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.

7 Pound Rainbow Trout Caught from Eastern Shore

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Robert Ivan

“Mark Boriek of Hunterdon, who fishes ice-free waters all winter, hit the jackpot Tuesday when he caught a 27-inch 7-pound 1-ounce rainbow trout while wading the Round Valley Reservoir shoreline.” read entire article on mycentraljersey.com

yo zuri pins magnet minnow rainbow trout pattern

A Yo-Zuri® Pins Minnow Magnet™ Size: 2-3/4 inch, 3/16 oz. Color: Rainbow Trout is said to have taken down the trout.

If I’m reading this correctly, the fish was caught on the eastern shore which is all the way on the other side of the reservoir from the boat launch. There is a hiking trail to get back there here’s a trail map of Round Valley pdf. Follow the Cushetunk trail to the Campground trail. It’s about a 4mile hike one way so be prepared.

Fishing the Shoreline for Rainbows and Brown Trout

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Robert Ivan

If you are looking to do some shoreline trout fishing at Round Valley from now till the ice moves in, you cannot beat the following technique. Now this may not be the most exciting or glamorous method of trout fishing, but it does catch Rainbows and Brown Trout.

marshmallows, mealworms and live shiners (in the bucket)

Tackle:
Use the tried and true All Purpose Round Valley Fishing Rig.

Bait:
Live Shiner, Powerbait, Mealworms, Garden Worms, and Mini Marshmallows.

Method 1:
Fish any combination of baits above (except the shiners) on the bottom. Cast out, set your pole down and wait. Do not reel your line in just for the heck of it, chances are you’ll get snagged on something. leave it out there for a good 20-30minutes before reeling in and checking your bait. Some people like to use a strike indicator like a bell during the day or little glowstick at night. I hope you brought a chair and thermos of soup.

Rod resting in holder, awaiting some action.

Method 2:
The trout are cruising the shallows looking for a river to spawn so they tend to be in very shallow water. I like to fish a live shiner hooked through the dorsal fin under a bobber. It does not have to be a slip bobber for this time of year because the fish are shallow. I set my hook about 3 feet below the bobber and cast out so i’m in 10 to 15 feet of water and that’s just fine. Wait for the bobber to go completely under, reel in your slack line and while counting 3 or 5 seconds. Is the bobber still under? If yes, set the hook. If it came up, just wait.It’s not uncommon for the trout to come back around and take it again.

That’s it. Have fun out there. Stay warm!

Bottom Fishing Lighted Strike Indicator

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Robert Ivan

Tom From Bridgewater shares this tactic on how to detect a strike when fishing the bottom of the lake, Day or Night!

Tom from Bridgewater - Strike Indicator

A light up bobber, like this LED Lighted Bobber, is modified by screwing in a an open-eye hook into the top and adding some split-shot to the inside of the bobber for ballast. The eye hook allows you to easily hang or remove the bobber from you line. adding weight to the bobber allows it to hang down on the line more deeply.

Tom from Bridgewater - Bottom Fishing Strike Indicator

Setup:
When fishing at day time using a bottom rig, simple cast out, put your rod in its holder, reel in the tension then hang the bobber from your main line between two of the rod’s guides.

How it works:
The weight of the bobber will pull down on the line slighly but when a fish hits, the bobber will bounce and move up as the line gets taught.

At Night:
Activate the bobber (usually by turning it) so the light comes on. Follow the same procedure as above. The benefit of the lighted bobber is you can sit in the warmth of your car and watch the bobber from a distance… you lazy, lazy man.

Thank you for sharing this tip Tom. If you have any tips or tricks you would like to share with the Round Valley Fishing community please contact us!

Frank’s Bottom Fishing Rig

Posted on August 13, 2011 by Robert Ivan

Readers of this site and regulars at Round Valley will probably recognize the rig I refer to as the best all-around fishing rig for bait fishing in Round Valley. I certainly did not invent the rig, it was shown to me many many years ago by a compassionate shore fisherman reaching out to a (then) bumbling teenager.

Nowadays I’m a bumbling 30 something year-old and again, a shore fisherman has extended an olive branch to me. Frank from Manville shared the below with me on my last fishing trip. It’s a take on the above mentioned rig but differs in that Frank places a small cork on the line between the hook and barrel swivel to lift the hook and bait off the bottom.

Frank from Manville - Bottom Fishing Rig

Materials Needed:
Besides the rig, you’ll need a natural replacement cork or sometimes called a cork stopper. I believe Frank buys his from Walmart but I found packages of cheap ones using Google Shopping too. You’ll have to drill out a small hole through the center to pass your line, but since cork is super soft, you can do this with a small drill or Dremel tool. I actually did one the other day just spinning a drill bit between my fingers. Whatever technique you use to make the hole, be safe and don’t do anything stupid.

Rigging:
To get the cork to stay about a foot, foot and half above your hook, simply pass your line through the cork 2 times. No knot is needed (and indeed a knot here would weaken your line).

Fishing:
That’s it, now tie on your hook and you’re ready to go fishing. The rig works great when fishing with garden worms, meal worms or powerbait on the bottom, keeping your tasty bait up out of the mud and in the view of would be fishes. Using the float and a circle hook like the Gamakatsu Octopus Circle Hooks in a size 8 or 6 will also greatly reduce your chances of snagging the bottom too.

Thanks again to Frank from Manville for showing me this rig. If you’d like to share your rig with us, send us the details and an image or drawing and we’ll post it on Round Valley Fishing.