Farrington 7/9

[Rybazłapać]

Got out around noon with the intention of trying a weed bed for as long as I could stand the heat. A little bit away from the weeds there was a bait ball being harassed by something. Couldn't make out exactly the bait fish were, I think they were perch from the quick glimpses I got when they came out of the water. Tried a live target perch, a jointed rapala in yellow perch colors, a golden shiner lipless crank, and a soft plastic swim bait with no luck. Tied on a senko worm, 5 inch in black with blue fleck and threw that at the ball a couple times still with no luck. Finally decided to do what I went there intending to do and threw it in the weeds and first cast the battle was on. Took about 5 minuted to fight an 18 inch, just short of 2 lb large mouth through the weeds. My 15 lb power pro braid earning every penny I spent on it between the fight and the weeds. Pretty pleased with myself and tired from the heat and the fight decided to call it a day after that. This guy did about swallow the hook and bled like a stuck pig so he's the first fish this year that's going to see the filet knife unfortunately for the fish.

[FASTEDDIE29]

Hey, it happens!!! If it were me I'd cut him in half and put her on a 7/0 Big River bait hook. I'll parlay that GREEN CARP, a Sturgeon or Flathead will gobble her right up, LOL!!! Nice fish!!!!

[justin1982]

Nice fish, sucks it swallowed the hook... Are bass any good eating? I would never intentionally keep one but should something unfortunate happen it would be good to know

[Rybazłapać]

They're not bad. Not as good as perch or trout but bread them and fry in butter and they're tasty enough. Moms would just gut and scale them then rub with mrs dash and fry when I was a kid camping at Lake George but now I prefer to fillet and skin them mostly because it less messy. Those scales get everywhere.

[NJD Bassman]

Nice fish! I dont have much luck over there.

[Rybazłapać]

I'll admit it's probably not the best lake I've fished but it's only five minutes from where I live and the promise of a pike keeps me at it, even if I've yet to catch one in two years trying. I did see some orange fins come out of the water a couple weeks ago. It's been pretty good to me this year so far with some nice sized bass but only a few pickerel and perch otherwise and a couple surprise trout. If last year is any reference it should be slowing down severely in the summer heat.

[NJD Bassman]

Hahaha Farrington pike.. Good luck.. I've been tryin for years and only have caught 1 using shiners. NJFW has an article about the brood stock program this year. They had some problems this year catching pike. http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/arthackbrd14.htm

[Rybazłapać]

Ouch. 7 vs 108 caught at Budd Lake. If my optimism wasn't only matched by my determination that would be a pretty disappointing stat. Looks like I'll be making a trip up to that river up north of me if I want a real chance at catching a toothy critter.

[Jigman13]

They stock 1000s in there so they've gotta be somewhere. The state only netting seven proves to me that even they don't know where the pike are lol... I saw where they set up some of the nets--the locations made sense but perhaps their timing was off???