Every spring the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife stocks more than 570,000 trout in nearly 200 streams, lakes, and ponds statewide. The popular spring stocking program provides fabulous trout fishing opportunities for more than 100,000 anglers.

The trout are reared at the Division's Pequest Trout Hatchery, and most of those stocked in the spring are 1½ years old and average about 10½ inches in length and weigh about ½ pound. However, some of the trout that are stocked every spring are considerable larger, weighing 3 to 7 pounds each and ranging from 18 to 24 inches. These large trout are called "broodstock" or "breeders" because they are mature fish (3½ years old) that were used the previous fall to obtain and fertilize eggs as part of the hatchery's continuous production cycle.

So imagine going to a small pond or lake and latching onto the trout of a lifetime. Actually, there is no need to imagine - any one of the ponds and lakes in the Bonus Broodstock Program offers the chance to land that 'lifetime trout' during the spring season. Don't miss this exciting opportunity.

After the broodstock are spawned in the hatchery, some are stocked in the fall while the majority are stocked the following spring, primarily before the opening day of the spring trout season.

To increase interest and excitement in this popular springtime angling activity the Division stocks higher numbers of broodstock in a few (9-10) trout-stocked ponds and small lakes. Each spring a different set of waters receives about three to five times more broodstock than they traditionally receive.

Ten waters were selected for 2017 and are listed in the table below and shown on the map. By concentrating 400 of these large trout in these relatively small lakes and ponds, it is expected that many trout anglers will experience the catch of a lifetime or observe others catching them. The bonus broodstock trout are stocked prior to the opening day of the trout season.

The list and map below will help you find the lakes and ponds receiving the bonus broodstock for 2017. And remember - trout season begins this year on Saturday, April 8 - so fine tune your tackle and be ready for another exciting year of trout fishing in New Jersey!

Bonus Broodstock Waters Location Map (gif, 110kb)
Bonus Broodstock Waters Location Map (pdf, 72kb)

2017 BONUS BROODSTOCK PONDS AND LAKES
Waterbody	County	Waterbody Size (acres)	Proposed 2017 Pre-season Trout Allocation1	Pre-season Broodstock Allocation
				2017	2016
Birch Grove Park Pond	Atlantic	12	390	50	10
Burnham Park Pond	Morris	4	340	30	5
Dahnert's Lake	Bergen	3	250	30	5
Franklin Lake	Monmouth	15	360	30	5
Hook's Creek Lake	Middlesex	10	450	50	10
Lower Echo Park Pond	Union	6	390	30	10
Mountain Farm Pond	Hunterdon	18	350	30	5
Shaws Mill Pond	Cumberland	30	520	50	10
Sylvan Lake	Burlington	12	420	50	10
Verona Park Pond	Essex	13	470	50	10
1 - The pre-season allocation includes both the production size trout (10 ½ inch average size) and the broodstock. The pre-season trout allocation is stocked prior to Opening Day.

See Fishing Access Locations on Trout Waters for directions to these and other trout-stocked waters.

ADDITIONAL LINKS

	Landlocked Salmon in NJ
	Places to Fish - Ponds
	Places to Fish - Streams
	Fishing Regulations
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