Garden State Trout

The numbers of wild browns has really taken a hit in the last 10 years. I have fished at the smoke rise gate a few evenings in the last couples weeks. My best catch was a holdover rainbow that made his way up there. I guess the low water years did a number number on the wild trout numbers. Some excellent hatches as well. Not sure if anyone fishes this river and has some input.

I fished it quite a bit this season and caught quite a few browns. In fact, more this year than last (none ). Mostly 7 - 10 inches but did get one that was close to 16 inches. All on dries.

I've noticed a significant drop in the past couple of years. Managed two small ones today in a stretch I would of picked up a dozen or so a couple of years ago. I find myself fishing it less and less, it's really become disheartening.

I fished it between 7-830 with 14 and 18 sulphurs assorted Caddis and giant, what I assume we're March browns in the 10ish size. Only rise I saw was the rainbow I caught. I know the electroshocking a few years ago was not good, but was hoping it would recover.

While I'm not familiar woth the P. I fish a wild trout stream in NJ that seems to have mirrored that. The decline started 5 years ago though. But..this year it seems to be improving greatly. Lots of 5 to 6 inch little trout and few in the 10 to 12 inch. Hopefully both are ciclical or low water issues and they will rebound with better conditions.

We went through 9 years where we teetered on drought each of those years and now we have had three consecutive decent spawning years. Too soon to see any results of last November's wild brown trout spawn because their YOY are still far too small to hook up. So those of you noticing a rebound of wild trout in certain areas are seeing two good years of spawning. And we just had a third year which will show in your creel numbers next spring.

Rusty Spinner wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 08, 2020 11:03 am

We went through 9 years where we teetered on drought each of those years and now we have had three consecutive decent spawning years. Too soon to see any results of last November's wild brown trout spawn because their YOY are still far too small to hook up. So those of you noticing a rebound of wild trout in certain areas are seeing two good years of spawning. And we just had a third year which will show in your creel numbers next spring.

I would like to see some electroshocking numbers soon. The last ones behind Generant showed 8 trout. That is bad. I believe that is now designated a WTS.

Let's hope the 7 trout did this effectively.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nfGn-_MOT4


From what I have read, brown trout only lay a few hundred eggs. Brook trout a little more. Largemouth and smallmouth bass in the thousands to tens of thousands depending on size and conditions. Bluegills also lays tens of thousands of eggs and can spawn multiple times a year. White perch can lay over 100,000 eggs!

joe_panella wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 08, 2020 12:52 pm

Rusty Spinner wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 08, 2020 11:03 am

We went through 9 years where we teetered on drought each of those years and now we have had three consecutive decent spawning years. Too soon to see any results of last November's wild brown trout spawn because their YOY are still far too small to hook up. So those of you noticing a rebound of wild trout in certain areas are seeing two good years of spawning. And we just had a third year which will show in your creel numbers next spring.

I would like to see some electroshocking numbers soon. The last ones behind Generant showed 8 trout. That is bad. I believe that is now designated a WTS.

Correct, the old TCA is now part of the Pequannock WTS and that includes the Generant company. When I grew up there, we used to just park our cars right on the shoulder of route 23 South. Haven't seen that in well over 25 years now. But back then, it was state stocked in addition to holding wild browns. This could be NJ's best wild brown trout river if flows were sufficient during the hot and low summer months. But you have to fight NJ's largest city over those flows, so good luck there.

Rusty Spinner wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 08, 2020 2:18 pm

joe_panella wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 08, 2020 12:52 pm

Rusty Spinner wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 08, 2020 11:03 am

We went through 9 years where we teetered on drought each of those years and now we have had three consecutive decent spawning years. Too soon to see any results of last November's wild brown trout spawn because their YOY are still far too small to hook up. So those of you noticing a rebound of wild trout in certain areas are seeing two good years of spawning. And we just had a third year which will show in your creel numbers next spring.

I would like to see some electroshocking numbers soon. The last ones behind Generant showed 8 trout. That is bad. I believe that is now designated a WTS.

Correct, the old TCA is now part of the Pequannock WTS and that includes the Generant company. When I grew up there, we used to just park our cars right on the shoulder of route 23 South. Haven't seen that in well over 25 years now. But back then, it was state stocked in addition to holding wild browns. This could be NJ's best wild brown trout river if flows were sufficient during the hot and low summer months. But you have to fight NJ's largest city over those flows, so good luck there.

Since i live in smoke rise it is quite the bummer that the fishing blows. It is really nice water with nice hatches back there.

Rusty Spinner wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 08, 2020 11:03 am

When I grew up there, we used to just park our cars right on the shoulder of route 23 South.

Yep. I remember those days. You will get ticketed & towed now

I agree that the numbers seem be be down. I have got some holdover rainbows in the fall but fewer browns than in the past few years. Insect life is good and flows have been decent. Some spots seen especially void of browns. Hope it comes back.

Castaline wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 08, 2020 9:08 pm

I agree that the numbers seem be be down. I have got some holdover rainbows in the fall but fewer browns than in the past few years. Insect life is good and flows have been decent. Some spots seen especially void of browns. Hope it comes back.

It will and is, but it takes more time than many realize. When you have 9 consecutive poor spawning seasons followed by three good to excellent seasons, you're more or less only seeing those juvenile fish that were spawned in November 2017 which are maybe 8" - 10" now and fish that were spawned in November of 2018 that are now 3"-5", and young of the year (YOY) from last November's spawn which are 1" - 2" in length now. So it will be at least one more year until you have both decent numbers of wild fish and a widely distributed age class of wild trout.

I've noticed up ticks in fish numbers on two other wild brown streams I fish, size isn't there yet but like RS said that will come if we have another favorable water year or 2. Last time I fished the Pequannock about mid-May I moved a few wild browns in the 8-9 inch range as well. Probably heading there Thursday evening, will report back results.

Looks like another rainy pattern setting up for the east coast.
While not awful, looks like year to data levels for NW NJ are slightly below average. Fingers crossed for a relatively wet summer and then another good spawning season.


https://www.weather.gov/marfc/NJPrecipitationYTD

martalus wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 11, 2020 11:00 am

Looks like another rainy pattern setting up for the east coast.
While not awful, looks like year to data levels for NW NJ are slightly below average. Fingers crossed for a relatively wet summer and then another good spawning season.


https://www.weather.gov/marfc/NJPrecipitationYTD

Yeah, big unsettled summer patterns are here and now. Looks like chance of rain every day from this Sunday through the following weekend.

Drossi wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 09, 2020 10:27 am

Probably heading there Thursday evening, will report back results.

Didn't get there cause of water temp concerns, fished the cold water outflow at Pequest TCA instead. Had it all to myself , except the water was the color of yoohoo from the afternoon storms. Managed 1 on a black streamer. Better than being stuck inside.

Joe, if you look at the history of the flows for the Pequannock River at Macopin they are much better since about 12 years ago when Newark had been forced to release more water.
Joe I can tell you a lot more off line.
Regards ,
Bob.
I live in Kinnelon also.