Pequannock TCA

[C&R]

I decided to reacquaint myself yesterday with the new Pequannock TCA since I haven't fished that area in a decade or so. Worked my way from Appelt Park down to Tilcon and didn't hookup or see any fish along the way, even though there was some good cover for these fish to hide in. Along the way I snapped a photo to give everyone an idea of how badly this stretch needs to be cleaned up. After that I C&R'd a small wild brown in the riff just above the Appelt parking lot.

 

[porterskill]

the whole river was abetter trout conservation area before they changed to stocking the river 6 times each year instead of the long time twice a year,it was not even designated anything special.if the state made a certain area on the PQ a conservation area,why will you never see a conservation officer at the PQ and have never seen one in 40 years.nj does not have the state resources to try and improve anything about wild trout and politics decides what happens inthe rest of their programs.

 

[pitbull]

:down:

I decided to reacquaint myself yesterday with the new Pequannock TCA since I haven't fished that area in a decade or so. Worked my way from Appelt Park down to Tilcon and didn't hookup or see any fish along the way, even though there was some good cover for these fish to hide in. Along the way I snapped a photo to give everyone an idea of how badly this stretch needs to be cleaned up. After that I C&R'd a small wild brown in the riff just above the Appelt parking lot.

shame..

 

[NJpatbee]

the whole river was abetter trout conservation area before they changed to stocking the river 6 times each year instead of the long time twice a year,it was not even designated anything special.if the state made a certain area on the PQ a conservation area,why will you never see a conservation officer at the PQ and have never seen one in 40 years.nj does not have the state resources to try and improve anything about wild trout and politics decides what happens inthe rest of their programs.[/QUOTE

You make a point about stocking over wild trout and the fact that the CO's are understaffed. But it sounds like you have been trout fishing in NJ almost as long as I have, and IMO the trout fishing and management program today has greatly improved over the last 3-4 decades. The introduction of the YRTCA program, the designation of 35+ waters as WTS waters with restricted kill limits and artificial lures, and the introduction of a 9" minimum size limit have made the trout fishing in NJ the best I have ever seen. Popular waters like the Musky, South Branch Raritan, and Pequest provide fly-fishing opportunities 12 months/year, and the quality of the fishery has improved, especially in the KLG. Now there is a TCA and 2 WTS stretches on the PQ, a WTS on the Wanaque, and hopefully we will have a YRTCA on the Flatbrook in 2012.

I have fished for trout 3 times in NJ since late March, and have caught at least 60 trout, all wild. The new regs on the PQ may need to be reviewed, but I am optimistic that the trout fishery can be improved. As for the lack of COs, many of us fish neighboring PA and NY, and it is the same story in these States also. Poaching does take place, on the PQ as well as the Beaverkill, but most anglers tend to follow the F&G Code.

Although I have never been involved with it, there is a Pequonnack Watershed Coalition which might be a good vehicle for some of your concerns. Good things can happen!

 

[porterskill]

njpaybee,you are correct on all points.the better nj streams are what they are becauce of the their ability produce trout naturally and when they discontinued or repaired many of the municpal seware treatment plants in nj,it improved the trout habitat greatly.i love the work tu and others are doing to get rid of as many dams as they can.the state would never do this on their own.

 

[joepanella]

I fished the TCA yesterday and picked up about a dozen wilds and one stockie and fished it last saturday and picked up about 8 or 9 wilds. Thier are real good numbers of wild fish in their i would think. Last week the majority of the browns i caught were around 9 or bigger, it is a shame because those fish definately get creeled. Browns should be catch and release on that river imo. I am disgusted with the amount of garbage in that river, it gets even worse as you work your way down. It is the closest thing to my house and will probably fish it quite a bit this year. If thier was ever a river that called for more special regs that is the one.

 

[Rusty Spinner]

.i love the work tu and others are doing to get rid of as many dams as they can.the state would never do this on their own.

