Fishing the Shoreline for Rainbows and Brown Trout

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

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

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!

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Dawn and Dusk Shore Fishing for Trout

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.

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NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife Announces 2010 Skillful Angler Award Recipients

The Skillful Angler Awards Program honors the many anglers who catch both freshwater and marine fish which aren’t of record size but are impressive and worthy of recognition. Special recognition is given to the anglers who caught the largest fish in each of the freshwater and marine species categories.

In 2010, 127 applications representing 25 different species were officially processed. Since the program’s modest beginning (31 applicants in 1983), the Division has granted Skillful Angler status to 3,068 anglers.

INTERESTING FACTS:

The most frequently entered species by skillful anglers in 2010 (adult, junior, and catch and release categories combined) were rainbow trout with 16 entries, followed by largemouth bass (13), chain pickerel (13) and striped bass saltwater (12).

The following is a breakdown of applications received per species (all categories combined): largemouth bass (13), smallmouth bass (5), striped bass hybrid (4), bullhead (3), carp (1), channel catfish (7), crappie (8), muskellunge (4), yellow perch (5), chain pickerel (13), America shad (1), brook trout (4), brown trout (6), lake trout (1), rainbow trout (16), sunfish (4), walleye (5), black sea bass (4), striped bass caught in saltwater (12), black drum (2), bluefish (1), fluke (6), kingfish (1), tautog (1) and big eye tuna (1).

In 2010, no entries were received for the striped bass freshwater, pike, cod, dolphin, winter flounder, blue marlin, white marlin, pollock, mako shark, albacore tuna, bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna, tuna (other) categories and weakfish.

Overall, more freshwater catches (99) were entered than saltwater (28).

Further Reading:

Head over to the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife website to read the full list of 2010 Skillful Angler Award Recipients. You’ll recognize RoundValleyFishing’s guest writer John Korn as winning the Catch and Release Award for the 40 inch Lake Trout he caught jigging last December. Congratulations John!

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Catching Rainbows and Browns Off The Rocks

File this report under Better Late Than Never! Got this report via email back on December 30th!  It’s an email account I rarely check so I apologize for the tardiness. Though Hunter had fished Round Valley before, he had never caught a trout. December 30th would be the evening that young Hunter Whitehead burst on the scene.  On this night he caught the 22inch 4pound Brown Trout you see below.  He returned the next day to catch another Brown and a Rainbow!

Hunter W Brown Trout 2010Dec30

Even the State Parks people stopped to check out his catch!

State Parks Pics

Name: Hunter Whitehead (16 year old from Kingwood)
Bait: Berkley Gulp 3′ white minnows (which of course he is out of & we can’t find anymore!!)
Method: jigging…..dude, we don’t do no stinkin bobbers hahaha
off the rock wall by the cement boat launch
Time: 3pm to 5pm

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Clean up at the Valley by “Sweeping” the Shorelines

It might not be for everyone.  Many will call it hard core.  Spouses will think you’ve lost your marbles when the alarm is ringing at 5:00am and the mercury is still in the 20s.  But, for those hardy anglers who wish to extend their season and target trout in Round Valley, winter is the time to really “clean up”. And there’s no better way than to “sweep” of course.

Swept Round Valley Trout
Mike Perone – Golden Trout         |         Bob Olsen- Lake Trout       |         Mark LaPrete – Brown Trout

When I first arrived on the Round Valley scene in the early 80s I noticed many boats trolling along the shorelines starting in autumn.  I recall seeing one vessel even had a machine connected to a rod holder.  The rod was moving forward and back automatically.  Later I learned the owner cleverly converted a car’s windshield wiper mechanism to automate the jerking. Sweeping and Jerking are interchangeable terms to describe the technique of slow trolling baits along the shallow banks of a lake. Minnow type lures and or flies are long-lined back 100 feet or more with little or no weight in 8 to 18 feet of water.  The angler will then impart erratic action to the bait with forward movements or “jerks” of the rod and then let back – continuously repeating the process.  The rod is swept forward to make the lure dart and dip.  Each outing we must experiment with the sweeping speed and distance until we find what the trout want that day. Some days they want it violently jerked, and some days subtly twitched.  If you get tired of sweeping, or need a coffee break, place your gear in a level set rod holder pointing out one side.  This dead sticking will also produce a fair share of hits. However, it is the hand held jerked rod that seems to always generate more strikes. Continue reading

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