Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruce Litton
Specifically, I'm concerned about the South Branch & North Branch smallmouth population, but since I haven't done nearly as much fishing on either this year, it's possible my observations are isolated flukes. But Stony Brook in Mercer used to be loaded with smallmouths. And I never saw anyone else fish them; normally I caught a dozen bass on an outing, sometimes a lot more. This went on through all my teen years, steady.
And then my son and I visited 10 years ago until about five years ago, faithfully checking up on a stream that was foundational to me in so many respects. Dead? No. But close to it. Again, we saw no one else fishing it. Apparently, the situation hadn't changed: hordes during trout season, abandonment thereafter. My brother Rick used to fish Stony with me, and he got into checking on it with his son during these same recent year. Same observation.
Is it fishing pressure? Apparently not. But there's no way I can be certain. It just doesn't sit with me that that's the cause. So what is it? And can the SB & NB decline similarly?
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Stony Brook has suffered the same fate as Neshanic (Creek)River. Far too much development in the watershed that both draws down the aquifers via individual wells and also prevents aquifer replenishment due to impermeable surfaces, i.e. roads, driveways, sidewalks, roofs, etc.
I used to fish both streams a great deal when I was young. Stony had a good to great smallie pop and Neshanic had a tremendous smallie pop. My first time fishing with my Dad was in the Neshanic in 1963. Spent a LOT of my youth wet wading many miles of that crick. Now it dries up most summers. The last time I fished it was about 10 years ago. I found LMB, bullheads and a few chubs. Not a single smallie despite hitting areas from Amwell Rd to Manners Rd, along Welisewitz and on down to Rainbow Hill and Black Pt/Montgomery. Extemely disappointing to put it quite mildly.
The lower SBR has some degree of protection from such a fate due to its role in the NJWSA system. As long as they need to use Spruce Run and RVR to maintain the mainstem flows the lower SBR will be fairly safe.
Thanks in great depth to the work of folks like Andy and the CJST both branches and the mainstem have a good fighting chance to survive as strong, viable fisheries.
