Garden State Trout

wow all these picture games :o on a site that suppose to support the fundamentals of PURE trout fishing enthusiasts :lol: . Ive got a ton of pictures & places I used to post under the old GST site. But I :shock: how some of you guys are. So You gets none from me. & Im a C&R spin angler ;) I always ...

I personally don't need "updates" on how streams are doing. We all fish differently(tackle type/weather/time period) so someone elses successes or failures are not an indication of how I might do or how a steams trout pops are doing. It will neither inspire or deter me from going. If you want to upd...

Temperature Impacts on NJ's Wild Trout Populations. 1) Any impoundments on trout production waters should be considered for removal except for those that are used for utilities, as a potable water source or offer significant recreational value. 2) Tree plantings along those streams where trees - es...

There are browns in there too. Not a lot but a few. The closer to the stream it flows into, the more you see. Just be careful with your stream pics. Many streams have a distinct pool or rock or waterfall. I won't name yours but someone might just to be a d*ck. Its one of the reasons I stopped postin...

I've seen our WTS and other trout production waters largely ignored for any sort of improvement other than regulation changes which in nearly every case will make little if any difference. There just isn't enough usage or angling success/harvest to impact them. Even if ten people fished the same WTS...

I have often said that special regs don't always make a significant difference for wild trout numbers or sizes. Back in the mid to late 2010's, the PFBC had a Brook Trout Enhancement Program. which had no-kill rules. It was in place for about 10 years. Data collection before and after showed almost ...

About a mile downstream of this dam there is a bridge crossing. This bridge crossing had a dandy pool on the downstream side. A 25 foot long, 10 foot wide and 4 foot deep pool that held a bunch of wild browns. It was there for decades until they decided to do a little bridge repair and that pool was...

Birds could do real number on a stream, but I don't see how they could lead to a wholesale collapse like the one you mentioned in NE NJ (the Q?) No not there. Most I have seen in Warren/Hunterdon streams. Tribs to larger rivers like Delaware, SBRR, Paulinskill and Musky as well as tribs to our rese...

I know that it seems like there are more and more herons around. You used to see an occasionally one while fishing the WTS now it seems like you see a few on every stream. These guys must also be contributing to the decline in trout. I would add Mergansers as they are very clever hunters and more s...

The above stream has seen the rainbow pops decline as follows: 108(2004),100(2009),30(2014),12(2018); Browns have been up and down: 27,69,49,33. Overall numbers: 135,169,79, 45. Obviously this is not a good trend. This is not my data but NJDEP data. I most recently fished it last fall and it was so-...

The more perplexing and concerning situations are where wild trout have all but disappeared. One northeast NJ brown trout only stream comes to mind. Numerous surveys had wild brown trout pops among the highest in the state. 1,555 trout per mile in 2010. In 2018, no trout collected. More pickerel and...

Access has always been an issue in our lovely Garden State. I believe at one point of the 36 or so WTS, only 3 were 100% public. Most are on posted land with only hundreds of feet of access not miles.

Used to be a great stream. Now its mediocre at best like a lot of our trout production streams. What do you attribute this general decline to? Multiyear drought, increased development, generally warming temps? Mother nature. Extreme weather events - flooding, droughts, frigid winter temps, heat wav...

Maybe someone can declare it an historical structure and restore it

One of the biggest challenges in NJ is finding accessible WTS water and winter with everything wide open is a good time to do so. Only a handful of WTS are 100% public - like VCB and Dunnfield - and those few get more attention for it. Never understood how no landowner-access agreements have been m...

Used to be a great stream. Now its mediocre at best like a lot of our trout production streams.

I normally don't give a sh*t about anyone walking onto posted land to fish but not this time of year. You are too easily seen. Wait until the leaves come out. They see you now, they will be looking for fisherman the rest of the year and thats a nice little spot. Got to be more stealthy.

FYI: That area around the dam is posted land. The owners are up on the hill to the right of the dam facing north. I got politely chased out years ago after landing several wild browns up to 15" below the spillway. Public land ends at where the stream begins to flow into the meadow. See the attachmen...

A few more pics

Crossed the river to Pa for my first 2020 trout. Air temp was 50F; water temp 38F. Action was slow but did manage a dozen or so wild browns in 2 hrs.