Far Hills:
This is the North Branch of the Raritan River and it's further upstream than usual spots, it's upstream of the Lamington River so the water up here gets skinnier.
Far Hills, like the township itself, definitely has public and stocked access water. I believe this is as far north they stock the raritan, at least in the fall-stocking. You shouldnt have any trouble here.
Schiff area however is completely different world:
You're talking about upstream of the Ravine Lake (rather big/deep private lake that's sort of hidden away, but you can see it on maps) and yes, the water up here looks stunning and it's definitely trouty.
It flows through a gorge and it's a very pretty stretch. I fished it before, years ago, and caught some small wild browns. Not going to comment on where I parked and how I entered, other than I avoided where the signs were :P Despite that, I was kindly asked to leave the 2nd time I ever fished it, so I never returned.
They also stock fish around there (some private club?) and you will find some decent rainbows and discolored/grey browns. Safe to say, they do not want angling from the public here.
Schiff Nature Center/park is around this stretch of the north branch. You'd think the park would have some access to the North Branch Raritan itself but i think the property line ends there by the road that runs parallel to the river? I recommend checking out their website
https://www.schiffnaturepreserve.org/ and reading up unless you find anything different.
The majority of the upper north branch raritan river is private/posted. If you go further upstream, you will find less interesting looking water, and maybe just a few parks/public spots that barely give you enough access before someone's house or backyard. You're not far from India Brook Natural Area however, which is at least a fraction of the water. True headwaters of the raritan. A very pretty gorge, just not as much water as you saw around Schiff
11-22-2023, 03:23 PM
Raritan River near Far Hills/Schiff
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