Fall Trout Stocking Begins

[Billfish715]

There are a few adjustments coming up in the fall trout stocking which begins in two weeks. The biggest change will be the "gag order" on the stocking schedule. Just as during the spring schedule, there will be no advanced information about when and where the trout will be stocked. Much like last year, the streams are very low. Where the fish are stocked will likely be the same as the last several years but exact spots for stocking will be subject to the water depth and flow at specific locations. It is also left up to the discretion of the driver and his helper to determine if conditions at those stocking points are favorable for stocking.

There is a limited number of trout that will be stocked compared to the spring schedule. Not every location where there is a "trout stocked waters" sign will be stocked with trout. If you have fished in the fall in the past, you'll know where to go. If you fish in the upper stretches of many of the major streams like the South Branch, expect to find that parking is at a premium. The upper portions of some of the streams are usually much narrower than the downstream sections and so finding a "hole" that is stocked will draw crowds. The SB is also very accessible from the roads that are adjacent to it but finding a pull off with no parked cars is a challenge.

With a lot of people still working from home, I expect to see more fishermen along the banks this fall. I'm sure they will make time to get away from their computers at home and will conduct business with a fishing rod in one hand and a phone in the other.

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

[FASTEDDIE29]

Knowing this is coming soon I actually took some time Sunday to check on a bunch of Trout stocked water. They are low, too low! Same stuff, different year. Thankfully I usually don’t start to Trout fish until the end of November. Our creeks are down to a trickle but hopefully Mother Nature comes through with a couple inches of rain sooner rather than later. Checked on a few wild trout streams in the Rt. 78 corridor and they were as dry as the desert. Not good! Let’s see what happens. I’m sure the same guys will be on the North Branch snagging the stockers with plain jigheads as they do every fall. Hopefully our game wardens can catch em’ in the act.

[RWole]

Hopefully this does not become the new way the state stocks trout. Hopefully next year they return to the schedule as in years past with bodies of water and dates clearly stated. They have screwed up trout stocking enough with eliminating Browns and Brookies.

[bigfishy]

I hope they keep the stocking like this!! Never understood the need to know where and when they stock....starting date is good enough....if they stocked you'll catch em, if they didnt , you wont....

Originally Posted by FASTEDDIE29

Knowing this is coming soon I actually took some time Sunday to check on a bunch of Trout stocked water. They are low, too low! Same stuff, different year. Thankfully I usually don’t start to Trout fish until the end of November. Our creeks are down to a trickle but hopefully Mother Nature comes through with a couple inches of rain sooner rather than later. Checked on a few wild trout streams in the Rt. 78 corridor and they were as dry as the desert. Not good! Let’s see what happens. I’m sure the same guys will be on the North Branch snagging the stockers with plain jigheads as they do every fall. Hopefully our game wardens can catch em’ in the act.

Understand fishery management is in a quandary when low water conditions exist in the fall as they do now. I also imagine the hatcheries need to release surplus fish to prepare for the upcoming season. If at the time of planned stocking certain waters are too low, trout should be redirected to lakes and reservoirs or streams that can support their survival to prevent people corraling fish and snagging them, especially the breeders. That's not the intended purpose of the fishery and certainly not why people pay license fees to support that kind of behavior.

Incident occurred in the different state but applies to the same situation Eddie described. I remember years ago fishing Oak Orchard in upstate New York and doing very well fly fishing with a dead egg pattern for beautiful brown trout. Six guys come along right below me, wade out into the middle of the stream I'm fishing in my line of drift using heavy duty spinning outfits and what looked like 3 oz chartreuse spros, spotting and snagging their limit of trophy browns all put on a stringer and taken from the river. Also obviously ended the bite I had going on the stretch I was fishing. Said something when they first waded out into the stretch and got the proverbial "not your river, &$#! off" reply. Real idiots. Called NYDEC but unfortunately by the time the two guys got there these six guys were already gone.

