New Jersey anglers who make time to get on the water this weekend may find true meaning in the saying, "Saving the Best for Last". This is the last week of the spring trout stocking season but certainly not the last week of great spring trout fishing in New Jersey. In fact, the Memorial Day Weekend has the potential to be the best weekend of the spring season for several reasons.
Stocked waters are now teeming with trout. The Division's Pequest Trout Hatchery once again exceeded the spring production goal of 570,000 trout. The Hatchery produced and stocked 606,642 trout this spring and the more than 36,000 extra trout were added to stocking runs during the last several weeks of the season.
Data from a recently completed angler survey provides further assurance there may be more trout in New Jersey waters now, than at any time during the spring season. The survey of New Jersey anglers revealed that 49% of our trout anglers release all the trout they catch and about one-third release some of the trout they catch. Only 11% of anglers keep all the trout they catch. That means many of the more than 600,000 trout stocked this spring are still swimming in New Jersey trout waters.
A great weekend weather forecast, ideal water temperatures and levels, the growing trend of catch and release by New Jersey trout anglers and the Pequest Hatchery's fabulous production and stocking season combine to set the stage for a 'perfect storm' of action-packed trout fishing over the Memorial Day Weekend.
Don't miss out on some time outdoors and the chance to experience what may be this spring's best weekend of New Jersey trout fishing. Anglers who haven't been fishing yet this year can buy and print fishing licenses and trout stamps quickly and conveniently online at
http://www.wildlifelicense.com/nj/ or at any license agent location listed at
http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/agentlst.htm. Extensive information on New Jersey trout fishing, trout stocked waters and fishing tips can be viewed at
http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/trtinfo_spring.htm.
