Native Chain Pickerel Pine Barrens Trip

Fish Sticks

Fish Sticks

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 19, 2022
Messages
3,194
Location
Central PA
Did not catch a single stocked manufactured trophy or invasive species
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#slimedartpalooza
 
ryansheehan said:
Nice pics! Looks like a good time. Don't think this was necessary though "Did not catch a single stocked manufactured trophy or invasive species"
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Well that is the exact reason why i made the drive and used the vacation days. Avoiding rubber fish, aquatic version of invasive ferrel hogs, and emersing myself in wilderness full of highly intact native fish predominant aquatic ecosystems
 
I am not a trout zealot nor do I let aquatic ferrel hogs drive me into lunacy, but if given the choice to fish for pickerel in the pine barrens or trout in Central Pa, I would take the pickerel trip 7 out of 10 times. Great fun and always great solitude. Best part is, nobody you may run into demands a 1/2 mile stream buffer zone in all directions from their exact spot at any given time. As an added bonus I’ve never had anybody want to show me their Tenkara set up while telling me how they only buy leaders from a custom shop in Utah. Nice trip and I’m glad you were able to escape the finned feral hogs that are renting space in your head for a day.
 
poopdeck said:
I am not a trout zealot nor do I let aquatic ferrel hogs drive me into lunacy, but if given the choice to fish for pickerel in the pine barrens or trout in Central Pa, I would take the pickerel trip 7 out of 10 times. Great fun and always great solitude. Best part is, nobody you may run into demands a 1/2 mile stream buffer zone in all directions from their exact spot at any given time. As an added bonus I’ve never had anybody want to show me their Tenkara set up while telling me how they only buy leaders from a custom shop in Utah. Nice trip and I’m glad you were able to escape the finned feral hogs that are renting space in your head for a day.
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Yea i could do a better job of ignoring the mass ecological destruction caused by the intentional expensive pointless release of the swimming lantern flies. I have to eliminate any ecological/conservation sense of responsibility or stewardship for where I recreate and I think I can get there mentally at that point.

The most vibrant and rich fisheries have the least amount of anglers as you pointed out because no white truck leads you there. If one some how winds up in the pine barrens with a fishing rod in your hand it has to come from some intrinsic curiosity or respect for these fish or the ecosystem they live in than being herded there by license sales crazed fish monger type fish managers hocking a manufacturer product.

Like the kid who discovers the creek behind his house has life in it and becomes obsessed with the tiny fish species as a result, the interest in fishing comes without the animal husbandry and stocked invasive species……until the social conditioning starts. “Thats just a chub, thats just a slime rocket thats, thats just a fall fish, thats just a sucker.” After being trained like cats to follow the truck, release the stocked invasive species, build them homes with wood structures eat out of the bowl make boom boom in the liter box hopefully someone who otherwise would not will go emerse themselves in a place like this and unlearn the dogma thats ruined the sport, our wild places.
 
Has anyone else ever fished there or gone blue lining for the non-chain pickerel fisheries?
 
I have heard you can fish native mud sunfish, pirate perch, white perch, and red fin pickerel if you bush wack up into the small creeks
 
Brings back memories. Thanks.
 
On my list for next time

Night fishing for pirate perch, they only feed nocturnally but are apparently ravenous predators. Never caught one. Picture off the web.
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Want to blue line for mud sunfish and redfin pickerel in the tiny cedar brooks. Never caught a native mud sunfish picture from internet.

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Redfin bottom chain top, photo from NANFA website
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Want to catch white perch, white and brown bullhead, and chubsucker as well.

Also want to hit where pickerel and striper overlap in large pine barren rivers
 
pickerel are fun to catch. NJ stocks plenty of them under their warmwater fishery program. normally they are fingerlings and they let them grow or less they get eaten by pike, musky, or birds of prey. pickerel are everywhere. the D&R canal is loaded with them.
 
Kyle said:
pickerel are fun to catch. NJ stocks plenty of them under their warmwater fishery program. normally they are fingerlings and they let them grow or less they get eaten by pike, musky, or birds of prey. pickerel are everywhere. the D&R canal is loaded with them.
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Whats the D and R canal have not heard of it?
 
Delaware and Raritan Canal, I think.... Never been there but heard of it.
 
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