About Robert Ivan

Robert Ivan is the editor and publisher of RoundValleyFishing.com. He has been fishing Round Valley reservoir for over 15 years and has yet to catch anything bigger than 4lbs! He started this website to help him learn to be a better fisherman and he hopes you'll come along for the ride!

2012 NJ DEP Native Fish Art and Writing Contest Winners Honored

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Robert Ivan

Native Fish Art and Writing Contest Winners Honored

Erin M. :: 1st place :: 4th Grade :: South Harrison Elementary School

Isabella G. :: 2nd place :: 4th Grad :: Washington Park School

Ava F. :: 1st place :: 5th Grade :: Malcolm S. Mackay School

Liam S. :: 2nd place :: 5th Grade :: Millstone River School

Nick P. :: 1st place :: 6th Grade :: Brass Castle Elementary School

Tyler D. :: 2nd place :: 6th Grade :: South Harrison Elementary School

Timmy Y. :: 1st place :: 7th Grade :: Scicore Academy

Galina B. :: 2nd place :: 7th Grade :: Jefferson Elementary School

April 10, 2012

The winning entrants in the NJ DEP Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Native Fish Art and Writing Contest were honored at the Pequest Trout Hatchery and Natural Resource Education Center in Oxford, Warren County, on the opening day of trout season, April 7.

Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno and DEP Commissioner Bob Martin were on hand to meet contest winners and their families, as they enjoyed a morning of fishing at the Pequest Fishing Education Pond. The weather was beautiful and sunny and everyone had a great time catching trout. Fish and Wildlife staff and volunteers assisted anglers to ensure they had a safe and enjoyable fishing experience.

After fishing, the winners of the contest received certificates and fishing equipment at an awards luncheon sponsored by the New Jersey Council of Trout Unlimited. Lt. Governor Guadagno and Commissioner Martin spoke at the luncheon and assisted with the awards ceremony, praising the winners for their excellent artwork and essays.

After the luncheon, winners had the opportunity to take a personal tour of the Pequest Hatchery and learn how brook, brown and rainbow trout are raised for stocking in New Jersey’s publicly accessible waterways.

The purpose of this annual contest is to encourage children in grades 4 through 7 to learn about New Jersey’s native fish species, and the importance of natural resource conservation. Students from around the state researched a native fish of New Jersey. They used the information learned to write a short story about one year in the life of that fish. Students then drew a picture that depicted a scene from their native fish story.

Visit www.njfishandwildlife.com/pdf/fishart_cert.pdf (pdf, 155kb) for a downloadable certificate for every student who participated in the contest.

Visit http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/news/2012/fshartwinnrs12.htm for the official NJ DEP page.

Hunterdon Anglers Sponsors Family Friendly Fishing Tournament

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Robert Ivan

Hunterdon Anglers, Hunterdon County’s two-reservoir fishing club, will be holding it’s first fishing tournament on Saturday May 5, 2012 at Round Valley Reservoir between the hours of 7:00am and 3:00pm. Ed Harabin, President of the two-year old club, said, “This will be a family friendly event open to adults and children of all ages.” “It will be open to both members and non-members alike with only a modest entry fee.”, Ed went on to say. The tournament date was chosen for a number of reasons, including the fact that the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife will be stocking 6,000 trout in the reservoir just a few days prior to the tournament. The state stocking will include at least 130 big breeder trout any one of which could possibly be a tournament winner.

Another consideration for the tournament date is fish location. These trout hug the reservoir shorelines in the spring. No boat – no problem! “I want to encourage participation by shoreline fisherman including families with children” said Tournament Chairman Dennis Haggerty. At this time of the year the shoreline fishermen have just as good a chance as the boat fishermen do to land that trophy. Both the stocked fish and the holdover fish are within easy casting distance of the shore. Simple fishing techniques often work well in May.

