Hi guys I caught this awesome fish at the Ken Lockwood Gorge over the border in NJ this weekend. I'd really appreciate some support on my new YT!

very nice. i have fished there many times as its only 15 min from me. its one of the best trout waters in the state. and a trout conservation area.
 
Kyle said:
very nice. i have fished there many times as its only 15 min from me. its one of the best trout waters in the state. and a trout conservation area.
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Thanks for watching. I absolutely love fishing at KLG, you are definitely right about it being one of the best trout waters in NJ - also the most scenic imo!
 
Big Stockie bow. I am assuming there are an abundance of wild fish in this place as well?
 
Thanks for posting up a gorge video, helps keep up interest in KLG and keep the rest of the SBR clear of anglers. I appreciate that. :)
 
Kyle said:
yes
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What stream born trout species lives in there? I remember i used to fish the raritan below there i believe growing up, always thought it was all stocked?
 
Fish Sticks said:
What stream born trout species lives in there? I remember i used to fish the raritan below there i believe growing up, always thought it was all stocked?
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i have caught many rainbows there. although they are very small. and a few of these
KIMG0748
 
Wild browns are common above Lake Solitude and native brookies are found there too. The state has only stocked rainbows in the section for about 20 years to help wild trout.

Unfortunately, the wild trout population has plummeted since about 2015. In the early 2000's the shocking samples were outstanding with tons of browns. Plenty of brookies too but the population went up and down with the weather. In 2015 I had an internship with NJ Fish and Wildlife surveying the S. Branch from Budd Lake to the lower end of the KLG. That year we had the worst shocking results ever for wild trout with no good sized wild fish. To help preserve the wild trout the top 4 miles of the river is no longer stocked and is managed as a wild trout stream.
 
JeffK said:
Wild browns are common above Lake Solitude and native brookies are found there too. The state has only stocked rainbows in the section for about 20 years to help wild trout.

Unfortunately, the wild trout population has plummeted since about 2015. In the early 2000's the shocking samples were outstanding with tons of browns. Plenty of brookies too but the population went up and down with the weather. In 2015 I had an internship with NJ Fish and Wildlife surveying the S. Branch from Budd Lake to the lower end of the KLG. That year we had the worst shocking results ever for wild trout with no good sized wild fish. To help preserve the wild trout the top 4 miles of the river is no longer stocked and is managed as a wild trout stream.
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it is a very common notion that wild native brook trout can be protected in small arbitrary areas, particularly in headwater streams, with no barrier by just stocking down stream of those locations.

Unfortunately this is false and states like MD, WV, VA and others have changed their management accordingly to the watershed model in a fee places to create strongholds of wild native brook trout. Its working like gangbusters and other states are lagging behind big time and its extremely likely that is costing them healthy brook trout populations. Obviously Pa fish and boat, as a hold out, of course will not share this fisheries science based recipe for success with the PA public.

Thats why i created this to share this science with the public and it may provide some insight into possible reasons of brook trout decline given the context you have provided us.

www.flyfisherman.com

Works Cited: Sources From James Suleski's Story - Fly Fisherman

Links and sources for his article on watershed-wide management and why we need to stop stocking invasive species.
www.flyfisherman.com www.flyfisherman.com
 
Pat Hamilton did genetic studies of the brookies in the upper S. Branch and they appeared to be native but could not be sure since didn't have pre stocking samples.

