Paulinskill River

[mike033089]

14 minutes ago, Bucksnbows said:

Ah, so why drive over the South Branch and Musconetcong on your way to the Paulinskill when the first two river are far better trout fisheries and with far more access and closer to home?  Just food for thought.  That said, the Paulinskill continues to improve as obsolete dams on the lower river are removed.  Columbia Lake dam is gone and American shad, river herring, American eels, and striped bass now swim much further up that river.  The Paulina Lake Dam removal is next, and the engineering on that is completed (I was unimpressed with the design).  It is out to bid for final engineering to permit and hire a contractor to remove it, most likely next year (summer 2023).  It will cool the river as much as 3 degrees F for miles which will greatly increase holdover water below and just above Blairstown.   

Curious to if you know the Depth of that river near the dam and/or what it will become after dam removal. Moved there a couple years ago and hardly have time to really fish. But I have caught smaller smallmouth right below the damn but nothing above it there.  

[Nomad]

South Branch and Musky are much nicer. Paulinskill is a mud hole.

[kohunter]

43 minutes ago, Nomad said:

South Branch and Musky are much nicer. Paulinskill is a mud hole.

Mudhole! Have you ever fished the Manasquan River down here in Porkroll land? That's a Mudhole!

[Nomad]

12 minutes ago, kohunter said:

Mudhole! Have you ever fished the Manasquan River down here in Porkroll land? That's a Mudhole!

No, but I thought about trying for those sea run browns there.

[kohunter]

4 minutes ago, Nomad said:

No, but I thought about trying for those sea run browns there.

I could be wrong,but I think they are pretty rare.

[Bucksnbows]

1 hour ago, mike033089 said:

Curious to if you know the Depth of that river near the dam and/or what it will become after dam removal. Moved there a couple years ago and hardly have time to really fish. But I have caught smaller smallmouth right below the damn but nothing above it there.  

I can look at the drawings and tell you. Won’t be until tomorrow. PM me if I forget or get busy. I have that info or should. 

[Bucksnbows]

48 minutes ago, kohunter said:

Mudhole! Have you ever fished the Manasquan River down here in Porkroll land? That's a Mudhole!

It’s not nicknamed the Muddysquan for nothing! 

[Bucksnbows]

31 minutes ago, kohunter said:

I could be wrong,but I think they are pretty rare.

They are non existent now. Turns out 100% of the sea runs were browns stocked by Pequest. The Manasquan sees no wild brown trout reproduction, so without stocked trout, that fishery is no more. 

[Kype]

welcome to the site. if your up for it and want to come down to fish the musconetcong river ill show your around. there are  some nice runs just downstream of my backyard. 

[Rusty]

2 hours ago, KodiakMagnum said:

LPJR,

Thanks. I Live in Morris County, don't know much about the area. I was planning on taking more trips to scope out the area once I got some feedback from members that fish in the area. I appreciate everyone's help. 

BTW- Awesome site. I have just joined, but have enjoyed reading the forums

You should come to our get together at LPJR’s on March 5th.   It’s a great way to meet a bunch of local like-minded people.    And it’s fun too.    

[KodiakMagnum]

1 hour ago, Bucksnbows said:

Ah, so why drive over the South Branch and Musconetcong on your way to the Paulinskill when the first two river are far better trout fisheries and with far more access and closer to home?  Just food for thought.  That said, the Paulinskill continues to improve as obsolete dams on the lower river are removed.  Columbia Lake dam is gone and American shad, river herring, American eels, and striped bass now swim much further up that river.  The Paulina Lake Dam removal is next, and the engineering on that is completed (I was unimpressed with the design).  It is out to bid for final engineering to permit and hire a contractor to remove it, most likely next year (summer 2023).  It will cool the river as much as 3 degrees F for miles which will greatly increase holdover water below and just above Blairstown.   

That's a good point, and much closer.  I was just trying to explore other areas to fish. For many years I have only really  fished the Rockaway.  Denville, Boonton, Boonton Twp. stretch. Have been to Saxton Falls many moons ago. I guess I was trying to find another stream to fish to break up the standard. I fished Saxton Falls many years back.  I was thinking the Paulinskill looked good because it was more out in the country, looked like a more peaceful area to fish, and there were lots of areas along the river. Just don't know that area well.  Going to check out the Sussex stretch too.  Going to take another road trip next day I can and will check out the the South Branch in Long Valley, Black River, and I will look at the Musky. I have heard it gets overcrowded but have not been there recently. Thanks for the thoughts.

[Bucksnbows]

24 minutes ago, KodiakMagnum said:

That's a good point, and much closer.  I was just trying to explore other areas to fish. For many years I have only really  fished the Rockaway.  Denville, Boonton, Boonton Twp. stretch. Have been to Saxton Falls many moons ago. I guess I was trying to find another stream to fish to break up the standard. I fished Saxton Falls many years back.  I was thinking the Paulinskill looked good because it was more out in the country, looked like a more peaceful area to fish, and there were lots of areas along the river. Just don't know that area well.  Going to check out the Sussex stretch too.  Going to take another road trip next day I can and will check out the the South Branch in Long Valley, Black River, and I will look at the Musky. I have heard it gets overcrowded but have not been there recently. Thanks for the thoughts.

From Budd Lake to where the Long Valley Brew Pub is in Long Valley (Washington Twp. in Morris Cty.), the South Branch is mostly open to the public and 100% wild trout stream.  That's about 9 1/2 miles.  From the bridge there down to Ken Lockwood Gorge No-Kill, it's both stocked and wild fish.  Of our major trout rivers, the SBR has the most wild trout and it has all three species naturally reproducing in areas (bows the least).  Access is fairly well marked along route 513 in Long Valley and Middle Valley and again along places like River Road in Tewksbury into Califon.   

The Musky flows 42 miles from the outlet dam on Lake Hopatcong to the Delaware River and, like the Paulinskill, runs through mostly farmland once you get below Hackettstown.  The Musky's best fishing starts well below where you fished at Saxton Falls at Point Mountain where the Trout Conservation Area (TCA) is located.  There is a lot of access, and where there is no access, it will be posted.  I'd guesstimate that of the 42 miles of river, you can fish at least one side legally for over 20 miles and likely much closer to 30 miles.  All the water in the mainstem Musky gets too warm for trout in summer from Lake Hopatcong down to a little below Hackettstown almost every year.  But limestone begins to  have more and more influence on that river and it cools as it goes downstream making it unique.  It is the # 1 most heavily stocked and for good reason, access and being Trout Maintenance (TM) waters year round.  Most of its tributaries hold native brook trout with some also holding wild browns.  We have wild fish in the Musky, but the overwhelming majority you will catch will be stocked or multi year holdovers.      

 

Edited February 2, 2022 by Bucksnbows

[DonW]

1 hour ago, Nomad said:

No, but I thought about trying for those sea run browns there.

My buddy and I took one of my daughters one Winter many, many years ago. She actually caught the only one that day. She still remembers that.

[Nomad]

32 minutes ago, DonW said:

My buddy and I took one of my daughters one Winter many, many years ago. She actually caught the only one that day. She still remembers that.

was it big?

[bucky]

The Pequest  also has some very nice stretches of river