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4:17 pm
May 19, 2004
Offline
Does anyone else get these emails? I found them to be very interesting reading and have included the latest here for you to read.
Barry
Trap-netting for northern pike on Farrington Lake concluded on March 28
when the Hackettstown Hatchery crew removed the nets so that they could
be re-set in Budd Lake. Only one pike, a small female, was caught in
the final three days of netting at Farrington. Other fish caught
included 550 bluegill, 105 pumpkinseed sunfish, 82 yellow perch, 66
black crappies, 16 brown bullheads, 7 golden shiners, 6 white perch, 3
largemouth bass and one chain pickerel. Those fish were released back
into the lake. The water temperature in Farrington Lake was 42 degrees
at the time the nets were removed on March 28.
A total of 98,000 eggs collected from Farrington Lake pike last week
were incubated at the Hackettstown Hatchery for a nine-day period
culminating in a hatch on April 1. The hatch rate on those eggs was
over 90 percent, well above the 50-60 percent average rate for
Hackettstown Hatchery northern pike.
Heavy rains on March 28 removed much of the remaining ice cover from
Budd Lake and enabled the hatchery crew to set trap nets there on March
30. Nets remained in Budd Lake until April 4. In the five days of
trap-netting, 52 northern pike were collected from Budd Lake. Males
ranged from 13 to 28 inches in length; the largest weighed 4.6 pounds.
Females ranged from 17 to 34 inches in length; the largest weighed 9
pounds. Other fish captured in Budd Lake trap nets revealed the
abundant food supply available to pike and other predators in the lake:
4,150 yellow perch, 2,750 bluegills, 1,650 black crappies, 425
pumpkinseed sunfish, 400 white perch, 46 white suckers, 90 brown and
yellow bullheads, 34 largemouth bass, 14 chain pickerel and 9 white
catfish. Largemouth bass were in the 12-16 inch range, and chain
pickerel reached 24 inches in length. Northern pike captured from Budd
Lake were transported to the Hackettstown Hatchery where spawning
operations are conducted. All other species were released back into the
lake. Budd Lake pike have thus far produced 260,000 eggs, which are
currently being incubated at the Hackettstown Hatchery. Adult pike will
be returned to the lake in 1-3 weeks upon completion of the spawning
season. The water temperature in Budd Lake when the nets were first
checked on March 31 was a chilly 38 degrees, and had warmed to only 40
degrees when the nets were pulled from the lake on April 4.
We may only see what we look for.
5:23 pm
May 19, 2004
Offline
Steve - I get emails from the state ever since I signed up for my NJ fishing license online. It's a public newsletter (email) that I guess is sent to everyone who registered.
Barry
We may only see what we look for.
2:25 am
June 23, 2004
Offline
Awesome information!
Thanks for sharing this with the club. Obviously, I'll sign up for my license online instead of elsewhere if this is the kind of info they provide.
Capt. Dieter Scheel http://www.BigDRiverGuide.com
3:54 am
March 20, 2004
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I get them, so it must be the fishing license.
GSR
4:58 am
Guys,
Go on njfishandwildlife.com and hit fishing then freshwater fishing and then join e-mail list and you should start getting all those fishing updates. It seems these trapnet updates are really popular for the true angler out there. Caught some real hogs in the nets today at Greenwood 5 fish over 45 no 50's biggest 48" 33.6 lbs.
Returned ten tagged muskies to Mercer today and should be another 15 returned tuesday. Caught a total of 30 muskies this week in Mercer. I will get you the data asap when things calm abit. Lots of great but crazy days this week.
Fishmaker
3:07 pm
March 2, 2011
Offline
Does PA offer anything like this?
<<<<><<< Ed
Hooksets are free!
2:33 am
Chuck can answer this for sure but i think you can get all of PA's netting and shocking info off of there site.I dont think they target muskies though.Its more of a general survey.Bob
9:57 pm
Here's the latest update.
Hackettstown State Fish Hatchery
Broodstock Collection Notes
Week of April 4, 2005
This week marked the beginning of trap-netting for both muskellunge and
walleye. Muskellunge collection was initiated in Mercer Lake, the
southernmost of New Jersey's muskellunge broodstock waters. On April 4,
a crew from the Lebanon Field Office of the Bureau of Freshwater
Fisheries set three small trap nets in that lake. Walleye collection
started a day later as the Hackettstown Hatchery staff set two nets in
Swartswood Lake.
