout-stocked and thus not closed right now. I even emailed NJDEP to make sure. I've been gathering info, talking to some good peeps and scouting GoogleMaps for a bit now and although I've found out about a few shore spots, it seems the best way to fish this place is with a canoe. Tomorrow will be our first try, but I'm hoping to hit this place a bunch this year and hopefully come up with something big at some point. Like a 40.

[ALL SEASONS GUIDE SERVICE]

no signs you can fish! and thanks for the welcome.
let me know how you do! it's deceptively small but the whole stretch is great.

[AndyS]

"push them too deep and make them too lazy", I don't think the water has had much of a chance to warm up yet, should be status quo.

[shrimpman steve]

I am up in ringwood, time to see if our private lake is ready:D (skyline lake)

[dboyd101]

Beautiful hour and a half at monksville - hahaha

Well, as I was driving there the mayflies were hitting my windshield harder than the sleet on route 80 this winter... good sign for saturday :)

Got to the lake, a few boats at the north ramp. Saw 2 kayaks - one with mirage drive - looked real fun... saw 2 guys in a nice boat w/seats fishing spinners along the edge opposite side.. didn't see them catch...

i fished a small texas rig. Wanted to get in the weeds... fished along the shore.. no hits... used freshwater gulp, on a trout spinning rod (small) with 6 lb test... i guess i was inviting a challenge when i hooked a musky - :-P

so, i got nothin. then, switched to a black and blue 1/2 jig (again, tried for weedless) and kept getting weeds anyway...

got a good hit with bent weedless wires, but no fish...

finally, had a fish hit about 6 feet away as i was pulling the jig out of the water... didn't see the fish... saw the big splash.. happened quick so i'm suspecting a pickerel... would have been nice to have caught that...

well, that's about it for now... the flies are out heavy and i'm assuming it's going to be gangbusters next weekend for fly fisherman... assuming the rain doesn't take them out of the air..

[JOHN D]

i would defenetly go to blue lake in sterling forrest, its a little bit of a ride up but its worth it, davis sport shop is on the way there if you need to pick anything up. never went there and got skunked. it is full of bass and pickrel, there are also BIG walleye down deep. i find that stick type jerk baits work best in there. trust me, this is a great lake to fish and you will not be sorry.

also it is kinda hard to miss because it is on a dirt road in the woods a little bit and the only thing recognizing that thats there is a small wooden sign saying blue lake.

[dboyd101]

Please note, this is a new york state body of water... though I am inclined to try it!