Where are the brown trout?

[Billfish715]

With talk of trout being caught in the Raritan below Somerville, and the interest in holdover trout in the streams and rivers, I started thinking about the purging of the brown trout from the Pequest Hatchery a few years ago. What information, if any, was ever collected about their effects on the massive stocking. Did any survive? Have any been caught recently in any of the streams into which they were stocked?

I guess what got me started was the discussions about the trout fishing on the Raritan River in places far from the stocking points. Does anyone think there could be a sizeable number of trout that make it down the Raritan to brackish water? Weren't a bunch of browns stocked in the lower Raritan? Does anyone think any of them are now living in the river or its tributaries? If any of them are surviving, what does it say about the disease that affected them?

I'm just wondering about what happened to all of those brown and brook trout after they were put into the streams. Did any survive? If they didn't, was their disease to blame or did they become a food fish for the herons, ospreys, eagles, pike etc.?

If any survived, shouldn't the state revisit their brown and brook trout rearing program? Just curious.

[Drossi]

Rainbows are easier to raise(I.e. Cheaper). Only stocker brooks and Browns will be from private stockings. PA doesn't seem to have the same issue raising them though.

[JDTuna]

No need to stock them. There are a number of rivers and streams with self-sustaining populations of wild brown trout. Some nice fish in the mix, too.

[AndyS]

There are no trout in the Raritan river below the last stocking point, just ask Mark B.

[thmyorke1]

Im sort of ok with rainbow-stocking only. This way catching browns/brooks are more rewarding.

However it would be cool if they focused more on that idea of "brown-trout enhancement", sort of like only stock browns in specific waters that have potential.

Rainbows are the least successful at maintaining a population in NJ out of the three trout (from what ive read)

Put rainbows in majority of water, but put browns in streams that have the potential to become good holdover streams, or even production streams.

[Billfish715]

To my point.......Yes, the rainbows are easier to raise, but the state did not purge the raceways because the rainbows were diseased. They got rid of thousands of brook and brown trout, however, because they were diseased. Yes, there are "native" brown trout in some places if you know where to look. Those "native" browns are survivors of trout that at one time had to be stocked by someone, somewhere.

But, what happened to all or most or even some of the thousands of purged brooks and browns that were set free? Will their offspring become "native" trout someday? The state released at least a truckload of brown trout in the Rahway River in Rahway in a stretch that was never stocked with trout. Did they swim to the Arthur Kill and become searun trout? Did any make their way up a tributary and try to spawn?

I'm just asking questions to learn if any studies were done to assess what results may have occurred because of the release of the trout in question. Are any of those that may have survived now disease-free?

Finally, if so many trout are released into a stretch of stream ( like the ones into which the diseased trout were let go ) and they are not caught, can we assume they swam off, never to be seen again? That would make me want to know if the biologists have considered just how many trout should be released into a trout conservation area in order for a reasonable amount of trout to remain and perhaps reproduce or also just swim off.

[acaravaglia]

I personally prefer to fish for brookies or Browns over rainbows. These two species are more aggressive and likely to hit plugs and other lures (I've caught my share of rainbows to over 9 lbs on jigs and plugs, but by far the action isn't like plugging a stream full of beautiful brooks and Browns). In my experience Rainbows are more inclined to hit Inline spinners, power bait or meal worms. Fly fisherman do well with the bows as well. I can't use meal worms due an allergy when I touch them and power bait just seems fake (was ok when I was a kid). I think it's time to start restocking our state fish, the Brooktrout. I'd also love to see Browns reintroduced. That's my two cents.

[Jigman13]

Itll happen once the hatchery is ideally set up for it i.e. covered raceways etc to protect from birds etc.

[Dave B.]

Originally Posted by Drossi

Rainbows are easier to raise(I.e. Cheaper). Only stocker brooks and Browns will be from private stockings. PA doesn't seem to have the same issue raising them though.

Rainbows are no more or less costly to rear than the other 2 species. They're simply far more resistant to many pathogens than brooks, and to a bit lesser degree browns, are susceptible to. One of the few exceptions to this is 'whirling disease' which seems to primarily effect rainbows.

As far as PA not having issue, actually they have Furunculosis outbreaks at many of their hatcheries every year. They treat and stock the fish with little regard for the potential impacts on either existing wild pops or other species since furunculosis is not just a salmonid disease. There have been many outbreaks in other states that involved everything from smallmouth to sunnies.

[Drossi]

Originally Posted by acaravaglia

. Fly fisherman do well with the bows as well

Misconception. Browns especially are much more inclined to take flies. Brooke's too. Rainbows are much more fickle. Just as likely to catch them on corn.