PB Smallie from the SBRR

[logs22]

I had Monday off and since it was raining off and on for most of the day I decided it wasn’t worth it to launch the boat so instead I decided to check out a pond in Hunterdon County I have been eyeing since I was a kid growing up in the area. This pond was always off limits even then since it was owned by a private hunting club and those guys don’t mess around - not like sneaking on to the golf course at night and getting chased by groundskeepers.

Anyway, I recently learned that a preservation society had purchased a large tract of land in East Amwell and the crude map of the parcel appeared to encompass this elusive honey hole. I obviously needed to investigate. I parked on the shoulder of a gravel road in the middle of nowhere and started bushwacking the mile or so to the pond using my phone as a compass. Unfortunately when I finally reached my destination (which was even more pristine than I imagined) I found it surrounded with fresh no trespassing/posted signs. I wasn’t 100% certain these signs were legit as I still felt I was within the preservation, so I took a few casts, but my heart wasn’t in it after seeing those signs. On my first cast a big bass snapped my line on the strike (a good sign) and I caught a dink on each of my next 3 casts before packing it in and making the long, wet, tick-infested trek back to the car. I will need to research this spot a bit more to see if any part of the lake is open to the public.

After that disappointment I knew I only had time for one stop on the way home and one chance to redeem my day. I decided to hit the south branch in the Neshanic Area to see if I could salvage the day with a nice smallmouth or trout. I started casting small plugs and spinners for trout with no takers so I switched it up and rigged up a wack senko for smallies. I cast as far as I could and the Senko landed just a few yards shy of the far bank and almost immediately it was fish on. The river was running high and the current in this spot is very strong. I hooked the fish a good 20-30 yards away and getting her across the river in that current was nail biting. I think the only reason I was able to land this fish was because about a year ago in the exact same spot I lost a huge trout right at the bank when the line snapped because I got over-eager. I took my time getting this fish in and my patience paid off. My 6 lb test held up and when I finally got her up on dry land I knew I had a new PB Smallmouth courtesy of the good ‘ol South Branch.