NJ Landlock Record

[Flygaff]

I have fish Merrill for the first time this year. I have been there 5 times so far. I just love the place. I have caught largemouth and Smallmouth in the 4 lb range on every trip. to top it off I just caught my first ever Salmon the other day. 20 inches. I can't wait to go back. Live herring seems to work.

[NJSquatch]

official announcement...

https://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/news/2021...ce=govdelivery

[Jigman13]

That fish grew a foot in 3 years or less... thats batshit lol

[Billfish715]

Originally Posted by Wilson

This is the CURRENT record.


The New Jersey DFW has certified the catch of a new state record freshwater fish! This Landlocked Salmon replaced a record which stood for 67 years and is the first record salmon since stocking began in 2006.

Runelvy Rodriguez of Northvale, New Jersey, reeled in the record Landlocked Salmon on June 2, 2018. The fish weighed in at 8 pounds, 5 ounces, eclipsing the previous state record of 8 pounds set in 1951! The fish measured 25.75″ in length and had a girth of 15″. Runelevy was fishing off a boat on Lake Aeroflex when she reeled in the fish. The fish hit while Runelevy was trolling. She was using an Okuma rod and reel. A spoon served as the lure.

anglers.


This is what is posted under her picture. Notice where it was caught.
Runelvy Rodriguez landed an 8-pound, 5-ounce salmon in 2018 while fishing Lake Tilcon, breaking the longstanding New Jersey salmon record in place since 1951.

Current state record was definitely taken from Aeroflex. As far as natural reproduction, I've seen small females cleaned on shore which were loaded with eggs. Landlocks need rivers and streams with gravel beds to spawn. Females start spawning anywhere between age 4-6. Gravel beds have to be loose enough to allow eggs to be buried 4-12 inches. Not sure that any of the four impoundments stocked in NJ have that type of habitat to support natural reproduction unfortunately. Would be awesome if they could.

[Billfish715]

This link has a lot of information about which to consider. One such nugget was the date when landlocked salmon were introduced into Merrill. Another is to note that there did not seem to be any breeder fish that were sent from Massachusetts along with the fry that were sent and are being raised here. So, if that fish was not a breeder when it was stocked, it really grew fast and big in a hurry. I think the salmon were not stocked into MC until 2018. Tilcon had bigger fish on average stocked there and sooner than at MC. That might be a real sleeper to watch. Of course, we never know how many of these put-and-take salmon are harvested and how much they have grown unless someone reports a trophy-sized one. Everyone is very tight lipped about how many salmon they have creeled.

https://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/salmon.htm