Big Brown Trout in Spruce Run:

[Super]

Spruce Run isn’t good trout water. All summer there is no dissolved oxygen in the cooler, deeper parts of the lake where the trout would thrive.

With that said, they obviously can survive.

Spruce Run gets stocked with pike, wipers and channel cats and those fish do well in that lake. Much rather see state resources spent on stocking fish that flourish in Spruce Run.

[Eskimo]

.

Do a lot of people fish Spruce Run at night?

I was there Saturday (if anyone was there and saw a fisherman in a small, green kayak, -that was me) and as I was getting off the water in the late evening, the reservoir came alive with boats and even a kayak getting ON the water.

[AndyS]

"Spruce Run isn’t good trout water." But the duck pond in Edison is good trout water. Countless duck ponds get stocked in New Jersey, I see no reason not to put trout in Spruce Run.

Wednesday, April 10
Atlantic, Burlington & Camden Counties
Birch Grove Park Pond
Gloucester City Pond
Grenloch Lake
Hammonton Lake
Heritage Park Pond
Laurel Pond
Oak Pond
Rowands Pond
Monmouth & Ocean Counties
Englishtown Mill Pond
Garvey's Pond
Hamilton Fire Pond
Holmdel Park Pond
Mohawk Pond

All get trout stocked, along with Branch Brook Park Pond, Echo lake, lake Musconetcong and LAKE HOPATCONG !!
and......the Hackensack river. Green Turtle pond, Colonial lake and Pemberton get stocked with trout also.

[Mark B.]

True, the duck ponds, like Spruce Run are not good trout waters.

However, unlike Spruce Run, the duck ponds are in urban areas with high populations of anglers. And, being way smaller in size, the trout are concentrated & therefore easier to catch. F & W stocks them in the spring when the water is cold & can support trout, to provide a unique, seasonal opportunity for urban anglers to catch & keep trout. Yes, we want them to keep the trout, before they succumb to the warm water. These are “put & take” trout waters.

Years ago, Spruce Run had the water quality to support trout over the summer. That is, the trout could holdover. And, we stocked trout,……it was a “put, grow & take” trout water (as Lake Hopatcong still is). But no longer for Spruce Run,….it now gets too warm. Granted an occasional nice trout is caught. One that found a cold water seep, spring or tributary to survive in. But these fish are few & far between.

I’m getting tired of repeating myself.

[Matt A.]

what changed about spruce run that affected the summer water quality?

[Mark B.]

It lost the cold trout supporting water that it used to have in the summer.

Over time, due to run off / siltation, lakes eventually become shallower & their water, warmer.

[AndyS]

Don't get tired on us Mark ! It's great having you here. You clarify a lot of questions for us, I just feel the need to ask the question why sometimes.
Like I said, these finned little creatures keep us guessing sometimes, probably what makes the sport of fishing so interesting.
THANKS again for your input Mark.

[anthrax2244]

When was Spruce Run made, and what was time table in years that it supported a decent brown trout fishery? I think Lebanon Bait and Sport had a few pics on the wall of browns caught there when I was a little guy in the early 90's...? Mark, you mentioned siltation, any idea how deep the inlet area from spruce run creek originally was? Past few years the whole area is bone dry hundreds of feet in.

[anthrax2244]

awesome brown by the way!

[Wilson]

Originally Posted by anthrax2244

When was Spruce Run made, and what was time table in years that it supported a decent brown trout fishery? I think Lebanon Bait and Sport had a few pics on the wall of browns caught there when I was a little guy in the early 90's...? Mark, you mentioned siltation, any idea how deep the inlet area from spruce run creek originally was? Past few years the whole area is bone dry hundreds of feet in.

I was in the 4th grade when the dam was constructed

From Wikipedia.

Spruce Run Dam (National ID # NJ00132) was a 1964 project of the New Jersey Water Supply Authority with municipal water supply as its primary use. The earthen dam is 93 feet high, with a length of 5400 feet at its crest. The reservoir has a maximum capacity of 46,770 acre-feet and a normal capacity of 33,670 acre-feet.[1]