Garden State Trout

Got this chunky surprise yesterday, while fishing RSB for trout. It may actually have been the same fish I'd hooked and lost about two weeks ago. Didn't do any jumping, but fought plenty before coming to the net.

the ones i was catching gave me a jump or two, a few more degrees and i think they'll be going nuts

That's a nice football shaped smallie and probably a drag screaming fight on a 3-5Wt. Excuse the ignorance, but what's an RSB? I wouldnt expect a smallie like that to take a small trout nymph or dry fly, but likely some kind of streamer/woolly bugger.

martalus wrote: ↑

Mon May 24, 2021 10:51 am

That's a nice football shaped smallie and probably a drag screaming fight on a 3-5Wt. Excuse the ignorance, but what's an RSB? I wouldnt expect a smallie like that to take a small trout nymph or dry fly, but likely some kind of streamer/woolly bugger.

Raritan South Branch?

ah yes, that makes sense!! What did the smallie take? how was the fight?

That fish took a #12 BH nymph--not sure what else to describe it other than "plain brown". Right before that, the same fly took a 15 inch sucker--another sort of "bronze-back", but not as hard-fighting.

Yeah, South Branch of the Raritan.

The Smallmouth Bass is a true beneficiary of global warming and climate shift. The size and numbers are increasing everywhere (except) the Lower Delaware?? but in lakes and streams the numbers and frequency in traditional trout streams are on the uptick. I think the trend in throughout the whole country. Maybe not the best thing for our beloved trout but it seems to have shifted for their habitat.

About 15 years ago I was surprised to see large numbers of smallies in streams and rivers up in Maine. I do love smallies, but they dont belong way up in Maine.
In fact global warming may have reduced their numbers down here on the Potomac as water temps get in high 80s and even 90s sometimes on the hottest dog days of summer. Also intense thunderstorms/floods have hurt them as well here.
As you said though, they certainly do benefit in waterways that are marginal temps for trout-smallies love rocky, clean well aerated water with temps in the 60s/70s

yup

biggest one since March