Trout season begins in NJ

ROCKAWAY – When the clock struck 8 a.m. Saturday morning on the Rockaway River, passersby could hear the soft buzz of dozens of fishing lines followed by as many plops as they all hit the water.

It's officially trout season and, as always, the section of the Rockaway River near Potbelly's Riverside Café on Main Street in Rockaway is one of the most popular spots in Morris County.

Potbelly's owner Rob Grow makes sure his section of the river is stocked with rainbow trout, including a few big ones that come with special perks to those who catch them.

The trout stocking came courtesy of the Pequest Trout Hatchery, which raised nearly 600,000 trout this year. The Hatchery helps stock waterways statewide throughout the year. The average size of a trout stocked for spring is 10.5 inches and half a pound.

Grow stocks the Rockaway River "falls to falls" from the Main Street firehouse to the falls on Jackson Avenue with about 25 three-pound trout and two five- or six-pound trout.

He opened Potbelly's early at 6 a.m. Saturday so anglers could eat breakfast before the season began.

One nine-pound "monster trout" was also supplied for the area by the Rockaway PBA and the person who catches it will receive a $100 Visa gift card courtesy of the organization.

Anyone who catches one of the three bigger fish, which are tagged for identification, can bring them into the Potbelly's and the restaurant will prepare it for free.

Grow said each fish can feed a family of four, and the winners will receive a full meal at Potbelly's with the fish as the main course.

Fishing equipment, lures and gift cards are also given out to people who bring their fish into Potbelly's to be weighed.

"I remember growing up here and they used to have a contest where everybody got some sort of prize, and I'm happy I get to do that now," Grow said. "I love being associated with trout season, from the annual cleanup to reliving childhood memories fishing here with my buddies before school."

45 volunteers cleaned the section of the river behind Potbelly's last weekend, prepping it for the start of the season.

"Every year after that first day of trout season, there would be someone who would leave a big plastic container behind," Grow said. "But since we've started the cleanup – a lot of fishermen come – people seem to be more careful not to do that."

Grow honors the contest throughout the season until all the fish are caught, but by 9 a.m. Saturday, two tagged fish were already hooked.

Amanda Tapia, 37, of Newton was fishing with her father and caught a 17-inch trout within 20 minutes.

"My dad won the Potbelly's contest a couple years ago, we come here off and on," Tapia said, adding she planned to stay until about noon.

9-year-old Aidan Spell of Rockaway was joined by more than half a dozen family members but was the first of the group to catch a fish, which was about a foot long.

"It felt really good," Spell said. "It took about 45 minutes to catch it."

The Spell family lives right down the road on Jackson Avenue and planned to take the fish into Potbelly's for a meal courtesy of Aidan's angling skills Saturday evening.

Tapia and Spell caught some of the first few trout of the season, but with several dozen lines in the water, they were far from the last catches of the day.

John Kazer of Old Bridge decided to invite two of his coworkers – Paul Osborne of Howell and Dave Redzikowski of Toms River – to join him at Potbelly's Saturday morning.

"I know Rob, he's a good guy and helps clean up the river," Kazer said. "So I figured it would be great to bring some good guys the place today."

The weather precluded the group from fly fishing to start, but they were prepared to adjust.

"It's a little too windy at the moment," Osborne said. "So we'll test out the stream with lures until we figure out the river."

Redzikowski said there are plenty of good fishing spots in Toms River, but didn't mind a two hour drive north to try somewhere new.

"I already see a good spot," Redzikowski said, pointing to a group of large rocks sticking out of the water. "There's trout right there, just have to figure out how to get to it."

More than 100,000 anglers are expected to fish in nearly 200 trout-stocked New Jersey waterways this spring.

A fishing license and trout stamp is required for anglers age 16 through 69. They cost $22.50 and $10.50 and can be purchased at local sporting goods stores.

The Pequest Trout Hatchery is rearing strictly rainbow trout this year, after suffering furunculosis outbreaks in 2014 and 2013 that caused fishing season to prematurely end.

Round Valley Reservoir in Lebanon and Merrill Creek Reservoir in Harmony are the state's two Trophy Trout Lakes this year, featuring some of the 26,000 "super-sized" trout, measuring between 14 and 24 inches. The Reservoirs support monster rainbow trout, brown trout and lake trout.

Brookstock, or large breeder trout, can be found at ten "bonus lakes," viewable here.

A list of all trout-stocked waters can be seen here.

Click here to learn more about New Jersey Spring Trout season.

Staff Writer Michael Izzo: 973-428-6636; mizzo@dailyrecord.com