In Search of Wild NJ Trout

[akoop]

I headed out Sunday morning in search of some wild NJ trout to cross off my bucket list. I fished a small stream that I have passed by numerous times but have never fished before. I was pleasantly surprised to find the water clarity very clear, the water temp in the low 60s and a perfect flow. After all the rain we have had I was thinking it could have been chocolate milk.

I was able to cross off catching a NJ wild rainbow and a wild brookie from my list.

Here is some wild trout porn for your entertainment!!!
I just got a new action camera (GoPro knockoff) that I need to get used to, so please ignore the picture quality.

https://i.imgur.com/GiCOFBXm.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/y61FbMEm.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/v9eNFtOm.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/aCN7K5wm.jpg

[AndyS]

Cool stuff ! So did you have to go barbless to fish these waters ?

[Bruce Litton]

Nice to see wild rainbows and (I assume) a native brookie in that stream, if it's the one I'm thinking of.

[thmyorke1]

Nice trout, I was in north branch today and it was cool and clear.

I was hoping to hook into a brown myself but just got two dozen redbreast on tiny jigs. Smallmouth and fallfish also hit them. Wasnt soon till I just went with big jigs getting tired of constant redbreast!

I got a campark myself, gopro knockoff. helps with taking pictures especially with wild trout.

when the temperatures are right, still tough fishing for wild trout during the summer; the mass vegetation makes it too difficult for me to get around those tiny creeks. Also too many spiders overhanging! :eek:

[AndyS]

Where are all these Brook Trout the State keeps going on and on and on about ? I see people fish these small streams and come up with all Browns or Rainbows.

[thmyorke1]

Where are all these Brook Trout the State keeps going on and on and on about ? I see people fish these small streams and come up with all Browns or Rainbows.

Getting displaced by naturally reproducing browns and rainbow. And because they dont have much else to go, displacement = dead.

I was in hacklebarney this spring and a stockie rainbow was in one of the trout streams there. For sure it was snacking on lil brookies.

If the state wants a better brook trout fishery, browns gotta go. Like literally programs to fish them out. You see this already with the new regs where you can actually keep lil browns or rainbows out of WTS where brook trout are. Just wondering how serious this will go.

[akoop]

Cool stuff ! So did you have to go barbless to fish these waters ?

Yep, pinched down the barbs.

Since I am catch & release with everything I catch I usually pinch down the barbs whenever I go trout fishing, even for the stockies.

[akoop]

Nice trout, I was in north branch today and it was cool and clear.

I was hoping to hook into a brown myself but just got two dozen redbreast on tiny jigs. Smallmouth and fallfish also hit them. Wasnt soon till I just went with big jigs getting tired of constant redbreast!

I got a campark myself, gopro knockoff. helps with taking pictures especially with wild trout.

when the temperatures are right, still tough fishing for wild trout during the summer; the mass vegetation makes it too difficult for me to get around those tiny creeks. Also too many spiders overhanging! :eek:

I was using my Samsung Galaxy S9+ which is waterproof too but I was worrying about dropping it when fishing from my kayak. I got a cheap GoPro knock with a bunch of different type of mounts, 2 batteries and an LCD screen for $35. It has Wi-Fi so it connects to my phone with no issues. I just have to get used to the fact the the closest focusing distance is more than the Galaxy is, thats why I got some out of focus photos.

[akoop]

Where are all these Brook Trout the State keeps going on and on and on about ? I see people fish these small streams and come up with all Browns or Rainbows.

I got one wild brookie and the rest were rainbows. According to the 2018 New Jersey Freshwater Fishing Digest, the stream I was fishing has no brook trout.

[FishOnKV]

Good stuff. Love the blue spots on the wild rainbows!

[Drossi]

Sweet. What was the hot fly? What rod and line weight you fishing for that small water?

I went chasing wild browns late last week in the cloudy water. The few I had on popped off, the 15 or so fall fish of course stayed buttoned up.

Going to chase wild brookies this weekend so long as the night time lows hold in the 50's.

[akoop]

Sweet. What was the hot fly? What rod and line weight you fishing for that small water?

I went chasing wild browns late last week in the cloudy water. The few I had on popped off, the 15 or so fall fish of course stayed buttoned up.

Going to chase wild brookies this weekend so long as the night time lows hold in the 50's.

All were caught on the good old pheasant tail nymph.

I'm still looking to get a light weight setup for fishing these small stream. I'm thinking of getting a 2 or 3 wt rod but I haven't decided if I want to go short or long. Short would be great in the tight spaces, but a long rod would allow me to reach the pocket water to nymph without getting too close and spooking the fish.

I used my Sage 9' 5 wt, it was overkill but basically I was only casting a few feet of fly line, and then the leader and tippet.

[JDTuna]

Beauties man! Congrats on the living gems!

[Drossi]

All were caught on the good old pheasant tail nymph.

I'm still looking to get a light weight setup for fishing these small stream. I'm thinking of getting a 2 or 3 wt rod but I haven't decided if I want to go short or long. Short would be great in the tight spaces, but a long rod would allow me to reach the pocket water to nymph without getting too close and spooking the fish.

I used my Sage 9' 5 wt, it was overkill but basically I was only casting a few feet of fly line, and then the leader and tippet.

You might want to consider glass. I have an old 7' Fenwick glass rod that's a trip on small streams. It's a 5wt but if you underline the rod it'll speed up the casting action. Even with a 5wt line it doesn't feel like overkill where a 5wt graphite fast action totally would. Same applies to bamboo but with larger price tags.

PT's are just flat great flies.

[Jerzguy2]

That 7' Fenwick is a perfect rod for that and one of the best rods made, I own several as well as all the good Fenwicks. They are now all I use, I stopped using graphite as well as my bamboos.

[akoop]

You might want to consider glass. I have an old 7' Fenwick glass rod that's a trip on small streams. It's a 5wt but if you underline the rod it'll speed up the casting action. Even with a 5wt line it doesn't feel like overkill where a 5wt graphite fast action totally would. Same applies to bamboo but with larger price tags.

PT's are just flat great flies.

Thanks for the info.
I've been keeping my eyes out for a good deal on a rod. If you see anything let me know.