August 6, 2011 Shore Fishing Report

Posted on August 7, 2011 by Robert Ivan

This is somewhat of a special shore fishing report in that it was our first Round Valley Fishing Meetup.

Big Bobber I got to meet Tom from Bridgewater for the first time in person (we’ve exchanged messages on Round Valley’s Facebook Page), thanks to him for coming out. I look forward to fishing more with him. Also on the scene were Frank and his son Nicholas from Manville. Nicholas kept us all on point with his quick wit and encyclopedic knowledge of all things fishing. Frank should be given a father of the year award for ALWAYS having the time to take his son fishing. I can’t remember the last time I was at Round Valley and didn’t see Frank and Nicholas! My friend Chris from Raritan joined us as well and even though he thinks he’s some kind of jinx when it comes to fishing, he caught the only bass and had a great time.

We fished the shore, east of the dirt boat ramp and got our lines wet at around 7am (I was 30 minutes late, sorry). I started by showing everyone how to rig a slip bobber and all the equipment involved, then we quickly got to fishing. We set out rods with bobbers set to 4,8,12 and 16 foot depths.

Right away we were catching – first a smallmouth bass on live herring at 8 feet down, then a couple of sunfish on garden worms, but about 30 minutes later, the bite died and the wind started picking up. We toughed it out until about 1pm but no one caught anything except sunfish and a perch.

Round Valley Fishing meetup 1

I’d like to thank Chris, Tom, Frank and Nick for coming out. Visit our image gallery for more pictures of this trip and many others. Our next meetup will be in September sometime. Maybe we’ll do an evening trip to ranger’s cove? Any Suggestions?

Fishing Live Herring Under a Slip Bobber

Posted on July 9, 2011 by Robert Ivan

As the Summer goes on, the water temperature of Round Valley Reservoir gets hotter and hotter. As of today, the water surface temps were in the high 70′s and by August it will be in the 80′s. That’s just too hot for trout who prefer water temps in the 60′s… so where do the fish go? They go down to cooler water.

How do slip bobbers work?

An effective way for shore fisherman to target deeper fish in the hot summer months is to use a slip bobber. Unlike traditional bobbers which clip directly onto your fishing line, slip bobbers allow your line to pass through them until a stop hits a bead at the top of the bobber.

Slip Bobber Bobber Stop and Bead

Because of the design of slip bobbers you can cast a rig set to any depth. Ten, twenty, thirty feet deep? No Problem. On the flip side, casting anything longer than 6 feet with a traditional bobber is almost impossible.

Terminal Tackle:

On the end of the line I like to use a size 4,6 or 8 circle hook. When your hook is far away from you and deep, it is much easier to hook your fish by reeling in line on your circle hook than setting a traditional hook by swinging your rod high.

About 2 feet above the hook I like to put a small splitshot to:

Keep the herring down.
Prevent the slip bobber from falling on top of my hook.

Bait Presentation

Hook your herring (or shiner) through the back right where the dorsal fin starts. In the water the fish will be vertically suspended under the floating bobber. I’ve used this rig with worms too and have caught Rainbows and Smallmouth on it.

This Rainbow fell to a slip bobber and worm combo.

Once you cast your line out, pay attention to your bobber just like you would any other bobber. If it goes under completely, wait about 5 seconds, point your rod tip at the bobber and reel in fast. As soon as you feel tension on the line begin raising your rod tip up as you continue to reel.

Conclusion

Using this technique you will catch rainbows, browns, and bass all summer long. So the next time you are shore fishing, bring a few extra rods and remember to try out different depths and baits.

Dawn and Dusk Shore Fishing for Trout

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Robert Ivan

As evident by fishing reports from the last few weeks at Round Valley Reservoir, Shore fishermen and women have been picking up some nice sized Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout and Lake Trout. Follow these tips to help you get started on the shore trout action.

Trout are quite wary of boat traffic and shore traffic so getting out on Memorial Day weekend… probably not the most productive day to wet a line. If given the opportunity, get out on weekdays or misty weekends. Also, trout are predatory fish that use the changes in lighting at dawn and dusk to their advantage, targeting disoriented prey or just ambushing unsuspecting fish and insects. There is also very little boat traffic at dawn and dusk.

April Shore Fishing - Round Valley Reservoir

Spring and Fall Round Valley Trout cruise all around the perimeter of Round Valley seeking out ideal water temps, blooms of Gammarus and schools of baitfish to feed on. One of the most common and effective methods for catching these cruising trout is to fish the dawn or dusk hours, plus an hour or so on either side.

