[Lard Almighty]

I have mixed feelings about the dams coming down myself. I grew up fishing the Raritan, and for the last 20+ years the most productive spots on the river have usually been the dams. They oxygenate the water and create deep holes both above and below, and they tend to concentrate the fish during the hot summer months.

However, they create barriers to fish movement, both predatory and prey species. Also (and this is very evident at the Roberts Street dam) the river above the dams can get choked with silt due to the river not being able to flush itself out. While the dams themselves can create good fish habitat, I feel that their presence as a whole is doing more harm than good.

Once these dams come out, the landscape of the river will change; only time will tell what it ultimately looks like. Fish will adapt to the changes and find new holding areas, which anglers will discover in time. The river can behave like a complete system, as opposed to being isolated to sections created by the dams. I for one am very excited by all these changes. Once the dams come down, the Raritan will be like a whole new river that young and old alike can discover, just like many of us did when we were kids.