I would like to speak to anglers who regularly fish for spring trout
 

in the following waters:

Whites Pond, Waldwick

Roosevelt Park Pond, Edison

Topenemus Lake, Freehold

Lake Shenandoah, Lakewood



Thanks.

Mark Boriek (Mark B.)
Principal Fisheries Biologist
NJDF&W
Bureau of Freshwater Fisheries
PO Box 394
1255 Route 629
Lebanon, NJ 08833
908-236-2118
mark.boriek@dep.nj.gov

Re: I would like to speak to anglers who regularly fish for spring trout
 

I swing by Whites Pond after work a handful of times during stocking season. Sent you an email.

Re: I would like to speak to anglers who regularly fish for spring trout
 

What's up with this mark? They thinking about maybe not stocking them?:confused:

Re: I would like to speak to anglers who regularly fish for spring trout
 

When my son was little I took him to Roosevelt park all the time. Usually caught some trout, but never a lot. Caught some big ones from time to time. Lots of small bass and sunnies in there to keep him entertained.

Re: I would like to speak to anglers who regularly fish for spring trout
 

Those waters, & some others, have had poor catch rates on recent opening day of trout season surveys. We are trying to determine why.

Want to speak with trout anglers who fish them, regularly, in-season.

Re: I would like to speak to anglers who regularly fish for spring trout
 

Any similar reports like that from Hooks creek? Went there many times after both stockings and reports were no one was catching. Did find one in the shallows that seemed off. Not physically injured but i was able to pick her up from the water. Totally different from last year

Re: I would like to speak to anglers who regularly fish for spring trout
 

Roosevelt likely due to cormorants. Ever see that place after spring stocking? Insanely stacked with those water birds. And it's a poo puddle for other water fowl which could be negatively impacting water quality significantly.

Re: I would like to speak to anglers who regularly fish for spring trout
 

Same with Barbour's pond. See more trout in cormorant's mouths than angler's hands.

Re: I would like to speak to anglers who regularly fish for spring trout
 

RyanMac14 I second that on Hooks Creek.Place is slowly coming back after Sandy.But what about the fishkill late Sept/early Oct this year?
And Jigman the Black Death are in almost every lake/pond .

Mark B. Email sent.

Re: I would like to speak to anglers who regularly fish for spring trout
 

I don't put much stock in surveys since they usually don't contain questions that deal with the many variables involved with reaching a conclusion. One variable that determines how many fish are caught is how many fishermen are fishing. How many state-stocked fish would be caught in Spring Lake on opening day were it not for the aggressive stocking by the Liveliners? If only the trout stocked by the state were the targets, the number of fishermen along the banks and the bridge would be much less. That would definitely affect the catch numbers and perhaps the catch ratio. At one time, local ponds and stretches of rivers were stocked by community groups or sports' stores for opening day. If memory serves me correctly, Roosevelt Park Pond was one of them.

As for the cormorants, I have never seen a skinny one at any of the trout stocked ponds or any pond for that matter. They don't take all of the fish, but they do eat a good number of them. Twenty cormorants on a small pond that is stocked with 150 trout is like an "All You Can Eat Buffet"! They don't wait until opening day to begin fishing either. If you feed them, they will come. Just saying!

Re: I would like to speak to anglers who regularly fish for spring trout
 

"As for the cormorants, I have never seen a skinny one at any of the trout stocked ponds or any pond for that matter. They don't take all of the fish, but they do eat a good number of them. Twenty cormorants on a small pond that is stocked with 150 trout is like an "All You Can Eat Buffet"! They don't wait until opening day to begin fishing either. If you feed them, they will come. Just saying!"

has there ever been a culling program?

Re: I would like to speak to anglers who regularly fish for spring trout
 

Sadly a few years back when they stocked Holmdel Park Pond with breeders a flock of 8or9 cormorants harrassed a big old girl of three or four pounds . Going under grabbing her coming up holding her trying to get the fish fish down the gullet then let go . The next one ( Black Death aka cormorant) would go under chase her , grab he r and try and and get the big fifh down it’s gullet. Poor fish I wacthed as they repeatedly tried . Wish they had open season on them.And this was a couple days BEFORE the opening day.

Re: I would like to speak to anglers who regularly fish for spring trout
 

Blackfish- Hooks creek has definitely come a long way since Sandy. I had tremendous success after stocking days last year and during the year for both trout and bass. This year I was there opening day and multiple times thereafter for both and I did not land a fish or see a single fish landed any of my outings. All reports were of a fish here or there but nowhere near what was supposed to have been stocked. I landed this big girl there last year and had good number days but seems this year was completely different

Re: I would like to speak to anglers who regularly fish for spring trout
 

I remember that one . Nice fish! I never congratulated you when you first got it. I had a nice one one like but a little smaller this spring only for a minute until it got caught up in the weeds and got away. ! Bummer but thats fishing.

Re: I would like to speak to anglers who regularly fish for spring trout
 

Thanks man. That fish youre speaking about was at hooks this spring? The only thing ive gotten there this year are TINY bass on my inline spinner while looking for the trout that are not there lol

Re: I would like to speak to anglers who regularly fish for spring trout
 

While I have fished Whites Pond in Waldwick a few years for trout, I normally only find them in the Hohokus Brook the feeds the pond. Some of them go up that stream or fall down the dam and those are the spots i usually find them, although i usually see some older people fishing and catching them out of the main pond. And there is always a couple of stories every year that someone caught a 5lb+ breeder out of there..