NJ Wild Trout Stream

DAG_NJFISHING

New member
I scouted a nj wild trout stream that is stocked every spring, the river had some beautiful pools and clear clean water with no garbage visible anywhere but very little fish that I could see. I scouted about 1/2 miles of the stream with just a few fish swimming around. My question is that since this is a wild trout stream, should the wild stream regulations apply or because parts of it are stocked the regular stocking regulations(including use of live bait) on limits apply?
 
If it's designated a wild trout stream then you need to follow the regs for the stream. During the early season it may be legal to follow the spring regs. I would definetly think it's now wild trout regs. If we new the name of the stream it might help. But I understand if you don't give it up.

Jeremy
 
i am confused, but it it's a wild trout stream, why would that stream be stocked? doesn't "wild" mean self-reproducing trout?
 
I scouted about 1/2 miles of the stream with just a few fish swimming around.

HUMMmm...

Has anyone seen Catskill Mountain Man lately?

Maybe he crossed the boarder into hated NJ and has been poaching our closed wild trout streams as well.
 
Same thought as Karel - isn't it an oxymoron to say a wild trout stream receives stocked trout. It is either a stream with wild trout or it is a stream with a mix of planted and stocked trout. In PA when the state designates a stream as holding wild fish it is often not stocked. Spring Creek in Bellafonte and the upper end of the Letort are just a few examples.
 
Same thought as Karel - isn't it an oxymoron to say a wild trout stream receives stocked trout. It is either a stream with wild trout or it is a stream with a mix of planted and stocked trout.

My point, this river is listed on NJ's list of wild streams but is stocked, so maybe part of the stream is wild and the rest is stocked? Maybe I should call the folks at the NJ Dept of fish and game and ask them to clarify.
 
Sounds like a definition problem. NJ has about 175 streams where trout reproduce and are formally listed as Trout Production (TP) streams. TP is a biological designation - it means trout reproduce there and nothing else. Some of these are stocked and some aren't. Some are under general regulations and others aren't. NJ also has 35? streams defined as Wild Trout Streams (WTS) that have special fishing regulations. None of these are stocked - they are all TP streams. However, WTS is a fishing regulation meaning it regulates that you must fish with artificials, can fish all year, and have more restrictive bag limits than general regulations. Not all wild trout live in WTS streams. In a number of streams - most notably the upper South Branch - trout are stocked over healthy wild trout populations.

Some WTS streams are for the whole stream and others are for only parts of streams. For example, the Whippany River above Tingley Rd in Mendham is a WTS and is not stocked. Wild browns and bows are found there. It is stocked from Tingley Rd downstream to Morristown. Wild trout are still found below Tingley Rd down to about Whitehead Rd in Morris Township so this portion of the stream has stocked and wild fish. Wild trout don't simply vanish at the boundary of a WTS. In Morristown it is all stocked trout, although one in a blue moon a wild fish will travel down.
 
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Some WTS streams are for the whole stream and others are for only parts of streams. For example, the Whippany River above Tingley Rd in Mendham is a WTS and is not stocked. Wild browns and bows are found there. It is stocked from Tingley Rd downstream to Morristown. Wild trout are still found below Tingley Rd down to about Whitehead Rd in Morris Township so this portion of the stream has stocked and wild fish. Wild trout don't simply vanish at the boundary of a WTS. In Morristown it is all stocked trout, although one in a blue moon a wild fish will travel down.

I guess the same applies for this brook, above Moutain Side Rd the brook is wild and below that is stocked, but is sad that NJ Dept of Fish and Game makes only part of this small brook WTS, because I'm pretty sure the area I scouted gets hammered every spring due to the easy access and nice pools where all the fish collect.
 
I guess the same applies for this brook, above Moutain Side Rd the brook is wild and below that is stocked, but is sad that NJ Dept of Fish and Game makes only part of this small brook WTS, because I'm pretty sure the area I scouted gets hammered every spring due to the easy access and nice pools where all the fish collect.

I would not be bashful about expressing your concerns to Pat Hamilton at the NJDF&W, perhaps at the Dec. 6th meeting in Hackettstown or privately if you want the brook's name to remain confidential.
 
If it's designated a wild trout stream then you need to follow the regs for the stream. During the early season it may be legal to follow the spring regs. I would definetly think it's now wild trout regs. If we new the name of the stream it might help. But I understand if you don't give it up.
Jeremy

The simple answer to this is if it is an officially designated NJ wild trout stream it is not stocked and is either under general regs or TCA regs. To my knowledge there are no designated wild trout streams that are ever under general regs (the exception being the few streams where an upper part is WTS while a lower part is stocked) at any time. I would say that since this creek is stocked it is not an official wild trout stream and is therefore never under wild trout stream regulations.
 
