Lake Surprise Pickerel and Bass

 I was afraid the pond would be muddy after last week's monsoon, but I found Lake Surprise with normal clarity, and the in-growth of aquatic vegetation was just right--some pads breaking the surface and a little algae underneath, nothing thick like during last May's earlier heat trend. I began casting a Mepp's willow leaf spinner, about an eighth ounce, and it took awhile before I had a pickerel on, losing it, and experienced a terrific strike on the next cast, missing that. And then, on the next cast, I got hung up in a tree and snapped my only spinner off, besides an eighth-ounce spinnerbait, which seemed to ride too slowly through the water.

I fished it persistently, moving down the pond a couple of hundred yards, but nothing happened. I switched to a #7 Rapala floater and soon had a bass of about a pound on, losing it. I missed another hit on the surface (another bass), and yet another, and then caught the pickerel. I had time for only a stint this afternoon, less than an hour, but in this short time clued myself into something that might have really worked if I had a couple of more hours to just patiently twitch the plug here and there on the surface. Lake Surprise is very shallow and I might have found bass in a number of places near emerging pads.

Union County's Lake Surprise May be Worth the Price for Bass and Pickerel

This is Surprise Lake, Union County, NJ, on May 22nd last year, complete with full summer foliage and very thick aquatic vegetation, so thick that weedless lures, only, could be used. In the article, below--I wrote it last year--I mention it's a good pond for early season with in-line spinners before weeds set in. I've been meaning to fish it, but monsoon rain has cut me off for the time being. Even so, when I get there, the likelihood is that trees will be just slightly greening and aquatic vegetation nothing like what you see photographed. We'll see, but I was at Round Valley today, and a lot of the trees are still brown, barely greening yet at all. It's tough to fish from shore, but there are some openings between bushes. Like all of our New Jersey spots, it's a good place to release catches in healthy shape, perhaps a little less likely to take the next lure encountered, and growing big and wise.

Surprise Lake for topwater largemouth bass and pickerel

          The strike erupted like a baseball had swung up from below, the narrow form betraying a very good sized pickerel connecting with a Booyah Pad Crasher Hollow Body Frog. I had just asked the guy if he had caught any. “Not yet,” he said. Seconds later, Surprise Lake was true to its name.

          We struck up conversation and I learned that the 23-inch pickerel he released was not an uncommon expectation. Largemouths as big as seven pounds have come from this 25-acre pond narrow like a green bean that makes me think of bayou rivers in Louisiana or a lowland swamp from Jurassic times sunk below ridges of the ancient, volcanic Watchung Mountains. Lily pads and other aquatic vegetation make fishing with soft bodied, weedless surface lures almost a necessity from May onward.

           I asked the guy if fishing very early in spring—before weeds thicken—is good with in-line spinners, and he confirmed that, yes, you can catch as many as 20 pickerel on warm afternoons, but most of them are a foot long or so. Fishing is good through the summer, especially early and late in the day, by retrieving right over the vegetation and in among the open water pockets.

          This is a shallow pond. Most depths seem to be two or three feet with the deepest water over five feet at the western end. Water quality is good. The Blue Brook flowing out of the Watchung Mountains empties into this man-made basin, and the water retains clarity despite mud bottom underneath. Don’t confuse this lake with that of the same name near Bearfort Ridge. The 25-acre Blue Brook impoundment is in Watchung Reservation just off Interstate 78, accessible by northbound exit 45. The hills rise around and such a shallow, weed-choked salad of a lake is a surprise in itself given the surrounding environment.

          The launch at the eastern end for kayaks and whatever rowboat can be managed is not a trailer ramp. Union County reserves the privilege to anyone who buys a permit, and does not allow motors whether gas or electric. This is the sort of fishing situation kayaks are made for. While bank fishing will allow an angler to get his lure into many appealing spots, a kayak removes all the effort of getting through and around underbrush infested with ticks. If you want peace of mind and access to fishing across and throughout the lake, nothing beats a kayak here at dawn or sunset. However, trails are abundant in Watchung Reservation and Surprise Lake is no exception. You can bank fish all along the lake by moving from one open spot between the trees to another.

