South Branch stream restoration:

[AndyS]

http://vimeo.com/46837164

[Bassload]

Cool video. That's up in Califon right?

[flatcreek]

Don't quit understand what they are doing. It looks like they took a natural flowing stream and rearranged it to look like a natural flowing stream. Did they take out any man made obstructions or what constitutes restoration?

[Detour66]

Notice @ 3:15 at all of the fish schooling up and taking off from area!

[maddhatterr]

here we go again getting in the way of mother nature....take down the dams and let the rivers do there thing........fighting flowing water is a lost cause.......i just hope this wasn't paid for by us the tax payers:confused:

[buzzbaiter]

Yeah I kind hate when we think we can improve things. I saw a Fairfield Township Excavator parked along the Passaic today. It had been very busy ripping out fallen trees from the river - the same trees which offer up the rivers gamefish(bass, channel cats & pike) the best cover. WTF? Now they'll tell you its to help ease the flood problems the township has had but someone needs to tell them that when you get 14" of rain in 6 days(like last year), your going to have major flooding trees or no trees.

As for the SBRR I kind of agree that mother nature will do the best job. That section is also club water(they even have cameras) so I wonder why fix that up if u can't even fish there? Better off addressing other areas of the SBRR which are open to the public.

And please get rid of that Califon dam. Water quality would be so much better w/o it.

[Billfish715]

That stretch used to be open to the public but it's posted now. I have to assume the work was done with a grant or some other funding. Work was done on parts of the Musky with Federal money. The first project was on the property of the Musky Trout Hatchery stretch. The last one was on the public access part of the Musky. Silting has been held in check. Fish feeding lanes were created. Trout holding areas were deepened and improved. River flow was improved and the fishing returned to areas that had deteriorated.
I haven't seen it yet, but I'm curious about how much silt was swept downstream. It won't take long for fishermen to show up downstream from there after a heavy rain to see what flushes out from the new stretch.

[baetis]

Stream restoration = removing natural pools, riffles, rocks, breaks etc., and making a slightly deeper obstruction free passage of water.

[NorthJerzyG]

Im actually glad they've been workin the Passaic. You can tell were they have and havnt done work by the "fishability" of certain areas. So they're takin out the bigger obstructions that make fishing and boating difficult. There's still cover, and more importantly, the fish are still there.

[beezer]

I saw the excavator on the Passaic River.

They have been pulling out blown down trees all through the Fairfield/Montville/Park section of the river.

I think they may be wasting their time and our money but that's what government is good at.

They are still putting up new houses in the worst of the flood plains in Fairfield so they haven't learned a thing since Hurricane Irene.

[Billfish715]

If I had a trout stream in my backyard, I'd want to make sure the habitat was the best it could be for my own fishing enjoyment.......that is, if I could afford it. There is stream improvement money available and it should be used by someone. Why not? The Musky stream improvements are working out fine. If you get a chance to see it, you'll know what I mean. No one builds rock dams anymore like there used to be on the "No Kill" stretch in Hackettstown. The environmental "do-gooders" have intervened and where there used to be quality water flow, there is flat water and silt. Where have you seen a series of man-made rock wing dams on a trout stream? What little work is being done, is thanks to TU. As for the Passaic floodplain....if stupid people buy the houses, then the builders and tax collectors will continue to ignore the dangers. As for the trees.....one fallen tree that is washed up against a bridge or riverbend during high water will collect debris and increase the likelihood of more flooding. Fish will adapt to new surroundings. The fishermen just have to adapt as well, and find those new spots.