Rocky Gorge Photo Report - 4/16/16

[DanMarino]

[Mark]

That first photo is a monster.

I would have cut my line!

Congratulations.

[Shady]

Nice pike!

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[Turtle135]

Apparently I am "species stalking" you Tom!

Rocky Gorge today. This 35" Northern Pike ate a 4" tube. Hope this one survives. She has a nasty wound just above her tail. The only thing I can think that might have done this would be a good sized snapping turtle. She fought well and swam away strong but she is missing a chunk of flesh in that area.

[acwatkins]

Nice fish to both of you! I got skunked on Saturday [emoji19]


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[DanMarino]

Way to go Dave! That is a huge and crazy pike. Is it worthy of the snagged line leaderboard? I know someone caught a giant from Triadelphia a year or two ago.

[Turtle135]

What species are we targeting next weekend Tom?

That was an amusing catch. I tied on a tube because I was certain that there were smaller bass in this one particular area (too small to eat the jig I was throwing).

[DanMarino]

That's a great catch Dave! Some guy on here caught a musky on a senko at Brunswick. Haha

[perchy]

Nice job guys! Tearing it up out there!

[perchy]

Apparently I am "species stalking" you Tom!

Rocky Gorge today. This 35" Northern Pike ate a 4" tube. Hope this one survives. She has a nasty wound just above her tail. The only thing I can think that might have done this would be a good sized snapping turtle. She fought well and swam away strong but she is missing a chunk of flesh in that area.

Those look like clawmarks on her side... maybe a bald eagle attack survivor?

[DanMarino]

Apparently I am "species stalking" you Tom!

Rocky Gorge today. This 35" Northern Pike ate a 4" tube. Hope this one survives. She has a nasty wound just above her tail. The only thing I can think that might have done this would be a good sized snapping turtle. She fought well and swam away strong but she is missing a chunk of flesh in that area.

Dave I'm going to refer to this fish as "zombie pike" for the rest of my life. haha

[Turtle135]

Dave I'm going to refer to this fish as "zombie pike" for the rest of my life. haha

Perfect name for that one! Let's hope she makes it and it just left with a cool scar. Another fisherman I know up in NY thought it was likely that another pike did this.

[Brian Mills]

I don't want to blow up your spots but I am fishing Rocky Gorge this Monday and would appreciate a bit of advice. It is a large body of water and would like to shrink it down a bit before actually fishing it. Would hate to spend the day paddling around all day.
1. Where would you launch from?
2. Would you recommend fishing down near the dam or up north?

Thanks for any advice.

Brian

[DanMarino]

Hi Guys. I have gotten several requests over the past month about advice for where to fish at Rocky Gorge. I'm sorry to disappoint everyone, but I'm no expert. I have had a little success and I enjoy posting photos of what I catch. However, I'm not willing to give away what few secrets I know. I think everyone will agree that the WSSC reservoirs can be tough fishing.

I will offer that I think my little success so far this year is a product of the following:

1. Getting away from the TV and sitting in my kayak and getting out there to actually go fishing. Many of my trips have been in cold/windy/rainy/even snowy conditions. Turtle135 can add that I'm a sissy and paddled back to the car and left him to fish in the snow by himself. haha. Getting out in March and April has been a good thing for me this year. The fish are hungry.

2. When the water is cold, I have fished sunny areas that are shallow.

3. When the water is muddy, I have used lures that give off lots of vibration.

That's about all I can say for now. There are 3 access points to Rocky Gorge, so you have 3 choices to launch from. As far as I know you can catch fish from all 3 launch areas. I think the key is to get out there and fish. There are some monsters there, so you never know what you can catch.

Best wishes to all.
Tom