What a sea-run brown trout looks like:

[AndyS]

I can tell you..............ZERO !!

[Mark B.]

Originally Posted by AndyS

I can tell you..............ZERO !!

That is correct,……..0.

However, I still field occasional inquiries about fishing for Manasquan River Sea Run Browns.

I tell them what I know:

1. The fish are extremely wary / hard to catch.
2. The river is hard to fish,…muddy, slippery banks, many snags ,…
3. No recent reported catches.
4. Rumors persist that some locals catch them, but remain tight lipped.

Paul Ripperger, the pictured angler, was very forthcoming with his techniques:

Manasquan River Sea Run Brown Trout Fishing Tips
• Fish the Manasquan River one to two days after a rain as it is becoming less muddy but not too clear. Evening through the night is the best time.

• Mid-October to January 1: Bait is the most productive - pink, white and chartreuse spawn sacs, night crawlers, worms or killies. The sea runs move into freshwater and are actively feeding.

• January 1 to February 1: The sea runs are spawning and not actively feeding but will strike at 2" long lures such as Rapalas, C.P. Swings and Rooster Tails. The most productive lure colors are silver, chartreuse and hot pink. Use a slow retrieve.

• February through May: Use bait as described above.

• The Manasquan River is very difficult to fish - it has brushy, overgrown banks. Anglers should use caution - the mud is very slippery, there are many deep holes and many underwater snags.

• Expect to put in a lot of time. If you get a bite, that's a good day, if you hook one that's a great day, if you land one that's an unbelievable day.

Back then, we held a Sea Run Brown Fishing Forum one evening @ Brielle Bait & Tackle. Paul Ripperger was the speaker. Maybe about a dozen anglers attended. Paul moved to Long Island, where he fishes for sea runs.

You never know,……perhaps, some of those in that audience are now catching…………

[Mikey topaz]

Back a out five six years ago we used to catch em down in manasquan river just bout evreycast all. Little guys but was a much better fight then stockie trout

[Mark B.]

Originally Posted by Mikey topaz

Back a out five six years ago we used to catch em down in manasquan river just bout evreycast all. Little guys but was a much better fight then stockie trout

As you know, we no longer raise brown trout @ The Pequest Hatchery.
When we did, we stocked 8” (the size, @ which, they tend to move to saline water) sea run browns in the fall. Also, any surplus browns (4” – 6”) that we could not use in our inland waters were stocked in the Manasquan River.

We’ve heard from other anglers who caught & released many of these sea run “trainees”. And, every once & a while, one of those anglers hooked into something bigger, that took off like a freight train & ultimately got / broke off.

[Lard Almighty]

Originally Posted by Mark B.

And, every once & a while, one of those anglers hooked into something bigger, that took off like a freight train & ultimately got / broke off.

You mean a bluefish?

These next few years will be a good test for this program. If anyone comes forward with confirmed catches, it will show that the fishery has a chance at being sustainable (though limited).

[tautog]

They were there before the special stocking. However without any browns entering the system in the Spring, it is unlikely to continue beyond the few brookies and bows that also make the run.

[Bruce Litton]

The Holy Grail.

[Jigman13]

People who know where to go and when catch them still. It's all about timing with those gorgeous critters!

[Bruce Litton]

Funny thing about sea-run, they lose the color, and yet they're all the more beautiful to us. At 14, I caught a bunch of sea-run brookies on the Gaspe Peninsula, a creek that just plunged down from 4000-foot mountains right there. Where I fished, the ocean or Gaspe Sea was just a couple of miles downstream. These brookies were silver as steelhead, and the impression they made on me, you can't put a price on it.

[Mark B.]

Originally Posted by Jigman13

People who know where to go and when catch them still. It's all about timing with those gorgeous critters!

Tightlipped anglers seeking no glory (NJ State Record Sea Run Brown category remains vacant).