Brown trout spawning:

[AndyS]

Brown Trout spawn in rivers and streams during the fall (October-November) and prefer cold spring-fed streams. Eggs are deposited in a redd and fry usually emerge in March. They are generally sexually mature at 3 years of age with an average length of 15 inches. Brown Trout are very piscivorous (fish eating), and long-lived which accounts for them reaching large sizes. They are highly regarded by anglers as a trophy trout. Typical coloring is olive-green to dark brown on the back with silvery sides and pale spotting. All colors intensify at spawning time.

For the wide variety of foods the Brown Trout will eat, it can be very difficult to catch. For one, many larger browns are primarily nocturnal feeders, and, for two, during prolific insect hatches, Browns can be extremely selective about what they'll eat.

[The Sinker Man]

Andy,
Do N.J. trout leave the larger lakes and rivers to spawn in the smaller tribs or rivers that enter them?..

[tautog]

Some lakes yes, like Spruce Run.

[Lard Almighty]

Originally Posted by tautog

Some lakes yes, like Spruce Run.

Ditto. My biggest NJ brown trout was caught from the Mulhockaway in late October.

[The Sinker Man]

So then if what you are saying is correct, then at certain times of the year there should be a large amount of breeding trout leaving certain lakes and or large rivers to run up stream to spawn. I don't mean the sea run browns...

[tautog]

Haven't seen a large amount in a while, but some on Delaware tribs, Spruce Run and some tribs off of main rivers. Not all are giants but most are bigger than the fish normally found in those streams.

[The Sinker Man]

Thanks Kirk...Very well kept secret if we have an actual spawning run.

[tautog]

I was always more a fan of the Delaware tribs than Mull Creek off Spruce Run. Never caught anything much over 20" on either, mostly 14" fish which are actually most of the fall stockies, but usually more feisty.

[surfrod]

The largest brown trout I ever personally saw and held was (obviously) a holdover in the Toms River while electrofishing with NJF&W. Measured 22".

Just upstream from where the brown was found, small (I would guess YOY) sunfish 2-3" and lots of them. Of course a ton of eels of various sizes (not elvers) were brought up as well.

Never got out to fish for fall browns, very interesting stuff!

and KD: you actually get to FISH nowadays?

[Super]

I wish most NJ brown trout were 15". 15" is a huge wild fish anywhere in NJ, except for maybe the Delaware River. Most are closer to 7"-10".

Mulhockaway and Spruce Run Creek have good populations of wild brown trout, just like most cold water creeks in NJ. But most people don't want to bother fishing for tricky 8" fish that they can't keep.

There aren't many breeding browns moving in from Spruce Run Reservoir either. That fishery has been on the decline ever since the state stopped stocking Spruce Run Reservoir over 10 years ago. I think I've only seen one breeding pair in the last 3 years and those fish were so easily spooked and pre-occupied that they're nearly uncatchable.

If you're going to fish any of those creeks inthe fall or winter, please don't stomp through the water. You'll destroy the reeds and eggs.

This is what a typical adult wild brown trout looks like here in NJ:



This is what a spawning pair looks like: