NJ Furunculosis Outbreak at State's Pequest Hatchery.

[JimBob]

It was announced recently that due to an outbreak of Furunculosis at the Pequest Trout Hatchery (the only one here in NJ) last Fall, many NJ streams which have natural reproducing trout populations would not be stocked with trout in 2014. This includes the two lakes which contain Lake Trout.
Tribs to these streams would also not be stocked. The outbreak was likely caused by bird droppings.

I am guessing (hoping) that with little fishing pressure on these streams this year, the wild trout populations would only increase.

I will be fishing where the crowds aren't, as they will likely be crammed into the fewer number of stocked locations.

[vicrider]

"For a real challenge, try ice fishing with dry flies."

Well, I never fished with dry flies but once I just started to lower a sucker into a hole where we were northern fishing and it was about 2" below the ice when a pike came sailing out of nowhere and ripped that minnow off the hook at about 50mph. That can startle the heck out of a guy.

It's too bad about you hatchery losing their year's supply of fish. Don't say if all was lost or just sections of the ponds. Sounds like you'll get some stocking and you are right about the stocked sections getting the most play. It's always that way. When I lived up in Finland we used to have guys who literally followed the stocking trucks and passed the word around so they could get their freezers stocked with pellet fed trout. I used to stand there and catch and release fish after fish while they got mad since I wouldn't give them any. They asked why I just caught them and released them and I told them I was just educating them to the ways of man so they wouldn't keep biting on your baits until they time to get used to finding their own food.