Skunked, and an Important Message

[Lard Almighty]

I fished the spillway at Lake Shenandoah, and checked out Lake Carasaljo today to see if I could bag my first fish of 2015. Long story short, the fish weren't biting. While I was at Carasaljo, however, this happened:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZPh...ature=youtu.be

That rattled me sufficiently to call it a day. On the plus side, I took advantage of the low water at Carasaljo to pick up and dispose of a few hundred yards of mono that was lying around. Anyone know why Carasaljo is so low? Are they doing a draw-down? Is something wrong with the dam?

Have a safe 2015 season, everyone!

[Jigman13]

I stepped on some leaves up on the musky near Bloomsbury on a solo trout mission and sunk up to just above my stomach. Once I stopped sinking, I looked around to assess the situation and realized my rod butt caught a log on the way down which helped stop me from sinking further. I used my trout rod and that log to wiggle free a bit and slowly made it to my stomach to spread out my weight some. Fortunately for me I only weigh 160. If I was heavier the situation could've been a lot worse. Took me about 15 mins to get out and another 15 washing the mud off my waders and the newly created mess inside my waders (kidding!). Scary stuff nonetheless...

Glad you avoided disaster...

[AndyS]

Wow, a PSA from Lard. Good stuff all around. What happened to all the water, any findings ?

[tautog]

Pine Lake spillway should have a few pickerel if you get some minnows in the slack spots.

[Lard Almighty]

Originally Posted by AndyS

Wow, a PSA from Lard. Good stuff all around. What happened to all the water, any findings ?

It seems they do a draw-down every winter to control the weeds. It doesn't help.

[surfrod]

good reminder, and I stopped taking as many chances years ago after I had a similar situation. also was caught stepping through leaves once while walking a stream bank in the fall... almost broke my leg in a spot where I would have had a tough time getting out... I actually felt my bone bending to a very dangerous point (thankfully without breaking).

good PSA!

got out once for a winter time brackish skunking looking for perch

will get out again later this month.

[Mark B.]

When I first started working for the NJDF&W, we had to salvage fish from the lower D&R canal in New Brunswick. They had partially dewatered it, in preparation for filling it in to build what is now Rt. 18. One of our guys, in waders, striding confidently down to the water’s edge, got sucked up to his waist in the muck. The construction workers, there, had to use a crane to pluck him out.

Lake Carsaljo is down for aquatic veg. control. Lowered in the fall, a hard winter with freezing temperatures, can knock back some of the veg. The lake is refilled starting 3/1 to insure it is back up for pickerel spawning. We encourage lake owners to not conduct such a lowering every winter, as it can wreck havoc with the fish pop. Carasaljo abides by that,……..lowering it every 2 or 3 years.

[justin1982]

That happened to me along the passaic this summer and of course, I left my phone in the car that day. I lived to tell about it but it is certainly very scary stuff.