I've been fishing these streams since late 60's so here is my take. Back in the day caught mostly ugly stockies and water quality wasn't so great from pollution (untreated sewage and industrial) and poor agricultural practices, particularly letting dairy cows in the river in the summer. Earth Day in 1970 seemed to raise awareness of pollution and disappearing dairy farms led to improving wild trout populations until the early 2000's when shocking results were about 200 wild trout/1000' sample in KLG and 400 wild trout/1000' sample in the Claremont Stretch. My fishing results were best in open water between the two special regs areas, but that area wasn't sampled. The wild fish seemed to do well with the stocked rainbows and few stocked rainbows showed up in shocking samples done in late summer. (NJ stocked rainbows only in wild trout waters before going to rainbows only after the disease issues at the hatchery)

One of my post retirement activities was to get a degree in environmental stewardship from Rutgers, part of which was an internship in 2015 with the then Raritan Watershed biologist Shawn Crouse. I angler surveyed the 11 miles from the source to the lower end of the KLG once a week or more, took water temperature and water samples, and participated in electro-shocking. Also had contact with hatchery staff for stocking details, so was pretty familiar with stream. I started getting complaints of lack of wild fish, which I took to be usual bickering (one hears plenty of complaints doing angler surveys). That summer (2015) the electro shocking in the Claremont stretch showed only a few juvenile browns. It was the worst sample ever following the best only a few years earlier. I think reduction was the resultant of the combination of increasing development and the floods we have been having. The streambed has been widening and shallowing with increased sediment, actually since Hurrican Floyd in 1999. However, it has gotten worse lately. A number of developments have been built on the limestone recharge area in the valley floor - the upper river is cooled by a number of limestone springs. I don't know what else is at play. As a result, the upper 4 miles are not stocked and managed as wild trout waters to protect remaining wild trout. I moved away from the area 5 years ago so not sure about how the stretch is faring, but stories from friends don't indicate the trout have come back fully.

About a mile below the source is the remains of a dam for the swimming area of an abandoned YMCA camp. The dam is a barrier to brown trout and above it are only brookies. The dam was scheduled to be removed, but it was only notched to lower the pool to lessen water warming, but to still provide a barrier to browns. A lot of talk to determine best course of action. Area was the subject of a doctoral thesis about movement of brook trout among the various tribs.
 
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JeffK said:
A number of developments have been built on the limestone recharge area in the valley floor - the upper river is cooled by a number of limestone springs.
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I've seen this in other watersheds as well, once vibrant spring holes now don't pump out the volumes of cold water that used to sustain fish through the summer months and keep stream flows steadier. Every new well that goes into the ground sucks water from the ground that would otherwise go to existing springs, lower the water table enough and the springs disappear. I'm sure that's in play in a lot of streams where there's been wild population degradation.
 
JeffK said:
Pat Hamilton did genetic studies of the brookies in the upper S. Branch and they appeared to be native but could not be sure since didn't have pre stocking samples.

I've been fishing these streams since late 60's so here is my take. Back in the day caught mostly ugly stockies and water quality wasn't so great from pollution (untreated sewage and industrial) and poor agricultural practices, particularly
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I usually consider native at the species level not the genetic level. Heritage strain i think is what you are referring too.

In the link i sent you look at the 5 compon
JeffK said:
Pat Hamilton did genetic studies of the brookies in the upper S. Branch and they appeared to be native but could not be sure since didn't have pre stocking samples.

I've been fishing these streams since late 60's so here is my take. Back in the day caught mostly ugly stockies and water quality wasn't so great from pollution (untreated sewage and industrial) and poor agricultural practices, particularly letting dairy cows in the river in the summer. Earth Day in 1970 seemed to raise awareness of pollution and disappearing dairy farms led to improving wild trout populations until the early 2000's when shocking results were about 200 wild trout/1000' sample in KLG and 400 wild trout/1000' sample in the Claremont Stretch. My fishing results were best in open water between the two special regs areas, but that area wasn't sampled. The wild fish seemed to do well with the stocked rainbows and few stocked rainbows showed up in shocking samples done in late summer. (NJ stocked rainbows only in wild trout waters before going to rainbows only after the disease issues at the hatchery)

