Anyone fishing the Musconetcong?

[Bucksnbows]

For those that might not know the Musconetcong well, it is year round trout water below the Penwell Road area which is the top of the Point Mountain Trout Conservation Area (TCA).  Above that, the river can get too warm during the summer for trout.  The Musky is an "upside down" watershed.  It starts as a freestone river flowing warm out of Lake Hopatcong's state-owned dam and flows south west into Lake Musconetcong and then down to Stephens SP all the while being better summer smallie fishing than trout fishing.  But around Penwell and down, the river begins to hit the limestone karst region where groundwater mixes with river water, and it both cools and cleans the river down.  So that groundwater mixing is critical for retaining cooler summer temps.   

[hammer4reel]

BB  what club is stocking Kamloops in the river  ? 

I thought they were a preferred deep water lake dweller .

how are they in the river with water not being as cold ?

[Mink]

6 minutes ago, Bucksnbows said:

For those that might not know the Musconetcong well, it is year round trout water below the Penwell Road area which is the top of the Point Mountain Trout Conservation Area (TCA).  Above that, the river can get too warm during the summer for trout.  The Musky is an "upside down" watershed.  It starts as a freestone river flowing warm out of Lake Hopatcong's state-owned dam and flows south west into Lake Musconetcong and then down to Stephens SP all the while being better summer smallie fishing than trout fishing.  But around Penwell and down, the river begins to hit the limestone karst region where groundwater mixes with river water, and it both cools and cleans the river down.  So that groundwater mixing is critical for retaining cooler summer temps.   

Has there ever been any evidence of trout reproduction in this area?

[Bucksnbows]

Just now, Mink said:

Has there ever been any evidence of trout reproduction in this area?

The entire river is listed as TM.  But part of that reason is the Musky is too large to backpack electrofish and too small to use the electrofishing boat, so most of it does not get sampled.  That said, the Division has some new equipment that could do this task, but we will have to see what the next biologist for that river wants to do as Pat H is retiring soon.

Most of the river's tributaries are native brook trout and some have wild browns or a mix of wild browns and brookies.  If you know these sites, fishing near the mouths of the tribs can give you wild browns and native brookies.  But other than seeing redds which I do each fall, we don't yet know if it has wild trout spawning in the mainstem.  To this fisheries amateur biologist, there is not any reason we don't have at least some mainstem spawning.  The pH is good and there is a ton of good spawning habitat up and down the entire 42 miles.      

[SPEARFISH]

17 minutes ago, Bucksnbows said:

For those that might not know the Musconetcong well, it is year round trout water below the Penwell Road area which is the top of the Point Mountain Trout Conservation Area (TCA).  Above that, the river can get too warm during the summer for trout.  The Musky is an "upside down" watershed.  It starts as a freestone river flowing warm out of Lake Hopatcong's state-owned dam and flows south west into Lake Musconetcong and then down to Stephens SP all the while being better summer smallie fishing than trout fishing.  But around Penwell and down, the river begins to hit the limestone karst region where groundwater mixes with river water, and it both cools and cleans the river down.  So that groundwater mixing is critical for retaining cooler summer temps.   

I've caught many way above Penwell through the summer.  Smallies are fun too.

[Bucksnbows]

22 minutes ago, hammer4reel said:

BB  what club is stocking Kamloops in the river  ? 

I thought they were a preferred deep water lake dweller .

how are they in the river with water not being as cold ?

Pretty much every fishing club that stocks trout in NJ is using Musky Trout Hatchery (or should be), and that hatchery raises Kamloops strain bows.  They are a river fish from Canada that is steelhead stock.  They fight like no Pequest rainbow ever could, jumping frequently and taking blistering runs.  So all the clubs on all the rivers are buying fish from them as well as some private landowners that own sections of rivers but don't have a club leasing their water.  The reason I say "should be buying" is because that hatchery is the only non-state hatchery approved for stocking into NJ waters because they pay to test their trout for diseases.  I do know some clubs that use other hatcheries and do not obtain the necessary $2 stocking permit from Division biologists.   

[Bucksnbows]

13 minutes ago, SPEARFISH said:

I've caught many way above Penwell through the summer.  Smallies are fun too.

Yes, and most years they can hang all the way up into Mansfield and beyond, but some summers they all die or swim downstream or into a tributary to escape the heat.  

[GunDogs]

On 4/23/2020 at 1:07 PM, Bucksnbows said:

Fish the bridge at Changewater and you will do great.  Both up and downstream of that bridge.  Try pink salmon eggs if you're not doing anything with the spinners.  And that's from a dry fly, catch and release purist fly fishing snob.      

just be careful not to upset the axe murder ghosts, Peter can be a jerk sometimes and Joe Jr’s is always really mean 

[Mink]

4 hours ago, Bucksnbows said:

The entire river is listed as TM.  But part of that reason is the Musky is too large to backpack electrofish and too small to use the electrofishing boat, so most of it does not get sampled.  That said, the Division has some new equipment that could do this task, but we will have to see what the next biologist for that river wants to do as Pat H is retiring soon.

Most of the river's tributaries are native brook trout and some have wild browns or a mix of wild browns and brookies.  If you know these sites, fishing near the mouths of the tribs can give you wild browns and native brookies.  But other than seeing redds which I do each fall, we don't yet know if it has wild trout spawning in the mainstem.  To this fisheries amateur biologist, there is not any reason we don't have at least some mainstem spawning.  The pH is good and there is a ton of good spawning habitat up and down the entire 42 miles.      

Thank You!

[_X7]

8 hours ago, hammer4reel said:

I have a quiet stretch I have fished since I was a young kid .

its a long walk in and out but it gets little foot traffic as there is very little bank access .

like you said it keeps the fishing fun .

used to be unreal a long time ago when they still did federal stockings 

I had a few spots like that on the Musky as well. Amazing to catch some of those fish that run from the madding crowds. A lot of it is off limits today, but I'm sure the fish still run there.

[Jerzguy2]

  The reason I say "should be buying" is because that hatchery is the only non-state hatchery approved for stocking into NJ waters because they pay to test their trout for diseases.  I do know some clubs that use other hatcheries and do not obtain the necessary $2 stocking permit from Division biologists.   

 

 

Brian,  Am I misreading your statement? Because their are many approved hatcheries.

[Bucksnbows]

On 4/25/2020 at 10:46 AM, Jerzguy2 said:

  The reason I say "should be buying" is because that hatchery is the only non-state hatchery approved for stocking into NJ waters because they pay to test their trout for diseases.  I do know some clubs that use other hatcheries and do not obtain the necessary $2 stocking permit from Division biologists.   

 

 

Brian,  Am I misreading your statement? Because their are many approved hatcheries.

I’m unaware of any out of state hatcheries that can legally stock NJ waters with trout. 

[Jerzguy2]

 

https://www.njfishandwildlife.com/pdf/fwfisheries/comm_hatcheries.pdf