New Jersey

Trout in the Classroom (TIC) is a supplementary educational activity supported by the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife and Trout Unlimited. Teachers using the program provide a unique experience for their students and effectively teach lessons in a variety of disciplines.

With three weeks of trout stocking still to go this spring, there's still plenty of great opportunities to fish in any of the state's 180 designated trout stocked waters. Nearly 475,000 trout have been stocked thus far, and over the next three weeks another 96,000 trout will be released into 60 of these waters.

The approach of spring and its warmer weather means it’s nearly time for New Jersey’s Spring Wild Turkey Hunting Season to begin. This year the regular season starts on April 14 and runs for six weeks. With turkey populations restored statewide, Garden State hunters can enjoy some of the finest turkey hunting on the East Coast right in their own backyards.

Rock Snot, an algae that forms massive mats in streams, arrived on the East Coast in 2007 and sightings have been reported in New Jersey rivers. The Department of Environmental Protection asks anglers, boaters and other water enthusiasts to be vigilant in cleaning their equipment in order to stop the spread of this invasive species.

On Saturday, April 5, tens of thousands of anglers will wake by the crack of dawn and head out to their favorite trout water. More than 181,000 trout from the Pequest Trout Hatchery have been stocked in nearly 200 ponds, lakes, and streams statewide. This pre-season stocking of trout, which occurs over a three-week period has gone according to plan, and by Saturday all waters will have been stocked with their allotted number of trout.

Free "How to Get Started in Boating" DVD!

Bainbridge Island, Washington - The top names in Fly Fishing have joined forces together to put togther a world-class fly fishing outfit as a fundraiser for Trout Unlimited-Alaska to help with their efforts protecting the Bristol Bay watershed.

The Pequest Trout Hatchery and Natural Resource Education Center has been opening its doors to the public for its annual Open House since 1984. This popular event gives the Division of Fish and Wildlife an opportunity to show off its state of the art trout raising facility, and showcase the multitude of programs the Division is responsible for. The Open House also serves as a reminder that spring, and the Opening Day of Trout Season, is just around the corner

Please be advised of an error in the Tiger Musky/Muskellunge size limits on page 22 in the 2008 Freshwater Fishing Digest. The size limits for the two categories of waters were inadvertently reversed. The statewide size limit for Tiger Musky and Muskellunge is 36 inches and the size limit for Trophy Musky Waters: Mountain Lake and Echo Lake Reservoir is 40 inches.

Portions of this Digest are available in enlarged format for the visually impaired. To request a black and white, large format Digest, write to: NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, Large Format Fishing Digest, P.O. Box 400, Trenton, NJ 08625-0400.