TROUT SEASON OPENS SATURDAY, APRIL 7
(07/19) TRENTON - Trout season in New Jersey officially
begins at 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 7, and Department of Environmental
Protection Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson today invited residents
and visitors to try their luck in more than 200 trout-stocked waters
throughout the Garden State.
Before wetting a line, trout anglers
ages 16 through 70 are reminded to purchase a fishing license and
a trout stamp.
“For what you’d spend on a movie, popcorn
and soft drinks for two, you can enjoy an entire year’s worth
of first-rate fishing and quiet relaxation in some of our state’s
most scenic areas,” Commissioner Jackson said. “What’s
more, buying a fishing license in New Jersey now is as easy as
baiting a hook.”
Fishing licenses and trout stamps can be
purchased online at www.njfishandwildlife.com, at select offices
of the DEP’s Division of Fish and Wildlife and at license
vendors throughout the state.
More than 150,000 anglers are expected
to turn out for opening day.
By the end of May, waters throughout
New Jersey’s 21 counties will be stocked with approximately
570,000 brook, brown and rainbow trout, raised at the state’s
Pequest Trout Hatchery in Warren County. Most of the fish measure
11 inches and weigh one-half pound. Thousands of 3-pound to 5-pound
trout also will be stocked throughout the season.
During the 10-week
spring stocking season, most of New Jersey’s trout-stocked
waters will receive fish at least four times. Following opening
day, the popular larger streams and rivers will be stocked every
week for seven weeks to ensure plenty of trout for anglers throughout
the spring.
Early-season anglers also have a chance to hook up
with holdover rainbow trout, which were 14 inches to 16 inches
when stocked this past fall and winter.
For both the novice and
the experienced angler, the Freshwater Fishing Issue of the New
Jersey Fish and Wildlife Digest offers fishing tips, a summary
of regulations, license information and feature articles. Copies
of the publication are available at sporting goods stores that
sell fishing licenses or online at www.njfishandwildlife.com.
Visit
www.njfishandwildlife.com/arttrtout07.htm for more information
including a list of fishing access sites, trout water closures,
program updates and a trout season outlook.
For the weekly listing
of waters slated for spring stocking, call the Trout Stocking Hotline
at (609) 633-6765 or visit Fish and Wildlife’s Web site.
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