Garden State Trout

any one been fishing below the damn? I would like to take my son there tomorrow if you think it would be productive. Are they stocking the wanaque? other recomendations for sommerset county?

I fished there many years ago. dont go there after a rain storm. The road that gets you there is muddy as crap. Ive seen 4 wheel trucks get stuck there. @ that location there's only a few good spots. It more of a put in & take fish out place. Your better of just taking your son to the sbr on the edge or somerset county.

my mistake, i meant the lower wanaque...below the damn, is it still stocked?

gman wrote: ↑

Thu May 07, 2020 3:25 pm

my mistake, i meant the lower wanaque...below the damn, is it still stocked?

Not that I know of. The only thing I caught there was chubs .

If you want to fish the lower wanaque for trout you have to go into pompton lakes. I know that stretch is stocked for sure. But its urban type fishery

Hi, It’s funny when you talk about the Wanaque River. This is where I caught my first trout on a fly back in 1952 or 1953. I was 14 or 15 at the time fishing with my dad. I had a ratty looking fly on my patch of sheep skin and I saw some trout rising and taking flies off of the surface. So put on the fly and before you know it had a trout on. I still remember this after so many years. We were fishing about 1/4 to 1/2 mile below Greenwood lake where the Wanaque comes near the road. Most of the upper Wanaque was private and owned by a fishing club way back then. The state only stocked a small portion of it back then. This changed me from worm dunking to fly fishing then started tying my own about 10 years later. Boy how times have changed from the 50’s to the present. It is so much better now then way back then. Bill th mailman

The section below the reservoir to the 287 Bridge is now a WTS I believe and no longer stocked...I was just there 2 weeks ago and caught nothing. It was my first time fishing there...was just exploring new water.
Some parts looked ok...a lot of downed trees in the river.

StinkyWetFly wrote: ↑

Fri May 08, 2020 3:27 pm

The section below the reservoir to the 287 Bridge is now a WTS I believe and no longer stocked...I was just there 2 weeks ago and caught nothing. It was my first time fishing there...was just exploring new water.
Some parts looked ok...a lot of downed trees in the river.

That section of the river hasnt been good fishing since the old damn was breached @ the old Ben Franklin store in town

StinkyWetFly wrote: ↑

Fri May 08, 2020 3:27 pm

The section below the reservoir to the 287 Bridge is now a WTS I believe and no longer stocked...I was just there 2 weeks ago and caught nothing. It was my first time fishing there...was just exploring new water.
Some parts looked ok...a lot of downed trees in the river.

Those downed trees are where the larger wild browns hang out.

Rusty Spinner wrote: ↑

Fri May 08, 2020 5:34 pm

Those downed trees are where the larger wild browns hang out.

Def gunna be going back...that area is interesting haha...need to get that dang Newark Watershed Permit too!