          Medium-power spinning tackle is fine, but don’t try to fish the thick with light monofilament line, whether from a kayak or the bank. Quality braid like Power Pro 15-pound test will allow you to move a big bass or pickerel out of vegetation. It’s important to keep tension on the line and free a fish that dives into thick weeds as quickly as possible. Once a fish buries its head and the line in weeds, it can loosen tension on the hook and shake it off.

          Soft-bodied surface lures like Booyah Baits, Mann’s Phatrat, Money Frog, and many other brands may be the most versatile lure choice. But you can rig a weightless plastic worm with an inset hook and fish it right on top of vegetation by reeling it slowly as if it were a small snake. This method is very effective especially for largemouth bass, which blast right through vegetation and leave a hole behind as if an M-80 went off. But setting the hook can be a problem, since often the bass gets the tail end and immediate reaction is hard to resist. Allow the fish’s taking the worm for a few seconds before setting. Set the hook hard because if you let the bass take, it will move off with the line at an angle to the weeds at the surface and not allow a direct pull.

          Another advantage to using plastic worms is that they can be allowed to sink in open water pockets. If any bass or even pickerel are under the weeds at the edge of a pocket, a worm slightly illumined in the light penetrating through open water will be highlighted. Whichever method used, soft bodied topwaters or worms, Surprise Lake is a little taste of southern fishing near the Highlands that can satisfy any time of year. 

Big Musky Found Freshly Dead on Lake Hopatcong

Joe Landolfi pulled this 49-inch musky from Lake Hopatcong recently--freshly dead, floating on the surface. Whether or not it was killed after a poor release, or died of natural causes, is unknown. Joe suspects it was poor release and wants anglers to be careful. On Lake Hopatcong, there's a strong musky release persuasion.

On the other hand, I once read about a 10-pound largemouth found floating dead on Hopatcong. Unlikely, very, that this fish died from a bad release. I don't know of any Hopatcong largemouths ever reported beyond the range above seven-pounds and below eight, but apparently they're in the lake and resistant to being caught. Sounds a lot like a conversation about Round Valley Reservoir, where bass larger than the seven-pound range have been reported by divers. Fishermen have said they've seen them in the clear water, too, and they just won't hit.

Joe and many other anglers are busy with crappies on Hopatcong of recent. Some crappies caught recently have been over two pounds, according to Laurie Murphy at Dow's Boat Rentals. Knee Deep has surely stocked the trout scheduled for release by now also, and they're being trolled. Things are slowly warming up after a severe winter and stubborn spring.

Leffert's Lake Pickerel

Leffert's Lake is 69 acres, according to Manny Luftglass, Gone Fishin', situated just outside downtown Matawan, New Jersey. Any bass or pickerel that go over the spillway wind up in tidal water. You can fish along the bulkhead at Ravine Road, and enjoy the Green Acres, which includes two docks and casting vantage along weedlines. Water quality is fair. The depths were stained, yet plenty of shallow visibility existed today. Evidence is that aquatic vegetation thickens as the season progresses, but enough depth exists to define weedlines.

I had time enough for a very short stint, little more than half an hour. A 10-inch pickerel struck my willow leaf Mepp's inline spinner on the first cast, and it mattered little to me that I missed the fish. I moved on and caught another about the same size, which struck savagely, taking the whole treble into its mouth. Extracting this was touchy business, but the fish survived in good shape. I lost a good sized pickerel that struck from the outside edge of a mass of weeds, which apparently lunged upward from deeper water, since I began to raise the spinner to clear those weeds, retrieving perpendicularly more or less to them.

That pickerel I lost was the highlight, of course, but I'll never forget having cast in close to stick-ups, the rod tip flying free from the ferrule and slinging down the line, landing in those sticks, the Mepp's hung up. The water was a couple of feet deep, muck unknown. I could have sunk to my waist for all I really knew. I slung off my camera bag and tackle tote, just to prepare myself for thinking of what to do. Then by no thought, really, I pulled from down low near my knees. The Mepp's freed itself. The tip began coming my way, also released from being wedged. But the miracle was that the Mepp's got right through the middle of a complication of about half-a-dozen sticks without snagging, and I got my tip back. Had it snagged, I wouldn't have been able to get that tip, unless I figured something else out, if I found a long enough branch to fish it back, perhaps.

