Preseason trout stocking points,………..access, ice out?

[UglyStick]

Went for a drive with the Mrs. yesterday and found the following:

Up in Stokes, Lake Ocquittunk is still completely ice locked with no place a truck could dump in fish without cutting a hole. Grau road is also still closed and snow covered from its intersection with Flatbrook road. I didn't drive all the way around to Crigger road so I don't know if Grau is open for a section on that end or not. Skellenger road from Ocquittunk to the Conservation Center appears to be open and plowed. This leaves access to Big Flatbrook in the area of Grau road not really open to stocking.

As for Big Flatbrook itself, it's open and beautiful with a nice normal height and flow (low for typical spring) and the water is gin clear. From Ocquittunk all the way down to Roy bridge, all the access points are open and able to be stocked with 1 exception. The exception is the disabled access site on Bridge road. Technically, Bridge road is open and passable (1 small lane) from Walpack Road to about 100 yards or so from the river. Fish would have to be carried that 100 yards to be stocked at that point. Access to the river and disabled fisherman lot on the other side at this point is via Roy bridge and Brook road. Technically Brook road is not closed but it is a narrow treacherous single lane of snow, ice and mud that I would not have even attempted without my F150 and 4wd (i.e. not passable for hatchery trucks).

Little Swartswood is still 99% ice locked but there is very small melted edge at the boat launch that fish could be dumped in if done carefully (see pic below).

Swartswood Lake is open around the edges and all of the stocking points are accessible with the exception of the concrete launch as the entire launch access is still closed and snow covered. The other notable thing is that the lake was drawn down and is currently about 4 to 5 feet below normal full pool. ( see pic from the dam end below).

Pics in order:

Big Flatbrook facing north from Roy bridge
Big Flatbrook facing south from Roy bridge
Little Swartswood from the launch
Swartswood looking north from the dam at the south end.