D&R Canal finally shows signs of life!

[Fishinfire]

Had 30-40 mins to kill today so grabbed my stuff and headed across the street to the canal. Dragged a Zman Lizardz across the bottom with no luck. Switched to a Sebile Bull Crank and was doing the old rip and reel in the faster moving water and bang! Not the biggest Musky ever but this one was special as it was my first Musky ever! Again the good old canal surprises and produces! Final length was 22". Caught (below the sbb lock) photo'd and released (above the lock).

Game on!

!

[FASTEDDIE29]

Congrats on your first Musky! Everything will be alive soon..........hopefully!

[GetANet]

Well Done! Nice colors on that fish and glad to see some action going on!!!
Thanks for the report..........

[Jigman13]

Pretty lil thang! Nice catch...

[Rybazłapać]

Nicely done. I've been to the canal many a time in the past 2 years never really expecting a musky, but knowing they're stocked there the hopes were always there. Every time I'd see that shape just before I pulled a pickerel into shore there'd be a moment where I'd be thinking please be my first musky.

[JimmyMas]

Nice job D! Toothy critters are one fire in the D&R.

[AndyS]

They put Tiger Muskies in the D&R canal but not the Raritan river, amazing, thanx for posting the photo, nice looking fish.

[Fishinfire]

Hey guys. Is it true that they are stocked in the D&R? This fish was caught between the SBB locks and the Easton ave locks. Not sure much stocking takes place between that stretch. I am convinced fish like this get into the canal from when the floods come through. Once the river and canal become one, its like a bypass for crossover for these fish. Just a thought.

[kcritch]

Congrats on your first Musky dude...that's a cool looking fish. I was walking the Raritan the other day and every piece of the canal I saw from Roberts Street to Duke Park dam was still froze up solid.

Nicely Done.

[UglyStick]

Originally Posted by Fishinfire

Hey guys. Is it true that they are stocked in the D&R? This fish was caught between the SBB locks and the Easton ave locks. Not sure much stocking takes place between that stretch. I am convinced fish like this get into the canal from when the floods come through. Once the river and canal become one, its like a bypass for crossover for these fish. Just a thought.

D&R Canal is stocked with muskies... for instance, in 2013 it received 35 tigers averaging 20.9" in length.

In 2012 it received 150 true strain averaging 8.7" and 26 tigers averaging 27.2".

If you look back you'll see some in prior years too.

Congrats on your first muskie... it's can be addicting...