The KLG

All about trout fishing in the great Garden State!
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lightenup
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The KLG

Post by lightenup » Tue Oct 09, 2018 12:41 pm

Good day,
I fish the KLG very often as it is 5 minutes from my home and easy access. I have a large responsibility at my home and usually can't travel to fish on week ends. So, I have been there the last three weeks on Monday, talked to several folks who were fishing and done some fishing myself. In three weeks of an hour or two of fishing each day, I have landed 1 trout, granted it was a 10 inch wild brown, so yay. I have caught many smallmouth and sunnies as well. The gorge always had lots of trout in it. The folks I have been talking to haven't caught anything, or seen anything.....something is NOT fishy...Now it is a C&R only, so I figured, higher flows, C&R fishing, this place should be filled with trout...not so, any ideas? The summer wasn't too bad..

Reeltight
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Re: The KLG

Post by Reeltight » Tue Oct 09, 2018 6:42 pm

There was no shortage of trout when I fished it this past June. Is it possible birds ate them?

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lightenup
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Re: The KLG

Post by lightenup » Tue Oct 09, 2018 6:48 pm

it was fantastic in the Spring!!!

BillSmith
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Re: The KLG

Post by BillSmith » Wed Oct 10, 2018 8:35 am

If it should be filled with trout due to "no kill" then why do they keep stocking MORE trout in there ?

SBRtool
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Re: The KLG

Post by SBRtool » Wed Oct 10, 2018 9:33 am

There are always trout there although they don't always cooperate. Not 100% sure but think you can keep 1 fish if its over 15 inch at certain times of the year. There are natives there and the state puts a lot of fish in there. Birds take some fish out but I think biggest prob is this time of year its been months since the state put any fish in and since than, the gorge has gotten pounded by anglers like it always does. Even if its C&R, if you got 50 anglers a day going in there at times who may not be handling fish well or fishing in the middle of July. Also, with the amount of rainfall this past year, millions of extra places for the smart fish to hide.

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Rusty Spinner
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Re: The KLG

Post by Rusty Spinner » Wed Oct 10, 2018 12:22 pm

BillSmith wrote:
Wed Oct 10, 2018 8:35 am
If it should be filled with trout due to "no kill" then why do they keep stocking MORE trout in there ?
Because that low in the watershed has very low reproduction, so the state bolsters it with stocked trout. Much further upstream on the same river, they do not need to stock trout.
"A sinking fly is closer to Hell" - Unknown

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Rusty Spinner
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Re: The KLG

Post by Rusty Spinner » Wed Oct 10, 2018 12:26 pm

SBRtool wrote:
Wed Oct 10, 2018 9:33 am
There are always trout there although they don't always cooperate. Not 100% sure but think you can keep 1 fish if its over 15 inch at certain times of the year.
Not in two years since it became a 100% No Kill section. You are thinking of when it was a year round TCA and one fish per day could be kept over 15". Now, all trout must be released unharmed.

That said, all of our trout rivers and streams are seeing very low trout numbers. We have barely scraped by the last 8 years with low, warm summer flows and poor fall/winter spawning flows. Electrofishing results don't lie; our wild and stocked trout numbers are way down from heavy predation, warm waters, and poor spawning conditions. This may or should begin to change this fall and winter with the spawning conditions optimal right now. But it will take at least 3 years of decent flows and good spawning conditions for our wild trout to rebound. Everything goes in cycles, and wild and stocked trout numbers are no exception.
"A sinking fly is closer to Hell" - Unknown

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lightenup
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Re: The KLG

Post by lightenup » Wed Oct 10, 2018 12:33 pm

Rusty Spinner wrote:
Wed Oct 10, 2018 12:26 pm
SBRtool wrote:
Wed Oct 10, 2018 9:33 am
There are always trout there although they don't always cooperate. Not 100% sure but think you can keep 1 fish if its over 15 inch at certain times of the year.
Not in two years since it became a 100% No Kill section. You are thinking of when it was a year round TCA and one fish per day could be kept over 15". Now, all trout must be released unharmed.

That said, all of our trout rivers and streams are seeing very low trout numbers. We have barely scraped by the last 8 years with low, warm summer flows and poor fall/winter spawning flows. Electrofishing results don't lie; our wild and stocked trout numbers are way down from heavy predation, warm waters, and poor spawning conditions. This may or should begin to change this fall and winter with the spawning conditions optimal right now. But it will take at least 3 years of decent flows and good spawning conditions for our wild trout to rebound. Everything goes in cycles, and wild and stocked trout numbers are no exception.
The WTS by my house is suffering terribly. 10 years ago you could catch little browns by the handful and watch them rise to caddis all summer and fall, now if you see one or catch one it is a banner day!

Jaybird
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Re: The KLG

Post by Jaybird » Wed Oct 10, 2018 1:42 pm

I bet poor handling of fish and fishing during water temps over 70°f take just as big a toll on fish populations in the gorge than anything else . Walked through there July 3rd in the evening ,water was way to warm over 70°f . There's 5 guys fishing to risers .
Sure we had a great water year but for 2 weeks in July it was rough . If 5 guys hooked 4 trout each over those 2 weeks that's almost 300 fish . That's quite a little dent .

