N.J. vs PA trout:

[Capt. Lou]

I now reside in eastern PA so I can readily fish both PA & NJ waters regularly if Imchose to do so . I lived in NJ for 45 years and know those waters very well , PA is vast in comparison so you may have to travel a lot more to get quality fishing .
Our PA stocking program is in my area at least conducted by a group of serious volunteers which I have taken part in in my local waters .
Overall I personally prefer NJ tout waters due to the fact I can be at the best of them within 1/2 hot to an hour .
I fish trout year round putting in 75 days or more . About 90% of those in NJ waters for good reasons .
I prefer seeking big trout those over the 5# mark and in this category for me I do better in NJ .
It's pretty simple u can randomly catch a big trout most anywhere but if u stick,with waters you can truly learn your far better off then fishing new waters in lieu of this method .
When we stock PA in spring many waters local to my house may receive a couple of 5# plus fish in NJ's fall stocking alone I've seen more breeders per hundred then I've ever seen in PA locally .
So to me it's simple I can fish NJ easily due to most good waters being close that's my key , getting more fishing time and exposure to many more big fish .
Once u concentrate your time on waters where u can spend more time your better off as long as there the correct streams that harbor good supplies of trout.
Last year I landed over 700 trout most from NJ however PA in spring locally was good as well .
Once u learn how to take the big girls regularly and I don't mean to imply it's easy , sometimes it's months befor I get a 5# plus fish others times I Get lucky and get several in as many months , it's all timing n methods .
I've taken 41 trout over 5#'s in the last 7 seasons 80%' from NJ waters that's why I fish there . It works for me .

[baetis]

New Jersey's fall and winter stocking program is very good.

The failure to keep the birds out of the pens and decision to abandon brook and brown trout stocking sucks horribly. If all of NJ's neighboring states can raise and stock a variety of trout, NJ should be able to do so as well.

[Troutfishing4life]

Originally Posted by baetis

New Jersey's fall and winter stocking program is very good.

The failure to keep the birds out of the pens and decision to abandon brook and brown trout stocking sucks horribly. If all of NJ's neighboring states can raise and stock a variety of trout, NJ should be able to do so as well.

Other states do not care about the diseases in the Trout they are stocking compared to NJ.
NJ is going the extra mile to ensure the trout it stocks are healthy and will not affect wild and native fish. Where other states just stock what ever they want

Both States offer good trout fishing it depends what you are into

[AndyS]

That whole disease thing was a joke ! They hire a Pathologist and suddenly the hatchery is doomed with disease. It's all a Federal money grab. It's beyond fish, it's politics.

[KRocks]

I completely agree with baetis.

I grew up literally a half mile from the NJ/NY border in Suffern, NY. The Ramapo and other bodies of water are well known interstate rivers. If Shepherd Lake in Ringwood was a 1/10th of a mile bigger on its Northern end, it would be in NY State. Check it out on a map, along with all of the Sterling Forest and Harriman State Park waters.

Rockland and Orange are the NY counties that respectively border Bergen and Passaic. I've fished most of the lakes and streams/brooks in these areas.

If you check out the NY State stocking program for just these border counties, they stock brookies and brownies galore. How is right over the border in NJ so different?

As a NJ resident now, I would prefer to fish local waters but I keep finding myself going back over the border to NY because I can only catch so many same-old stockie Rainbow Trout. With all due respect to JD Tuna and his Wild Brown Trout honey holes.

[baetis]

Originally Posted by KRocks

I completely agree with baetis.

I grew up literally a half mile from the NJ/NY border in Suffern, NY. The Ramapo and other bodies of water are well known interstate rivers. If Shepherd Lake in Ringwood was a 1/10th of a mile bigger on its Northern end, it would be in NY State. Check it out on a map, along with all of the Sterling Forest and Harriman State Park waters.

Rockland and Orange are the NY counties that respectively border Bergen and Passaic. I've fished most of the lakes and streams/brooks in these areas.

If you check out the NY State stocking program for just these border counties, they stock brookies and brownies galore. How is right over the border in NJ so different?

As a NJ resident now, I would prefer to fish local waters but I keep finding myself going back over the border to NY because I can only catch so many same-old stockie Rainbow Trout. With all due respect to JD Tuna and his Wild Brown Trout honey holes.

Krocks,

Please tell those NY stocked trout in the Ramapo not to migrate into NJ. Same with all the Greenwood Lake trout. They aren't allowed to flood over into the Wanaque. Come to think of it, I hope none of the trout PA or NY trout end up in the Delaware and make their way to NJ either. I'll work on teaching the Eagles and Ospreys not to fly over state lines either.

[Mark B.]

Originally Posted by Troutfishing4life

NJ is going the extra mile to ensure the trout it stocks are healthy and will not affect wild and native fish.

Absolutely correct.

Originally Posted by AndyS

That whole disease thing was a joke ! They hire a Pathologist and suddenly the hatchery is doomed with disease. It's all a Federal money grab. It's beyond fish, it's politics.

Fake news.

[Dave B.]

Originally Posted by AndyS

That whole disease thing was a joke ! They hire a Pathologist and suddenly the hatchery is doomed with disease. It's all a Federal money grab. It's beyond fish, it's politics.

Frankly I fail to see how a disease outbreak that affects hundreds of thousands of trout is a joke. As for the hatchery being 'doomed', I've not heard that one before. Regarding your statement that 'It's all a Federal money grab', again I'm not familiar with that, but if it were true why would you have a problem with our Freshwater Fisheries Bureau getting a bigger piece of the excise tax cash pie that we all pay into via the federal taxes on rods, reels, line, lures, boats and equipment, etc? It's our dollars that are supposed to come back to our Div. F&W. I can't seem to see any sense in your statements.

[NorthJerzyG]

There are vast opportunities for great trout fishing in both states, NJ and PA, and also NY. For me, it's all about location. What's the "closest" place to find my target catch? Am I after big stockies, or do I feel like hiking a wild stream? Maybe I feel like fighting some lake dwellers?

While it may suck to have to buy an out of state license, is it worth it in the long run to travel less and have more time to fish better waters?

I've fished a bunch of spots in NJ, PA, and NY. Had some awesome, and sh!tty days everywhere. All depends on how much time I have, what I feel like chasing that day, and my willingness to explore. "I could fish that same stretch I did well at last week..... but I kinda wanna check out this new spot?" The decision could decide whether or not I catch em up or get in a nice fishless hike......

As for quality and species of fish, it's been shown that ALL are available in each of the surrounding states. Just depends on what your after and how much time and effort you are willing to put into the chase.

All that being said, I have not heard about diseased stocked trout causing outbreaks in wild pops in surrounding states. Although I'm sure it may have happened and is not widely reported, I could see where it seems like an "overabundance" of caution to the fishing public. Keep in mind I am certainly no expert on the topic.

For me the only differ is, over the last few seasons, catching some decent size "stocked" brookies that were pretty unexpected.... Then again, one of my most memorable Bows, caught in an NJ river....

[Chrisper4694]

I mean...honestly...let's just have a trout picture post off! Post your trout pics and state PA, NJ, or NY and we'll see which has the better fish!! hahaha I'd say keep it to eastern PA and southern NY though to remain in the same general area and cut out super far traveling trips.

who wants to start?....and go: