big flatbrook CFS

[Johnw]

The Toms is finally down to fishable level and is scheduled to be stocked on Monday.

[kype]

Hi Rusty, When I fished the Flat. no hatches but did see a few caddis flying around also saw two large stoneflies in the air and no clue what color they were. They were probably one inch long and clumsy flying…Went to the Wanaque today and did zip. Had one hit and missed him or her. Wanaque is still high and murky from Greenwood Lake. You could not see the bottom of the river and no hatches. Bill themailman

The Flatbrook has Salmonflies which is a big, all black stonefly that hatches around now, the Dorsata which is likely what you saw. A kissing cousin to the salmonfly of the same size with orange markings on its otherwise dark body.

was a good weekend of trout fishing and camping at stokes/flatbrook. water level was perfect! all trout caught were on a salmon fly. i tried various nympths and streamers just to switch it up. but as soon as i tied on
the salmon fly back on it was hit after hit. so i kept fishing that. the salmon fly out fished the squirmy wormy! im glad i had a dozen of the salmon flys in my box. i lost a bunch but the action was great. i didnt catch anything to big but just nice being out there.

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[Vance]

Hi, Just upstream from the picture is a Fir Tree with my two flies in it. A bead head prince and a dropper GRHE. The water was to high when I lost the flies in the tree. Flatbrook is one of the prettiest streams in the state from 206 down stream. Bill the mailman

[cappy]

Flatbrook is one of the prettiest streams in the state from 206 down stream. Bill the mailman

Agree, however I wish it had a good population of wild Trout. Few and far inbetween when compared to other streams like the Musky and SB.

[46er]

The Toms is finally down to fishable level and is scheduled to be stocked on Monday.

My Son fished it this morning, did well. Difficult wading, lots of downed/sunken tree's. The high water has caused big changes. There won't be many, if any, canoers this spring. He kept 1 of 7 for the table, all stockers, beautiful colors.

[PineyTrouter]

How far south, I am near Toms River. My trips north are around the Musky/Pequest/S Raritan. Further north is an overnighter for me. I head farther north because I know the streans better from growing up in Paterson, and I still have enough relatives to find a bed within a reasonable drive from those streams.

Little Egg Harbor. You know me. Just using a different screen name I started with way back when. I think I joined but never posted until recently.

My wife grew up in Bloomingdale, and that resulted in my familiarity with the Pequannock as well, which I still hit now and then, mostly in the Butler stretch. I never got into trout fishing the Toms. Just too different than the waters of my youth. I've paddled it a mess of times though, and caught many Pickerel in the lower stretch, above Trilco, when I lived in Toms River in the 80s

[PineyTrouter]

Ahhh, the Wanaque. That was the stream I cut my fly fishing teeth on, unfortunately on the stretch that now lies beneath the Monksville Reservoir. The surrounding woods were filled with grouse too, and I never saw many other guys out there during either persuit. Now that I am far to the south, my rare treks up north are usually to the Flatbrook, which I know best. Retirement is months away, however, and exploration of other waters will soon follow!

So YOU were the one who's empty shotgun shells I found while grouse and woodcock hunting there!!! I tell lots of people that I grew up nearby in that same town and used to bird hunt what is now the Monksville Reservoir and they are always surprised. And now I know I wasn't the only one.....

I haven't done much upland hunting since that time. With grouse gone I'm only left with hunting pen-raised pheasant and quail. To me that is not much better than casting for tilapia in a swimming pool . Instead, I ended up getting into waterfowling big time since living in Ocean County for the last 40 years.