One of my post retirement activities was to get a degree in environmental stewardship from Rutgers, part of which was an internship in 2015 with the then Raritan Watershed biologist Shawn Crouse. I angler surveyed the 11 miles from the source to the lower end of the KLG once a week or more, took water temperature and water samples, and participated in electro-shocking. Also had contact with hatchery staff for stocking details, so was pretty familiar with stream. I started getting complaints of lack of wild fish, which I took to be usual bickering (one hears plenty of complaints doing angler surveys). That summer (2015) the electro shocking in the Claremont stretch showed only a few juvenile browns. It was the worst sample ever following the best only a few years earlier. I think reduction was the resultant of the combination of increasing development and the floods we have been having. The streambed has been widening and shallowing with increased sediment, actually since Hurrican Floyd in 1999. However, it has gotten worse lately. A number of developments have been built on the limestone recharge area in the valley floor - the upper river is cooled by a number of limestone springs. I don't know what else is at play. As a result, the upper 4 miles are not stocked and managed as wild trout waters to protect remaining wild trout. I moved away from the area 5 years ago so not sure about how the stretch is faring, but stories from friends don't indicate the trout have come back fully.

About a mile below the source is the remains of a dam for the swimming area of an abandoned YMCA camp. The dam is a barrier to brown trout and above it are only brookies. The dam was scheduled to be removed, but it was only notched to lower the pool to lessen water warming, but to still provide a barrier to browns. A lot of talk to determine best course of action. Area was the subject of a doctoral thesis about movement of brook trout among the various tribs.
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less ground water is less thermal refuge and brown and rainbow trout have been shown to push wild native brook trout out of thermal refuge. In the resource links I posted above there are numerous publications on this so stream changes can essentially be exacerbated by invasive species.
 
My observations (I snorkled the area as well as fishing etc) were that the browns monopolized the pools and drove the brookies into the riffles. One stretch in particular had 5 springs come into the riffles and was loaded with brookies, but at the head of the pool (which was still cooled by the springs) the browns dominated. This area of springs in now a condo complex, which doesn't help. In general the upper river stayed cool all summer. However, in drought years the browns did push brookies away from refuges and the brookie population dropped. The brookies did rebound and had good numbers in wet or normal years. The mixture was about 75% browns/25% brookies on average. Brookies didn't get very large.
 
JeffK said:
My observations (I snorkled the area as well as fishing etc) were that the browns monopolized the pools and drove the brookies into the riffles. One stretch in particular had 5 springs come into the riffles and was loaded with brookies, but at the head of the pool (which was still cooled by the springs) the browns dominated. This area of springs in now a condo complex, which doesn't help. In general the upper river stayed cool all summer. However, in drought years the browns did push brookies away from refuges and the brookie population dropped. The brookies did rebound and had good numbers in wet or normal years. The mixture was about 75% browns/25% brookies on average. Brookies didn't get very large.
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Yea its very common for anglers to report catching Brook trout in the subprime habitat where browns have pushed them out of prime resting, feeding, thermal refuge lies. Brook trout actually forage more effectively when brown trout do not take up the thermal refuge and studies removing them have show Brookies move downstream and growth rate increases.
 
I guess maybe population is a better word? From DNA one could tell what stream a brook trout came from with 95% confidence. The tribs in one watershed showed DNA changes consistent with repopulating the watershed. NJ for most recent times used the Nashua NH federal hatchery strain for stocking and only a couple of streams in Sussex Co showed interbreeding with the Nashua strain.
 
JeffK said:
I guess maybe population is a better word? From DNA one could tell what stream a brook trout came from with 95% confidence. The tribs in one watershed showed DNA changes consistent with repopulating the watershed. NJ for most recent times used the Nashua NH federal hatchery strain for stocking and only a couple of streams in Sussex Co showed interbreeding with the Nashua strain.
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In newyork i think their has been some data to show introgressed genes can be “purged”. I have not gotten to talk about that with fisheries scientists so cannot speak for it. Jp ross from trout power has i believe. But yes keeping original genetics suited to the stream is always important when possible because they are designed for that locality for the most part so to speak. NJ stopped stocking brook trout for that reason completely a long time ago and I laud them for that. PFBC still stocking big spring with brookies and many others with brook trout .
 
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