NJF&G hypocritical trout regulations...
 

I've had enough of this...we need to plaster the internet, clubs and local bait shops with this.

I've always stood behind the NJ fish and game, praising their stocking efforts making NJ one of the best places to be an angler, based not on the size of the fish, but the vast variety of species and fisheries.

That being said, if these new trout regulations pass, i'm done backing them. We all buy the same trout stamp and this crap is getting out of control.

They took a step in the right direction when they got rid of the 'fly fishing only' sections of rivers and now they're taking a step backwards and if you think this is where it's going to stop you're living in a dream world.

Here's a link to the 2017 njf&g digest where they published an article dismissing the false claims about the dangers of barbs and treble hooks to fish vs. barbless and single hooks, with scientific studies sited!

http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/pdf...digfsh8-15.pdf scroll down to page 12

Now a year later they claim the opposite and want to 'nickle and dime' us with ridiculous regulations? sounds to me like special interest minority groups (fly fishing elitists) have their hand up someone's ass like a puppeteer.

I wonder how many big wild trout have died by fully engulfing and swallowing a tiny little fly and then being played to death on an extra long noodle pole just so some clown can pretend he's better than everyone else.

How about a regulation making a short 5-10 minute video and 10 question test on fish handling mandatory before purchasing a fishing license. That'd be an example of a regulation that would actually make sense if they really cared about the wild trout fishery!

All of us, out there much more frequently than these guys, catching countless more trout, are just as much conservationists as them if not more so; these new proposed regulations are based on NOTHING (proven by their own article from a year ago siting scientific studies) except maybe the special interest needs of a minority.

I'd make this post sticky and spread the word because this is another slippery slope situation. What's next? fly fishing only waters all over the place again? more expensive trout stamps to pay for wardens guarding these sections from real anglers? maybe trolling bans on certain reservoirs? who knows...don't let NJF&G hypocrites open this door!

Re: NJF&G hypocritical trout regulations...
 

The proposed change for info: "Barbless Hooks and No More than Three Hook Points in Total proposed
for Catch and Release Areas and Wild Trout Streams
Due to continued angler interest in limiting hook points and barbs when
targeting wild trout and to reduce the potential for injury to fish which will be continually caught and released it is proposed to allow only barbless hooks and no more than
three hook points in total when fishing the state's two designated Catch and Release Only areas
for trout and designated Wild Trout Streams."

Barbless hooks aren't that bad
However I'm uncertain about no more than 3 hook points. When using a plug, you have the option of using single hooks or taking off one of the trebels. I've done the latter, barbless, with smallies and had success. But I can't say the same with trout. However I figure it does end up with less hookups.

Whether it's more harmful or not, I find regulating it in the first place is BS.

What determines a fish's mortality is mostly weighted upon the skill of the angler. A bad angler following the safest regulations can still end up doing more harm than a good angler using any amount of hooks and barbs.

There seems to be a lot of problems with the fish code this year

Re: NJF&G hypocritical trout regulations...
 

A few select portions of the article written by NJ Fish and Game:

"Overall, requiring the use of barbless hooks is not beneficial to trout populations and can reduce angler catch rates. In the end, with the lack of strong scientific support, the best option may be to let anglers continue to decide for themselves.

A majority of scientific
studies on trout, a species intolerant of any level of mishandling, have shown that mortality from either barbed or barbless hooks is not significantly different (Mongillo 1984; Schill and Scarpella 1997; Dubois and Dubielzig 2004; Dubois and Pleski
2007.)* This suggests there is scant biological basis for restricting barbed hooks.

*The data is based on two major scientific papers which reviewed multiple studies; Taylor and White (1992, review of 18 hooking studies); and a review by Mongillo (1984). Both concluded that the number of hooks did not show a statistically significant
relationship to hooking mortality. Mongillo (1984) concluded that little justification exists for gear restrictions for artificials and data even indicates that the practice of using single hooks on lures may actually cause higher mortality than treble hooks."

This is not a conservation or biological issue. In fact, some research shows barbed hooks and trebles result in less mortality than single, barbless hooks. This is about a special interest group attempting to shoehorn in regulations based on their own misconceptions regarding spin fishing, and attempting to limit another user group. Regulations are meant to conserve, sustain and enhance the resource...NOT to placate a particular user group. The reasoning behind these changes are not why gear restrictions should be implemented. These regulations are unnecessary, unfair and should be removed. Leave it at artificial and fly in those areas.

Re: NJF&G hypocritical trout regulations...
 

Honestly ask NJ Angler on this site he has fished those wild trout streams for many yrs and id be interested in his opinion . Id agree alot more has to do with how its handled than how many hooks , and everyone can be guilty of that , right?? Not all wild trout streams are created equal , so maybe these hook regs are more to protect 5in brookies not 12in browns

Re: NJF&G hypocritical trout regulations...
 

I trout fish often and I can tell you unequivically that larger lures with trebles are better for these fish than small flies which can be easily swallowed and gut/gill hook fish. Larger lures are almost never swallowed and 99% result in a shallow, superficial hookset that they usually shake in the net.

As far as brookies go, I never catch them on larger lures. Ever. If i switch to a small presentation, I will catch them but never on the larger lures I use to target browns.

Just read the quotes from the article. Unnecessary regulation.

Re: NJF&G hypocritical trout regulations...
 

I hope everyone is letting F&G know how they feel. December 1 is the deadline to receive responses from the public on changes to the Fish Code. Also I would refrain for attacking the "elitist fly fisherman". It does nothing to promote your case and alienates someone such as myself who prefers that method of fishing. Excuse the pun but there are bigger fish to fry. The governor elect may try to replace retiring members of the F&G Council with folks who are not fisherman friendly. We already know he is anti-hunting. As sportsman we need to stand together to protect our sport.

Re: NJF&G hypocritical trout regulations...
 

Unequivocally is a strong word to back up , Ive never seen a small fly gut hook a trout or get caught in its gills , Im sure it has happend,the Jets once won a superbowl too....its extremly rare . 1z5977834251567654

Re: NJF&G hypocritical trout regulations...
 

Of course its a strong word...thats why I used it. Im basing that off roughly 350-400 trout that I've caught in the prior year. But you don't need to take my word for it. If you read the article written by a biologist from NJFWS referened above, that was the conclusion reached by their scientific literature review.

Jets winning the superbowl was is a one time thing thus far. I have used nymphs for trout, and yes I have seen several take them deep. Not that uncommon, especially with tiny nymphs.

Re: NJF&G hypocritical trout regulations...
 

I don't like the new proposal that no brook trout be stocked at all in half the state. I wish F&G would get their act together and start with the brown and brook trout production.

Re: NJF&G hypocritical trout regulations...
 

It sounds like the "TU guys and FLY FISHING CLUBS"are trying to weed the spin fishermen out in every way possible! They're the groups that constantly attend the meetings with there gripes about this and that! I'm totally against this stupid rule obviously. I throw plugs all year round and catch Trout all year long. Have I ever had a Trout die from devouring a plug??? NOPE!!! Sounds like the boys and girls at "NJF&G" are being influenced by an outside entity! I will be the first one to break this rule if it passes, ohhhhhhhhh, and I'll make sure I do it in all the private fly fishing only stretches!!! I call bullshit!!!

When do Trout die from being caught? I'll tell ya when! When they're caught dead sticking Power-bait, worms, etc, etc. They also die when they come up and inhale a micro fly during certain hatches that occur during the course of the year! There's more ways they perish than what I've stated! This is just nonsense! Totally aggravated right now!!!!:mad: