12lb 9oz Lk Hopatcong Brown trout...

[buzzbaiter]

Good week for anglers at Lake Hopatcong...


http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/5133f47a74f352c7a354b7ecdace756bbdb0f5bb/c=19-0-397-284&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/2016/04/12/NJGroup/Morristown/635960638403839432-bigfish.jpg

[NJSquatch]

yeah that was the monster breeder stocked by the Knee Deep Club the previous Sunday. Allegedly it was stocked over 2.5 miles from where it was caught.

More monsters info

http://www.northjersey.com/community-news/record-fish-caught-in-lk-hopatcong-in-beginning-of-fruitful-fishing-season-1.1545454

http://www.dailyrecord.com/story/sports/columnists/jim-stabile/2016/04/16/big-fish-turning-lake-hopatcong/83148250/

[River Renegade]

Now that's a bow nice trout!!

[icebadger]

congrats, that is a huge brown trout.what a monster

[dakota560]

Don't know all the facts but personally hate seeing a trophy 49 inch musky killed for a photo shoot. When will people learn these fish should be handled with kid gloves and released so someone else has the privilege of maybe catching a fish of a lifetime themselves. These fish are true trophies and should be protected. That fish was probably caught any number of times giving the lucky angler the catch of a lifetime. State should protect these fish, we'd have 50 lb. - 60 lb. fish in the state if they did. Sorry for the rant but it takes forever for these fish to reach that size, it's criminal in my world killing one just to put it on your wall when you can have a replica which will last longer just as easily. Doesn't make any sense to me at all! Someone should hang Norm Small on the wall!

[Chrisper4694]

Don't know all the facts but personally hate seeing a trophy 49 inch musky killed for a photo shoot. When will people learn these fish should be handled with kid gloves and released so someone else has the privilege of maybe catching a fish of a lifetime themselves. These fish are true trophies and should be protected. That fish was probably caught any number of times giving the lucky angler the catch of a lifetime. State should protect these fish, we'd have 50 lb. - 60 lb. fish in the state if they did. Sorry for the rant but it takes forever for these fish to reach that size, it's criminal in my world killing one just to put it on your wall when you can have a replica which will last longer just as easily. Doesn't make any sense to me at all! Someone should hang Norm Small on the wall!

I agree with you, although i do fish with friends that keep big fish occasionally and although i'll voice my opinion to them, I respect that too if it's their boat or their catch. you are totally right, i believe we really could have more giant fish here in NJ if more people released bigger fish.

Fortunately, though, in this situation, this was a fish just stocked by the KDC into lake hopatcong less than a week earlier and trout just don't survive the summers in lake hopatcong. so the trout in hopatcong is just a put and take fishery for trout

[dakota560]

Chris......I'm not referring to the 12.9 lb brown trout. Have no problem with a fishery which for the most part is a put and take program. Kudo's to the angler. I'm referring to the links posted by the initial poster that talks about and has pictures of the 49 inch musky which was killed! Again is the guy legally wrong for keeping that fish.....no. But if the state wants to have a trophy fishery you're not helping the cause by allowing huge fish to be removed based on an incidental catch or otherwise. People don't know any better or probably more the case don't care. Too many people, clubs, the state itself are trying to make this a world class fishery only to allow people who as I said are uninformed or could care less about the fishery to destroy it. I'd be embarrassed to keep a trophy fish like that and bring it back to Dick Dow's for a few minutes of glory but many anglers don't have a conscience. As I said it's an absolute shame to see a trophy fish like that taken, in my opinion they should be protected.

[dakota560]

This is the picture in the link I was referring to. All the effort that so many people have and are putting in to make that fishery at Lake Hopatcong and other NJ bodies of water world class. With all the pressure in this state, the potential of this fishery will never be recognized if the fish aren't protected. This isn't the case of taking a large crappie or small mouth which can be eaten as well, this fish is taken simply for bragging rights and is a complete waste considering the effort so many people are putting into developing the fishery. Take a picture and if you want make a replica mount. Fish in my opinion was killed senselessly. Like I said they should put Norm Small on the wall instead.

[NJSquatch]

i believe he tried to release it but the fish couldn't be revived....he was fishing for trout so the fight must have been long and probably exhausted the fish

http://www.newjerseyhunter.com/forums/83-fishing/199059-monster-musky-lake-hopatcong.html

[dakota560]

8 lb test and a phoebe I 'm sure it was a long fight. Amazing the line and hooks held up. I'm sure this wasn't the catch the angler was expecting so who knows how or if he really tried to revive the fish. I'm not trying to be judge and jury, there's only one person who knows what really happened. Regardless it's a shame for a trophy fish like that being killed.

[Chrisper4694]

oh i see, i didn't even realize there was a link on this post to click on i was just reading the trout, my bad.

I know the KDC is pretty adamant about releasing musky so i'm kind of surprised this guy wasn't snubbed for bringing it in to Dow's, but it is what it is. not much we can do about it unless the state puts in slots...which i'll never understand why they don't. I get they can't even enforce the rules they have now for the most part but just having the slot rule might help a little anyway.

Bigger fish of any species are much more valuable in the water than on the table.