Musky collection in Mercer Lake was a tremendous success for the second
consecutive year. In five days of trap-netting in Mercer, a total of 30
adult muskellunge were caught. Twenty-three males averaged 32.7 inches
in length and 9.6 pounds. Six females averaged 37.9 inches and 15.4
pounds; the largest weighed in at 20.4 pounds. Of the seven female
muskies captured, three were ripe (ready to spawn) and three were spent
(i.e. had already released their eggs), and one was not yet ready to
spawn. The high percentage of ripe and spent fish indicated that the
spawning season for muskellunge at Mercer was at its peak. Peak
spawning season in the more northern lakes (Echo Lake Reservoir,
Monksville & Greenwood) is not expected for another one or two weeks.
Water temperatures at Mercer Lake were in the 48 to 50 degree range.
Other species of fish caught in Mercer Lake trap nets included 1,570
white perch, 930 yellow perch, 59 brown bullheads, 39 black crappie, 30
bluegills, 22 pumpkinseed sunfish, four largemouth bass, one channel
catfish, one chain pickerel and three carp. Black crappies reached up
to 15 inches in length, largemouth bass were in the one to four pound
range and the only channel catfish captured weighed approximately eight
pounds. Muskies were transported to the Hackettstown Hatchery for
spawning operations, all other fish were immediately returned to the
lake. By the end of the week, 23 of the 30 muskies were returned to
Mercer Lake, the others will be retained at the hatchery for another one
to three weeks. All adult muskies handled at the hatchery over the past
several years have been tagged with orange streamer tags inserted near
the base of the dorsal fin. The tags bear the message "CALL
HACKETTSTOWN HATCHERY (908) 852-4950" along with a tag number. Anglers
who call in to report catching a tagged fish will be told when the fish
was tagged as well as its length and weight at the time of tagging.
The availability of early ripe muskellunge from Mercer Lake afforded
hatchery workers the opportunity to take advantage of the overlap
between northern pike and muskellunge spawning seasons to create tiger
muskies, a hybrid between the two species. In order to accomplish that
cross, eggs from the first two ripe muskellunge from Mercer were
fertilized with milt from male Budd Lake northern pike. A total of
110,000 tiger musky eggs from that event are currently being incubated
at the Hackettstown Hatchery. The other two female Mercer Lake
muskellunge that produced eggs were spawned with male muskies from the
lake resulting in 129,000 pure strain muskellunge eggs.
11:08 pm
March 22, 2004
Offline
Hey Damian,
Thanks for the post. I could read that kind of thing all day. I just wish that the PA Commission was that pro-active and published their results in the same manner.
DL
DL
12:44 am
June 23, 2004
Offline
Great report!
Good for all fishermen and specifically club members.
Capt. Dieter Scheel http://www.BigDRiverGuide.com
1:48 pm
More results.
Hackettstown State Fish Hatchery
Broodstock Collection Notes
Week of April 11, 2005
Muskellunge broodstock collection on Greenwood Lake, originally
scheduled for the week of April 11, was moved up because of trap netting
success on other waters this spring. Nets were set in Greenwood on
April 7 and removed from the lake only two days later when good early
results were obtained. A total of 18 adult muskies were captured
including seven large (37-48 inch) females. The average size of seven
females was 25.5 pounds and 44.4 inches. The largest was a 48-incher
that weighed in at 33.6 pounds. Eleven male muskies captured averaged
9.2 pounds and 32.6 inches. Only two of the females were ripe (ready to
spawn) at the time of collection. The others are being held at the
hatchery until they become ripe, and will be returned to Greenwood
within the next three weeks.
Other fish captured in Greenwood Lake trap nets included 637 landlocked
alewife, 399 yellow perch, 175 sunfish, 108 black crappie, 82 white
perch, 16 walleyes, four brown bullheads, and two chain pickerel. The
water temperature in Greenwood Lake at the time of collection was 46
degrees.
2:14 pm
April 17, 2011
Offline
Interesting results. The males in Mercer are a fatter then their Greenwood counterparts however the females in Greenwood are just massive.... And just think Mercer is only on its 7th year. We really need to get some structure in Mercer.... The positive is that the forage in there is pretty unbelievable.
It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
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