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Trout to Smallmouth transition

Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 11:00 am
by Razorbacker
You guys know roughly where on the SBRR and Muskie it is safe to start fishing downstream strictly for smallmouth without accidently encountering trout, especially wild ones?

Re: Trout to Smallmouth transition

Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 7:26 pm
by joe_panella
On the musky, the lower you get the colder it gets. Fishing above Saxton falls would be your best bet. Don't know about the sbbr, never fished below the gorge.

Re: Trout to Smallmouth transition

Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 6:34 am
by Bob J
This is a great question - and I think difficult to answer. The Musky definitely has better trout holding water the further downstream you go, so I'm not sure there truly is a 'safe' spot. For the SB I've used Clinton (starting below the falls) as my breakpoint, though last year I was still seeing trout in July. I'm always wondering about this...curious for others POV.

Re: Trout to Smallmouth transition

Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 8:30 am
by Rusty Spinner
joe_panella wrote:
Tue Jul 30, 2019 7:26 pm
On the musky, the lower you get the colder it gets. Fishing above Saxton falls would be your best bet. Don't know about the sbbr, never fished below the gorge.
Agreed for the Musky. Fish above Point Mountain which is where we start seeing year round trout holding water on that river. For the SBR, anything below the Solitude dam in High Bridge is smallie water. Shannon's will guide for smallies, and often below the dam, in the warm summer months like now and leave the trout alone for cooler weather.

Re: Trout to Smallmouth transition

Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 5:17 pm
by PortMurrayAng
Still trout in the musky above point mountain; keep going up river and hit the lakes around hackettstown. Clinton/ below 78 is good on the Sbr. The posted spots in the digest is a good place to start or Google maps satellite mode works for me too.

Re: Trout to Smallmouth transition

Posted: Thu Aug 01, 2019 7:11 pm
by Razorbacker
Thanks for the feedback guys. Never thought about the Muskie that way, but I guess it makes sense with the mountain tribs it picks up heading down to the Big D. I might get out early tomorrow AM before the work calls start and hit the NBRR/Lamington junction. I need a full morning to head further south or up the Musky.

Re: Trout to Smallmouth transition

Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2019 4:15 am
by martalus
I have fished the Lamington by 523 in summer time. I did get mostly smaller smallies (7-10 inch) as well as some wild browns. I fished up from 523 towards where the Coldbrook comes in, so that would explain the wild browns. I imagine if you go from the Lamington down towards the NBR, it would be mostly if not all smallies, and possibly some larger smallies as the water gets bigger.

Re: Trout to Smallmouth transition

Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2019 1:38 pm
by Troutman
Fish the main stem raritan from dukes dam down for smallie's. There huge down there with rare hold over trout kill in that stretch

Re: Trout to Smallmouth transition

Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 6:28 pm
by Razorbacker
Stopped by the Lamington at the one lane bridge around Burnt Mills for half hour or so this afternoon. Little guys smacking some bugs on top all around me but all I had were woolly buggers. Managed one smallie and bright orange breasted sunfish.

Re: Trout to Smallmouth transition

Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2019 8:13 am
by Rusty Spinner
martalus wrote:
Fri Aug 02, 2019 4:15 am
I have fished the Lamington by 523 in summer time. I did get mostly smaller smallies (7-10 inch) as well as some wild browns. I fished up from 523 towards where the Coldbrook comes in, so that would explain the wild browns. I imagine if you go from the Lamington down towards the NBR, it would be mostly if not all smallies, and possibly some larger smallies as the water gets bigger.
That section of the Lamington is supposed to get a restoration on the Flint Hill Club that includes public lands owned by the town on one side or the Raritan Headwaters Assoc.. Not my firm, a competitor.

Re: Trout to Smallmouth transition

Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2019 8:13 am
by Rusty Spinner
Razorbacker wrote:
Tue Aug 06, 2019 6:28 pm
Stopped by the Lamington at the one lane bridge around Burnt Mills for half hour or so this afternoon. Little guys smacking some bugs on top all around me but all I had were woolly buggers. Managed one smallie and bright orange breasted sunfish.
That remnant dam will be removed later this year and the river restored there.

Re: Trout to Smallmouth transition

Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2019 8:12 pm
by Razorbacker
Rusty Spinner wrote:
Wed Aug 07, 2019 8:13 am
martalus wrote:
Fri Aug 02, 2019 4:15 am
I have fished the Lamington by 523 in summer time. I did get mostly smaller smallies (7-10 inch) as well as some wild browns. I fished up from 523 towards where the Coldbrook comes in, so that would explain the wild browns. I imagine if you go from the Lamington down towards the NBR, it would be mostly if not all smallies, and possibly some larger smallies as the water gets bigger.
That section of the Lamington is supposed to get a restoration on the Flint Hill Club that includes public lands owned by the town on one side or the Raritan Headwaters Assoc.. Not my firm, a competitor.
Construction has started. I heard them through the woods today behind the house, so I drove around McCann Mill to check things out. Not much to see from the road....

Re: Trout to Smallmouth transition

Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2019 8:13 pm
by Razorbacker
Rusty Spinner wrote:
Wed Aug 07, 2019 8:13 am
Razorbacker wrote:
Tue Aug 06, 2019 6:28 pm
Stopped by the Lamington at the one lane bridge around Burnt Mills for half hour or so this afternoon. Little guys smacking some bugs on top all around me but all I had were woolly buggers. Managed one smallie and bright orange breasted sunfish.
That remnant dam will be removed later this year and the river restored there.
good to know!

Re: Trout to Smallmouth transition

Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2019 9:23 am
by Rusty Spinner
Razorbacker wrote:
Wed Aug 07, 2019 8:12 pm
Rusty Spinner wrote:
Wed Aug 07, 2019 8:13 am
martalus wrote:
Fri Aug 02, 2019 4:15 am
I have fished the Lamington by 523 in summer time. I did get mostly smaller smallies (7-10 inch) as well as some wild browns. I fished up from 523 towards where the Coldbrook comes in, so that would explain the wild browns. I imagine if you go from the Lamington down towards the NBR, it would be mostly if not all smallies, and possibly some larger smallies as the water gets bigger.
That section of the Lamington is supposed to get a restoration on the Flint Hill Club that includes public lands owned by the town on one side or the Raritan Headwaters Assoc.. Not my firm, a competitor.
Construction has started. I heard them through the woods today behind the house, so I drove around McCann Mill to check things out. Not much to see from the road....
The club apparently wanted the state to change the designation of their water from General Trout Fishing Regulations to "fly fishing only" but were informed that NJ doesn't have a fly fishing only regulation any longer. Then they thought they wanted a Trout Conservation Area to which others explained to them that the fastest way to get thousands of new, public access anglers (the opposite of what the private club wants) was to do this restoration and have it deemed TCA water. Either way, the public will gain some nice new trout water for wild browns, native brook trout, and the stocked trout the club puts in the river each year. Much of this water is on public access land on at least one side of the river.