9-23-15 Raritan River Striper

[FASTEDDIE29]

They are feisty little guys aren't they? Nice little Striper! Future 40 pounder!!!

[Mark B.]

Yesterday with a Skitter Pop on the Delaware R., caught 6 similar sized stripers. Also, 4 smallies: 7 - 20"

[AndyS]

Hey Mark, why not try fishing the Raritan river ? So this way when you have a follow up post about the Raritan river, you don't have to talk about the Delaware river.

[RiverRat77]

The stripers are definitely in the Raritan. That is my second in a month and I saw a kid pull another one out at dawn a couple weeks back. I highly doubt they are the same fish. My thought by their size is they were born up here. Hopefully more keep making it up to and past the fish ladder, and meat hunters catch, picture, and release so they can grow up and be the big boys and girls we dream of hooking into.
Glad to see they are coming up and even passing through the ladder though..
One more thing I would like to ask the veterans..... we have a real nice stretch of water from the dam to the ladder. (Many thanks to the stream cleaners) why does the state not stock the Raritan with some nice trophy fish like other state rivers? What needs to happen to get more then trout and channels put in the river?
Maybe I am missing something???

[Jigman13]

No need for channels... There's more than enough there. Walleyes on the other hand, the river could use more. But I could be bias

Everything seems to be prospering in the central jersey river haven... Kudos... Now gimme more fish! Lol...

Prob got about 25-30 of those lil striper this yr in the river. I usually get them in bunches. If you catch one, pound the area. If you don't hook up again, switch it up a bit. Change color, lure, or profile. It's usually enough to trick them youngsters...

[RiverRat77]

Yes....I am not saying we need more channels. Like you stated there a plenty in there already. I am talking about the state stocking some more Eyes or even some Northerns They stock Northerns in the upper Millstone if I am not mistaken.
What needs to be done for the state to come on and give the Raritan some trophy fish? Or again is there a reason they are only putting Trout in?

[Mark B.]

[QUOTE=AndyS;421724]Hey Mark, why not try fishing the Raritan river ? /QUOTE]

Too many old tires.

[AndyS]

Cleanest that river has been in over 100 years Mark. I took 5 tires and a car quarter panel out of one plunge pool in Manville. I went back a week later, the river seems to be taking care of itself now.
I'm going to keep pushing for spring trout stocking to the town of Manville and fall trout stocking from the Headgates to the town of Raritan. Big trout need big water and the Raritan river is just the place.
Funny how no one wants to talk about the 100+ trout that come through the fish ladder every spring.

[RiverRat77]

[QUOTE=Mark B.;421755]

Originally Posted by AndyS

Hey Mark, why not try fishing the Raritan river ? /QUOTE]

Too many old tires.

The river may have had too many old tires in it (from what i see by Andy) but the river cleaning team has done an amazimg job cleanimg up the bottom trash. I wade through and am amazed at the lack of junk on the bottom. When i first really started going at the Raritan hard this year i was expecting to be stepping on all kinds of trash...just NOT the case. The water is nice and clear at times. Again thank You to Andy and the rest of the stream cleaners.
Now what do we need to do to lobby for some more fish? Some different kind of fish! I know the trout have holes they hold over in on the Raritan. Look at this Tiger from July...pulled of the boftom using RiverRat bait
One more time guys is there a reason the state will only put trout in? Is the river not sustainable for Northerns, or Tigers

[AndyS]

I know carrying a landing net is a PIA, but we can not be taken seriously with trout photos that look like that. Not being an elitist, but if I go to the State of NJ and sit before the Council I will need photos of fish like this, sitting in the bottom of a clean C&R landing net. Not my rules.