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I guess the same applies for this brook, above Moutain Side Rd the brook is wild and below that is stocked, but is sad that NJ Dept of Fish and Game makes only part of this small brook WTS, because I'm pretty sure the area I scouted gets hammered every spring due to the easy access and nice pools where all the fish collect.

I wish Bob S was on here, he is the de facto authority but I'll try and elucidate. The WTS designation is used to indicate that the stream can sustain a FISHABLE wild trout population. It is possible that with the easy access and pressure in the lower reaches, and maybe some water quality issues, the stream cannot sustain fishing for wild trout it's entire length.

This is true of quite a few streams, like the Whipanny that Jeff mentioned or the South Branch of the Raritan, even if not designated WTS it is capable of sustaining wild trout in Long Valley but not by the time it gets to the Gorge.

A WTS designation may not always be in the best interest of preserving the streams wild trout. A couple of small streams in Morris County ( in the Black River drainage) were listed for the first 3-4 years, but the listing increased pressure on them enormously. The streams were removed from the WTS list, but are still not stocked. The population of wild trout has rebounded nicely. Much like designating a TCA increases pressure on the "special" area while immediately downstream and up get less pressure, and often have better fishing.
 
Back in the 1960's about 15 more streams in Warren Co. were stocked than are now. A few became WTS (i.e Dunnfield Hollow), a few became non-trout water through development, but most simply drifted back to small streams containing wild trout that are only rarely fished. Most people don't search hard for wild trout streams and many of these aren't fished because most only contain a handful of tiny brookies or browns. Everyone worries about the small, unheralded streams, but general regs seem to work because most aren't fished much and aren't really suited to fish hogs.

Two WTS in Warren Co - Dunnfield Creek and Van Campens Bk - are crowded and I consider them almost loved to death. That is due more to being beautiful streams on national park land than the WTS regulations, but the others have generally gone under the radar and are underfished. Special regs don't solve all problems.
 
Back in the 1960's about 15 more streams in Warren Co. were stocked than are now. A few became WTS (i.e Dunnfield Hollow), a few became non-trout water through development, but most simply drifted back to small streams containing wild trout that are only rarely fished. Most people don't search hard for wild trout streams and many of these aren't fished because most only contain a handful of tiny brookies or browns. Everyone worries about the small, unheralded streams, but general regs seem to work because most aren't fished much and aren't really suited to fish hogs.

Two WTS in Warren Co - Dunnfield Creek and Van Campens Bk - are crowded and I consider them almost loved to death. That is due more to being beautiful streams on national park land than the WTS regulations, but the others have generally gone under the radar and are underfished. Special regs don't solve all problems.

Jeff you are correct. Some of my favorite little creeks aren't listed as WTS and many people ignore them. As I've mentioned before I've been working on fishing some of the small streams of my youth that tumble off Montana Mtn, it's early in the process but I've been excited by what I've found so far. I've done better on them than VCB. BTW Jeff, let's plan to fish the others I've talked to you about next spring. Call it a Warren County Wild Trout Survey expedition. :)

I also think that when there are only a small number of streams or stream sections listed as WTS or other Special Regs they can easily be overtargeted by anglers. The more streams and stream miles that are protected the better the pressure can be more evenly spread out instead of "everybody and his brother" often showing up at say VCB or Dunnfield. IMO if you're going to develop WTS or special regs the statewide plan should be expansive rather than stagnant in order to best accomplish the goals of special regs. Otherwise, you're probably better off not listing or publicizing only those few streams. If you don't work to expand it then those few steams listed become easy targets and subject to overpressure.
 
Ryan,

Now we have that and a hike into the Neversink Gorge on the plate.

I used to be a Montana Mtn fisherman too. From Brass Castle Ck (aka Roaring Rock Ck) around the long way to the Pophandusing. My favorite was Low's Hollow Ck, which I can burn because it is now 200' below Merrill Ck Reservoir.

Unfortunately some of my favorite spots have been gobbled up by McMansion fever.
 
I guess the same applies for this brook, above Moutain Side Rd the brook is wild and below that is stocked, but is sad that NJ Dept of Fish and Game makes only part of this small brook WTS, because I'm pretty sure the area I scouted gets hammered every spring due to the easy access and nice pools where all the fish collect.

I know the exact stream you are talking about. Upstream of the bridge you follow the WTS regulations. Downstream you follow the regular regs.
 
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