Battle of the trout. NJ vs. NY

[NJ Dave]

My cousin just arrived from up state NY (roscoe ny) and is staying a few days.
Last night over a few to many beers we got into a nj/ny trout water discussion over which state has the better stocked trout fishery. Obviousley he lives in one of the best ny trout water areas.
With that said, tommorow we are heading up to the Paulunskill which was just well stocked over a week ago and I am hoping the fish have burned some of the stored fat and have the feeling to eat.
The plan is to have at it in nj on wed and then on sun we are going to fish ny by his cabin and compare fisheries.
I have fresh spooled the ultra light with 4 lb floro, added a few more spinners to the box, salmon eggs, worms, mealies, and salted minnows have been purchased.
Its been years since I fished the Paulie but it always served me well. I have access to a small private c/r section that runs thru a friends private hunting property that gets zero pressure and usually holds fish.
Any advise appreciated.
Reports to follow!

[Jigman13]

Yo-zuri pins minnows, rapala CD-3 & CD-5s...

Leaves may be an issue with the trebles though.

Good luck and post some pics if you catch!

[gwl2oneida]

As a NY resident I'd have to say nj appears to have a much better stocking program. However, the trout and salmon in NY are probably some of the best fish in the northeast.

[Michael82929]

Both programs have pro's and con's to both.. if you ask me personally - it's apples and donuts

Habitat, Stream Condition, Pressure, Conservation and Sustainability and climate all come into play but from a stocking program perspective I can say is:

NJ Stocking Program wouldnt benefit with a weekly stocking in the spring in NY waters because NY waters dont have the pressure / population that NJ sustains.

NY Stocking Program in NJ doesnt have the habitat / climate / and frequency to hold a candle to the pressure NJ has on it waters. Also NJ year round fishing in slashed 3/4 in the summer months where up in NY you can still a summer time trout fishing.

I stocked the Paulinskill last week.. stick with the lower stretch of the Paulinskill (Blairstown area)

Fish are hitting flies, plugs and bait...

[AndyS]

Leaves are gonna be a problem, try again in November. I'll be fishing Roscoe NY Saturday, two totally different fisheries comparing NY to NJ.

[NJ Dave]

Andy, totally agree.
I do believe nj does a better job stocking but as for better water I vote ny. Nj gets too much pressure and its all fish and take. Ny may get the same pressure but more conservationists who return the fish.
This is just going to be some cousin ball bustin fun.

[bulletbob]

NY has lousy management.. They stock 1 year old fish, jersey stocks 2 year olds.. NY anglers take EVERYTHING.. I don't know why anyone would think NY has a bunch of conservationists fishing here..An exception might be the Catskill streams and a few Adirondack streams... The Finger Lakes and Great lakes get all the trout because thats where the tourists go.. I live in the Finger Lakes region, and our stream fishing blows.. There are indeed some lakes here that have big trout, Cayuga and Seneca, but they are hit hard by downrigger trollers all year as they are too big and windblown to freeze.. Its all deep trolling from big boats with downriggers, but thats how you have to fish when the lakes are 40 miles long, 2 miles wide, and 600 feet deep.. I personally don't like trolling all day at 125 feet down in whitecaps for a few 4 or 5 pound fish ...Jersey you can catch nice trout in the lakes 25-40 feet down drifting a calm mile wide lake with herring and a split shot.. Good luck with that up here... This is all big water deep trolling, the streams are awful unless you go to Catskills... Yes we have the Lake Ontario tribs, and you can get some trophies, but I don't do it.. Too crazy up there.. No sportsmanship, fights breaking out, cursing, rowdy drunks.. Not for me..
I have been in NY state 22 years, and am looking to move back to NJ, and better fishing is one of the main reasons. We have BIG water here, but keep in mind, bigger is NOT always better.. NJ is easier to fish by far, more productive for some species,[not all] and the fisheries management is much better.. Try walking the shore of these giant deep lakes with a spinnerbait or plug and see if you ever get a hit.. You will at Lake Hopatcong, Spruce Run or Round Valley... bob

[Dino]

"the streams are awful unless you go to Catskills"

he's right everyone.. please do not go to upstate new york looking for good trout fishing. nothing to see here.

please stay in NJ and combat fish the outflow sluiceway at Pequest hatchery.

...the things you read online. SMH

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by Dino

"the streams are awful unless you go to Catskills"

he's right everyone.. please do not go to upstate new york looking for good trout fishing. nothing to see here.

please stay in NJ and combat fish the outflow sluiceway at Pequest hatchery.

...the things you read online. SMH

I stand by what I wrote.. I live here.. The catskills are managed better for trout because of the tourist trade.. Out of state guys spend big money locally during their fishing weekends on the "blue ribbon" streams.. Much of the southern and central parts of the state are an afterthought... No one even fishes the streams here for hundreds of miles east west and north because there just aren't enough fish to bother with after the first few weeks.. Our stream fishery in the central part of NY is basically the catskills streams, and the Great lakes tribs.. The are 5 hours apart.. In between, not that much.. Come on up, fish Owego Creek, Catatonk creek or any of the Finger Lakes tribs for a weekend.. Let us know how you make out.... bob

[NJ Dave]

It was a a slow go today. We were on the water by 730, cool, cloudy, damp, and the leaves were falling.
First cast on a worm I got slammed but didn't connect. Re casted and soon hooked up with a fat 12 inch small mouth.
My cousin I can hear splashing about and almost lands on his arse in the water.
Soon after on a pink egg he hooks up a stockie rainbow.
Almost immediatley after his fish I hook up with a nice healthy 14 inch brown that looked like it held over from the spring.
Off to a good start with two fish within 15 min of fishing..........
Not so much. The sun never came out and it was pretty cloudy all day. We covered a lot of water and threw the box at em and every type of bait possible only to find bass and sun fish.
We made a few moves hitting a few holes along 94 with nothing to show.
By noon we decided to call it a day.
The water was low but not as low as what I imagined it to be. Mabey last weekends rain brought it up a little bit not enough. I'm sure this weekends storm will help the levels.
Not much to represent nj. Let's see what ny can fare for us this Sunday.