2015 Hackettstown Hatchery Stocking Summaries

[UglyStick]

A big thanks to Craig and all the folks at the Hackettstown Hatchery for all the hard work they do...

Stocking summaries, including sizes and numbers stocked in specific state waters in 2015, have been posted for 11 popular game species raised at the Hackettstown Hatchery.

http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/pdf...tockings15.pdf

http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/hacktown.htm#summaries

[NJSquatch]

always an interesting read.

crazy amount of LMB stocked in Hopatcong!

[UglyStick]

Originally Posted by NJSquatch

crazy amount of LMB stocked in Hopatcong!

I believe that is a result of the trapnetting study done the year before that showed not as many LMB as would have been thought / hoped

[NJSquatch]

A third of all the SMB stocked too!

Me likey

[The Birdman]

Smallmouth Bass
Lake Aeroflex 3,050 2.47" -Pretty cool !

I wouldn't mind the state dumping some smallmouth in Wawayanda. They are in there but not many.

Muskellunge Mountain Lake (Sussex). Isn't it Warren county?

[UglyStick]

Originally Posted by The Birdman

Muskellunge Mountain Lake (Sussex). Isn't it Warren county?

Yep - a typo...

[Eskimo]

.

Thanks for the link Uglystick. Very interesting.

In my unscientific opinion, the 5,000 pike stocked in Spruce Run are wasted. I fish that lake often and just don't see any adult pike. I know people who have caught big pike, but I haven't actually caught any pike there, myself.

I don't know where all the pike that are stocked go. My guess is the pike are being consumed by the perch.

I feel the 5,000 pike would be better off being stocked in the Passaic River to offset the increase in fishing pressure the river has experienced in the past few years.

I'm amazed Hopatcong is getting over 50,000 Largemouth Bass. I presume the bass population is lower than it could be there because the bass are having trouble feeding in the dense aquatic weeds choking portions of that lake. If that is the case, maybe their issue is one of water-quality and not bass reproduction and adding all those bass won't ameliorate the issue.

Spruce Run, being arguably the most over-fished lake in New Jersey in terms of angler hours per acre per day, could probably make better use of those bass.


.

[UglyStick]

Eskimo - If not already planning to, you should attend the freshwater fisheries forum this Saturday at the Hackettstown Hatchery. You can bring up these questions / comments during the question and answer period.

[NJSquatch]

Originally Posted by Eskimo

.
I'm amazed Hopatcong is getting over 50,000 Largemouth Bass. I presume the bass population is lower than it could be there because the bass are having trouble feeding in the dense aquatic weeds choking portions of that lake. If that is the case, maybe their issue is one of water-quality and not bass reproduction and adding all those bass won't ameliorate the issue.

I also wonder what effect the weed harvesting has on the LMB population. Logic would say that the fry are inhabiting the same shallow water and may get caught up in the harvesters?

[bunker dunker]

there are over 65 bass tourneys on lake Hopatcong a year.mostly local clubs but still allot for that size lake.talking with the game wardens they say lmb are one of the most poached game fish on that lake.