Heading to the Raritan

[shucker]

I love how everyone goes to the falls but 100 yards downstream not a soul to be seen and just as good fishing. Access isn't great downstream so that keeps everyone at the falls ya have to get wet ,muddy, bushwhack thru poison ivy and dodge snakes falling from the trees to get to the fish.

[AndyS]

I have to disagree on some aspects. You talk about people keeping all the large fish ? How many 24" largemouth and 20" smallmouth do you think there are in any given area, then these so called poachers have to catch them, no easy task. People keeping 12lb. pike, again, no easy task.
I actually want people to fish the Raritan river. I want to see trout stocked signs in Bound Brook, maybe the homeless people living under the Queens Bridge will get the message.
I was fishing the Raritan in Bound Brook last night and the kids tearing up the river banks with quads were giving ME dirty looks. I want better access to the river also.
Just because someone reads the site "and lurks" does not make then bad, I lurk on 5 other freshwater sites, does that make me a bad person ? Welcome to the world of the internet and the double edged sword.

[FASTEDDIE29]

Just to change it up a bit, I have two friends that have been bailing channels and walleye out of the lock above Queens bridge. They've been fishing shiners at night. Hey, go catch something!!!

[15FOOTER]

Hey Andy you are right about it being no easy task! But one of the lakes we love (you) in particular is gettin hammered. Once you figure out a lakes pattern you can really dial in and have some great days targeting some monsters. Its times like these as a skillfull and knowledgeable angler that you have to show some restraint in regards to culling the big boys or damage will be done. Theres a guy from hunterdon county anglers who is the nicest guy in the world but hes keeping 5lb smalmouth after 5lb smallmouth. Fish like that are not like doritos it takes many years to make more and they keep the population going. As long as its legal people are gonna keep the big boys, I just wish as people become better anglers because of this site that they could show SOME restraint and let some big guys go..hey keep one every once and a while but not all the time! Just my 2cents any fisherman is cool in my book!

[bigfishy]

Originally Posted by AndyS

I have to disagree on some aspects. You talk about people keeping all the large fish ? How many 24" largemouth and 20" smallmouth do you think there are in any given area, then these so called poachers have to catch them, no easy task. People keeping 12lb. pike, again, no easy task.
I actually want people to fish the Raritan river. I want to see trout stocked signs in Bound Brook, maybe the homeless people living under the Queens Bridge will get the message.
I was fishing the Raritan in Bound Brook last night and the kids tearing up the river banks with quads were giving ME dirty looks. I want better access to the river also.
Just because someone reads the site "and lurks" does not make then bad, I lurk on 5 other freshwater sites, does that make me a bad person ? Welcome to the world of the internet and the double edged sword.

Ppl who keep big fish within the legal limits are by no means poachers...
Larger lakes and fairly long river systems have quite large numbers of 20+" large and smallmouth....It would probably surprise you....While i don't have hard scientific data, i do have manymany yrs. of specifically targeting these larger than average fish.....It gives me a gr8 idea of an areas population, and i do see larger fish taken every yr.....Most ppl have found these lesser known areas via the internet.... I'm not saying that thats a bad thing by any means.....what i am saying is that the more notoriety a given place gets , the better the chances that the fishing will go down hill......RV is a perfect example....While there are many reasons that its gone downhill, the fisherman like you and i know the real reasons and we did'nt need scientific data or exstensive research to know what we know......Its common sense and if we ALL use it more often , our fisheries will only benefit.....

[Lard Almighty]

Take a look at this:







I'm sure there are some on this board whose stomachs turn at these photos. Fifty years ago, EVERYONE was doing this. They kept whatever they caught and didn't even consider the future of the fishery. Guys like Lee Wulff who preached catch and release were the exception, not the rule.

Now, thanks to organizations like BASS and TU that have raised awareness of the importance of catch and release to the health of fisheries, scenes like the above don't happen nearly as often. Yes there are a few meat fishermen who keep everything, but overwhelmingly the conscientious angler who releases his catch, or only keeps what he can use, has become the national standard.

And regulations reflect that. Recently the daily possession limit for trout in PA went from 8 to 5. The size limit for trout in NJ recently went from 7 to 9 inches. As a point of reference, the first BASS tournament ever held had a 15-fish daily limit per angler, and all the fish were brought dead to the weigh-in on a stringer. Now the limit is at 5 fish, and anglers are penalized if they bring a dead fish to the weigh-in.

My point is that yes, there are some anglers that will keep the giant trout, and smallies, and pike, etc. And, as long as they follow all size and possession limits, it is their legal right to do so. But they are far outnumbered by people like us who put conservation and recreation before getting a meal. And we will be the ones who will ensure the future of the sport for the next generation.