Sea Run Brown Trout Program Information

[Mark B.]

Here I go again, for the umpteenth time, giving you the facts,.......that will only be ignored or forgotten:


There’s really no extra cost in raising surplus trout,….we have them every year,….as our hatchery’s insurance policy.

If there is a need, we will stock them in our inland waters,…………and, if we need forage for warmwater fish @ Hackettstown the muskies, etc. there get a nice treat.

We just don’t stock surplus trout in our inland waters, if there is no need. As, you can overstock those waters, to their detriment.

So, we put them in the Trout Maintenance classified tidal freshwater Manasquan R. where, they can remain & holdover (unlike the tidal freshwater Raritan R.) ,……or if the numbers of trout causes too much competition for forage, they can head out to the brackish water,……fatten up,…….& maybe return to freshwater one day.

Sea runs are one of the wariest fish on earth, & not easily caught. If you fish for them “a few times”,…..odds are you are not going to catch one.

[jimmythegreek]

Id love to see a trophy sea run program put in place in NJ, and I bet THOUSANDS of anglers would put up their own money to help it along, myself included. If NJFW put up some type of donation program, they would be amazed at how much they would receive for this type of fishery, Id throw 100 into the fund and so would LOTS of other guys. If they added the info the the fishing digest and really asked anglers to release these fish and help report their findings/catches w a hotline this would be a booming fishery in 10 years. We have enough ethical anglers that would be fine with C&R of these fish for a number of years til it is sustainable. Think of the money and economic benefit it would produce, look at the Zoo that happens yearly up in Pulaski+Altmar w the Salmon River, those business and locals would be done without that fishery. I would rather see the Raritan get these fish, mainly because of location, the manasquan is way south in NJ, and those guys have the bounty of the sea and alot of sea trout at their disposal, its the freshwater guys who will be most supportive of this type of program. Im surprised this hasnt been setup already in a very aggressive manner to really get things going. Trout are the 3rd most fished species in the USA and look at the money spent/received in support of the regular streams/lakes trout stocking programs, opening day is a big deal for alot of people, its like the start of the open water fishing season

[AndyS]

Mark you said yourself these "surplus" trout don't have to go into "Trout Maintenance" waters. Time for some change.

Why no one made mention of the 139 trout that used the fish ladder in South Bound Brook in 2003, and the 200 trout that used the ladder in 2005, and the 116 trout that used the ladder in 2011 and the 133 trout that used the ladder in 2012. This of course not counting all the trout, there are days when the water is murky and you can't tell what the fish are and this is only viewing from the day light hours. The link on the State website about a guy catching sea runs does it at night, how many trout passed through the ladder at night ? I Think South Bound Brook fish ladder is only a short distance from the tidal section in New Brunswick, maybe there is already a sea run in the Raritan. Explain to me the 4 young of the year browns we got in our pull below the falls in South Bound Brook, where did these trout come from.

[saxmatt]

I've measured water temps over 80 degrees in the tidal stretch in the summer. Those shallow muddy stretches warm up quick. Can browns even survive water that hot?

[AndyS]

We got 4 young of the year brown trout in our pull in South Bound Brook this year. Surplus fish are stocking in the fall and return as sea runs in the fall and winter, water temp is not an issue.

[saxmatt]

I read they spend 1-4 years in the river before they start migrating. Maybe the water farther upstream stays cool enough for them.

[AndyS]

Dunno, all I know is there is a boat load of trout using the ladder. If the river is clean enough for striped bass, river herring and shad to return from the ocean then why not try brown trout. The State no longer has an intrest in shad returns on the Raritan. I'm just asking for a split of the 15,000 that go into the Manasquan annually, is that asking too much ?[IMG][/IMG]

[saxmatt]

That pic was from April. They stock a lot of trout upstream in the Raritan and they move all over the place. I even caught a rainbow in the spring down in New Brunswick. Seeing stocked trout in the spring and fall doesn't mean it's good trout habitat, just means the thousands of fish they put in like to move around.

[AndyS]

EVERY fish I have seen watching the fish ladder videos since March has moved up river. I am now watching May 9th, still waiting to see one fish go down river. The nearest stocking point is Rt. 206 in the town of Raritan. So if trout are moving around and holding then it must mean time to stock sea run browns in the Raritan.

[saxmatt]

Makes sense if you think about it. Easiest way for them to get down is over the dams especially during floods, easiest way for them to get back up is the ladder. Like I said, they like to move around.