Photo by Ron Sinfelt.

Several years ago, the state Garden State began rearranging its trout stocking and embarked on a program to stock larger trout in the fall. This led to changes in how trout are raised at the state-of-the-art Pequest Trout Hatchery. In order to do this, the state’s Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) took several waters off the stocking list, and most of them were larger lakes that had other significant fisheries.

The DFW also rearranged stocking numbers in certain streams and lakes. They went from stocking large numbers of smaller trout in the fall to stocking 20,000 and up 1- and 2-year-old rainbows, browns and brook trout each year.

Also stocked are an additional 1,000-plus huge breeder fish, giving anglers a chance at a trophy trout.

Though the DFW cites pressure from sportsmen to stock larger trout as the reason for these changes, it’s a well-known fact that in recent years, the DFW has been hard-pressed for cash. Three straight administrations have been unfriendly to sportsmen and the DFW, forcing it to reduce the number of employees, while cutting corners anywhere it could. Raising 20,000 to 22,000 larger trout is simply more cost-efficient than raising 100,000 to 120,000 smaller ones.

In addition to the 20,000-plus older trout stocked in the fall (including 1,000 surplus breeder trout), the state stocks another 500,000 trout in spring, along with some larger breeder trout. In addition, several clubs also stock trout in lakes and streams as supplemental stockings and also for contests that they hold.

As a result of all these larger fish being stocked each year, the current records for lake, rainbow, brook and brown trout may well be broken in the near future.

So here’s a look at some of the state’s better trout waters where a future state record might be taken.

ROUND VALLEY RESERVOIR
One water that annually produces some of the biggest trout in the state, and has been doing so for a good many years, is Round Valley Reservoir. Located in Hunterdon County, the “Valley,” as those who fish it on a regular basis commonly refer it to, is a 2,000-acre plus reservoir with a maximum depth of 180 feet.

The reservoir was constructed for water supply and is capable of holding 55 billion gallons. It has a 10-horsepower maximum rule and offers plenty of shoreline fishing, along with primitive camping.

Of the four trout species found in the Garden State, the Valley holds two trout records -- for brown and lake trout).

On May 4, 2002, Gregory Young of Whitehouse Station caught a 32-pound, 8-ounce lake trout in the cove near the boat ramp. It weighed 6 pounds, 8 ounces more than the previous record taken from Round Valley in 2001.

Young was trolling from his boat when he boated the trout on 17-pound-test line with a 10-pound-test leader. The fish, which took an hour to bring in, measured 41 1/2 inches in length and had a 25 1/2-inch girth.