Restoration question to Rusty

[Oliver10]

Gillepsie Hill Bk is the one that comes into the Whippany just upstream of Washington Valley Rd. At one time Watnong Bk had wild browns not too far from the Butterworth Sewage Treatment plant. Haven't been there in more than a decade. Probably Dismal Bk is the best bow trib now.

I have caught browns in the section above Washington Valley Rd, but it is a funny sandy bottom and you have to hit the hot spots and move on. At one time there were lots of little wild bows by Washington Valley, but they are scarcer today.

The big pollutants for the Whippany are fecal coliform bacteria, phosphorus, and sediment. 2/3 of the fecal coliform bacteria is point source pollution from sewer plants. Morris Co sewer plants do a good job and that has improved the river, but you can't make the wastes of 400,000 people entirely go away. This will be an issue in the lower river for a long time. The remainder is distributed source that is hard to eliminate. Goose crap is a problem here, but geese control is a contentious issue. Phosphorus is lawn fertilizer runoff with a touch of dishwater detergent (dishwasher detergent got a pass on phosphorus when it was removed from laundry detergent). As long as people want a perfect lawn and fertilize up to 5 times a year this will be a problem. Need a statewide ban in NJ to address. Some towns have banned phosphorus, but in NJ the next town is never far away and local bans don't work. Erosion is always huge in urban and suburban areas - which most of the Whippany watershed is. The forested headwaters should lessen erosion, but deer damage and 200 years of soil abuse take their toll.

I fished Watnog this past spring. It used to be called the North Branch of the Whippany on google maps. I did not get a thing. I will try again this spring. I have caught browns in the trib that crosses Whitehead road before it flows into the main stem. I know Gillepse Hill brook now, it flows down from Villa Walsh. never fished it. The wild brookie I caught was well upstream from where that dumps in so who knows. I seen some large hold over brookies hanging on well into August some years. The sandy sections are difficult to wade and I never found any of the so called hot spots I guess. I could give it another explore but I flet like I was wasting my time.

The whippnay is tick infested and the rose bushes are almost impassable in many places so besides early in the stocking season I have never seen another fisherman. There there really is a spring that flows into Speedwell lake on the patriots path side that dumps a good amount of 50 degree water in all summer long.

[FIN-ITE 34]

O10, did you fish the section from Whitehead to Washington Valley? I've walked it a few times but never seemed to find the time to fish it. There were some nice rocky sections that looked promising.

[Oliver10]

O10, did you fish the section from Whitehead to Washington Valley? I've walked it a few times but never seemed to find the time to fish it. There were some nice rocky sections that looked promising.

Yes. No fish for me. it looked so good. I have also fished from Washington Valley to Sussex. No fish. Abouve Whitehead there are fish, it is not easy fishing but they are in there.

[TinyTrout4]

Yes. No fish for me. it looked so good. I have also fished from Washington Valley to Sussex. No fish. Above Whitehead there are fish, it is not easy fishing but they are in there.

I can confirm there are some wild browns below Whitehead....not worth the effort though.