Trout Stocking Day at North Branch Raritan River

Lots of good memories here at the AT&T North Branch Raritan stretches, fishing with my son for trout, and even more for spending summer afternoons snorkeling and exploring the area otherwise. Matt's playing baseball now, and I'm just glad I got him out for Opening Day. I expect to fish the opener again next April with him, unless we're traveling, but I've lost interest in my 3 1/2-foot wizard switch spinning rod and salmon eggs.

This is how I go about life: letting interests die, rather than becoming traditional. We haven't surf fished in years now, besides Father's Day last year, and we didn't go for northern pike at Spruce Run Reservoir this year. When I was at the height of my enjoyment ice fishing Budd Lake for a few consecutive winters, I thought I would ice fish there every winter, but I pretty much let it go to fish Lake Musconetcong, Lake Hopatcong, and Round Valley Pond. I really look forward to fishing Lake Hopatcong, however, and doubt our annual excursions will fade any time soon. I got tired of our once-a-year Barryville excursions, float tripping the Delaware, but my wife loves this annual event and I've already made plans for my sister and brother-in-law to join us in August. The one interest I don't let die is writing, which isn't traditional, but developmental. I've also fished every year of my life since I was eight, but I keep changing it up. I'm much more interested in catching trout fly fishing now than on weightless salmon eggs. And I plan on fishing largemouth bass with my six weight.

Speaking of weightless salmon eggs, the river was much higher than expected. It's flowing clear, but with a lot of volume. I had no split shots and could have used at least a BB sized. Instead, I weighted my snap with four swivels. The wind blustery as can be, this complicated the drift even more. I managed to catch only one rainbow, lose another, and miss two hits in about an hour of fishing. This counts as among the slowest re-stocking days I've ever fished.

I got to the AT&T bridges at about 5:30. A couple of men had three trout each. They eventually filled their limits and got out shortly before I left. Very few other trout got caught. It was tough with the current and wind, but it seems not many were stocked.

It's been good. I can assure myself this. I fished the Green Brook and Middle Brook in '94, really getting back in the trout game for the first time since '83, fishing those two streams that flow out of the volcanic Watchung Ridge. And living in Chester, NJ, from '94-'99 with my wife, I fished the Black River, and it was a wonder. I didn't need a fly rod at all. At the time, I had a four-foot spinning rod. That broke. I found the lightest spinning rod I've ever known, 3 1/2 feet, with a tip I can bend back and crossover the rod stem. I also made my son a 3 1/2-foot spinning rod by cutting an ultra-light blank, wrapping on guides, filing and sanding a cork handle. It's beautiful and wonderfully functional. The rod is as green as a May day, the wrapping thread yellow and patterned originally, varnished thickly, and the cork handle is evenly shaped and smooth. I hope Matt always keeps it as a special memento.  

Stream Brown Trout on Lures and Fatheads

Not too many brown trout stocked in New Jersey this year, but I thought I would include a piece published last year for Recorder Newspapers.

Brown Trout Provide Fishing into June

          Fishing for brown trout with spinning gear differs significantly from brook and rainbow trout. They don’t hit salmon eggs nearly as often and other options may work better than power bait. Browns are also more nocturnal than the other two, so fishing deep into dusk and before sunrise can be especially productive.

          Fathead minnows work especially well. Available at Efinger Sporting Goods, Dover Sport Shop, Stanhope Bait and Boat and other venues, fatheads are small minnows that almost always work. An ultra-light rod and reel, four-pound test, and perhaps a BB split shot a foot above a size 10 hook are all you need. Generally pools, deep holes, and slow stretches hold brown trout, but faster water often does too, and fatheads can be drifted with or without weight, depending on depth and current.

          Other options have advantages over wading long lengths of stream while you carry a minnow bucket. Shoulder baitfish canisters are available at some shops, but in any event, plugs like the one and two-inch Rapala Countdowns, in-line spinners, Berkeley synthetic minnows, and a whole range of plastic twister tails and grubs used on tiny jig heads or plain hooks can make angling simpler and lead to plenty of catches.

