Passaic River Q's

[dopderbeck]

My son and I took some casts on the Passaic this afternoon looking for pike in several spots from Elmwood Park to Hawthorne. Not a nibble. It was our first time trying the Passaic. A few questions:

1. Are there pike in the stretch of the river I mentioned? I saw some guys dropping cheese balls for carp. The only fish I saw was a big carp that for no apparent reason torpedoed out of the water right in front of me next to the bank and scared the pants off me. (We were fishing from shore).

2. We were using stick baits and spinnerbaits. Good choice for lures?

3. What do pike actually eat in the Passaic, especially in that stretch -- rats and carp? I really hard a hard time feeling comfortable fishing there. I grew up in Hawthorne and used to play baseball on the Wagaraw Road fields -- so I did feel a little nostalgic -- and I've commuted to Newark on Route 21 for 20+ years, so the Passaic for me has always represented the kind of waterway that attracts Dioxin and body parts....

[Skunk City]

There are lots of Pike in that area. It gets a lot of attention from f&w. Spinnerbaits, spoons, jerkbaits, topwaters and live shiners will all do the trick, just be persistent. It has been slow lately, but stick with it. When they are biting, theyre not too hard to figure out. Dont be afraid to explore a bit, they are literally everywhere on the river.

[flyboy1]

There are lots of Pike in that area. It gets a lot of attention from f&w. Spinnerbaits, spoons, jerkbaits, topwaters and live shiners will all do the trick, just be persistent. It has been slow lately, but stick with it. When they are biting, theyre not too hard to figure out. Dont be afraid to explore a bit, they are literally everywhere on the river.

x2 what Skunk said...

[dopderbeck]

Thanks. So what are those pike eating? What kind of baitfish live in that river? And what made F&W think of a pike program there? Just curious.

[basspilot]

I'm not 100% sure why they stock them in that section but from what I've heard over the years its supposed to counteract the large carp population in the Passaic. I fish that section every now and then and what skunk said that would be the way to go with spinners, jerkbaits, and shiners to start off anyway. I've caught them using a number of different tactics their.

[Skunk City]

Thanks. So what are those pike eating? What kind of baitfish live in that river? And what made F&W think of a pike program there? Just curious.

Anything they can get their teeth on.....panfish, suckers, chubs, white perch, shiners, herring, most likely some rats too.