Trout Union County

[Suntzu]

Had a few hours of conference calls Friday so I took them from the car while following the stocking truck. Interesting, stocked places I thought they wouldn't, did not stock places I assumed they would, put numbers in spots not heavily fished, but 1 net in places that are very heavily fished was interesting
Caught 43 trout in last 24 hours, half moved to spots in same body of water were they can hold over

[Suntzu]

20 more captured and relocated
Almost no one out fishing today

[FASTEDDIE29]

Buddy!!!! Sounds like great stream catching to me. I hope you relocated those fish down a ways. Oh and, SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, you probably don't wana announce that your transporting Trout all over the place. Hahaha!!!

[NorthJerzyG]

How exactly are you relocating them? Where are you moving them?

After my experience yesterday helping stock, I learned one thing. "Truck chasing" is definitely frowned upon by the stocking crew............

[Suntzu]

I have an insulated aerated large tank that I use at other tines for live bait that can easily transport them. I pull them out of one part of the river and put them in another where they have the opportunity to hold over. Have caught brown trout this year that were relocated last year. Relocation points are not terribly far and in between stocking points, just better places but too out of the way to stock

Hit 9 different spots today, caught at each, no one else fishing. Still a lot of trout out there.

My following of the truck was not welcome. As long as I stayed out of the way I frankly could care less if they were happy or not happy with me following; and their displeasure with me following was for the same reason as most, no one wants someone else watching while they do their job. That being said I only followed for awhile, about 1/4 of the route, because it got boring

[Suntzu]

See is this 2015 Union County brown posts

[acabtp]

Originally Posted by Suntzu

I have an insulated aerated large tank that I use at other tines for live bait that can easily transport them. I pull them out of one part of the river and put them in another where they have the opportunity to hold over. Have caught brown trout this year that were relocated last year. Relocation points are not terribly far and in between stocking points, just better places but too out of the way to stock

hey, here's an idea... how about you stop doing that and don't do it again. NJ doesn't need any more "bucket biologists"

For the protection of the state's freshwater fisheries resources a fish stocking permit from the Division of Fish and Wildlife is required prior to introducing any fish, including their fry or eggs, into any waters, regardless of ownership. In order to reduce the risk of the introduction of disease and/or parasites fish must be purchased from a Fish and Wildlife "approved hatchery source."

The release of any fish from private aquariums, food markets, or the transfer of fish from one waterbody to another, is expressly forbidden and poses series threats (transfer of disease, parasites, or introduction of invasive species) to the state's fishery resources. The introduction of even commonly encountered fish species can pose a threat to established fish populations, resulting in increased competition, stunting, transfer of disease, or parasites resulting in a decline in the overall fishery. A fish stocking permit assures against the release of invasive fish species, minimizes the risk of disease or parasite introduction, assures fish are stocked at proper sizes and rates, and that the stocking is consistent with established management goals for specific waters.

http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/fishperms.htm#stocking


if you want to help stock, volunteer
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/wcchome.htm

[Suntzu]

Hey how about you read my post and don't lecture me. I do not move fish from one body of water to another I move them within the same body of water breaking no law or reg and as such will continue to do as I please

[Billfish715]

Okay, so somebody wanted to spread fish to where they could live longer. Why all the hatin'? The Rahway used to have rock dams, and stretches that were maintained by local kids and their parents. There was a massive river cleanup around the Morris Avenue bridge many, many, years ago. It got great media coverage (in the papers back then). Trash was hauled out and wing dams were built with the available river rocks. That was then. There were stretches of the river below the Drescher Dam that were made very fishable with the same methods. I know of one very popular trout guide out West who was a mainstay on the Rahway River when he was a kid. It's where he learned his craft. Everyone starts somewhere. For lots of guys my age, it was where we went on our Schwins at 5:00A.M on Saturday mornings and after school.

I don't understand the opposition to transporting live trout to places where they can swim and perhaps be caught again rather than just letting them suffocate in the oxygen depleted waters. Isn't it the same as catch and release? There are lots of places that get stocked by the state that are little more than puddles or trickles that dry up in weeks. What happens to those trout when the weather warms? Given the fact that so few fishermen are out on the stream, it's just throwing good money after bad especially if the fish are put in areas that won't support them if they are not caught.

The problem here is not that somebody chose to do what he thought was a good deed, but that he made it public! Those of you who have stocked trout know that without a CO leading the way, the stocking is whimsical. The drivers have a route and numbers of fish to stock at each spot. But again, if he doesn't know the area well enough, it's still up to him and his volunteer (if he has one) to get the trout in and get back to the hatchery in a timely fashion.

Why can't the Rahway hold fish into the summer and beyond? Why not give the kids a chance to find them? Stop the hatin'! If I didn't know any better, I might say that Suntzu is practicing conservation. How is he not? Just think about that one word......conservation.......of a resource, of a sport, of another generation of fishermen!

[AndyS]

I'm not hating at all. BUT, there are certain ways of doing things. The vigilante approach is putting a band aid on a band aid. I say pool the resources, get the Watershed people and TU involved. I understand this is a long drawn out process but will yield better results in the long run.
Sometimes you just have to connect all the dots, bring all the people together.