Raritan River MEGA float

[thmyorke1]

Saturday Nick and I floated from lower duke island park to landing lane bridge.
Water was stained, maybe a foot+1/2 of visibility, and water was high and flowing well, but based off bank fishing success in similar conditions I figured things would be just fine.

We start at 6:45 and hit some average sized bass shortly. Fun but nothing grand. We then stop and bank fish a nice hole.
At this point the clear-sky sun is beating on us and the hole we are fishing.

Nick hooks up on a big swimbait jigging it on the bottom of the hole. After guessing various fish as it came from the murky water, turns out it's his first-time walleye. Last thing I would be thinking when it's bright sunny skies but I guess that stained water helps get them biting.

We tried soaking worms for carp or whatever else was around but no luck (other than a huge turtle that took 10 minutes to just haul out)

We continued to float and in a 1/4 mile stretch the action is kick-ass with smallmouth! One 17 and one 18 incher for me, Nick loses a few nice ones, and both of us mixed with a few dinks. Most of these bass came right off the bank.

Action then gets good at another spot, a cove and a point leading to a big hole/run; average sized smallmouth looking for all the minnows hiding in the cover and sitting off the point.

We hit the fish ladder and Nick has a crazy-huge follow, but to no luck no fish at that spot.

Action pretty much dies for rest of the day. We still find a few fish, and a ~15 incher, off the bank, and at lower stretch we find some white perch and one dink striper.

We ended at around 6pm. A fun float! Tough with the sun beating down but the stained water helps cover that sunlight from the weary fish! I think it's best to coordinate sunny days with north branch floats and cloudy days with the main stem.