Passaic
 

I very rarely use live bait. Find that I enjoy myself more when I use lures. Its a combination of constant action mixed with knowing that I have tricked the fish. From the research that I have done and through the experience I have picked up, it is clear that these Passaic pike love large Daredevle like spoons. They are consistent in that pike of all sizes strike at them at a rate that far exceeds any other type of lure that I use. Sure, the pike frequently miss due to the erratic nature of the spoons but it is common for the same pike to strike two or three times on different casts. The flip side is that I will lose a lot of them because a: the Passaic is ever changing in terms of both water level and structure, and b: you have to hit the shoreline and structure or you will severely hinder your chances of catching. The only solution for me, fishing from shore mostly, is the weedless spoon. Problem is that is does not entice the fish as well and the hook set up does not land the fish as consistently. Anyway, caught this guy in the Caldwell/Parsippany/Fairfield area of the Passaic. Lost my spoon on the next cast. Thats pike fishing on the Passaic with spoons from shore.

Re: Passaic
 

Nice fish! My grandfather made ma a wooden spoon with the same colors... said fish went crazy for it when he used to use it. Yellow w/red polka dots... great fish!

Re: Passaic
 

Thanks a lot man. A buddy of mine and I were thinking about getting into the craft of lure making. Bet it's a whole different level of accomplishment and appreciation within the sport of fishing. Wooden spoons might solve a lot of problems in terms of snags as well. I Do find that they hit on this coloring most consistantly. Your grandpa knew his pike. Ordered a couple more and just got em tody. some crazy designs. Will let you know how those are working. Will have More and more free time as the spring progresses so more reports will be comin in

Re: Passaic
 

Very nice fish! Fish with TEETH, gotta love it!!!

Re: Passaic
 

that's a nice fish! I have a "spoon" fly someone sent me from a swap. It's basically compressed tubing, curved and coated with some epoxy.... wonder if that would work in the right colors, for flyfishing?

so daredevil meaning the red w/white stripe, right?

btw, I don't fish the passaic, so I'm asking more as an academic exercise LOL!

Re: Passaic
 

NICE PIKE!!!thats the stretch i fish.try this,take that silver weedless spoon
and take a 5" fin-s or similar type grub and add it to the spoon.i like using the brite colors,bubble gum,white or yellow.try slow reeling that,i'm sure you
will think different of that weedless spoon.;)

Re: Passaic
 

surfrod, daredevle brand i was talking about . I use the red and white one but find that yellow one with red diamonds, I think its called the "5 of diamonds", is the most effective. make sure they are big-1 oz plus range. As for the fly fishing, i think you will find a lot of hits with the smaller pike but the larger ones will likely stay away. they like em big.
Hey bunker, the grub is def the way to go but i like to use shorter ones on the weedless. i find that the pike will strike at the flailing grub instead of the actual lure. The crazier the tale the better. they look so good in the water

Re: Passaic
 

Good info. I tend to stay away from the spoons in the Passaic due to, like you said, the fact that the river will eat one every few casts. It's Snag City out there, and I've donated my fair share of spoons, spinners, rapalas and live bait hooks to the cause.

Re: Passaic
 

nice one

Re: Passaic
 

lol... had I actually LOOKED closer at your pic, I would have noticed :D

as to big flies... oh I can get them big, just might have to upsize to my 10 weight... after all if I can throw an 8" bunker fly, I might be able to find something a pike'll eat :rolleyes:

(anyhow... don't mean to hijack your daredevil pike thread!! again -> NICE PIKE! :D )

Re: Passaic
 

I never use a lure with a treble hook....I just don't want to risk a deep hook set and damage to the fish. And after trying many many different lures and with about 100 lures lost to structure, now I just use 1/2 oz. spinner baits in either white or chartruse or a cobo of both.

With about 30 pike landed this season so far, in the past 3 weeks, I will stick to what works for me. The low, slow clear water conditions in the past couple of weeks has been great for some crazy action from the kayak.

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...IMGP0044-1.jpg

Danny V

Re: Passaic
 

thats one fat and solid looking pike. crazy how healthy they have been looking. striking colors as well. Had a bad experience with a treble hook ealry last year when i was just getting back into fishing. since, I de-barb all my hooks and havent had any problems. need those guys to fatten up so we can catch em again.
been planning on getting out on a kayak soon . gfs family has a couple of em. no fancy cameras though. hopefully ill see you out there soon.

Re: Passaic
 

Spinnerbaits and storm shads, I agree with the single hook as well. On another note its nice to see some pike fishermen coming out of the woodwork. Im pretty sure there was only 2-3 people including myself posting pike reports for the last couple years!!! Fish with TEETH, BRING EM ON!!! Lets get some 40 inchers on this board fellas!!! TIGHT LINES!!!:D

Re: Passaic
 

Was underneath the bridge at two bridges today from shore for about a half hour without a touch. Threw spinners and a rapala. Water was like chocolate milk! Looked like a good place to launch my yak from in the future. Going to try it again soon!

Re: Passaic
 

I'm a big fan of the Devledog 5300 model myself. Lots of battle scars on my favorite.(see attachment)