Echo Lake Stocked With Prized Trout for Opening Day Saturday

[AndyS]

Howell residents are in for a real treat this year as their own Echo Lake was selected for a special trout stocking. According to the DEP’s press release, Echo Lake will be stocked as a “broodstock” water body which means larger trout up to 24 inches will be added in hopes of starting a healthy trout breeding lake. The lake will receive approximately 400 trout with 30 breeder trout between the size of 17- to 24-inches, according to the press release. The remaining trout will be smaller with an average size of 10 inches.

[Lard Almighty]

Two things:

1) Echo Lake is only slightly larger than my toilet. Does Fish and Game really believe they can establish "healthy trout breeding" in that lake?
2) Even if trout can breed in that lake, there won't be any broodstock left after the locals clean the place out with Power Cheese.

I have no problem with the lake getting bonus broodstock, but let's not kid ourselves with this "healthy trout breeding" nonsense and call it what it is: a meat market!

[SplitShot]

Agree 100% with you Lard.... that is just a little farm pond... NOT A LAKE!! Wrong place to put the breeders IMHO

[Tony Cav]

There are 3 or more Echo Lakes in New Jersey. Which one is it?

Monmouth, Union or Pasaic Counties?

[SplitShot]

Monmouth County.....

[cantcatchme]

I don't post here much if at all but I grew up fishing that lake and there is absolutely no way the trout will survive long enough. Water gets warm and the weeds that grow in that lake are out of control. Then you have to factor in the pressure that place receives. I won't go into detail about the people that take anything that swims out of there but it can be borderline poaching if you ask me. I believe the deepest part of that lake is 9 feet and its not a big enough hole to hold more then a few big trout with prime water conditions.

[tautog]

They do not believe that trout will breed there. By broodstock, they mean large trout that were being used at the hatchery as broodstock. When they have an access of large trout, they stock some.

[Blind Archer]

If it weren't for the brood stock, few other fish were caught. I watched a flock of cormorants gobble down a few smaller trout in about hour. If they've been dining on the 10 1/2 in fish all week there can't be too many left for the fisherman . Nearly every fish caught (under a dozen) were large and many of those were caught on metal. My grandson and I fished for nearly two hours w/o a sniff on baits and smaller spinners .