I should just point out that the state doesn't own many of the dams on our trout streams so therefor it is not their job to remove dams owned by individuals or companies. But I do agree that they can do a lot more to remove dams that they do own or at least own partially. DEP Dam Safety & Flood Control does a fairly decent job all things considered in keeping up the pressure on dam owners to maintain their dams across the state. Organizations like TU can only be effective in dam removals if/when we have willing dam owners who allow us to fund raise and remove their dams.

 

[sheisty]

I fished the TCA yesterday and picked up about a dozen wilds and one stockie and fished it last saturday and picked up about 8 or 9 wilds. Thier are real good numbers of wild fish in their i would think. Last week the majority of the browns i caught were around 9 or bigger, it is a shame because those fish definately get creeled. Browns should be catch and release on that river imo. I am disgusted with the amount of garbage in that river, it gets even worse as you work your way down. It is the closest thing to my house and will probably fish it quite a bit this year. If thier was ever a river that called for more special regs that is the one.

Most of that debris came from the the river being well beyond blown out a couple of weeks ago. Usually its not that much debris to be found IMHO

 

[NJAngler]

well look on the bright side, if you want to take a short nap...

listen, the river runs along a major highway AND behind various businesses & homes. its always going to get litter & debris in it from storm runoff. you can clean it up but -just like a highway cleanup - the litter will just build up over and over again. I think its just something you have to accept being there. Now litter along some remote trout stream can be removed and chances are it won't be a problem again. i think you need to remember where your fishing. I fish several 'town' streams where you can't go more than 50 feet w/o seeing a tin can or wrapper or plastic bottle. the trout don't seem to mind as there are plenty.

 

[blue dun]

I saw that mattress whil driving by on Hamburg TPK. That and a lot of other stuff was washed down in the flood as is the case with all streams.

If someone is organizing a clean up of the Pequanock I will help.

 

[PRomano]

I saw that mattress whil driving by on Hamburg TPK. That and a lot of other stuff was washed down in the flood as is the case with all streams.

If someone is organizing a clean up of the Pequanock I will help.

I have been on the river cleaning up and float stocking the past few days. I filled 3 large plastic bags with trash and its hardly noticeable.

That mattress has to go!!!!! :beingsick:
I would have picked it up already but how can I dispose of it properly? Any ideas? Its not a problem for me to dispose of a trash bag or two at my condo dumpster but I can't be bringing in large items like mattresses and tires. Some time down the road I plan to organize a large sale cleanup but that is going to take some time, money and planning. The mattress has to go now.

 

[Wintermute]

I contacted the Pequannock River Coalition a few weeks back about a Spring cleanup, and they say that they wait until August, when the flows are low and garbage is easier to get to. If someone were to put together a cleanup on a weekend, I would gladly help. Due to the recent flooding, the garbage is much worse this year than in previous. Even something semi-regular and informal would help greatly. As for the larger items, it will likely require renting a dumpster, and that costs $. The only other option I can see would be to contact one of the many local businesses on the river to see if they can be of some assistance, such as some dumpster space for removal of debris. Feel free to PM me for any help. This stream gets much less attention than the larger and more well known rivers in NJ, but deserves the same respect.

Matt

 

[Hllywd76]

I have been on the river cleaning up and float stocking the past few days. I filled 3 large plastic bags with trash and its hardly noticeable.

That mattress has to go!!!!! :beingsick:
I would have picked it up already but how can I dispose of it properly? Any ideas? Its not a problem for me to dispose of a trash bag or two at my condo dumpster but I can't be bringing in large items like mattresses and tires. Some time down the road I plan to organize a large sale cleanup but that is going to take some time, money and planning. The mattress has to go now.

In OUR town you can put the right at the curb for pickup any regular trash day. For this service mwe pay an extra $100 a month. I have Draku's address for a late night drop off.....

Hllywd

 

[NJpatbee]

I have been on the river cleaning up and float stocking the past few days. I filled 3 large plastic bags with trash and its hardly noticeable.

That mattress has to go!!!!! :beingsick:
I would have picked it up already but how can I dispose of it properly? Any ideas? Its not a problem for me to dispose of a trash bag or two at my condo dumpster but I can't be bringing in large items like mattresses and tires. Some time down the road I plan to organize a large sale cleanup but that is going to take some time, money and planning. The mattress has to go now.

