F&G Council meeting Oct. 8, 2024:

[AndyS]

1.) The cormorants ate all the fish before opening day 2.) The game wardens got sick of chasing people off these ponds fishing prior to opening day 3.) Places like lake Musconetcong couldn't be fished for the early crappie bite because they were trout stocked and not allowed to be fished until opening day

[baetis]

Anyone know the list of the 22 new small ponds being added to the list?

[AndyS]

No idea on the new ponds being stocked, looks like they are pulling straws looking for places to put trout. They said they cut more places than added over the years. Not sure how stocking these small ponds with trout will really benefit anyone.

The best story I heard was from a resident who had a small pond in town and it was always a quiet place for the kids to go and relax and catch a few bluegills and an occasional bass. Once it was trout stocked people came from all over, loud, crowded, littered with trash, noting many did not display a fishing license. How many people will be purchasing a fishing license to fish a 2 acre pond ?

I didn't know what a stocked trout was until I became an adult. My friends and I would fish West Hudson pond in Kearny in the polluted greenish/blue water and we all had a blast catching carp and catfish.