Big Brown Trout in Spruce Run:

[AndyS]

If you can Remember DANS bait and tackle, you are old.

[Matt A.]

dans on 31? fond memories
it says on wiki spruce run was damned in 1964 and round valley in 1960.
thankfully round valley seems to have a robust trout fishery still, but i guess
it will suffer a similar fate eventually too

[Wilson]

Originally Posted by AndyS

If you can Remember DANS bait and tackle, you are old.

Well I guess that's makes 2 of us!
Dan weighed my 4 lb. Rainbow in I caught in the So. Branch and reported it to the Fisherman magazine complete with a Polaroid...remember those?
I was thrilled to be in the mags's freshwater report section

[GetANet]

Easy there buddy, let's go back a little further, what was the name of the little tackle shop on 31 right by the entrance to spruce run where the Toyota dealer is now???? I was like eighteen years old Way Back Then!!!!! When we use to fish for the Browns in a ten foot johnboat with a sears trolling motor!!!!!

[Mark B.]

Don’t know how deep the inlet area was, originally. A lot deeper, no doubt…

I was around 10 years old when those reservoirs were built. When I was younger than that, I remember how hot the summers were,…………walking on the burned out lawn was like walking on Rice Krispies.

NJ suffered a terrible drought in the early 1960’s. Spruce Run & RVR were built in response to that drought. And, as water supply is their primary purpose,…………the fish that inhabit them are really just a bonus.

The yearly fluctuations in Spruce Run’s water levels surely doesn’t help its fish population.

[Super]

Originally Posted by 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.

But that doesn't mean trout should be stocked in those places. I don't support stocking anywhere where 75% of the trout are going to die from the heat and become raccoon food. Stock a fish that can survive in those ponds like bass, crappie, perch, channel cats, bullhead, etc.

They stock those ponds to sell fishing licenses, not because it's a trout habitat.

[Mark B.]

Originally Posted by Super

But that doesn't mean trout should be stocked in those places. I don't support stocking anywhere where 75% of the trout are going to die from the heat and become raccoon food. Stock a fish that can survive in those ponds like bass, crappie, perch, channel cats, bullhead, etc.

They stock those ponds to sell fishing licenses, not because it's a trout habitat.

The idea is “put & take”.

“Put” the trout in when the water is cold in the spring. Then, anglers “take” the trout out before the water warms.

If NJ F & W didn’t have the license revenue from the many anglers whom take advantage of the above, they would probably have to shut down the Pequest Hatchery.

And, warmwater fish are already in those waters & reproducing,…..no need to stock.

Except for channel cats & Esocids, which reproduce minimally, or not at all. So, they are stocked periodically.

[Jigman13]

Originally Posted by Mark B.

Except for channel cats & Esocids, which reproduce minimally, or not at all. So, they are stocked periodically.

Interesting Mark... Why don't channels and esox not reproduce? (or minimally, as you stated)

[Mark B.]

Originally Posted by Jigman13

Interesting Mark... Why don't channels and esox not reproduce? (or minimally, as you stated)

N. Pike reproduction outside of their native range has been documented, but it is limited.

Muskies, even in their native range, have limited recruitment of their young. Supplemental stocking is required, there.

Channels usually do not develop self-sustaining populations in small lakes & ponds, primarily due to the lack of suitable spawning sites & heavy predation on the young by other fish, especially largemouths.

Hybrid bass, of course, are sterile,……so they have to be continually stocked.