To some elitist trout fisherman, the only way a person can really be considered for entrance into their stodgy brotherhood is to catch keepers with fly fishing tackle. They operate on the belief that bait fishing is for amateurs. Hogwash I say!
It’s the bottom line that counts. If you can bag a half dozen trout by bait fishing and you only net one trout by fly fishing, it’s a no brainer. Also, catching trout with live bait, particularly worms, is just as challenging and enjoyable as fly fishing. On both counts, it may even be more so.
For myself, the fertile trout streams of northern new Jersey serve as my playground. For all the talk about New Jersey being the pollution capitol of the world, most North Jersey streams that are stocked manage to provide an environment that allows trout to thrive. Furthermore, I have eaten trout caught in three of our streams and never once suffered any ill-effects. But the point of this article is that each and every trout I ever netted, was caught on you guessed it – plain, ordinary night crawlers!
Now I have a confession to make. I didn’t catch my first trout until the age of 47. In fact, my first brook trout, barely 12 inches long was caught on my 47th birthday to be exact. It was a birthday gift I will never forget. Now, however, I have learned some secrets to outwitting trout and I have been enjoying plentiful catches ever since.
I’ve been fishing since I was six years old. At that impressionable young age I was very competitive. Back then, my dad would take me surf fishing down at Seaside Park. I expected to catch a fish every time out and if on any given day I was skunked I would walk around with a chip on my shoulder. When dad would hook a fish on his own line, he wouldn’t reel it in right away. He would tell me to walk back to our cottage several hundred yards away and fetch him his sunglasses, a beer or something else he pretended to need. In my absence he would reel in his fish, reel in my line, put the fish on my hook and cast my line back in the sea.
When I returned he would beckon me to check my bait. I would reel in my line and be ecstatic to found that I had caught something. These were father/son moments I will never forget.
Yet despite all these years of fishing, trout, like striped bass, eluded my capture for what seemed an eternity.
I fished for trout in Hessian Lake at Bear Mountain. At Sheppard Lake in Ringwood. At Big Flat Brook and Little Flat Brook in Sussex County, New Jersey. At the Musconetcong River in west New Jersey. At this last spot in particular, I would seethe when I’d see the trout come right up to my bait, and not even show the slightest interest.
What I gradually learned during those barren years is that the trout is a very crafty, almost intellectual species. The urge is to try and outsmart them. In reality you must let them outsmart themselves.
For stream fishing which is what this article covers, start with a size 6 or smaller Eagle Claw hook. Add a very small split shot above the hook. As a rule of thumb if you are fishing in three feet of water, place the split shot one and a half feet above the hook. In four feet of water, two feet above the hook. The goal is to drop the bait about halfway between the top and bottom of the stream.
The reason we must use a split shot is that if you just cast with bait alone, the bait will sit too high up in the water as it is carried by the current. Trout tend to stay down deep.
Bait the hook with half of a full grown night crawler. Cast downstream, preferably into deep water where the current is weak to moderately strong. Also, water in shady areas is preferable to that which is sunlit. Do not jig. Now some readers will challenge me on that point, but I found when I stopped jigging and let the natural dynamics of a squirming worm and slight current operate together, I began getting more hits than I could handle. I believe the trout recognizes the difference between a jigged bait and a bait that behaves more naturally.
Now as I mentioned, you must let the trout outsmart himself. Now there are too possible scenarios at this point. The trout, if extremely hungry may just hit hard on the first go. Or, he may engage in exploratory behavior where he nibbles three, four or more times before making his big strike. Either way, patience is the buzz word.
You see, the key is to get him to actually swallow the bait. The reason for this is that the trout has very soft lips. If you hook him by the lips, there is a good chance that at some point when he begins pulling back as you reel in that the hook will rip out of these flimsy lips. On the other hand, if you manage to set the hook deep into the firmer areas of his throat you can be sure that it will not dislodge.
In the case of a hard first strike, allow the trout several seconds after he hits before you start reeling. There is no need to yank the rod back to set the hook. In most cases, this voracious creature will ingest your hook. In the case of nibbling behavior, wait until you feel the hard strike. Sometimes, you will feel the first nibble followed by a second and then a brief pause. Do not fret. If you’ve baited your hook properly where its entire length is passed through the center of the worm there is no danger of your bait being stripped. While there may be a brief interlude before the big hit, rest assured, the scrappy trout will return to try and snag the rest of the bait. When this happens, you will be ready and the same rule as for a big hit applies. Let him swallow the hook before you begin reeling in.
Now it is true that fly fishing is the ultimate angling art form. However, for those looking for a surer method of filling their creel or who can’t afford sometimes expensive fly tackle, bait fishing is a great alternative.
As the headline of this article mentions, we are concerned here with North Jersey trout fishing. So this narrative wouldn’t be complete without recommending several hotspots.
For starters, there is Ringwood River at Ringwood Manor State Park. Gates open at 8:00 a.m. There is a nice deep pool at the base of the bridge that takes you to the parking lot. However, trout by nature are easily spooked and the constant flow of cars and people makes this spot sometimes dry. For best results, pull in the parking lot and on the northeast corner there is an obscure looking road. Take this road at least a quarter mile in and then park in one of the designated areas. These spots are less traveled and usually produce excellent yields.
The other tried and true spot is the Ramapo River. My fishing partner and I have found the area by Lenape Drive to be very productive. Take Route 202 North just off of Route 287 by exit 57 and 58. Go about a half mile and make a left on Navajo Way. Your second right is Lenape Lane. Park just before the bridge. Fish under the bridge or anywhere within two hundred yards upstream of the bridge.
Truthfully, these areas are most ripe between April and June when stocking occurs. However, as late as second week July I had some nice action at the Ramapo.
A s any experienced angler will tell you, get an early start. The best action is between sunrise and up to two hours after. Oh, and one word of caution. One time I was waist deep in the Ramapo and happened to look down near my feet. About two yards away, I saw the silhouette of a snapping turtle a good two feet in diameter. I ran out of this area so fast but clumsily in my hip boots that I almost fell face down in the river! So watch where you are walking.
Feel free to email me and let me know how you fared. Your success is my greatest reward.
Greg Sedlacek can be emailed at gasedlacek@yahoo.com.
