middle brook

[smalbikpro]

hey everyone! im a new member, i've been periodically checking the reports on the salmon river in upstate ny, but being very dissapointed with the lackluster season up there, i want to try some trout fishing a little closer to home, and not have to waste 500$ every time i want to go. anyways, middle brook (in martinsville by chimney rock park) is not even 5 minutes from my house, and my dad has told me all these stories about the crazy fish he caught there when he was a kid, but times have changed, so is there still any good fishing to be had there? or is there anywhere else within like a 15 minute drive from bridgewater that would be better? i'd like to try and dabble a little bit with some "real" fly fishing, not the "point and shoot" salmon fishing im accustomed to. i want to try and head to KLG this weekend or next, and i want to have a vague idea of what im doing before i go and make a complete fool of myself. if anyone could give me some insight on middle brook or a different place they think i'd have more success that would be great.

also if it matters at all i'd be using a 8'6 5 weight with sinking line, or i could switch to floating line with dry flies if it makes a difference.

thanks!

 

[jscott]

a few thoughts:

1 - i don't think that you need a sinking line for these rivers. first, they don't have enough water in them right now to warrant it. these are NOT the 500-800cfs Salmon river. fish it if you'd like, but thats my thought. i have found that a normal floating line with a bead head nymph of some kind is enough to get it down. if you need more than that, a simple really small BB will do it. but thats just my way. i don't wanna get hung up on every rock and bump in the water.

2 - i've never fished middle brook so i can't comment there

3- martinsville is close enough to fish the S.Raritan all you want. on the map it looks like 15-20min drive which i envy, personally being 1hr from all the spots myself. so try hitting the KLG area. it offers a very versitile fishing opportunity. fishing boulders/pocket water in the gorge, fishing larger pools and pockets above the gorge and then longer flat water above town. it has everything within a couple miles.

4 - i'm interested in trying out the black river. its up 206 from you into chester. prolly the same distance from martinsville. i haven't fished it yet but i plan on it this fall.

lastly, i'd be happy to show you some of the klg water if you'd like. drop me a PM.

~J

 

[smalbikpro]

3- martinsville is close enough to fish the S.Raritan all you want. on the map it looks like 15-20min drive which i envy, personally being 1hr from all the spots myself. so try hitting the KLG area. it offers a very versitile fishing opportunity. fishing boulders/pocket water in the gorge, fishing larger pools and pockets above the gorge and then longer flat water above town. it has everything within a couple miles.

i found some directions to a couple different spots on the south branch. i plan on spending a few hours out there on thursday so i'll let you guys know how my first "real" trout fishing trip goes.

 

[trico mike]

Just what the gorge needs another clown standing on a rock waving his rod around like he is trying to land an F-16 on a air craft carrier:rofl: Good luck:devious:

 

[smalbikpro]

Just what the gorge needs another clown standing on a rock waving his rod around like he is trying to land an F-16 on a air craft carrier:rofl: Good luck:devious:

are you for real? that was probably one of the most rude unhelpful posts i've ever read. first off, i said i wasn't even going to gorge, i said i wanted to try some little creeks by my house beforehand. second, when i do go to gorge my dad's friend would be going with me, he has fished klg for over 20 years now and he would be showing me the ropes. third, i am absolutley not a "clown" and i take offense to that because i know the kind you are talking about; i have been fishing for over 14 years, and i know my river etiquette, and i am probably one the classier people you'd meet on the river. im not a snagger, im not going to barge in on your spot and blow the pool, i'll find my own little stretch and wait my turn to fish other spots. so next time before you make such a wonderfully helpful post, either contribute to it, or dont post at all.

 

[trico mike]

Jeez doesnt anybody have a sense of humor any more.
when did we start taking ourselves so seriously. Its all in good fun.

 

[BIGBOW]

That was a rude post, but Mike doesnt mean any harm. He came across as a butthead when we first met too.. I guess its in his nature. Anyway, the Middle Brook can be very productive. Just get rid of the sinking line. You'd probably do better on the SB, but I'd stay clear of the Gorge until some people forget about the stockings.. theres much better water on the river for fishing, but the Gorge is definately the prettiest area. Go explore some different parts of the river and you'll see what I mean. Enjoy.

 

[Ryan R]

Jeez doesnt anybody have a sense of humor any more.
when did we start taking ourselves so seriously. Its all in good fun.

Apparently not. So I guess he really wasn't joking about using the sinking line to fish these little trout streams. Which means I probably shouldn't have been :rofl:after I read that!

Floating line and a woolly bugger to get you started bro, you'll be fine.

 

[trico mike]

Yep i do come across as a butt head somtimes, yes its part of my nature but its all in good fun and I am sure that alot of you out there have thought the same things at one time or another the differance is that I post them. "Let ye without sin cast the first stone"

 

[smalbikpro]

theres much better water on the river for fishing, but the Gorge is definately the prettiest area. Go explore some different parts of the river and you'll see what I mean. Enjoy.

i do know what you mean, on our way home from salmon fishing we took a drive through there and its beautiful, its hard to believe its still jersey.

due to some time constraints and the questionable weather i wasn't able to get out to the SB today, i went to duke island park in raritan by the waterfall. there wasn't anyone there which was perfect. i used the floating line and switched between some wooly buggers and little nymphs with okay success, its not exactly a prime area for much besides sunfish. i had some small mouth hit on the wooly buggers, which wasn't really what i was aiming for. and towards the end i caught a small brookie on a stone fly, it was a pretty fish, but due to my lack of posts i cant put up a thumbnail yet =(

mike; i overreacted a tad, its hard to tell when people are joking when your just reading words. shall we call it water under the bridge?

 

[trico mike]

Water under the bridge it is. Now for a little bit of useful information. Tye up some carey specials the are great flies for Nj trout you can strip them twitch them or dead drift them even the steelhead in erie love these things.

 

[Ryan R]

due to some time constraints and the questionable weather i wasn't able to get out to the SB today, i went to duke island park in raritan by the waterfall. there wasn't anyone there which was perfect. i used the floating line and switched between some wooly buggers and little nymphs with okay success, its not exactly a prime area for much besides sunfish. i had some small mouth hit on the wooly buggers, which wasn't really what i was aiming for.

Ah man, you didn't realize where you were and to take advantage of it. Sure, Duke Island isn't the greatest trout angling spot but IT IS a prime area for something much more exciting than sunfish! The Duke Island area is supposed to be a prime smallmouth fishery. I believe I read it's got alot of crayfish in that area that the smallies will gorge on as a major prey species. Trust me, don't turn your nose at smallies over trout. A 10 inch river smallie will work a your 5 wt rod better than any 5lb trout stocked in the gorge will. And they aren't all that hard to catch, lots of weight to bounce the fly on bottom is key.

Trust me if you want some exciting and hard-pulling, rod-bending action give smallies on the fly a try.

 

[BIGBOW]

smalbikpro,
For the smallies this time of year you'd leave the sink tip on and do a down and across drift with a bugger (or streamer). I did this a little further up the river than where you were about a month ago and caught about 2 dozen smallies in 2-3 hours. They seem to hide out in the currents under the bridges. I had one bugger on and didnt change flies once.