This will be a trout tournament with three divisions: Brown Trout Division, Rainbow Trout Division, and Lake Trout Division. Cash prizes will be awarded to the lucky anglers who weigh in the heaviest trout in each division. Ed said, “Club members will be glad to share fishing techniques on the day of the tournament, just as we do in our monthly newsletter.” The club’s motto, “Share The Knowledge”, speaks for itself. Ed said, “If you are new to trout fishing come on out or give us a call. We are always willing to offer helpful advice.”

For tournament rules and club membership information, contact either Ed Harabin at 908-236-0697 or by email at double.anchor@yahoo.com, or contact Tournament Chairman Dennis Haggerty at 848-391-6873 or by email at njmenace@aol.com.

The Underwater World of Trout – Trout Vision and Refraction

Posted on April 7, 2012 by Robert Ivan

Just in time for opening day!
Have you ever gone trout fishing and wondered, “How deep is that fish? One foot? Two feet? Was it deeper? How large was it’s ‘circle of vision’, and does it matter? Do trout really have blind spots? How low must you be before they are aware of your presence? Does it matter what you wear and how you move?”

$Trout Vision and Refraction DVD$

The Underwater World of Trout – Trout Vision and Refraction

Trout Vision & Refraction is part three in a four part series of trout education videos and lectures put together and filmed by Wendell “Ozzie” Ozefovich. Visit the Underwater World of Trout for more info and to buy the dvd’s.

The video is about 45minutes long and can get quite technical, but Ozzy breaks it all down and shows real-world examples of the concepts he’s explaining. Just like the first video, The Underwater World of Trout – Discovery, I watched this with my 4 y/o son and we both learned a lot. If you are a passionate fisherman, this video and the others in the series are a must watch.

Be a NJ Fishing Education Volunteer!

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Robert Ivan

The NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife needs volunteers to teach children about fishing at the Pequest Trout Hatchery and Natural Resource Education Center.

NJ-Fishing-PequestTroutHatchery-Stonefly

Experience is helpful but not required to become a fishing education instructor. However, enthusiasm, energy and the desire to teach children proper fishing techniques and ethics are a must!

Classes run Monday through Friday from April through October and instructors can volunteer at times which suit their schedules. Interested applicants must be a Wildlife Conservation Corps (WCC) volunteer. Download a WCC application from the division’s website at: http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/wcchome.htm .

A training session for interested applicants will be held at the Pequest Trout Hatchery on Wednesday, April 11 from 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

If you are interested in participating, please contact Jessica Griglak at Jessica.Griglak@dep.state.nj.us or by phone at 908-637-4125.

There’s Definitely Fish in This Reservoir and Other Updates.

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Robert Ivan

Myself and some readers got skunked last week and the howling winds have not helped but I want to reassure everyone (myself included) that there are in fact fish in this reservoir!

Round Valley Trout Association (RVTA) Trophy Trout stocking took place on Saturday 3/24 at 10am from the dirt boat launch. 100 + trout from 5 to over 10 lbs were stocked. Visit Lebanon Bait and Sport‘s Facebook page for pics of the stocking and more info.

The first RVTA trout fishing tournament will held April 15th from 6am to 3pm. You can get more information on the RVTA website. I’ve personally competed (and I use the term competed lightly) in a handful of these in my lifetime. They’re a good reason as any to get out and fish! And while, I’ve never come close to winning anything, I have learned that you do need a boat to have a decent chance. Here’s a list of 2012 monthly tournament dates. You can register at the boat ramp, day of the tournament.

A special fishing tournament to commemorate the late Steve Welgoss, owner / operator of Lebanon Bait & Sport will be held on Saturday, May 26th from 5:30am to 3pm. Entry fee of $50 per adult angler. Juniors fish free with paid adult. You may pre-register at Lebanon Bait & Sport or at the April or May RVTA meeting. More info on the RVTA Website. You can also follow Lebanon Bait and Sport‘s Facebook page for up to date fishing and hunting reports in the region year-round.