[ShaggyRS6]

Hi everyone. Myself and my family have just relocated to the US (Allendale, NJ) from England where we were both keen fisherman where we enjoyed many aspects of fishing from fresh water to beach casting. Out main passion in England was carp fishing. We spent a fortune on all the gear, and used to enjoy doing 3-4 day sessions all year round. My biggest fish to date was a 34lb Linear Carp, caught on a Spicey Sausage Boiley during the winter of 2010.



I know there is carp fishing in NJ is available, but we wanted to try something different. So we are very much interested in Bass and trout fishing using lures and the like.



We went up to Ramapo State forest on Sunday and it was beautiful, with some really good spots to fish. I can see us spending lots of time on the rivers and lakes this year.



Being new to the country and this type of fishing I do have a couple of questions. I hope you don’t me asking.



Firstly I’d like to hear about any great places we could go to fish. I am unsure around the rules in NJ. In the UK, if it was not shown as private land and you had a valid licence, you could fish anywhere. Is this the same in NJ?



So far we have only just scratched the surface of this great state. Can you recommend some other places that we could go and scope out? Lakes rivers and streams would be superb. The closer to North Bergen the better.



And lastly for now, what gear should I get and where should I get it from. We have Ramsey outdoor that is about 5 mins drive away, and there is a place on the way to Ringwood that we pass, I think it’s called Dave’s Sporting goods?



I can see myself spending a fortune on gear, but in the interest of a happy marital life I will limit my enthusiasm for now J So what would we need for a basic setup to go fishing. Rods, Reels, Lines, Tackle, Net? Also, do we need to take precautions for bears if we fish more remote spots?



Any help you can give would be very much appreciated.