NJ Spring Trout Fishing Information - Opening Day is April 11

[The Broken One]

The eagerly anticipated spring trout season is the official launch of the fabulous year-round trout fishing opportunities that now exist in New Jersey. The stocking trucks began rolling from the Pequest Trout Hatchery on March 23, and more than 180,000 trout will be waiting for New Jersey anglers on opening day.

To help anglers get the trout information they need, the NJDEP's Division of Fish and Wildlife has posted extensive information about the 2009 Trout Fishing Season on its Web site. The information includes weekly stocking schedules, trout allocations by water and day stocked, fishing access locations, regulations and highlights for 2009. The information is posted in a new and easier to read format and can be accessed at http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/trtinfo_spring.htm.

Most trout stocked waters are closed to fishing from March 23 until opening day on April 11. However, Trout Conservation Areas are not closed during the pre-season period and provide anglers great trout fishing opportunities when most other trout-stocked waters are closed. Only artificial lures may be used in Trout Conservation Areas. Trout caught in any of these waters during this period must be released immediately. Note that fishing is not permitted on Seasonal Trout Conservation Areas from 12:01 a.m. to 8 a.m. on April 11, 2009.

Be ready for opening day or try fishing a Trout Conservation Area now. In just minutes, you can buy and print a fishing license and trout stamp online at http://www.wildlifelicense.com/nj/ .

Trout fishing has never been better in New Jersey. Don't miss out this year.

 

[Luna Sea 5]

great find

[Ren]

Two brown trout from the 1997 stocking have been caught in salt or brackish water and reported to the Division so far this year. The first fish, caught by Mike Paras, was 13 1/4 inches long and weighed 1.3 pounds. Mike was fishing in the Point Pleasant Canal for 22 - 26 pound stripers when the brown was hooked. It was caught at 5:45 p.m. on an incoming tide using a 5 3/4-inch lure. Mike reports " Trout put up a great fight !!!."

[Bucktail]

A 12 year old fish was only 13 1/4"?   

[IrishAyes]

What I get from the report is that the fish was caught 6-7 months after being stocked.

Two brown trout from the 1997 stocking have been caught in salt or brackish water and reported to the Division so far this year. The first fish, caught by Mike Paras, was 13 1/4 inches long and weighed 1.3 pounds. Mike was fishing in the Point Pleasant Canal for 22 - 26 pound stripers when the brown was hooked. It was caught at 5:45 p.m. on an incoming tide using a 5 3/4-inch lure. Mike reports " Trout put up a great fight !!!." The second fish was caught near the outlet of Wreck Pond and was reported to be 9.5 inches long and around 1/2 pound. This fish was hooked at 6:30 p.m. with a gold hook while fishing for herring at low tide. This fisherman stated " It was the first trout I caught in ten years !) Both fish show superior growth and weight gain for a 6-7 month period over the winter. These catches show considerable promise for the future of this program.

Here is the entire report:
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/mostwant.htm

[Bucktail]

OK.  So that article was from 12 years ago.  Got it!

[IrishAyes]

Bob, not so sure that the article was 12 years ago, but the fish they were talking about were caught 12 years ago.

I know that in the past several years the Fish n Game n Wildlife people have been asking for reports of sea run trout being caught. They have very little reports of them being caught and may stop the program if they feel that it is not producing the results they had hoped for.