I got out this morning to do some fishing and to investigate the large bog just north west of the lake. I only spent a small amount of time in Chatsworth lake as I needed to allocate plenty of time of the bog. However, the fish were biting in a big way. I had approx. 12 catches, mostly small to medium in size but for a lake known for fish in this size range, I mangaged to get a couple large ones also.
Here is a medium catch.
this guy was a beast. He pulled my kayak in circles for a while before I mangaged to get him close. He was too large to manage into the kayak without risking injury to him in his already exhausted state. Fish that large have been know to brake there own backs thrashing around in a boat so I had to estimate his length at about 24", perhaps a little more.
this guy I was able to get in the kayak and control. He was released unscathed. He is 21". The reason my legs are so dirty will be explained later.
Here is a link to the bog north of the lake.
http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.822660974788&lng=-74.55753564834595&z=16&type=k&gpx=
The bog is accessable on foot but not by vehicle (because it is on Franklin Parker property and vehicles are not allowed) and to drag a kayak through a mile of trails did not seem practical I decided to attempt to access the bog by following the lake to it's North western tip and draging it up to the bog. This was a large bog and I really wanted to access it in a kayak to take full advantage of any fishing opportunities not availble from the banks.
Well, it was a short distance as the crow flies, but a very, very difficult task for the kayaker. I dragged that kayak through very deep black mud and over downed cedars and between swamp maples. It was not fun and I will never do it again. But, I did do it. Here is my leg in knee high mud. this was every step for quite aways.
I should also add that that mud was a bit#$ to get off. I was in the shower for like an hour.
Coming to the bog
I was happy to get there, but not so happy knowing i would have to go through the same hell to get back. Here is the bog.
Beaver
Upon my arrival I noticed a turtle shell, then another, and snapper shell also. the area was filled with dead turtles, some shells were empty, most still contained some remains of the turtles themselves. Most were red bellies but one was a snapper. This was not all in one spot. They were all over the banks of the bog. I have no idea why and it was a little unsettling. I took some pictures and I will put them up if anybody wants to see.
As I came up to the bog I noticed a humming noise. It was very loud. there was clearly a hive somewhere nearby but I could not locate it by sight. The abundance of honey bees in the bog was further evidence.
Here is a shot of the bog. there was a land bridge since blown out but I could not photograph it well. Also, if you look at the aerial photo, there appears to be a road going into the bog. historic aerials confirm it. here is was it looks like today. It is the grassy area mostly submerged in the foreground.
The bog was very shallow despite the lack of spaghum and lilly pads. I only caught one fish here. the only deep spots are along the banks where the old water control channel was. An osprey kept me company from above. the beaver activity was evident everywhere with surprisingly large trees taken down my them. Here is a work in progress, I have never seen beaver attempt a tree of this size.
Very odd, and I should mention, despite the dead turtles everywhere, there was still a very heathy popultion in the bog. Maybe someone has some theories on that.
Kind of a long report, hope you enjoyed it.
Jeff
Here is a medium catch.
this guy was a beast. He pulled my kayak in circles for a while before I mangaged to get him close. He was too large to manage into the kayak without risking injury to him in his already exhausted state. Fish that large have been know to brake there own backs thrashing around in a boat so I had to estimate his length at about 24", perhaps a little more.
this guy I was able to get in the kayak and control. He was released unscathed. He is 21". The reason my legs are so dirty will be explained later.
Here is a link to the bog north of the lake.
http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.822660974788&lng=-74.55753564834595&z=16&type=k&gpx=
The bog is accessable on foot but not by vehicle (because it is on Franklin Parker property and vehicles are not allowed) and to drag a kayak through a mile of trails did not seem practical I decided to attempt to access the bog by following the lake to it's North western tip and draging it up to the bog. This was a large bog and I really wanted to access it in a kayak to take full advantage of any fishing opportunities not availble from the banks.
Well, it was a short distance as the crow flies, but a very, very difficult task for the kayaker. I dragged that kayak through very deep black mud and over downed cedars and between swamp maples. It was not fun and I will never do it again. But, I did do it. Here is my leg in knee high mud. this was every step for quite aways.
I should also add that that mud was a bit#$ to get off. I was in the shower for like an hour.
Coming to the bog
I was happy to get there, but not so happy knowing i would have to go through the same hell to get back. Here is the bog.
Beaver
Upon my arrival I noticed a turtle shell, then another, and snapper shell also. the area was filled with dead turtles, some shells were empty, most still contained some remains of the turtles themselves. Most were red bellies but one was a snapper. This was not all in one spot. They were all over the banks of the bog. I have no idea why and it was a little unsettling. I took some pictures and I will put them up if anybody wants to see.
As I came up to the bog I noticed a humming noise. It was very loud. there was clearly a hive somewhere nearby but I could not locate it by sight. The abundance of honey bees in the bog was further evidence.
Here is a shot of the bog. there was a land bridge since blown out but I could not photograph it well. Also, if you look at the aerial photo, there appears to be a road going into the bog. historic aerials confirm it. here is was it looks like today. It is the grassy area mostly submerged in the foreground.
The bog was very shallow despite the lack of spaghum and lilly pads. I only caught one fish here. the only deep spots are along the banks where the old water control channel was. An osprey kept me company from above. the beaver activity was evident everywhere with surprisingly large trees taken down my them. Here is a work in progress, I have never seen beaver attempt a tree of this size.
Very odd, and I should mention, despite the dead turtles everywhere, there was still a very heathy popultion in the bog. Maybe someone has some theories on that.
Kind of a long report, hope you enjoyed it.
Jeff
