Carnegie Lake fish kill pics

[NJ219bands]

Saw a lot of gizzard shad at the Carnegie Lake Aqueduct recently. Yesterday evening they started dying. > 100 were floating on the surface of the lake. Nobody else was fishing. I took pics and reported the kill to NJDEP. A few fish had a red spot on their head. It was probably the annual spring virus die off.

[CMJeepster]

Damn. I was on the eastern shore today, but south of the aqueduct. Didn't see anything down there.

[PocketFisherman]

Are you sure they're not just sleeping?

[River Renegade]

Very cool nice pics!!

[Jigman13]

Gizzard are very sensitive to dramatic drops in temp. Could be a result of the recent temp drop perhaps?

[AndyS]

At least you reported it, thanx.

[NJ219bands]

Game warden was there the next day. I learned that it is legal to use as many rods as you want in NJ fresh water except for the Delaware River where up to 3 rods are allowed. The guy with 7 rods at the Aqueduct every day is legal. The cast netter is illegal in the lake but legal in the Millstone River. Fishing has been very slow every evening until just before sundown. Then the crappies, white perch and sunnies start biting. The yellow perch spawned, then moved on. I had the same piece of corn meal bait on my line for > 4 hours, then caught and released a 15" white catfish on my last cast for the day. Gizzard shad are still swarming. I saw sick fish mixed in the schools.

[UglyStick]

Game warden was there the next day. I learned that it is legal to use as many rods as you want in NJ fresh water except for the Delaware River where up to 3 rods are allowed. The guy with 7 rods at the Aqueduct every day is legal.

That interpretation is incorrect... check page 16 General Regulations of the current NJ F&W Freshwater Digest. There IS a 3 rod shoreline limit everywhere.

"When fishing from the shoreline, no more than three fishing rods, handlines or combination thereof may be used (except on the Delaware River. There is no rod limit when fishing from a boat except for the Delaware River.) For the Delaware River the three rod limit applies both to boat and shoreline anglers (see page 28)."

[tautog]

Gotta love when law enforcement does not know the law.:eek:

[NJ219bands]

That interpretation is incorrect... check page 16 General Regulations of the current NJ F&W Freshwater Digest. There IS a 3 rod shoreline limit everywhere.

"When fishing from the shoreline, no more than three fishing rods, handlines or combination thereof may be used (except on the Delaware River. There is no rod limit when fishing from a boat except for the Delaware River.) For the Delaware River the three rod limit applies both to boat and shoreline anglers (see page 28)."
Next time that I see the Game Warden, I'll show him the compendium. You are correct. Fishing from shore in NJ fresh water with more than 3 rods is illegal as I originally thought. All NJ Game Wardens should know that.

[Heronimo42]

I fished Carnegie today and dead shad and carp floating everywhere. Water was in rough shape- I have a feeling that there is some drain work being done somewhere with all the new construction. I will say that there were more schools of minnow and shad than I have seen in the past 5 years. LOTS of bait swimming around.

[CMJeepster]

Now there're floaters at North Harrison Street.

[Heronimo42]

http://planetprinceton.com/2016/04/21/whats-killing-carnegie-lake-fish/

[NJ219bands]

There are signs at either end of the Aqueduct that say the bridge will be closed for repairs starting April 25. Hundreds of dead and dying shad are still there. The stench of death is in the air. I killed 31 mosquitoes including a triple for my best day ever. Didn't get a bite on corn meal bait. Saw 9 other fishermen catch nothing. They all quit early. I caught and released 13 fish of 6 different species on a small jig.

[AndyS]

NJDEP and F&G are on it, thanks again for making the call !!