Just stumbled across this, looking up the old "Pay & Fish" place.
My grandfather was the caretaker there, working for Mr. Magnus (or Magnuson, I'm not sure which it was -- there was another, similarly named man at that time, trying to woo my divorced mother. I tended to get their names mixed up. As I was around 10, that shouldn't be surprising). The deal was that you paid a set fee, then paid extra for every trout over a given size that you caught (by the inch). If you caught something that wasn't stocked (i.e., pike, bass, or pickerel), it was free. The place was on the south side of Rt. 23, a short distance before the Riverdale Armory, between the railroad tracks and the highway. Grandpa (George Holley) ran the snack bar and collected payments. I spent my weekends and summers there, helping him and running a little side business -- I'd walk around the lake and collect any lures, scales, etc., I found, then sell them in the snack bar).
From what my Grandpa told me, the things that killed Pay & Fish were the NJ State Wildlife folks and the Mob. NJ said you had to have a license to fish, even in privately stocked water. Mr. Magnus(on) won his court case, but it bankrupted him. At the same time, the Mob was supposed to be very interested in laundering money via the place and was putting pressure on him.
Mr. Magnus(on) had around a dozen sheep, used to keep the grass down. One day, when Grandpa came in to work, he found one sheep dying and the rest already dead. Apparently, someone had stopped on Rt. 23 and used a rifle to shoot the sheep. The police couldn't solve the case...despite some large hints. I was told that the Mob was sending a message to Mr. Magnus(on). Shortly after that, the place folded. Less than a year later, my Grandpa died (cancer -- he was a heavy smoker).
I know it's been 3 years since the last entry in this thread, but it is of personal interest to me. I spent many mornings at Pay & Fish, watching the sun rise and the fish surface. Lots of happy memories...Also, thats' where Grandpa taught me how to shoot his 12 guage, by putting a peanut can on a embankment. I missed on two shots, then later saw the scars in the side of the Riverdale armory, where it appeared my overshoots had hit. As a little kid, it scared me -- all I had was an old shotgun, but they had TANKS! :-).
CD
