Next Friday, May 24th marks the end of spring season trout stocking but it's just the beginning of fabulous late spring and early summer trout fishing. Most trout anglers miss out on some of the best trout fishing of the year by not fishing after stocking ends. They stop fishing at a time when many trout waters have more fish in them now than when the season started. How can that be? Every week more trout are added to stocked waters but fewer are taken out because angler survey data shows that 70% of New Jersey trout anglers release most, if not all, of the trout they catch.
Another little known reason why streams are teaming with trout this time of year is the stocking of tens of thousands of extra fish during the last three weeks of the season due to the Pequest Hatchery's consistent production of trout in excess of the spring season goal of 570,000 fish. So if you have your fishing license and trout stamp, don't stop trout fishing now. If you haven't had a chance to trout fish yet, now is the time to get in on the late season trout fishing bonanza. More fish, less anglers... a win/win situation.
Trout stocking schedules can be viewed at
http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/trtstk13.htm . Looking for a place to fish? Directions to more than 300 trout fishing public access points are posted at
http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/accesswater.htm .
Fishing licenses and trout stamps can be quickly and conveniently purchased and printed online at
http://www.nj.wildlifelicense.com/ or at more than 200 agent locations throughout the state listed at
http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/agentlst.htm .
