Your Predictions on the Future of Fishing in NJ

[Bruce Litton]

Originally Posted by Dave B.

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.

Yeah, my brother Rick remarked that he noticed the times he hit Stony these years ago, the water level was peculiarly low & I recognized it had seemed so. That stuck in mind, but I had no explanation for it, which you've given, clearly. Wow, what a hit the Brook has taken. I fished it two consecutive days in 1977 for a total of 71 smallmouths over nine inches, all released, but I only numbered the legal sized. Other days had high figures, too, and the pressure the very few of us put on the stream never flagged the catches.

I'm hearing some good things about the Raritan system, so maybe my concerns just echo from the death of favored home water. The work Andy does is no short of amazing. We have good watershed associations. There's real concern for the system...