FISH TALES MY RECENT FLY FISHING TRIPS

MAY 2025

 Ken Lockwood Gorge is between Califon and High Bridge in  New Jersey  The 2½-mile (4 km) stretch of the South Branch of Raritan is catch and release only It was purchased in 1948 by the Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife and has been referred to as “one of New Jersey's most beautiful places. The State stocks 2,770 trout this year (2025)

                                  CATCH AND RELEASE ONLY

 1. All trout must be released immediately and unharmed. A person may not have any trout in their possession. 2. Only artificial lures and flies may be used. 3. Barbless hooks only, with no more than a total of three hook points. 4. Possession or use of bait (live or preserved) or any substance (natural or synthetic) that contains a concentration of bait scent is prohibited. 5. Fishing is allowed during the spring in-season stocking closures which apply to the rivers .

                 I got to the Gorge at about noon, it was a cloudy day. I have not been there in a few years. There were a few major floods that changed things. I was happy to see how clear and beautiful the water was. I looked around in the stream and saw lots of black stone fly nymphs, so I started off with a #16 black stone fly nymph, 6X tippet, small bb shot about 24 inches above the fly. I fished two nice hole with no luck. I did not see any thing hatching, so I put on a #16 gold ribbed hares ear wet fly. I kept the weight on to keep it deep. On my first cast I got nailed, I thought it was a huge trout but it was a 12 inch small mouth, it gave a nice fight.                                                                      I kept working the same hole and hooked into a big trout, at first I thought I was snagged, then it did that heavy head shaking staying deep in the hole. It started to run then the fly popped off. I had him hooked good and it caused a disturbance so I moved down to the next hole. I was casting quartering upstream next to a big boulder with a deep channel next to it. I hooked 2 more trout, landed the one rainbow about twelve inches. It seemed like every cast there was a trout following my fly but just would not take it. I kept working this hole for about half an hour then I got another rainbow, nice and fat about 14 inches.

I saw a few fish rising, here and there, I am looking forward to some major hatches in the coming weeks.

APRIL 2025 

The Musconetcong River is a 45.7-mile-long tributary of the Delaware River in northwestern New Jersey. It flows through the rural mountainous country of northwestern New Jersey. The name derives from the Lenape words moschakgeu meaning "clear" and hannek meaning "stream". 

       My favorate spots are Waterloo Village, Saxton Falls, Stephens State Park and the stretch west of Route 31 until it runs into the Delaware at Rieglesville. The state stocks 52,410 trout this year (2025). There is closed stockings on Fridays during the season, fishing starts at 5pm. I like to go at sunrise on Saturday morning the next day after stocking.

       I fished Stephens State Park, I started at the top Upstream and worked my way back to the ranger house.. I was set up with my Orvis rod, 5wt 7'9'' Green Mountain, 7X tippet and a 16 caddis emerger with a BB size split shot about 24 inches above the fly. I got into fish in the first hour of daylight I picked up 3 nice rainbows. Then things slowed down and I Finally got 1 more down stream by the bridge. Things got really busy, lots of people so I packed it in by 10 am. It was a beautiful day , the water was clear and it was a perfect day spring trout fishing on the "Musky". 

APRIL 2025 

The Paulins Kill (also known as Paulinskill River) is a 41.6-mile (66.9 km)tributary of the Delaware River in northwestern New Jersey. It is  New Jersey's third-largest contributor to the Delaware River.  The main branch of the Paulins Kill begins to form immediately north of Newton, in the marshes that straddle the town. In Warren County its waters enter the Delaware River just south of the Delaware Water Gap. 

             The state stocks 29,760 trout this year (2025).There is closed stockings on Thursdays during the season, fishing starts at 5pm. I like to go at sunrise on Friday morning the next day after stocking. I fish Paulins Kill Friday morning and the Musky Saturday morning.

     I fished the river down stream form the old Paulina dam site toward Blairstown. I like this stretch of river because it runs deep and has nice slow water with deep pools. The main thing for me is easy access, I have problems getting up and down steep banks. The Paulina Dam was my favorite fishing hole. I would fish the deep pockets right below the dam with black stone fly nymphs. It always produced trout and lots of nice small mouths. The dam was removed to improve the river in 2024.

   At 7 am I started my trip downstream from the site above the trestle bridge. There was some caddis hatching off the river. I was set up with my Orvis rod, 5wt 7'9'' Green Mountain, 6X tippet , I started out with a size 16 henryville dry fly. I worked the river hard and got just one fish right above the trestle. I switched to a caddis wet fly "soft hackle" I worked it hard but not one hit.  I switched over to a gold ribbed hares ear wet fly #16, with a bb weight about 24 inches above the fly. I picked up three nice rainbows below the trestle in a nice slow stretch there. I fished it down stream about another hundred yards but nothing was happening. I packed it in by noon .

APRIL 2025     

The main Raritan River forms at the point where the North Branch and the South Branch join just west of Somerville at the border of Bridgewater and Branchburg. 

After the confluence of the North and South branches, the Raritan River flows for approximately 16 miles, before slowing in tidewater at New Brunswick.  It then flows 14 miles more, entering the western end of Raritan Bay at Perth Amboy. 

      The state stocks 3,440 trout this year (2025) from where the North Branch and South Branch meet to below Manville. 

        The falls at Duke island Park and the stretch that runs below it through the park is a good stretch of river. There is parking and easy access in and out of the river. This is about a mile below where the North and South Branch meet.

     I started my trip below the falls about two hundred yards downstream. I had my 8 foot 5 wt Cortland 2 piece rod with 5wtf floating line. I saw that there was nothing hatching so I started out with a #16 march brown wet fly. I used a 6X tippet and a bb split shot about 24 inches above the fly. I worked the far side where the current moved faster and there was a nice channel about 3-4 feet deep and 30 feet long. I worked it from the top casting quartering upstream. I only had to cast about 15 feet. I worked the fly deep and slow, raising the rod tip as the line drifted downstream to pick up the slack to prevent drag. I picked up four small rainbows from this section.

I then went into the park and fished the river. I worked a fifty yard section of ripples, the water was about 3 feet deep and moving. I picked up two more small rainbows. This is a favorite spot because it is about a 15 minute drive from my house and ther is plenty of room to fish.