Passaic River Pike

[BooyahBoxSmasher]

Two weeks ago I received a new field and stream eagle talon kayak for my birthday. Here are some pike I have been able to land since getting my new kayak.

Caught on yellow bomber




Caught on spinnerbait



Caught on husky jerk



Caught on spinnerbait with zoom split tail trailer



Caught on yellow bomber



Caught on husky jerk





Caught on zoom super fluke

[gnuisance]

wow those are some large pike. nicely done

[zhitoman]

that's the proper way to handle a pike, way to go brother! I hate when people grab them by their gills.

[AndyS]

Thats ALLOTA pike !!

[FASTEDDIE29]

Nice catch man! Some healthy looking Pike you got there. GOOD STUFF!!!

[Eskimo]

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Awesome pics. Going from shore-fishing to kayak fishing is like growing wings.

Originally Posted by zhitoman

that's the proper way to handle a pike, way to go brother! I hate when people grab them by their gills.

Yes, BooyahBoxSmasher is displaying some excellent fish handling. Those fish will live on to grow bigger. People sticking their fingers into the gill openings is bad, but the worst I have seen is someone sticking their fingers in the pike's eye sockets to pick them up.



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[BooyahBoxSmasher]

Thanks guys...Eskimo I couldn't have said it better...I wish I had gotten a yak a long time ago!

[MikeNJ]

Great catches Booyah! My bro-in-law picked up the same yak this year for 399.00 at Dick's in Paramus. Great yak for the money! His next upgrade for it is the seat. Hoping to catch some gators like that myself on the PR!

[BooyahBoxSmasher]

Thanks Mike. Yeah as you can see in the one picture I have been putting a cushion on there for support until I can upgrade the seat. Other than the uncomfortable seat like you said it is a great yak for the money.

[NorthJerzyG]

Nice fish!!! Looks like a great way to break in the new yak!!! On a side note........

"that's the proper way to handle a pike, way to go brother! I hate when people grab them by their gills."

According to In-Fishermans Doug Stange in their May 2012 issue in an article titled Prepared to Release,

"You need a good set of long-handled long nose pliers and optional jaw spreaders. Slide your hand under the gill cover, get a good grip on the lower jaw, and work on the lure with the pliers in your other hand. Don't be scared to work through the gills with the pliers to get at deep hooks or even hooks that are actually in the gill. The gills are a vulnerable point point for the fish but not so fragile that you can't touch them. Also, just because a hook is in them doesn't mean the fish won't survive as long as you release them quickly. Only the smallest percentage aren't releasable when handled correctly. This includes supporting their body when holding them horizontally for a photo and never holding them vertically for more than a moment."

Some parts of this article came as a surprise to me. I still avoid contact with the gills when handling them, but I think holding the jaw may be less intrusive than the lip grippers.