Raritan river 8/20/25:

[AndyS]

8/20/25: Water 73* - 318 CFS. Set out to tie up a few loose ends. First was a plastic liner thing at the confluence. Over to Manville and I walked way up river to a back eddy area where I was informed of a few tires there. Unfortunately when I got there the back eddy was too muddied up and covered with algae and weeds I couldn't see anything so I'll have to go back in the winter. I can clearly see why Manville is called "smallmouth alley" with all the deep holes and runs. Saw no other tires, just a bald eagle and a chunk of siding I pulled from the river.
Over to Blackpoint Rd on the S branch to get a garbage can off the banks I saw from a recent float trip. I got the garbage can and a bonus piece of PVC pipe. Had a juvenile bald eagle fly over while I was there.
Over to the Sporting Life to got fresh line on my reels. That store has EVERYTHING !!! What a great selection of Keitech !! They have black marabou jigs too !! Don't shop on-line or at WalMart, go to The Sporting Life.
Looked for an easy stretch of river to wet wade because I'm spoiled now having a canoe again. Orlando Park in Raritan Borough was just the ticket.
I tried to keep count, I think 8 landed as just as many lost. Amazing how powerful these fish are. One was photo worthy. How these fish make it past the gauntlet of Cormorants, Kingfishers, Bald Eagles and Osprey's I'll never know. Saw a Red-Tailed Hawk while I was there. Not much surprises me anymore like finding a Porgy rig with a 2 ounce bank sinker on it. I look around and there is always work to be done. In a few short months these rivers will be matted and choked with leaves.