Paulinskill

[Fred E. Goose]

Hey everyone I need a little help on a question. I'll be around the Paulinskill this weekend and am going to squeak in some fishing. I was wondering if anyone who fishes there can help me out, are there any special regs for it that I should be aware of (like no live bait, no treble hooks, crushed barbs, etc.)?

Thanks in advance for any input.

Fred

[thmyorke1]

i believe it's the same as any trout stream, doesnt appear to have any special reg stretches/TCAs. Some wild trout streams dumping into it so just watch out there since those creek have tighter regs.

https://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/2020/digfsh20.pdf

I floated it via canoe last summer, 8 miles, was pretty rough lol but we ran into a holdover trout, some smb, sunnies, and a small walleye.

[KRONK]

No special regs,try the back roads .Bridges and easy access will be devoid of fish.

[Billfish715]

A lot depends on where you fish along the Paulinskill. The area around Blairstown always has lots of access and always holds a variety of fish. I'm not sure how the recent rains will affect things since that river is slow to draw down and slow to clear. If things are favorable, you can wade the river which will give you much better access.

You can find almost any kind of fish in the deeper, stretches or pools. There are trout (a few hold over in cooler spots), lots of SMB, Bluegills, Crappies, Rockbass (Redeyes), Fallfish. Use worms if you are a bait person. Worms are easy to get. Spinners like Mepps size 1, small Rapalas, Trout Magnets, small jigs and twisters. A lot will depend on the personality of the river. If it's back to summer levels and clear, you can have a ball.

There are restrictions in the upper stretch around Lafayette. Just read the regs.
If you get down to the confluence with the Delaware, let us know how you do. With the dam removal project seemingly done, that stretch is worth checking and reporting back.

[thmyorke1]

I hear that wma is still closed, where the old dam and lake were.

[Fred E. Goose]

Thanks for the response guys. The NW NJ river/stream regs are tough to figure out. I did read through the regs and didn't find anything, but wanted to double check with any of the experts on here in case I was missing something. Recently I read that a stretch of the Pequannock near where I fish often was no possession of live bait or concentrated bait scents and I never knew that.

Also, big thank you for the added advice and tips. I'm looking forward to checking it out.

[Drossi]

Originally Posted by thmyorke1

I hear that wma is still closed, where the old dam and lake were.

yes it's still fenced off, no access to the parking lot.

[HBird11]

It’s still closed, absolutely no access at all. You aren’t allowed to even walk on the property from the Warrington Rd. bridge to the Delaware River. I’m assuming they are trying to get what’s left of the quicksand like silt to dry out. They planted all kinds of trees and stuff to stabilize the river banks. I would highly recommend fishing on Station Rd. it’s a awesome stretch of the Paulinskill. If you’ve never fished there you will be in for a surprise when you end up fishing under a massive 1100 foot long 115 foot high old railroad viaduct. It’s really cool to see what was at one time the largest reinforced concrete structure in the world! Yup I said in the world, true story look it up it was finished in 1910

[Fred E. Goose]

Sounds like a scenic spot HBird. Hey, I did finally get to take a glance at White Lake when I was over there yesterday. I know I spoke to you about that spot months ago. Really cool place! As for the Paulinskill, it seemed really low. I hiked quite a bit and explored 3 access areas and hopefully found some decent spots for when the levels are higher. My only luck was one pool held sunfish and I pulled a dink largemouth outta there also. Did see a giant heron (probably the largest I've ever laid eyes on) working by footbridge.