Garden State Trout

Leaving tomorrow morning and tent camping with some of the Native Fish Coalition members and leadership for our first Trout Rendezvous. Lots of water up there, so we will likely hike up smaller tributaries and chase native brook trout. Returning Tuesday or Wednesday of next week and then back to work.....I won't be able to post pix until my return most likely.

Hopefully the weather cooperates for tenting...good luck, safe travels!!

Fishybig wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 20, 2023 11:30 am

Hopefully the weather cooperates for tenting...good luck, safe travels!!

Thanks. Right now, weather up there is only supposed to be bad (raining) tomorrow and nice the rest of my trip. I have all the gear I will ever need to camp in any weather, so at least I can stay dry regardless. Plus I can sleep in my truck if I have to.

Have a great trip, one of my favorite places in the NE. Lots to choose from and not a soul around except the President's

Great trout water, have a ball!

good luck

It was a great trip complete with the obligatory nuisance bear in the campground most nights. I need to download pix off my phone and will upload a bunch here. Those that are Facebook friends have already seen them there. A wild, native brook trout behind every rock for the most part, great scenery, and beautiful river and streams with plenty of water this year. Of all of us in camp, we only saw one other angler in five days. That's amazing.

Rusty Spinner wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 26, 2023 12:17 pm

It was a great trip complete with the obligatory nuisance bear in the campground most nights. I need to download pix off my phone and will upload a bunch here. Those that are Facebook friends have already seen them there. A wild, native brook trout behind every rock for the most part, great scenery, and beautiful river and streams with plenty of water this year. Of all of us in camp, we only saw one other angler in five days. That's amazing.

Outstanding! Can't wait to see the pics. Always nice when there is a Trout where there should be one.

Some random pix.....

Gr8 pix to go along with a gr8 trip!!!

niceeeeeeeeee.....

Rusty Spinner wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 26, 2023 12:17 pm

It was a great trip complete with the obligatory nuisance bear in the campground most nights. I need to download pix off my phone and will upload a bunch here. Those that are Facebook friends have already seen them there. A wild, native brook trout behind every rock for the most part, great scenery, and beautiful river and streams with plenty of water this year. Of all of us in camp, we only saw one other angler in five days. That's amazing.

Btw..stockport was loaded with similar tiny rainbows feeding heavy on tricos this weekend

Good stuff! Any black flies still around?

Nice looking water, looks like you had nice weather for the entire trip.

Looks like heaven! How big did the biggest brookies go? Looks like they are in the 14-15 inch range. Was the water cold?

46er wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 26, 2023 10:56 pm

Good stuff! Any black flies still around?

No! We had surprisingly few bugs all five days. Some mosquitos and some deer flies, but I never used bug spray of any type and wasn't slapping at my exposed skin all day. We got lucky!

martalus wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 27, 2023 9:30 am

Looks like heaven! How big did the biggest brookies go? Looks like they are in the 14-15 inch range. Was the water cold?

Trick photography

Biggest there isn't any larger than 11" or so. Water temps depended on which river or stream you were on, but my Kintrex gave me readings between 61F and 64 F. So cold enough given the bright daytime sun and warm temps. That one big waterfall was our personal swimming hole.

That is tricky photography-the one in the net looks bigger than 11 inches! That deep swimming hole has to hold some brutes greater than 11 inches! Even so, tangling with plentiful, chunky 7-11 inch native brookies in heavenly surroundings on light fly tackle with good company sounds like paradise! That one stream looks very much like the Rapidan river in Shenandoah national park in VA. Flows look amazing from all the summer rain the Northeast/New England has been getting-I imagine water could get pretty skinny on a typical late August day.

Someone sent me a picture of this sexy 58 year old angler

I Hope you were dry fly fishing. Beautiful photos.