Electro fishing the Ken Lockwood Gorge No-Kill yesterday

[Bucksnbows]

One of the best things about my job is working with Division staff to electro fish trout rivers and streams.  Yesterday I helped with the Ken Lockwood Gorge no-kill stretch on the South Branch Raritan.  We had a large, 11 person crew, and we used the barge instead of backpack electro fishing units.  These surveys can be fast and furious when you coral trout in front of you in a deeper pool that has an upstream riffle.  As you near the top of each pool, the trout come popping up, drawn to the electrical current created at the end of each wand.  To minimize handling, we quickly inspect any stocked rainbows for general health, count them, and put them right back in the river below our current sampling area so they don't swim upstream and get sampled a second time.  We use temporary nets across the river to prevent escapees.  

 

 

 

Young of the year wild rainbows were common, but not older class wild bows

 

Division principal fisheries biologist Shawn Crouse led this annual sampling effort

 

Our lone native brook trout which is good to see as this far downstream can be too warm for native brook trout

 

 

All but one brown trout were wild.  I don't recall our totals, but well over 60 wild browns were sampled

 

 

[BowhunterNJ]

Wow that is very cool! Heck of a way to work, I'm envious!

[Rusty]

Wow that is very cool! Heck of a way to work, I'm envious!

 

It's a blast.  I did that for 2 years back in the 80s.

[Kype]

very cool. good day at work

[LPJR]

That is very cool. A job well done all the way around!

 

Just curious, is similar work is performed at the Big Flatbrook in the no kill sections?

[Bucksnbows]

That is very cool. A job well done all the way around!

 

Just curious, is similar work is performed at the Big Flatbrook in the no kill sections?

 

Yes, but wild trout numbers are very low in the Flat Brook compared to the South Branch in general.