Interesting past articles regarding Hackensack River

[Predator]

http://www.hackensackriverkeeper.org/newsletters/Spring2005/01a_Spring_2005.htm

http://www.teaneck.org/virtualvillage/parks/brett/newbridgelanding.html

The Hackensack and Passaic are my home rivers. Spent my entire existence in close proximity to them. Ive never even thought of fishing them until a few years ago. It's like I was born knowing that these rivers were grossly polluted and were a waste of time to fish. Ive never heard of any adult fishing these rivers when I was growing up so It really never crossed my mind that one day id be fishing them. Anyway i just found these two articles interesting. Have a great day njfishers.

[Predator]

Does anyone know if there are Gizzard Shad in upper Hackensack River? I was fishing a spillway the other day and I foul hooked a couple of rather large fish. Couldn't land them so no pics but I'm not sure what they were? One was very similar to a Big Gizzard Shad. The other was rather lengthy and looked at least 24"..Last one Im really stumped, could've been a Striper?

[Skunk City]

Check your private messages :cool:.

[ScowardNJ]

A few United Water contacts I know say the gizzard shad population is currently out of control in the Oradell Reservoir. There are times when they clog up their intakes. Herons, Bald Eagles, Ospreys all line up like opening day trout guys at the intake canal and do a whoopin on them but it's still not enough. The guy I know said they are looking into different biological controls. The DEP is saying NO to restocking hybrids in fear of them getting down river and cross breeding with native pure strains, there is some evidence of this at other parts of the country. Latest i heard they are looking into loading the lake with slime darts.
I have seen some huge white perch as well as monster gizzards in the stretches below the spillways. Monster carp also...

[acabtp]

A few United Water contacts I know say the gizzard shad population is currently out of control in the Oradell Reservoir. There are times when they clog up their intakes. Herons, Bald Eagles, Ospreys all line up like opening day trout guys at the intake canal and do a whoopin on them but it's still not enough. The guy I know said they are looking into different biological controls. The DEP is saying NO to restocking hybrids in fear of them getting down river and cross breeding with native pure strains, there is some evidence of this at other parts of the country. Latest i heard they are looking into loading the lake with slime darts.
I have seen some huge white perch as well as monster gizzards in the stretches below the spillways. Monster carp also...

why don't they just toss some pure strain stripers into oradell then? works for plenty of other states.

[ChaosStarter]

A few United Water contacts I know say the gizzard shad population is currently out of control in the Oradell Reservoir. There are times when they clog up their intakes. Herons, Bald Eagles, Ospreys all line up like opening day trout guys at the intake canal and do a whoopin on them but it's still not enough. The guy I know said they are looking into different biological controls. The DEP is saying NO to restocking hybrids in fear of them getting down river and cross breeding with native pure strains, there is some evidence of this at other parts of the country. Latest i heard they are looking into loading the lake with slime darts.
I have seen some huge white perch as well as monster gizzards in the stretches below the spillways. Monster carp also...


I was always taught that hybrid stripers can't mate?

[ScowardNJ]

why don't they just toss some pure strain stripers into oradell then? works for plenty of other states.

I wish the guys on this site dictated what should be stocked where, hahaha

That res is very shallow, no deeper than 15'. It's basically a giant sediment basin for north east Bergen County

[fishfinder]

There are gizzard shad in the river and the they are certainly a problem in the res. I would say that is probably what you snagged.

The hybrids are said to have a life span of about approximately 7 years. The last stock was I believe 2006 maybe earlier. There are some around don't get me wrong but NOTHING like it used to be which supports the fact that most of them are dead. They were originally stocked to solve the shad problem the last time the clogged the draw pipes. I too have always been told these fish are sterile and I am confident in this. This is supported by they fact that there are hardly any left. The concern that they will get into the river is real (because they did) but the threat of them cross breeding is not. I personally watched this fishing get worse and worse for the last 5 years or more. At this point in time it is virtually non existent and there are people trashing the place, sad to see. I could dream that it would return to what it was 10 years ago but unfortunately it is something I have given up on some time ago.

[fishfinder]

Perhaps your friend at United Water will want to pass this on to the decision makers before they trash the place with pickerel. See the reproduction section:

http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/3386.htm

[NJ Dave]

Same with me, grew up thinking that these waters were a no no to fish.
Now I target stripers in the hudson and have just a found a spot in the hackey

[ScowardNJ]

Yea, I hear yea. I'm just blabbing about a conversation i had with the dude. I'm probably speaking out of school, but from what he told me, if they do another stocking, it will be based on what the DEP allows/tells them to stock, and F&G said no to hybrids, but suggested picks. It's not up to what UW wants to put in there.
Muskies would be nice!

[Bergen Angler]

A few United Water contacts I know say the gizzard shad population is currently out of control in the Oradell Reservoir. There are times when they clog up their intakes. Herons, Bald Eagles, Ospreys all line up like opening day trout guys at the intake canal and do a whoopin on them but it's still not enough. The guy I know said they are looking into different biological controls. The DEP is saying NO to restocking hybrids in fear of them getting down river and cross breeding with native pure strains, there is some evidence of this at other parts of the country. Latest i heard they are looking into loading the lake with slime darts.
I have seen some huge white perch as well as monster gizzards in the stretches below the spillways. Monster carp also...

I think Threadfin Shads are out of control at Oradell. I only saw one person catching one large Gizzard Shad (about 10"-11") at Oradell.

[briansnat]

I grew up in Passaic, about a 10 minute walk from the river. We used to go down there and fish for carp and eels. I don't think there was much of anything else in there then. The water was filthy and smelled awful. I wouldn't even touch the fish to unhook them, I'd cut the line at the hook.

One day my friend's rod was pulled into the water by a large carp and he dove in after it. That was pretty disgusting. He went right home and said he showered for an hour.

As a young adult I lived in Caldwell and would drive down to the Passaic by Two Bridges Rd in Fairfield and fish for carp. Other than that I haven't done much fishing on the Passaic. Now that I see some of the pike coming out of there I may rethink avoiding the river.

[Denlon]

Does anyone know if there are Gizzard Shad in upper Hackensack River?

Gizzard Shad can be a big problem no matter where they are. About 20 or more years ago, when the newly built Lake Mercer in Mercer County Park was filling, the Gizzards were thick. When they died off the stench in the air was so strong that it made you cough and gag.

The solution was to stock the lake with muskies, both pure strain and Tigers as I understand it. Now days the Gizzards are still there but in very reduced numbers. But now Lake Mercer is one of the very few lake in central NJ where muskellunge (huge ones) are available and doing well.

This solution seems to have worked here.

Denny

[AndyS]

"I wish the guys on this site dictated what should be stocked where"

Actually we can. TU got together and made rule changes. KDC club got together and told NJ F&G what to stock. RVTA told NJ F&G where to put their lake trout, so yes, we can dictate what can be stocked where, just need to band together.