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Fall Trout/Good decision made


LPJR

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I was all intent on working in the yard today and catching up on some fall projects as I was off. Late last night my Dad called and asked if I wanted to go with him to the Flatbrook for the fall stocking today. Immediately I said that I am planning on catching up around the yard and said "maybe next time" as it was my first day off this week. After getting off the phone I thought that the yard work can wait. I called him back and said I would meet him at Jumboland at noon then head to the stream.  

 

In the rain, it was one of the best days on the stream where I cut my teeth on fishing as a child with him.... Numerous breeder rainbows, all at least 2-3 year old fish were nicely spread out in many spots. I brought both the spinning rod and fly rod but I truly wanted to catch a breeder on the fly pole. (This past spring my son and I picked up two fly rods and caught trout on flies for the first time when my friend Nick (nmco2 on this site) showed us the ins and outs of fly fishing.

 

The trout were not easy to catch..... They were extremely finicky, most likely because they were freshly stocked. We started to catch them on a trout magnet, and I was surprised to see my Dad catching them on the magnet with no float. He was drifting one along the bottom and hitting them. After a couple on the magnet, I switched to the fly rod. It was tough, but when I saw the small float indicator disappear next to a huge log I held on. It was a huge rainbow that jumped 2 or 3 times like a salmon that took the tiny Copper John nymph. To land him on the fly setup was awesome.   Needless to say, we caught and released over 7-8 trout each before taking home our limit because the rainbows are my favorite trout to eat.

 

Glad I made the decision to go. Only would have been more sweet if my little guy was not in school and could have fished with us also.

 

Moral of the long winded story....(apologies) The leaves, yardwork and projects will ALWAYS be there. The chance to make memories will not. Hope everyone is enjoying their time in the woods and on the stream with friends and family this season. 

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Nice catch! They stocked the Pohatcong today. Didn't catch any. The creek is super low. The blue heron will have a field day. I question why they stocked those fish in those extreme low water conditions.

 

They have absolutely no choice but to stock the trout now.  They MUST make room in the hatchery for next year's fish.  I know many ask that same question, but the answer is easy.  Also, now that the Division is only raising rainbows which will be the case for at least several more years, the young rainbows have a bad habit of jumping out of the inside hatchery tanks and dying which the browns and brookies did not do very often.  That necessitates a faster move out to the concrete raceways at Pequest.  Even if they had additional capacity to hold these fish which they do not, the same trout stocking crews are soon used to stock pheasants across the state.  So stocking regardless of water conditions is a must for the Division.  

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They have absolutely no choice but to stock the trout now.  They MUST make room in the hatchery for next year's fish.  I know many ask that same question, but the answer is easy.  Also, now that the Division is only raising rainbows which will be the case for at least several more years, the young rainbows have a bad habit of jumping out of the inside hatchery tanks and dying which the browns and brookies did not do very often.  That necessitates a faster move out to the concrete raceways at Pequest.  Even if they had additional capacity to hold these fish which they do not, the same trout stocking crews are soon used to stock pheasants across the state.  So stocking regardless of water conditions is a must for the Division.  

Bucks, I did read on the Fish&Game website that due to low water they were not stocking anything on the other side of 206 of the Flatbrook (the side towards Stokes)....We were down a ways way past the Walpack valley and I was surprised and shocked how deep some of the holes were. Not tremendous, but some decent holes. Also, half the trout I cleaned had a ton of eggs in them, more than I have ever seen in a rainbow.

 

Also I should have mentioned, great job by the state (if any of the guys stocking today are on here). Each of the fish were older, some like footballs with hook jaws...It always is good to see Trevor, one of the guys up there today.

 

Well done guys :up: 

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Nice catch! They stocked the Pohatcong today. Didn't catch any. The creek is super low. The blue heron will have a field day. I question why they stocked those fish in those extreme low water conditions.

 

X7,

 

The blue heron is gonna have his hands full if he is looking for an easy trout dinner. Some (most) of the stocked breeders are huge.

 

The bird may be brought downstream by one, not kidding! :rofl:

Edited by LPJR
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Bucks, I did read on the Fish&Game website that due to low water they were not stocking anything on the other side of 206 of the Flatbrook (the side towards Stokes)....We were down a ways way past the Walpack valley and I was surprised and shocked how deep some of the holes were. Not tremendous, but some decent holes. Also, half the trout I cleaned had a ton of eggs in them, more than I have ever seen in a rainbow.

 

Also I should have mentioned, great job by the state (if any of the guys stocking today are on here). Each of the fish were older, some like footballs with hook jaws...It always is good to see Trevor, one of the guys up there today.

 

Well done guys :up:

Because of the exceptionally low and warm water we had this year, the rainbows are spawning earlier than ever before according to Frank at the Pequest Hatchery.  I was with him this morning, doling out rainbow trout eggs for our 153 schools doing the Trout In the Classroom (TIC) program this school year.  He was having fits because of all the extra work that is causing him as he strips eggs, incubates them, checks on them, etc.  In the days when the Division raised all three trout species, they would come into spawning season at slightly different times, spreading out the workload.  But with 100% rainbows, that is negated.  BTW, these fish released this week are not broodstock but rather 2 year old bows.  Most times they use older fish for broodstock although they do strip eggs and milt from 2 year olds as well.

 

Yeah, the lower half of the Flat Brook has some nice deep holes if you look for them.  That river unlike any others I know only holds trout in the deeper waters for the most part.  But right now, that is the case for all our NJ trout waters due to increased predation during this low water year from herons, eagles, ospreys, otters, mink, anglers, mergansers, etc., etc.

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Because of the exceptionally low and warm water we had this year, the rainbows are spawning earlier than ever before according to Frank at the Pequest Hatchery.  I was with him this morning, doling out rainbow trout eggs for our 153 schools doing the Trout In the Classroom (TIC) program this school year.  He was having fits because of all the extra work that is causing him as he strips eggs, incubates them, checks on them, etc.  In the days when the Division raised all three trout species, they would come into spawning season at slightly different times, spreading out the workload.  But with 100% rainbows, that is negated.  BTW, these fish released this week are not broodstock but rather 2 year old bows.  Most times they use older fish for broodstock although they do strip eggs and milt from 2 year olds as well.

 

Yeah, the lower half of the Flat Brook has some nice deep holes if you look for them.  That river unlike any others I know only holds trout in the deeper waters for the most part.  But right now, that is the case for all our NJ trout waters due to increased predation during this low water year from herons, eagles, ospreys, otters, mink, anglers, mergansers, etc., etc.

 

Good info to know Brian, thanks! Pretty neat you getting the eggs for the TIC program yourself at the Hatchery. Well done :up: 

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They have absolutely no choice but to stock the trout now.  They MUST make room in the hatchery for next year's fish.  I know many ask that same question, but the answer is easy.  Also, now that the Division is only raising rainbows which will be the case for at least several more years, the young rainbows have a bad habit of jumping out of the inside hatchery tanks and dying which the browns and brookies did not do very often.  That necessitates a faster move out to the concrete raceways at Pequest.  Even if they had additional capacity to hold these fish which they do not, the same trout stocking crews are soon used to stock pheasants across the state.  So stocking regardless of water conditions is a must for the Division.  

I can understand that, Brian. However there is deep water in the nearby reservoirs that can hold the fish.. It looked like the Salmon River with the fish puddling with their dorsal s out of the water and guys trying to snag them. I just think better judgement could have been used is all.

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