Exploring the Shoal

woodjin

Piney
Nov 8, 2004
4,341
327
Near Mt. Misery
I promised in my last report that I would return to the shoal and yesterday morning at the break of dawn I did. My intent was to fish, of course, and to follow the stream up.

the fishing was great. I caught between 20 and 30 fish. they ranged from 12" to 20" with the vast majority at about 17". Here are some action shots:

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Making a run for it (notice my white plastic in his mouth to the right)

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At around 9am the sun was getting hot and the fishing was slowing so I proceeded up stream into the river proper. The shadows in the cedar swamp should support some good fishing on such a hot day.

I ended up getting pretty far up the shoal. The river is typical pine barrens and beautiful.

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Evidence that some one came through here before and cut a few cedars to clear the way. The cuts were at least 25 years old though

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The fishing action, as predicted, was great upstream and every bend yielded another hungry chainside.

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If you've ever wondered, as you've canoed over the long waving stream grass, if there were fish hiding inside, well here is the answer

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Eventually the river became too junked up with down trees for me to continue. in higher water conditions I certainly think that it would be possible to get further up than I did.

It was a great day fishing. and after ward I went to LBI where I had a run in with a shark. but that will have to be a seperate post. Hope you enjoyed the report.

Jeff
 
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Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
25,627
8,228
Loved the report! You sure had a great day.

Guy
 

Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
25,627
8,228
Are there still pickerel in the creek if Jeff is not there to catch them?

Interesting question! Another one would be .... are there any in the creek after Jeff has passed through?
 

woodjin

Piney
Nov 8, 2004
4,341
327
Near Mt. Misery
Interesting question! Another one would be .... are there any in the creek after Jeff has passed through?

LOL they're all still there. I've been doing catch and release for years now since the mercury warnings got so intense. although it is time I ate one again, it's been along time. I used to eat about 4 a week about 12 years ago.
 

RednekF350

Piney
Feb 20, 2004
4,952
3,103
Pestletown, N.J.
Mercury schmurkury, I don't buy into it. :mad:
If you read the latest FandW guidance documents you will see that you can eat almost unlimited fish from some of the worst bodies of water in the State, places where I wouldn't rinse my boots with the water.

For instance, you can eat a pickerel from Clementon Lake (full of goose sh_t and fed by suburban runoff) once per week. At Harrisville Pond on 679 in the heart of the pines, its once per month and never for a high risk individual. I say Bullsh_t !

The testing methods for measuring contaminat levels in fish are also biased to the extreme making the data more misleading. The entire fish, head, guts and nuts is emulsified and then tested. The levels of contaminants in a clean, skinless fillet from a bass, pickerel or catfish are not measured. (Good luck with that pickerel fillet by the way)

At the link below you can find the latest advisories for various bodies of fresh water:
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/dsr/fishadvisories/freshwater-advisories.htm

This is the main page which includes additional info on marine fisheries as well:
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/dsr/njmainfish.htm

I am fully aware of the science behind the alleged accumulation of mercury precipitating from acid rain sources and the low pH of pinelands waters that encourages that accumulation but I will take my chances.

I would rather dine on a little mercury than a little turd.
 

oji

Piney
Jan 25, 2008
2,099
474
63
Browns Mills
Scott has a point, if a person weighing 150 lbs can only eat on fish a month safely then there must be a bunch of poisoned otters in the pines (they eat the head, guts and other parts)
 

woodjin

Piney
Nov 8, 2004
4,341
327
Near Mt. Misery
Mercury schmurkury, I don't buy into it. :mad:
If you read the latest FandW guidance documents you will see that you can eat almost unlimited fish from some of the worst bodies of water in the State, places where I wouldn't rinse my boots with the water.

For instance, you can eat a pickerel from Clementon Lake (full of goose sh_t and fed by suburban runoff) once per week. At Harrisville Pond on 679 in the heart of the pines, its once per month and never for a high risk individual. I say Bullsh_t !

The testing methods for measuring contaminat levels in fish are also biased to the extreme making the data more misleading. The entire fish, head, guts and nuts is emulsified and then tested. The levels of contaminants in a clean, skinless fillet from a bass, pickerel or catfish are not measured. (Good luck with that pickerel fillet by the way)

At the link below you can find the latest advisories for various bodies of fresh water:
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/dsr/fishadvisories/freshwater-advisories.htm

This is the main page which includes additional info on marine fisheries as well:
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/dsr/njmainfish.htm

I am fully aware of the science behind the alleged accumulation of mercury precipitating from acid rain sources and the low pH of pinelands waters that encourages that accumulation but I will take my chances.

I would rather dine on a little mercury than a little turd.

I know where you're coming from, Scott. I think the mercury gave me an excuse to avoid trying to fillet. It was always a boney experience with pickeral. I learned how to do it and make it boneless once but it was just too wasteful. Eating them was always a slow process to avoid the bones. However, I always thought they tasted great!

Jeff
 

manumuskin

Piney
Jul 20, 2003
8,554
2,466
59
millville nj
www.youtube.com
I have read that the indians some how used to smash fish with rocks combined with boiling them to pulverize the bones and eat them right along with the meat.Don't know if it would work with pickerel or not?
 

manumuskin

Piney
Jul 20, 2003
8,554
2,466
59
millville nj
www.youtube.com
Thanks Dogg! My Dad had always told me the bones could be fileted out and he would describe how to do it but without being showed I really couldn't understand what he was describing.This sounds like what he was talking about.My dad is a professionl fisherman and every now and then he will take off fishing to go to work.Funny thing is he will not eat fish to save himself.He gives all his catch away to the other guys along the bank.He hates fish but loves to reel em in.
 

bobpbx

Piney
Staff member
Oct 25, 2002
14,195
4,293
Pines; Bamber area
My dad is a professionl fisherman and every now and then he will take off fishing to go to work.Funny thing is he will not eat fish to save himself.He gives all his catch away to the other guys along the bank.He hates fish but loves to reel em in.

Your father is still alive Al? I was unaware of that. Is he living local?
 

manumuskin

Piney
Jul 20, 2003
8,554
2,466
59
millville nj
www.youtube.com
My biological father died when I was 2,he was 19. He was in a car accident.My step dad that raised me (Mom and real Dad were teenagers and never lived together)was with my Mom from when I was 3 till 26 years of age when they separated and divorced.(Dad is a whoremonger as well as a fisherman)He is still alive and 66 and in very good shape for his age other then a knee injury sustained in a car accident and a shoulder injury sustained while sliding into base playing with kids in his 50's both of which aggravate him pretty bad at times. He live about 15 minutes from me an regularly fishes the river next to the wawa in downtown Millville when the Herring and Stripers are running. My Little Big Borther is my step dads biological son.He is 31 and 6 ft 3 this is why I call him my little big brother:)
 
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