Spring Trout Closure

[Billfish715]

We’re back to the old system of closed trout waters during preseason stocking. It’s disappointing after a tremendously satisfying preseason during the Covid crisis. We could fish ( Catch & Release ) for trout prior to the opener and it was GREAT! In fact, the unannounced stockings were great all year long. Many of us enjoyed it a lot. We are back to closed fishing days and 5:00 elbow to elbow creel stuffing. Go back to “ no notice stocking “ or open up at 5:00 A.M. the next morning on a closed stream after an announced stocking.

[bigfishy]

Deff disappointing news!!Their new way of doing things during covid was a real improvement imo...

[RWole]

I prefer "the old" or traditional stocking. Glad to see it return mostly for the reason of I prefer AN7/8 week stocking season. Hope all enjoy this years Trout season.

[AndyS]

I'm glad to be back to the old schedule. The Pre-opener C&R was infested with guys using Power Cheese and treble hooks and ripping those out of deeply hooked fish, it was a blood bath on most streams. Add into that all the people not practicing C&R during the opener when 600,000 trout were dumped into streams in 2 weeks, read reports of guys catching 100 plus trout in a day.
If they really wanted to help the sport they should follow Pa. and have a 3 week C&R for children accompanied by an adult. In Pa. the kids can fish and not be bothered by drunks and surf rods throwing 2 ounce sinkers in densely populated holes. Also N.J. should not go by calendar year license but do what N.Y. does, your license is good for 365 days from the day of purchase.
Where are our Brown Trout, don't even get me started !!

[bigfishy]

The browns are in rome ny...they raise some of the hardiest browns of all the ny hatcheries....they should be hardy, their descendants of wild beaverkill browns...we should make a deal with that hatchery...get it goin andy!! We can trade em hybrids fer brownies

[Billfish715]

So much of the success by many fishermen is measured by the numbers of fish they catch. It’s a logical and realistic measure. However, so much of the success depends on fishing where or near where the trout were stocked. During Covid, the majority of trout were stocked in a very short time span in only a few locations. Because of a tight time schedule, a truckload of fish might have been stocked in only a few places so the drivers could get back out for another delivery. If you fished where they were stocked, you were usually very successful. By the end of April, all of the season’s quota of trout was stocked. It was to avoid as much Covid related interaction as possible if a normal stocking schedule was followed.

Some of those trout did spread out but with the more traditional stocking schedule, the fish will be stocked, this year, in more locations allowing for better distribution. One other plus will be that the trout, when allowed to stay in the raceways longer, will grow more by the May stockings. Do you remember that most of the rainbows last year, were cookie cutter trout that could have grown bigger if they were left at the hatchery and fed for a few more weeks.

One concession for this season might have been to allow catch and release fishing during the preseason stocking. It was a great concept that allowed many more fishing hours for all of us. Hey Fish and Game Council! Are you listening?

[Fred E. Goose]

Originally Posted by AndyS

Also N.J. should not go by calendar year license but do what N.Y. does, your license is good for 365 days from the day of purchase.

I lived in Charlotte, NC for 6 months and they did this too. 365 days from the day of purchase and it was a little card you kept in your wallet, didn't have to be on display. I've lived in NJ the rest of my entire life, so I was shocked that other states work it this way!

That being said, I think I am like most anglers on here and buy it every year anyway so I don't see how that would affect us or save us any $$$

[Fred E. Goose]

I like the old system. I've seen far too many dead trout floating and sideways on the bottom of the streams over the past 2 years of this.

I did however like the unannounced stocking schedule that wasn't updated until after the body of water had been stocked, but I remember that some people complained because this made it tricky to schedule a trip around Stokes and another at Stephens SP's and not knowing if they'd be stocked before, during, or after their trip. I understand that can be a downside especially if you are traveling from afar for a getaway revolving around fishing.

All in all, there are poachers that don't care about the closed season, and they were still there poaching when it was catch-and-release only. The rule changes only affect those that abide by the rules, and there is a VERY limited resource of rule enforcement.

[thmyorke1]

+1 for PA's system, kids can fish early.
Last year at Eddie's opening day party was great, plenty of fish there + a breeder. That was during the covid schedule. Idk if there was much impact compared to if anglers were to CnR for weeks prior.
Although i do understand it's a hassle to try and enforce from a CO perspective. Plus i dont mind streams having time of no pressure before a fun opening day.
Cant say i side with either schedule, both had pros n cons

[hammer4reel]

I liked the massive input of fish .
Fish forced each other to spread out for much greater distances as did the early CR period .
The catch and release period should have been no bait and barbless hooks to promote as healthy a release as possible .

I saw way less guys fishing than when they do the put and take stockings. Many days having the river to myself .
.
Fish were around all summer .

Normal stockings in years past there are bigger crowds at the drop points and it’s no where near as peaceful .

.