The Middle Brook 1/27/19:

[AndyS]

In Bridgewater :

[thmyorke1]

Half the times I fished middle brook it would be stained by the quarry run off. it's not like the glen gardner quarry sludge event in spruce run. Can get real cloudy however. I think it pours out somewhere around the confluence with the two branches, so upstream of it is always clean.

[AndyS]

Look on page 19 for the trout stocking listings for Somerset County, you would think there would be more than 6 waters. Middle Brook East branch gets stocked entire length. What would be the start- stop point for stocking on the Middle Brook, anyone know ?

[bigfishy]

Starts @ king george and ends @ ur 4th & 5th pic

[Mikey topaz]

Look on page 19 for the trout stocking listings for Somerset County. You would think there would be more 6 waters. Middle Brook East branch gets stocked entire length. What would be the start- stop point for stocking on the Middle Brook, anyone know ?

Andy 🤫

[AndyS]

There were trout stocked signs all the way down to Chimney Rock Road.

[thmyorke1]

Good question if they stock em below those falls. if you look at the base of the falls, more than half of the landing zone is hard rock. So i always thought a lot of trout get knocked up pretty bad, if they did get down.

They are all old stocking signs below the falls, the new ones ive seen upstream on bridges.

Additionally idk how you got down there, Andy. Only place to park around it is no parking zones , and to get there by trail is a long hike with some very steep sections. They probably stocked down there before parking was closed.

[Billfish715]

I might be wrong but I think the local C.O,'s have a say in where the signs are posted and where the fish are to be stocked or not. In order for changes to be made, that information has to get back to hierarchy. That stretch has virtually no parking and the stream downstream from the quarry was dredged and widened years ago to alleviate flooding and is hardly an inviting stretch. The upper stretch has a trout stream look, but accessibility, as was mentioned, is a problem. That area was probably not as well-traveled many years ago, and is still on the stocking list. I'm sure it's not the only trout stocked waterway that has been traditionally stocked for years with no evaluation of its current conditions. Good money after bad! And license fees keep going up!

[Hookmanski]

I love this spot! Fished there several times with tons of success. Had a couple of 50+ fish days. Its a very interesting body of water, and every time i went the water was crystal clear. I never saw a trout there, but i have seen all kinds of panfish, bass, small catfish, even some sculpins or darters. Really cool spot, wish it didn't get so much attention from swimmers, can be kind of trashy at times depending on the crowds.

[AndyS]

I grew up in these woods some 40+ years ago :) Back then you could go inside the dams caverns but have since been sealed up when the whole Chimney Rock area went public to hiking etc. It does get trashed in the summer by swimmers and the like. Worth keeping an eye on since it is TM waters.

[thmyorke1]

I got a funny feeling some of the non-public spots like through dock watch hollow has wild trout. Very interesting how its fed right out of the middle of the watchung mountains.

Regardless its a blast to fish this stream with in any branch section if you like tiny fish and beautiful stream water.

[Billfish715]

I grew up in these woods some 40+ years ago :) Back then you could go inside the dams caverns but have since been sealed up when the whole Chimney Rock area went public to hiking etc. It does get trashed in the summer by swimmers and the like. Worth keeping an eye on since it is TM waters.

Andy, Is there a story or some local lore about the car that is at the bottom of the reservoir? I saw it there many years ago when the reservoir was very, very low. It was in the water at the bottom of a cliff from where it may have been pushed but there didn't appear to be any road up there. The only reason it was visible was because the water was so low.

[Jerzguy2]

Andy, The upper stocking point used to be about 300 yds. above Vossler Ave. and then the bridge at Gilbride. I caught my first trout in the big pool below the dam, but unless they changed things in recent years, they haven't stocked down by Chimney Rock rd. in many years.

[Jerzguy2]

If the car is in the water above the dam in the second photo, I vaguely remember it being in the woods above the steep sloop, but that was 50 years ago.

[AndyS]

Not sure how the car got in the lake there, we found cars way back on the North Branch of the Raritan. My guess some drunks joy riding put them there.
The stocking signs down by Chimney Rock Rd. looked pretty old.

[Hookmanski]

Seems like people in the state loving pushing things into water. Over the summer, exploring the Passaic, I found a shopping cart next to the remains of an ancient car. Although I did catch a huge redbreast out of the passenger seat :D

[Billfish715]

If the car is in the water above the dam in the second photo, I vaguely remember it being in the woods above the steep sloop, but that was 50 years ago.

I don't think it's up there now. It must have made quite a splash! I'm sure it must have been pushed in there at least 40 years ago.