20 lber on 4 lb test line

[NJ219bands]

Made a doubleheader today. Caught and released a white perch with a white 1/16 oz twister tail leadhead jig on 2 lb test line in the 68 degree Delaware River in Trenton, NJ, behind Arm and Hammer ballpark this afternoon during thunderstorms. Then caught, tagged and released a striped bass. Saw a lone fisherman downriver and 3 boats on the river. Dirty water was gushing from 3 storm drains. Went to flooded Veterans Park in Hamilton, NJ, this evening in the rain. Threw out a can of corn for chum, then caught nothing with a 1/32 oz twister tail leadhead jig on 2 lb test line and whole kernel canned corn on a #8 gold hook and 4 lb test line. Landed a 20 lb snapping turtle with my homemade corn meal bait on a #14 gold treble hook on 4 lb test line on my last cast of the day after a prolonged, epic battle. Then caught and released 8 bluegills, a pumpkinseed sunfish and a bluegill x pumpkinseed hybrid on the treble hook with no bait.

[DanH]

Great report thanks for sharing!

[thmyorke1]

darn... no common carp dinner for the locals that night LOL! Good stuff!

[NJ219bands]

Originally Posted by thmyorke1

darn... no common carp dinner for the locals that night LOL! Good stuff!

The carp stopped biting a week ago but I caught 60 fish in less than 2 hours this evening. 58 of them hit a#14 gold hook on 2 lb test line with no bait on the hook.

[Billfish715]

When I was a kid, I used to catch pilchards and herring ( greenies) ) from the docks and piers in Florida using small, gold hooks on a kind of homemade Sabiki rig. That bait was quickly transferred to a larger hook and live lined for bigger gamefish.

As for your snapping turtle……if they are around, they love the corn. Once they are hooked, however, my experience has been for them to dig their back legs into the mud where they sat tight. Trying to pull them out on my terms was impossible. It was like pulling on a stubborn snag with the snag usually winning.

If anyone wants to experience some thrilling sport fishing, you should try chumming with corn in shallow water ( 3 feet or less ) for carp. When using appropriate light tackle ( or not ), on its first run after being hooked, a big carp will burn through the shallows like a bonefish. Very exciting! Do your homework first to find out if the bigger carp are there. Sometimes, just a trail of bubbles or mud puffs are the signs to look for. Be alert, though, turtles often make the same kind of bubble trail.

[NJ219bands]

Originally Posted by Billfish715

When I was a kid, I used to catch pilchards and herring ( greenies) ) from the docks and piers in Florida using small, gold hooks on a kind of homemade Sabiki rig. That bait was quickly transferred to a larger hook and live lined for bigger gamefish.

As for your snapping turtle……if they are around, they love the corn. Once they are hooked, however, my experience has been for them to dig their back legs into the mud where they sat tight. Trying to pull them out on my terms was impossible. It was like pulling on a stubborn snag with the snag usually winning.

If anyone wants to experience some thrilling sport fishing, you should try chumming with corn in shallow water ( 3 feet or less ) for carp. When using appropriate light tackle ( or not ), on its first run after being hooked, a big carp will burn through the shallows like a bonefish. Very exciting! Do your homework first to find out if the bigger carp are there. Sometimes, just a trail of bubbles or mud puffs are the signs to look for. Be alert, though, turtles often make the same kind of bubble trail.

Great post. The snapper stayed on the bottom several times but when I pulled as hard as I could, it broke loose without breaking my line. I thought that the line would break and I would fall over backwards. Many times when I hook a big snapper and they don’t see me, I am able to reel them in without a fight, then grab their tail before they know what is happening. This individual was a real fighter that made many long runs. Sometimes when I hook carp in the shallows, they jump out of the water. Bowfin also make bubbles like carp and snapping turtles.