20% of the idiots that call what they do fishing ruin it for the other 80% who do it right. You see it happening call the conservation officers, they need help patrolling our waterways and so do the fisheries. Strange how the great outdoors and a beautiful fishery we have available brings the best out of most and at the same the worst out of too many.

When caught, the fines imposed should insure they'll never make the same mistake twice. Probably single biggest reason the behavior is prevalent, when caught which is rare, they end up with a slap on the wrist. Shame the outcome these fish face considering the effort the state goes through to produce them and stock them in the waterways in New Jersey. Hopefully one day the judicial system which is supposed to support NJF&G wakes up and addresses the problem. Not a difficult situation to resolve and one that should generate incremental revenues to support greater enforcement efforts. In the meantime, as Eddie mentioned, hopefully we get some rain that's desperately needed otherwise the fall stocking program will be a circus.

[AndyS]

No need to post dates every time a water body is stocked, I like it !

Originally Posted by AndyS

No need to post dates every time a water body is stocked, I like it !

Couldn't agree more, it's part of what creates the problem. The problem, like everything in life, is it's not about the fishery it's about money and revenue generation through license fees. The more people who know about stocking dates the more license fee revenue in state coffers. And it's not about survival of the fish they're stocking, it's about the most comprehensive inclusion of rivers being stocked so more anglers are again signing up for licenses and generating fees. It's the way the world operates and it's not about the change.

[FASTEDDIE29]

Definitely a fan of not posting dates and bodies of water. It should give the Trout buddies some time to escape the wrath of the meat hunters. Haha! The state has to make room for next years opening day Trout. We can count on them to get em’ in the water one way or another. Hopefully the rain gods give us something soon. I expect to see more anglers than usual on the water this year. Things could get interesting.

[Doug Vitale]

I've never had much luck trout fishing in the fall. Even though the summer temps are gone, usually the stream levels are lower than what you'd expect. I have been in the Catskills and Adirondacks several times in September over the past few years, and and even there nearly all the streams get bone dry this time of year. I just checked weather.gov for my town, and sure enough there is no rain predicted for the next seven days except for an occasional "chance of showers" here and there - not enough to fill streams.

NJ's streams are simply not robust habitats for trout. Without the stocking program, trout fishing would barely exist in our state. I have seen scant evidence that trout in any appreciable numbers hold over from one year to the next. When the streams get as low as they are now, the trout are sitting ducks for predators like heron.

Brown trout tolerate warmer water than brookies and rainbows do, but we all know the story by now about the hatchery's decision to raise only rainbows.

Originally Posted by dakota560

Strange how the great outdoors and a beautiful fishery we have available brings the best out of most and at the same the worst out of too many.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I have met the best and worst of men while hunting and fishing. It probably has something to do with there being two kinds of sportsmen: those who truly love and respect nature and her creatures and who undergo a kind of relaxing purification when they're in the woods or on the water, and then you have the ego-centric guys who are in it mostly mostly for the "thrill of the kill" and who want attention and validation for bringing home the biggest or the most fish and game. This variation sets the stage for personality clashes.

[Hookmanski]

Originally Posted by Doug Vitale

I've never had much luck trout fishing in the fall. Even though the summer temps are gone, usually the stream levels are lower than what you'd expect. I have been in the Catskills and Adirondacks several times in September over the past few years, and and even there nearly all the streams get bone dry this time of year. I just checked weather.gov for my town, and sure enough there is no rain predicted for the next seven days except for an occasional "chance of showers" here and there - not enough to fill streams.

NJ's streams are simply not robust habitats for trout. Without the stocking program, trout fishing would barely exist in our state. I have seen scant evidence that trout in any appreciable numbers hold over from one year to the next. When the streams get as low as they are now, the trout are sitting ducks for predators like heron.

It's interesting you say that. For me, Fall and Winter trout fishing the last few years has been great. I think the best day of trout fishing I ever had was in December one year, when i caught a tons of rainbows and my PB brookie. I think NJ has plenty of places trout can holdover, but the effort you need to catch them is high. Water levels do get low and yes most of the trout are eaten/taken, but every year I go out fishing on my dad's birthday in January and always seem to catch some!