First river trout trip - North Branch Raritan

[RyanMac14]

So I threw out a line here yesterday and Bill was the only one who bit. He threw out a simple recommendation of the NB and I took that as the sign from the universe of where to go so I headed out this morning. Got there and the place was packed. Every decent spot had atleast a couple guys in it. So I hiked and hiked until I found a decent spot and settled. Place was beautiful, but after a couple hours of casting up and down that short stretch I had no luck with a silver, gold or chartreuse spinner, feathered and not feathered. Then it finally happened. He was onnnnn.... and then he was off... Pretty deflating to cast around for a few hours in a new place to have 1 come unbuttoned after a 4 second hookup. But that shall be fishin. Spent the next hour or so tried some more but ended up only catchin some photos of a family of wood peckers and of a swim by from a friendly slithery friend. But then about 1 the water started to boil. Every couple seconds there was an explosion. But still nothin on the spinner. At one point I just stood and started spotting bugs and watch them float to their demise. Was pretty entertaining. But then it happened she was on and i managed to walk her safely in. A lot of my day was spent makin sure I didnt take a swim so walking her in slowly was a bit nerve wracking. She was small but pretty. I caught 2 more of her friends in the next hour and called it a day. All were CPR'd and I handed the spot off to a nice guy with the fish still boiling. Place was beautiful and thanks again to Bill for being my decider. Heres to the first of many beautiful trips as I begin to explore the rivers of jersey and get away from the bass grind and duck pond troutin. Sorry for the novel. Tight lines men

[Mikey topaz]

Nice job man, first of many to come! Stay on em bud!

[thmyorke1]

Nice, yea NB will be packed at the easy spots on a sunday. Even during fall stockings, there is a noticeable crowd. No doubt the trout are spread out though, through the whole river by now. There are some unstocked sections upstream but I know for sure SOME trout swam up during the high water, or holdovers. Ive seen fall stockies upstream of stocking points.

See any smallies?

[RyanMac14]

Thanks guys..Nope I didnt see any smb and i spent a lot of time just scanning. There a lot in the bedminster area of the NB?

[deaone123]

I nabbed 1 decent smallie like a week ago in a deep slow moving pool

[thmyorke1]

Thanks guys..Nope I didnt see any smb and i spent a lot of time just scanning. There a lot in the bedminster area of the NB?

yessir, quality smb all over the raritan river watershed. For the NB, the defining boundary is the Ravine Lake dam- but I could be wrong. The water gets skinny and posted/private.

They should be more active this week wither warmer temps.

[Hookmanski]

Congrats man! The north branch is gorgeous. My grandpa has a farm that it borders and I've caught some cool stuff and seen ever cooler wildlife. I'm sure you'll be back for more :D

[Jerzguy2]

Glad you had a good day. I didn't see your post until Sunday AM, but you ended up exactly where I was gonna send you, also the nicest water on the North Branch. That's the stretch I grew up on, used to spend the day walking from bridge to bridge. If you like it now, you should have seen it 50 years ago, before 287 and they bulldozed out all the bend pools. After they did that, I only went back a time or two, but I'm sure it came back a little since then.

[FASTEDDIE29]

Good catch on an unfamiliar body of water. Lots of Trout out there to play with for sure. :D

[RyanMac14]

Was definitely fun, but relaxing and peaceful for once as well. Besides getting a text from the boss saying someone in the dept tested positive for Covid so I have to monitor myself ( I work at Saint Barnabas in Livingston so this is the 3rd time). It was nice to get away and lost in that area for awhile. At one point I joked in my head, FASTEDDIE and JDTUNA have probably fished these waters. What an honor!!! Hahah thanks for the words guys

[Billfish715]

I'm glad you had a fun trip. NJ has many more great rivers and brooks where you can trout fish. Many are stocked near access points adjacent to major roads. They are good starting points until you get your bearings. The number of guys who have been out fishing seems to be more this year because so many other places are closed. That stretch of stream attracts lots of fishermen, but I recommended it because it should have been an easy drive for you to a place that was not so "urbanized". If you had a good time and caught fish, maybe you'll consider going stream fishing again and get out and explore more areas.

[ALK11]

Nice job man.

[RyanMac14]

Yeah thanks again. Much appreciated guidance. Definitely the first of many.

[JDTuna]

Very nice man!