The fish were float-stocked in Wawayanda Lake and Lake Aeroflex, but due to a lack of a ramp suitable for launching a boat with a live well the hatchery crew waded in from the shoreline to stock Tilcon Lake.

As part of the continuing interstate cooperation between New Jersey and several other northeastern states, the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife's Roger Reed Salmon Hatchery had provided a total of 700 salmon measuring 8.5 inches in April. This is fewer than the 2,000 Massachusetts had provided the past several years due to a low percent hatch on eggs in their hatchery.

Between this year's stockings and previous stockings of larger fish, the popularity of salmon fishing in New Jersey has grown. Since the NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife's Salmon Stocking Program began in 2006, a total of 24,828 salmon have been stocked. (See the past stocking records.) The catchable size holdover program began in 2013 when rearing tank space formerly used for rearing Lake Trout became available (the Lake Trout stocking program was discontinued due to sufficient natural reproduction of this species in both Round Valley and Merrill Creek reservoirs).

Since 2013, a total of 12,500 salmon over twelve inches in length have been stocked. These larger fish have created excellent fisheries in all three waters. The current state record of 8 pounds, from Lake Aeroflex, dates back to 1951, and this record may soon be broken as the stocked fish continue to grow.

Anglers are urged to report catches of these fish by e-mailing the Bureau of Freshwater Fisheries at: njfwfish@dep.nj.gov. Please attach photos of your catch.

See www.njfishandwildlife.com/salmon.htm for more information on Landlocked Salmon in New Jersey.