Garden State Trout

Hi Guys, Just a short note. I live in Manahawkin and I go to the South Branch to do my trout fishing. Sure it takes me 11/2 hours to get there but who cares as I am fishing in some of the best waters in Jersey. While I am driving up the Pkwy. I am thinking about where to fish. Do I go up Rte.31 fart...

Hello, If you have never been to Yellowstone National Park you Have to go. It is the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my life. When they say Montana is big sky country they were talking about Yellowstone. I will never forget walking on the Yellowstone bridge and having a bison walking down t...

Hi, One of the best is a Pheasant Tail nymphs in 14,16 and18. Gold ribbed hares ear in the same sizes. For dries Hendrickson’s ,Red Quill and dark caddis, small blue winged olives, blue quills. The Hendrickson and red quills in 12 or 14. The others in16 and 18. Musky is a good choice and don’t forge...

Quail also like ticks. They gobble them up. Bill the mailman

Hello, One of the reasons I moved to south jersey is health care. Hospital and doctors are two miles away. Easy access to both. Sure the fishing is great in Montana but as you age you really have to think about health care. What about children? Are they pretty close by or are they going to be two th...

Hi, As for sunfish they do not care if you are 30 feet away or 6 feet away from them. They probably do not care if you are using a six foot rod or a nine foot rod. And I am sure that they do not care if the rod costs $20.00 or $200.00. Go to eBay to see what they have in a 3 weight or even a 4 weigh...

Hey Rusty, How was your ice fishing trip? What in heck is a Irish Car Bomb? Since I don’t drink never heard of them. Now it will be a job getting out onto the ice in northwest jersey since hey got hammered with the snow. Here in Manahawkin we got one inch which as fine by me. Had my driveway shovele...

Hi, Big Flatbrook has a great black stonefly hatch. A couple of years ago in March they were all over the place. I had most of my hits under water and my version of the fly is a all black caddis fly in a size 16 or 18. I use the cheek hairs from a white tail buck for the wing because it lays flat on...

Hello. I can barely remember fishing Franklin Lks. when I was 18. At the time it was still a dairy farm. I would park the car about 1/2 mile away and sneak through the woods lay on my stomach and cast into the lake. I would fish across from the barn. I could fish for about an hour or so before the g...

Hello Bigger, What you wrote is what I do also. Bill

Hello, If the trout is down stream from where I am standing and if it to my left then I strike at about 45 degree angle to my right. If trout is to my right then 45 degree angle to my left. Trout left strike right, trout right strike left. This is no matter if fish is up stream or down stream. This ...

Hi, I can tie a caddis fly in about 1 minute. After I lay out all the material on my desk it only takes about one minute. Here goes body,wing and then hackle. The wing I use is from the cheeks of a white tailed buck. They are about one inch long and easy to use. I always put a hackle between wing an...

Hi, Maybe if I was in my early 20’s I would apply for the job. But being in my early 80’s it’s a no no job for me. I would not mine working outside as I was a mailman for 37 years and had a walking route. Just have to dress for the weather. But, hey can you imagine fishing the raceways with a fly. W...

Hi, Depending on where you live. I would go to Shannon’s in Califon,NJ. They have a web site so you can get directions to there place. Heck they would even tell where to fish and what to use. They are very helpful and close to the gorge. Fish from Hoffman’s Crossing up stream. Bill the mailman

Hi, Ramsey Outdoor Store in Ramsey,NJ. Maybe Shannon’s in Highbridge. The flies to use would be midges, midges and midges. BWO in sizes 18 thru 22 and pheasant tail in the same sizes. Probably some scuds in a size16. That’s all I can think of right now, Bill the mailman

Hello, I will never forget about three years ago while fishing the B’kill. The water was very muddy a real brown and flowing high. I said to myself that I drove all these miles to fish so I am going to fish. I started just above the cement bench that is on the B’kill old 17. I had one of my best day...

Hello, My son lives in Fredrick,Md. He bought a book for me called Md. trout streams. It gives a county by county on where the streams are and small directions on how to get to them. At the back of the book are fly patterns and how to tie them. A lot of the streams are off of Route 15 heading north....

46er, Boy I hope your right about the rain. I would like to see a nice steady rain for two or three days so it soaks into the ground. But any thing would help. Bill the mailman

Hello, I took a ride up to the Catskills to look at the leaves with my wife. We left Manahawkin,NJ on Monday morning about 10:30. We stayed at the Hampton Inn just outside of Milford,Pa. Went up to the Catskills on Tuesday AM. Took route 97 up to Hancock then quick way towards Roscoe. The leaves wer...

Hello, boy you wrote the truth about kids now a days. I have six grandkids from 21 down to 8. If they did not have there phones they would be lost. They have to have the fastest thumbs in the world. They are always texting or playing games on there phones. I took my one grandson to the shore to go f...