Kayaks on the ROCK
 

We arrived at the Rock this past Saturday Morning around 5:45am. We were well on our way to the island by 6:15.

We stopped and fished a few shorelines and coves, but our main objective was to reach the island and fish all around it. The first hour was pretty dead with only sunnies nibbling at our baits. We were tossing 4’ Keitech swim impacts in light to dark silver with glitter. After starting to get annoyed with the smell of skunk, we switched to a pumpkinseed Keitech sexy impact. BOOM!! My buddy landed a fish and I joined with a double header on the first cast with pumpkin seed. My Personal Best Crappie to date. Maybe you boys have secret lakes where they get bigger, but these things were biggest ive seen with my two eyes. Ha! We picked off the occasional dink bass / pickerel or panfish on the way to the island. We arrived and entered the skinny side and started nailing pickerel and crappie. We reached the mouth and we caught a few nice Smallies. The bigger one I’m holding was 2.3lbs on the digital scale. I surely thought it was bigger by way it fought. For a second I thought it might have been one of them Hybrids they stocked. The action slowed down so we changed over to a Silvery Keitech swim impact with blue top and blue glitter. This seemed to get the bite going again. The sunnies there are very aggressive as we kept losing tails on baits and hooking some on. We had 1/0 and 3/0 hooks and these guys were still managing to get on. Crazy!! My Buddy also picked up with PB crappie on one of the feeder coves.

On the way back we caught a few more as the rains started coming down. We called it quit by noon. Final count 11 fish me and my buddy taking the tie breaker at the end with another aggressive gill on a 4’ worm.

What a great place the Rock is. That was only my second time there and only my first time really fishing it. With the exception of the cat fish and the Hybrids, I think we caught every species. LMB, Small Mouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Pickerel, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Pumpkinseed.

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Re: Kayaks on the ROCK
 

having photo issue. Posting on the program sux. Attachment 111825

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Re: Kayaks on the ROCK
 

Phenom action and a beautiful mixed bag buddies that like to fish! Haha! Yes sir, there are some serious SLABS in that place! Way to figure out what they want!!!:D

Re: Kayaks on the ROCK
 

Great day out before the rains came.

That lake really knows how to make a lasting impression, that's for sure! :D

Re: Kayaks on the ROCK
 

Ok I'm sold, bringing the yak up to this place asap. Of course next weekend I have to help my girlfriend move :( Gotta find time to try this place out!

Re: Kayaks on the ROCK
 

Its worth the trip.
You will have a hard time launching anything solo, so bring a buddy. The walk down into a pit of rocks to the water sux. Shouldn't be too bad if you have a smaller lighter yak. I have a 90lb 12ft beast and it was a b !tch.
Once in the water, I would say just paddle towards the island. The back of this place looks super fishy, but that's for another day with more time to explore.

Re: Kayaks on the ROCK
 

shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh :cool:

Re: Kayaks on the ROCK
 

Same on the 52 four to five pound hybrid striped bass that NJDF&W recently stocked in Split Rock Reservoir (One trophy specimen weighed over 8 pounds).

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Re: Kayaks on the ROCK
 

mum's the word

Re: Kayaks on the ROCK
 

'The sunnies there are very aggressive'

last time I was out local the sunnies were stacked up on beds and hammering anything that came close, same thing- Keitechs with no tails, seems like this up/down weather has fish spawning at different times in different places.

Re: Kayaks on the ROCK
 

Those Panfish can be very fun there on light tackle. Nice Crappies!

Re: Kayaks on the ROCK
 

I couldn't buy a crappie last trip up there !! great report. And you know the question I ALWAYS ask, how clean was the ramp and parking lot ??
Nice fish BTW :)

Re: Kayaks on the ROCK
 

Thx.

The launch and parking lot were clean. But the day was early. A few bags behind the Port-o-John.

Re: Kayaks on the ROCK
 

nice mixed bag on one of my home waters that is a nice place.lets hope it stays that way.you guys did well, there is two fish you did not mention rock bass and bullhead kittys.great smallmouth photos by the way.

Re: Kayaks on the ROCK
 

The Rockies avoided us I see. Ha!!
How does one catch catfish in reservoirs? I have a basic idea. caught a few in the Passaic, but that about all the catfishing I've done. Live bait? Will they hit plastics if bounced off the bottom?

Re: Kayaks on the ROCK
 

Cut bait, chicken liver, hot dogs, shiners and panfish on the bottom. Catfish city. Worms too. Bloody, stinky, oily or alive.

Re: Kayaks on the ROCK
 

Great day!
I got a big crappie in that same area too, but couldn't buy a smallmouth.

The ramp was similar my last visit, and there was a state park policeman there, not sure why but it was welcome