          Rapala Countdowns sink. Their namesake means you can count about a second per foot of descent, which can help when fishing deep water to get the lure near bottom. Steady retrieve is more effective in fast, broken water where plenty of current action is a given. Jerking the rod tip may make a difference in slow stretches. Plugs and spinners give you the advantage of covering more water quickly. If a stream is running high and somewhat off color, spinners may be the best choice since the blades produce vibrations trout sense. Mepps spinners have a modified Colorado blade that produces more vibrations than typical willow leaf blades perhaps more suitable to clear water.

          The best way to fish a synthetic minnow may be to use a split shot a foot above a size 10 plain shank hook on four-pound test, the same simple rig used with fatheads or salted minnows. I think this synthesis of bait and lure is an improvement over salted minnows, which I’ll never use again. They stay on the hook better and have more life-like action. Retrieving with subtle rod tip jerks, lifting the bait off bottom to let it settle again, and drifting it through current produces.

          Another recent discovery on the trout scene is that trout—especially browns—respond well to the sorts of soft plastic grub lures combined with a jig head usually used for bass. It’s a matter of scaling down to jig heads as light as 1/32nd or 1/64th-ounce or just using a BB split shot ahead of a size 10 hook. Tiny Trout Magnets have been on the market for years, and the simple straight plastic tail may be all that’s needed. I used to catch native brook trout on Dunnfield Creek with small shad darts. But trout are selective. If they’ve seen a lot of one variety, they may hit another. Trout can also pose a problem by their sensitivity to color, so experimenting may at the least seem to bring results.

          For a number of years, I would wake on a May Saturday before dawn, fix myself a quick coffee as I organized gear, and arrive on the North Branch Raritan with a chorus of birds loud like a party, very little light in the air. I began with a one-inch Rapala Countdown to get immediate results. After catching the third brown trout in a single stretch, the action would stop. Then I offered a fathead. Again, an immediate hit, and I would catch three more and walk out with a full limit string, sometimes just as the next guy arrived before the sun had risen. I would go home and clean the trout, refrigerate them, and go back to bed. When I had awakened with the rest of my family about two hours later, I always fixed a big trout breakfast for all.

         Why did the browns come to refuse the Countdown, then immediately take a fathead? Whatever the reasons science can discern, trout are selective. None think. But they do perceive very keenly. Perhaps I could have switched to a soft plastic in a subdued color pattern so as not to be too conspicuous in low light and have done as well.     

Striped Bass at Dekorte Park, New Jersey Meadowlands

The New Jersey Meadowlands' Dekorte Park has brackish flats connected to the Hackensack River about a mile from where we fished channels perhaps three or four feet deep as tide fell. The outflows churn water out from flats above walkway dikes, and stripers move in pods to position along and in the currents. Fred nailed his striper just aside from the current on a four-inch swimshad. I noticed his retrieve speed was a little quicker than mine. I switched my three-inch to a four-inch swimshad. In the meantime, Fred had another on he lost. I experimented with retrieve speed and cast placement. Sometimes I let the shad vibrate in the current without reeling. It was that strong. But all to no avail for me.

Then apparently the pod moved out and on. We tried another outflow and a couple of others after that. Tide moving out quick, it became easier to hang up on white cedar trunks that never decay after many dozens of years.

We discussed my past success here, along with my son's lost striper, and inferred that the stripers seem to hit best with some depth remaining, closer to the top of the tide. The water needs to be flowing out, but perhaps fishing is best in the first two or possibly three hours of waning tide. It's easy to imagine that a number of striper pods are on the prowl and when one moves off from an outflow, another might come.

They apparently follow the channels from the river. As we left shortly after sunset, a bittern passing overhead with full, kite-like wings, mud flats were left exposed towards the Dekorte Center. My son and I have seen the flats fully exposed at low tide, besides these channels that seem to direct fish traffic. Cedar stumps emerge black and profoundly aged, as if the 19th century rises from the dead.

I lost three swimshads to stumps. I feel no loss, but be prepared to lose some of any lures you might bring. However, by fishing the first couple of hours of waning tide, and swimming your lure over the stump tops, you're less likely to hang up.

Stripers should be around through May. Dekorte Park is catch and release, and that's good for two reasons. One, this was one of the world's largest garbage dumps just decades ago. Black leachate still emits from the surrounding hills. Those aren't natural. They are garbage filled over with dirt and small trees planted atop. And secondly, it's good to know the fish get put back to go on with their lives.