Parking: Some of the great fishing spots like Ranger Cove and the Southern shoreline can only be accessed through The Round Valley Recreation Area. Unfortunately, the recreation area is only open from 8am to 7pm at the moment, but those times change as we get closer to the summer months. Call the park office (908) 236-6355 for current open/close times. Conversely, the fishing lot of the reservoir is open 24/7 to fishermen with a valid NJ fishing license or individuals with a boat ramp maintenance permit.

Fishing Spots: You will have less of a chance of getting snagged on the bottom if you fish from the sandy shore areas. If you fish the rocks, you will definitely get snagged on the bottom so keep this in mind when selecting a spot to drown your bait.

Bait: mealworms, garden worms, marshmallows, live shiners, PowerBait, wax worms, you name it! Any bait can work at any time on the reservoir so mix it up. I like to fish one rod with mealworms and marshmallows (to keep the bait off the bottom), one rod with a garden worm on the bottom and one with a live herring or shiner hooked under the chin and out a nostril fished on the bottom OR fished under a slip bobber and hooked through the dorsal. Remember too that, “When fishing from the shoreline, no more than three fishing rods, handlines or combination thereof may be used”.

Terminal Tackle: small hooks, small weight. I like to use small hooks like size 6, 8 or 10 egg or gamakatsu octopus hooks. These hooks are lightweight allowing the bait to float off the bottom better than bigger or thicker hooks. For the weight I use a barrel sinker just heavy enough to keep the line from drifting. On a calm day fishing worms, ¼ ounce is all you’ll ever need. If you’re fishing live shiners though, go with ¾ or 1 oz. barrel sinker.

Rod, Reel, Tripod: Your reel should be loaded with 6, 8 or 10lb monofilament. Your rod should be delicate enough to notice a finicky trout mouthing at your bait 50yards away. Propping your rod up on a cooler or stick might be free, but it could cost you a missed fish. Invest a few bux on a collapsible tripod and lay your rod tip low to the water to minimize the effects of wind on your line.

Lights: Get yourself a headlamp. Both your hands will be free for fishing, knot tying and more.

Chair: Bring a comfy chair, some warm clothes, follow the above advice and you’ve put yourself into a great position to get lucky.

April Week 4 Round Valley Fishing Report

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Robert Ivan

This week we’ve seen success at Round Valley from shore fisherman and boat fishermen, Trout fishermen and Bass fishermen, young and old! When the wind isn’t blowing hard enough to set off the wind warning beacons, it’s a good day to fish Round Valley!

Lebanon Bait and Sport reports that a 9lb 26inch Brown Trout was caught on Wednesday on a trolled fly and yesterday a 20 inch Lake Trout was trolled up on a Sutton Spoon.

I fished the shoreline in the evening hours late last Sunday throwing everything in my tackle box only to get skunked. I fished a hammered daredevil, gold phoebe, chrome hildebrand and gold panther martin as well as a mister twister leadhead jig and a jitterbug – whew!

Round Valley Fishing Metal Lures

It was a little frustrating, especially considering I had caught fish on all these lures in the past. I did watch one of our Round Valley Facebook page readers catch and release two Largemouth bass from the shore.

The forecast for this weekend is mixed with a 90% chance of rain Saturday, 64 degree highs and 8 to 17mph East winds. Sunday is much better (if you don’t have Easter obligations) with West winds from 5 to 10mph, 74 degrees and a 40% chance of rain. Whether or not you get out, have an awesome weekend!

April Week 2 Fishing Report

Posted on April 17, 2011 by Robert Ivan

Wow, mother nature does not know what she wants – warm sunny weather or nor’easters blowing gale force winds… I cant remember this many baseball games being rained out in April in a long time. Lets hope she gets this out of her system after this weekend. Then again, one could make the argument that this is just like any other early spring.

Fishing reports were spotty to say the least, with weather conditions challenging our skills and our dedication to fishing well in less-than-ideal conditions. Several nice sized trout were photographed and weighed at Lebanon Bait and Sport but the majority of fishermen and women had a tough go or just gave up. Responding to numerous complaints, the NJ DEP even issued a press release saying that, yes they did indeed stocked the NJ rivers and streams! All this pursuit of caught fish reminds me of something I once read:

“To go fishing is the chance to wash one’s soul with pure air, with the rush of the brook, or with the shimmer of sun on blue water. It brings meekness and inspiration from the decency of nature, charity toward tackle-makers, patience toward fish, a mockery of profits and egos, a quieting of hate, a rejoicing that you do not have to decide a darned thing until next week. And it is discipline in the equality of men – for all men are equal before fish.”
- Herbert Hoover 1951

We are indeed all equal before fish. Enjoy your time out there, the pure air, yes the wind in your face. We’ll soon be slathering on sunblock and praying for the slightest breeze to push our boats and cool our necks and hey, today’s not so bad. Get out there!