Flatbrook Survey

[Billfish715]

Stocked Trout Movement Study
in the Big Flat Brook / Flat Brook
Catch and Release Area
A two-year trout movement study in the Big Flat Brook Catch and
Release area was initiated in the spring of 2017 to help determine the
cause of a low number of stocked trout found during the summer
months despite heavy stocking, a no harvest regulation along with
adequate temperatures and habitat.
Biologists surgically implanted a tracking transmitter into the body
cavity of 80 trout. The transmitters allowed biologists to track individual stocked trout to determine if they were leaving the catch and release
area. It was revealed that predators play the biggest role in the limited
number of trout. Several transmitters were found among the boney
remnants of partially consumed trout, near dens or animal runs. A
couple of transmitters were tracked back to a great blue heron rookery.

These results are in the new Freshwater Fishing Digest. The results do not reflect all of the answers but do reinforce what many fishermen have known for a long time. The report says nothing about the fish that are consumed by the huge population of cororants that exists throughout the state. There are also active bald eagles and ospreys that feast on freshly stocked trout in many waterways.

So, to say that trout fishing in New Jersey is anything more than put and take would be misleading. The trout are put in and they stay around for awhile and then they are gone or are so spread out as to make it seem they are gone. The results of the survey and the comments and complaints that were made about the low number of trout being caught in the C&R area seem to indicate that. If the catch and release guys aren't catching enough fish, my opinion would be to let everyone try to catch what apparently is not there. Let them use artificials or bait since it doesn't seem to matter given that the trout aren't there anyhow.

There is a fisheries forum coming up this spring before the trout season and I'm sure the results and future plans for the Flatbrook Catch and Release Area will be discussed.