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lightenup
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Re: The KLG

Post by lightenup » Wed Oct 10, 2018 2:04 pm

Jaybird wrote:
Wed Oct 10, 2018 1:42 pm
I bet poor handling of fish and fishing during water temps over 70°f take just as big a toll on fish populations in the gorge than anything else . Walked through there July 3rd in the evening ,water was way to warm over 70°f . There's 5 guys fishing to risers .
Sure we had a great water year but for 2 weeks in July it was rough . If 5 guys hooked 4 trout each over those 2 weeks that's almost 300 fish . That's quite a little dent .
That's sound like a good reason....Can we make some signs about thermal dangers to trout, or do we need a permit to hang them...

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Rusty Spinner
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Re: The KLG

Post by Rusty Spinner » Thu Oct 11, 2018 5:47 pm

lightenup wrote:
Wed Oct 10, 2018 2:04 pm
Jaybird wrote:
Wed Oct 10, 2018 1:42 pm
I bet poor handling of fish and fishing during water temps over 70°f take just as big a toll on fish populations in the gorge than anything else . Walked through there July 3rd in the evening ,water was way to warm over 70°f . There's 5 guys fishing to risers .
Sure we had a great water year but for 2 weeks in July it was rough . If 5 guys hooked 4 trout each over those 2 weeks that's almost 300 fish . That's quite a little dent .
That's sound like a good reason....Can we make some signs about thermal dangers to trout, or do we need a permit to hang them...
It is time for us to have those discussions with Division biologists to see if we could get some signs up, especially on special regs waters where trout can holdover or are wild in in that river year round. Can't hurt to try. It's just education, not regulation. Too many anglers fish on a C&R basis all summer long thinking because they are releasing trout, it's okay in the heat.
"A sinking fly is closer to Hell" - Unknown

garden hackle
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Re: The KLG

Post by garden hackle » Fri Oct 12, 2018 1:05 am

Rusty Spinner wrote:
Thu Oct 11, 2018 5:47 pm
lightenup wrote:
Wed Oct 10, 2018 2:04 pm
Jaybird wrote:
Wed Oct 10, 2018 1:42 pm
I bet poor handling of fish and fishing during water temps over 70°f take just as big a toll on fish populations in the gorge than anything else . Walked through there July 3rd in the evening ,water was way to warm over 70°f . There's 5 guys fishing to risers .
Sure we had a great water year but for 2 weeks in July it was rough . If 5 guys hooked 4 trout each over those 2 weeks that's almost 300 fish . That's quite a little dent .
That's sound like a good reason....Can we make some signs about thermal dangers to trout, or do we need a permit to hang them...
It is time for us to have those discussions with Division biologists to see if we could get some signs up, especially on special regs waters where trout can holdover or are wild in in that river year round. Can't hurt to try. It's just education, not regulation. Too many anglers fish on a C&R basis all summer long thinking because they are releasing trout, it's okay in the heat.
If the state won’t pony-up some bucks for signs, I hope the local TU chapters will. Should be part of their outreach and education programs.
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Jaybird
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Re: The KLG

Post by Jaybird » Fri Oct 12, 2018 8:52 am

I totally agree it's a education thing not a regulation thing. . Anymore regulations on trout waters I fear some people's heads would explode .

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lightenup
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Re: The KLG

Post by lightenup » Fri Oct 12, 2018 12:11 pm

Rusty Spinner wrote:
Thu Oct 11, 2018 5:47 pm
lightenup wrote:
Wed Oct 10, 2018 2:04 pm
Jaybird wrote:
Wed Oct 10, 2018 1:42 pm
I bet poor handling of fish and fishing during water temps over 70°f take just as big a toll on fish populations in the gorge than anything else . Walked through there July 3rd in the evening ,water was way to warm over 70°f . There's 5 guys fishing to risers .
Sure we had a great water year but for 2 weeks in July it was rough . If 5 guys hooked 4 trout each over those 2 weeks that's almost 300 fish . That's quite a little dent .
That's sound like a good reason....Can we make some signs about thermal dangers to trout, or do we need a permit to hang them...
It is time for us to have those discussions with Division biologists to see if we could get some signs up, especially on special regs waters where trout can holdover or are wild in in that river year round. Can't hurt to try. It's just education, not regulation. Too many anglers fish on a C&R basis all summer long thinking because they are releasing trout, it's okay in the heat.
I was one of "those" guys many years back, I just didn't know, until someone educated me, now I never fish in warmer water..68 degrees and I go home..I'll pay for the stinkin' signs

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Rusty Spinner
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Re: The KLG

Post by Rusty Spinner » Fri Oct 12, 2018 1:28 pm

I'm sure TU would pay for any signs, we just need to discuss it at our Oct. 28th state council meeting and then get proposed signage to the Division for edits or approvals. But I asked our state council chair to add it to our agenda.
"A sinking fly is closer to Hell" - Unknown

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