Musconetcong Report

[Scott]

Fished this afternoon until 3-ish, water temp was 66 degrees, and very clean & clear. Believe it or not there are a few trout that survived the summer still swimming around in the Musky. Lots of suckers too, some of them monsters. Anyone have a good sucker pattern?

Zero insect activity. Nothing. Zilch. Saw some browns rising to take terrestrials, but could not convince them to take ants, beetles, grasshoppers, or inchworms. No luck nymphing either.

I didn't have any "cabbage moth" flies with me (one fish leaped clear of the water to eat one - and missed), and had to get to a Labor day party anyway, so I packed it in.

 

[kidfromnujay]

Hey Scott,

Where is there a good place to fish on the Musky? My parents live within a block from it, up near Rt 206 in Byram (near the trade center). I never had much luck there except for some big bream in the slower sections along Rt. 604 (?)

Kevin

 

[C&R]

Try the TCA near Penwell.

 

[Lucci]

I fished there yesterday as well. Started in Asbury in the morning in the huge pool by the factory. There were fish rising there when I got there, but I couldn't tell what they were on and couldn't hook up. Went further down river (midmorning) to Finesville and fished all the way to the Delaware. Using a patridge hair and hares ear wet, I caught a whole bunch of fall fish, 1 very small smallmouth, and saw quite a few suckers. Didn't catch or see a single trout, nor did any other people I ran into. One thing I noticed is that the whole river seemed to be silted over real bad.

 

[Scott]

Hey Scott,

Where is there a good place to fish on the Musky? (?)
Kevin

I have no idea. If you find one let me know!

I have never fished it as far up as you mention, most of my time on the Musky is spent between the Point Mtn TCA & the Delaware.

I must say I was very surprised to see absolutley nada aquatic invertebrate activity.

There was some vertebrate activity, some big fat browsing woodchucks coming to the water for a drink. Also some labor day parties going on - cranking Skynard, Rush, Fog Hat, Frampton, etc.

Also some semi-auto small arms fire from upriver (which is why I switched from terrestrials fished dry to soft hackles & nymphs and went back down river), off road vehicles buzzing around, etc.

Still in all, I had the river to myself.

 

[Green Butted Skunk]

I Also some labor day parties going on - cranking Skynard, Rush, Fog Hat, Frampton, etc.

I told you McAwful, the river was just down below yonder......

GBS

 

[jholland]

Musky, etc.

To all,
The white flies are hatching on the South Branch, I'll give you an update on the Musky and Pohatcong Creek later this week. In the Gorge during the day, try a size 20 BWO or Black Ant. Lots of fish around and fewer people after Labor Day which was a zoo. There are Caddis around too, Tan and Brown 14-18. Lots of scuds too, grey or tan size 16-18.-JH

 

[biot]

[/QUOTE] One thing I noticed is that the whole river seemed to be silted over real bad.[/QUOTE] The silt in that part of the Musky was probably caused by the weigh station the state is building on Rt.78. Three years of silt going into the river from that project is killing the lower Musky. It used to have a terriffic Leukon "White Fly" hatch but since this project started it seems to have disappeared. And getting hammered by floods last fall and this spring could'nt have helped either.

 

[JeffK]

Don't forget all the development in the Hackettstown/Manfield area. The silt starts well above 78, but I'm sure that the construction at 78 is not helping at all. Snorkelled upstream of Penwell Mills in August and the siltation and loss of weed beds was disheartening. The populations of smallmouth, bluegills, and rock bass were way down. However, dozens of stockies (some quite large) were holding in the usual thermal refuges - I guess without competition more stockies last into the summer. However, I don't feel that's a sign of stream health.

At least the spring holes are still in the middle and lower Musky - near Hackettstown most of the spring holes have dried up and nearly all the small tribs (especially Mine Brook) have warmed up to the point they are no longer thermal refuges.

 

[Scott]

I hate to say it but I agree that the Musky needs a heavy flood to clean the river out.

 

[JeffK]

I don't think a flood will do it - we had two in the last five years that went over the East Ave bridge. I don't think that happened since Hurricane Dianne in 1955. Last fall Ivan hit pretty hard and a few years ago when Lake Hopatcong got 15" of rain in an afternoon the Muskie went wild for a week. Neither flood changed the river bed much. I think we need to remove most of the new developments - which will not happen. In my mind the condition of the Muskie peaked about 1999 (not that long ago), and has been going down since. The 1960's had issues with cattle in the water, but the near annihilation of dairy farming in Warren. Morris, and Hunterdon Counties helped that. When Mansfield Village and the Hackettstown Mall were built in the early 70's I noticed the first silting in of holes where the water slowed behind Bloomsbury dam. The loss of farms seemed to go quicker than the addition of developments through the 70's, 80's and 90's, so the river seemed to improve. When the red quills were out in April during the 90's my car was covered with them every evening. The sulphurs were incredible and when I would drive home at night during the summer my car would be plastered with tan caddis, grey fox, and misc other mayflies. The hatches in my neighborhood are now pretty much a thing of the past and it's a rare thing to see any aquatic big on my windshield.

Siltation, stream warming, spring depletion and added sewage will not be helped much by a flood in my mind.