Why not enlist the help of the local TU Chapter(s)?

 

[PRomano]

In OUR town you can put the right at the curb for pickup any regular trash day. For this service mwe pay an extra $100 a month. I have Draku's address for a late night drop off.....

Hllywd

We'll have to coordinate this carefully. Draku needs to give me a pick up day so I can drop off the mattress the day before. I'll need your truck too!
You didn't think I was going to put that thing on the back seat of my wagon did you?

 

[PRomano]

Why not enlist the help of the local TU Chapter(s)?

I'm going to bring up the idea of a clean up day for the TCA at our next meeting. I also joined the Pequannock River Coalition and I'm involved with a boy scout troupe that wants to help as part of a conservation project. I donated some money to the scouts so they can purchase supplies for the float stocking boxes. They built me the box you see in my avatar. I'm working on getting assistance; its just going to take some time.

 

[C&R]

If memory serves, I also noticed a badly mangled/twisted/clogged flexible discharge pipe and a large diameter grey PVC pipe entering the stream between the RR bridge and Tilcon. What is the source of these? They really are an eyesore to say the least. Also made note of sewage odor just after the RR bridge.

 

[draku007]

We'll have to coordinate this carefully. Draku needs to give me a pick up day so I can drop off the mattress the day before. I'll need your truck too!
You didn't think I was going to put that thing on the back seat of my wagon did you?

Pete takes care of the mattress using Kevin's pickup and drop it off at my house on pickup day ... and that's what I call a team effort.

 

[porterskill]

tilcon has always had pipes into the PQ.the sewarage treatment plant was closed about 20 years ago and piped down to waynes treatment plant.not many wild trout where the float stocking was done in the picture.

 

[Wintermute]

I also saw a few street signs, 2 car hoods, and a mailbox on Tuesday.

It sounds like the most difficult issue will be disposal. Too bad there isn't a town dump in the area.

Matt

 

[Rusty Spinner]

I also saw a few street signs, 2 car hoods, and a mailbox on Tuesday.

It sounds like the most difficult issue will be disposal. Too bad there isn't a town dump in the area.

Matt

Regarding river clean ups and trash disposal, we coordinate with several towns when we do our annual Musky clean up each year. They take ANYTHING we remove from the river, no questions asked. Tires, couches, bicycle frames, car bumpers, etc. No questions asked. It's hard for a township to say no when a group of volunteers offer to clean up the river in that township. Make a few calls and you'll be pleasantly surprised!

 

[Hllywd76]

We'll have to coordinate this carefully. Draku needs to give me a pick up day so I can drop off the mattress the day before. I'll need your truck too!
You didn't think I was going to put that thing on the back seat of my wagon did you?

Monday and Thursday nights after 6 it can go out...
Pickup Tuesday and Friday's

Hllywd

 

[gadfly]

I have been on the river cleaning up and float stocking the past few days. I filled 3 large plastic bags with trash and its hardly noticeable.

That mattress has to go!!!!! :beingsick:
I would have picked it up already but how can I dispose of it properly? Any ideas? Its not a problem for me to dispose of a trash bag or two at my condo dumpster but I can't be bringing in large items like mattresses and tires. Some time down the road I plan to organize a large sale cleanup but that is going to take some time, money and planning. The mattress has to go now.

I find the best thing to do is tie it to the top of you car, then take it to a bridge over some river that you don't normally fish. Problem solved.
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[PRomano]

I find the best thing to do is tie it to the top of you car, then take it to a bridge over some river that you don't normally fish. Problem solved.
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That's a great idea but how do I get my car on that abandoned railroad bed over the Ken Lockwood Gorge?

 

[Hllywd76]

That's a great idea but how do I get my car on that abandoned railroad bed over the Ken Lockwood Gorge?

Take it to Hoffmans bridge that would work...
Maybe MCR will be there with his bud that's a little Deek.

Wd