The dam by the water works off Interstate 195 by the Allaire exit is another personal favorite. The pools above and below the dam are always well stocked and are very accessible. Both pools are good holdover waters and the river above and below the dam is easily waded and accessible from the shoreline. The river here has a sizable stretch that is full of small pools, runs and swifter water. Below the dam the river is more like a small mountain stream, except for its softer bottom.

Last, but not least, is the stretch that runs through Allaire State Park. Here, too, hoofing it is a prerequisite for fishing the stream, and most fishermen who fish the river on a regular basis prefer to wade into this section. Plenty of small runs shaded by over-hanging vegetation highlight this section.

SOME TOP SMALL STREAMS

The most popular section of the stream is that which is located within Hacklebarney State Park, which gives the trout fishermen plenty of shaded pools, ripples and eddies to fish. This area requires a little hoofing to fish the better pools and runs, but the fishing is well worth the walk.

Lockatong Creek

Lockatong Creek is located in Hunterdon County. Lockatong Creek is a fast-flowing brook that has plenty of small springs feeding into it. These springs provide pockets of cold water that hold trout through the year. Even though this creek is only stocked in the spring (with 3,500 fish), trout are still taken during the winter months, which lends credence to the fact that its waters stay cool enough to support trout through the summer.

Some of the top sections on the creek are the waters by the SR 519 bridge on the creek’s northern reaches. Another good spot is the section of water by the old mill located on Strimples Mill Road and the portion of the creek between Idell and the stream’s confluence with the D&R Canal. This section is part of the Wescott Nature Preserve. Just for your information, Lockatong Creek also contains a decent smallmouth population. Ripples, deep holes and shaded pools highlight this portion of the steam.

Capoolong Creek

Anyone who is a serious trout fisherman in New Jersey is no stranger to the Capoolong Creek. Located in Hunterdon County by Pittstown, most of the creek is part of the Capoolong Creek WMA. A typical rocky brook, its cool waters flow into the South Branch of the Raritan River. A limited native trout reproduction has been documented in the stream. If you enjoy small-stream trout fishing, you’ll find good angling here on salmon eggs. The stream is also a fly- fisherman’s delight with plenty of bug hatches year ’round. Capoolong Creek receives 3,500 trout each spring.

Some of the better places to fish on the creek are the section that lies between SR 597 and White Bridge, the water around the SR 617 bridge and the old railroad trestle just up from the confluence of the creek and the South Branch.

Stony Brook

This Mercer County brook is another one that is very much over- looked by the state’s trout-fishing fraternity, except for local anglers. Its waters are stocked from Woodsville off SR 31 to Port Mercer. Stony Brook eventually empties into Carnegie Lake.

A good variety of trout-holding structure can be found in the creek. During an average year, the creek’s spring-fed waters will support trout throughout the summer. One of the best stretches on the creek is located below the old dam site in Pennington. Another good spot is the water between Princeton Pike and Port Mercer on the creek’s lower section.

Delaware & Raritan Canal

Although not a stream, the D&R Canal is one waterway that traditionally receives a large helping of trout during the spring. It also receives the largest number of trout placed in a waterway without a closed date being in effect. Since the canal and the shoreline along both of its banks are a state park, it offers anglers unlimited access; this is one of the reasons why it is, and will continue to be, well stocked.

There you have it, a rundown of some of New Jersey’s best trout fishing waters to try. Is one or more of these picks near you?