Central Jersey Tour 1/7/2012

[Lard Almighty]

Wilson and I met up to wet some lines on this amazing mid-January day. We started at the Big D near Phillipsburg. Water was about a foot high and crystal clear. Wilson got a couple of run-offs on live shiners, but couldn’t seal the deal. I got no love on jerkbaits, spinners, or white Mr. Twister grubs. We made a move to the Musconetcong near Riegelsville, and fished below the dam there. Again water was a little high and very clear. Spot looked great, can’t believe neither of us had any action. I was afraid we were going to be shut out for the day.

We had one more spot to try: Natirar, which is quickly becoming my ace in the hole. After scrounging a couple of parking spaces from half of Somerset County that was walking their dogs, we hit the stream. The water was pretty low, almost mid-summer levels, and very clear. After working most of the stretch in the park, Wilson tallied five jumbo fallfish, a couple of smallies, and a fat sucker, all on crawlers. I managed two feisty brown trout on a small jerkbait, and a big chub on a Mr. Twister. The fish were holding in deep, slow stretches. Fish were pretty lethargic, with the exception of the trout that absolutely crashed the jerkbait.

Not to shabby for the inauguration of the 2012 fishing season. Hopefully the mild weather will continue through the winter (sorry ice fishermen, but I like my water moving ). Tues-Thurs look very good with temps in the low 50s. Thursday may be the best bet with scattered showers ahead of a cold front. Do I feel a sick day coming on?