Raritan river 2/23:

[AndyS]

Didn't make another offshore sea bass trip nor did I make the F&G meeting at Batsto.What I did get was my fat azz off the couch and down to the river for a bit. Fished the big run below Queens bridge in Bound Brook. Didn't get anything but I know there is a big walleye hiding in there some where.
Felt I had to go over there since I have been sitting at my desk writing letters to F&G about how great the river is.

Funny, 67,000 Northern Pike stocked in NJ, 0 in the Raritan.
41,000 Muskie stocked, 0 in the Raritan. 150,000 Walleye stocked in the Big D, 0 in the Raritan. 15,000 surplus trout stocked in the Muddysquan, 0 in the lower Raritan. A river so healthy it actually boasts it's own American Shad run. I guess I'll keep writing my letters.

Saw a Robin in the yard today, it won't be long now

(PS. Saw on another site some guy crushing Slime Darts in the D&R canal on lipless cranks)

[catsmeow]

Funny I would say more people live along the Raritan than all those other places combined. Could be utilized by a lot off people if it got its fair share.

[Bassload]

Totally agree with you Andy. It really sucks that the Raritan doesn't get stocked with any of those fish. I always wonder why Round Valley doesn't get any Pike but Spruce Run does?

[buzzbaiter]

You have to be careful with pike. They can ruin a fishery with their aggressive feeding. In fact many states - and countries- consider them to be a nuisance/invasive species fish and do not stock them.

Walleye could work but not sure its deep/rocky/cool enough for them. It really is perfect smallie water even though smallies are not indigenous to that watershed.

[ithaca10]

Round Valley i believe was supposed to be a cold water fishery, why taint it with Pike like the state did with the lake trout. It's no longer a great brown and rainbow trout fishery. Whatever happened to the kokanee salmon they stocked?

[tycomps]

I will sign any petition that gives the RR more stocking attention!

Andy,

Can you sticky one of your letters so we can all add our John Hancocks?

[AndyS]

http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/contactform.htm

http://www.raritan.rutgers.edu/

http://blueraritan.org/


http://www.nynjbaykeeper.org/index.p...d=63&Itemid=70

http://nowater-nolife.org/watersheds/raritan/index.html

The most amazing thing to me is that the river is so healthy it boasts an American Shad population all it's own but when you mention the river to F&G they run for the hills. Like I said, I went to 2 Raritan river meetings where there were hundreds of people and not ONE person from NJ F&G. Great thing about catching fish on the big water is you have more than 2 cranks on the reel handle before the fish is landed. I like the other streams and stuff but most I can cast across. I'll keep writing my letters, and OH MY GOD don't dare mention trying to get a Sea Run Brown Trout poulation going in there, NO, we have to put another 15,000 into the Muddysquan like we have for the PAST 15 YEARS.




“Ode to the Raritan, Queen of Rivers”
by John Davis, 1806
All thy wat’ry face
Reflected with a purer grace
Thy many turnings through the trees,
Thy bitter journey to the seas,
Thou Queen of Rivers, Raritan!