Smallies on the Big D tomorrow?

[logs22]

I plan to meet a buddy tomorrow around noon for some fishing on the big river. We are hoping to take out my boat (12' flat bottom with bow and transom electric trollers) and I wanted to solicit some advice on a good spot to launch. I grew up near Washington Crossing Park and am familiar with the stretch from New Hope to Trenton but any farther upstream my knowledge is based on google earth. We are targeting smallmouth and we thinking of launching from either Bull Island Park or the launch a bit farther north just above that wing dam. We are also considered launching in the Riegelsville area. Anyone with experience fishing/boating in these areas? I know the Delaware has lots of shallow areas and rapids so I want to make sure wherever we launch has a good navigable stretch of water. Ideally the spot would also be poddd with hungry smallmouth. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you don't want to post openly about your favorite spots on the river. Thanks!

[Skunk City]

My tip would be to not start at NOON! Set that alarm a little earlier or just go later. Mid-day fishing sucks.

[NorthJerzyG]

I dropped my 12' john with a 55# thrust in the D once. Even on full throttle, the motor was barely moving us upstream against the current. Still found some smallies but it was almost more trouble than it was worth. This was not during a high flow time either. Just normal flows......

[FASTEDDIE29]

Reigelsville has a great launch and there are plenty of hungry fish in the area. But there's also current and boulders the size of my truck. Your gona have to anchor in fishy spots to take some strain off those motors. Be careful down there and check the current water levels! Good luck!

[Jhunter1]

You could try Belvidere ramp. A trolling motor would be fine there and you can go upstream a mile or so before it gets shallow. Plenty of smallmouth to catch. I always do best for bass when the sun is high and water is clear. Swimbaits slow rolled along shore and rattle traps in less than 6' should get you some fish. Stop on 31 at bait shop and get helgrammites if possible. They are killer but not needed to catch fish.

[Eskimo]

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I was on the Delaware up at the Delaware Water Gap last Sunday. I watched a Conservation Officer bust a bass poacher. Someone must have dropped a dime on this guy because as soon as he and his buddies landed their kayaks at the boat ramp the CO came running up to them and asked them what they caught.

The poacher stalled a while and offered up excuses like he was on a float trip from NY. Eventually the poacher reached down into the hold of his kayak and pulled out an enormous stringer of Smallmouth Bass. (All Bass fishing is catch-and-release until June 15.)

The Conservation Officer wrote the poacher a ticket, but let him keep the bass. As the CO was walking back to his truck I stopped him and thanked the CO for busting that guy. I think the CO was a little embarrassed that I thanked him right in front of the poacher's buddies, but these Conservation Officers are the reason we have a sport fishing.

I took pictures of the whole encounter with the intention of making a thread about it here, but I changed my mind. I don't want to open up NJfishing to liability and I am apprehensive the poachers will retaliate against me for posting the pictures of them getting busted. Since this happened in "my spot", I'm easy to find if they want to beat me up or vandalize my car.

I'm not familiar with the Mercer County stretches of the river, only the Warren and Sussex County sections. If you ever plan to launch at the Gap, I recommend you get their super early because it's crazy tourist season and the parking lots fill up fast.

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[Mark B.]

Originally Posted by Eskimo

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I recommend you get their super early because it's crazy tourist season and the parking lots fill up fast.

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On that note, starting tomorrow the Infamous Hot Dog Man's Inflatable Circus with Chase Boats, begins its annual summer run clogging up the river from Frenchtown to Byram.