Pre-season Trout
 

A valid question was raised on another board. Can I legally fish during the pre-season in any of the streams that are not going to be stocked with trout this year? The trout compendium refers to no fishing on trout stocked waters from now until opening day. If the streams are not stocked then I should be able to fish in them as long as I release the trout I might catch. Streams like the Little Flatbrook, Peapack, Capoolong etc. are not stocked this year. That should put them into the catch and release category much like the TCA's (trout conservation areas) and the catch and release sections that will all be "stocked". I can guarantee that if I wet a line in one of the streams that are not being stocked for preseason, I'll get an written invitation to donate to the Conservation Officer's Ball. What do you think? If fishing is allowed in a TCA, then why not in a non-stocked trout stream? In addition, will I be allowed to fish on the listed closed days later in the season when no more trout are being stocked? If the stocking is over in 3-4 weeks, that leaves all of May with closed water days when there is no stocking? Confusing. Any F&G guys out there who know the answer?

Re: Pre-season Trout
 

I would throw the question out to F&W and see what their reply is...

http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/contactform.htm

Based on a similar question I recently asked F&W (the converse question about the 1 time stocking waters), I believe their answer will be that they are still closed as stated in the digest since that is the official legal fish code for the year and it is not easily changed (or worth doing) this late in the game. Again, this is just an educated guess.

Re: Pre-season Trout
 

the locations included for pre-season stream closures for trout stocking are part of the fish and game code. the stocking quantities and schedule were updated for the furunculosis outbreak, but the fish and game code wasn't.

now, will there be any COs on non-stocked waters during the closure? probably not.

Re: Pre-season Trout
 

I know you can fish TCAs but can i still fish wild trout streams during the preseason stocking?

Re: Pre-season Trout
 

F&W has answered this fairly easily - From a regulations standpoint, nothing has changed - whatever the 2014 digest says with regard to a particular stream is still what goes and if it says a waterway isn't closed, all trout caught during this period must be released unharmed immediately.

Re: Pre-season Trout
 

Ugly Stick is correct.

This is the response that I received from Paul Tarlowe at the Div. of Fish and Wildlife about pre-season trout fishing and fishing on in season stocking days with closed waters. If regulations indicate that a body of water is closed on a certain day, that is the way it is for the entire season regardless of whether the water is being stocked or not. Mr. Tarlowe wrote the following:

My understanding is that all pre-season and in-season closures still apply since
the regulations within the state Fish Code still apply and have not been
changed. So if a water is normally stocked, even if not this year, it is still
closed. If it is a water that isn't normally stocked but is this year, it
remains open but any trout caught must be re released immediately unharmed.

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