Round Valley Reservoir will be stocked with trout in the upcoming days:
April 30th – NJ DEP will stock 6610 brown and rainbow trout. http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/trt_allocation12_dates.htm
May 6th – Round Valley Trout Association will stock 400 rainbow and brown trout between 16 and 17″. https://www.fishrvta.com/
I don’t know the winners of the April 2012 Round Valley Trout Association trout fishing tournament as of this writing but I’ll update as soon as I do. You can also visit the RVTA website at https://www.fishrvta.com/
I do know that a 17.2lb Lake Trout and a 15lb Laker were weighed in. The bigger fish was released. See the pics on Lebanon Bait & Sport‘s Facebook page.
I saw a few other big lakers get weighed in including the below from Rocco Catania which measured 25″ and weighed 6.6lbs. What a gut!
Rocco Catania displays his 6.6lb 25 inch Lake Trout, a personal best!
There were some monster Rainbow Trout weighed in as well. Below is John J. Wisniewski with a BIG rainbow.
J. Wisniewski with a BIG rainbow from the April 15th Round Valley Trout Association fishing tournament.
Many of these fish were caught trolling herring / shiner OR trolling spoons like the Sutton using down-riggers or leadcore lines.
One thing that really struck me was the number of BIG rainbows and lakers being weighed in, especially when compared to April 2011. Why the big difference?
Winning Brown or Rainbow from last year:
1 roger drew rainbow 5.76 23 1/4 92
2 roger drew brown 2.06 17 1/2 33
3 joe zjawiony rainbow 2.04 18 1/8 33
4 john wisniewski rainbow 1.94 17 1/8 31 (hey, this name looks familiar!)
Winning Lake Trout from last year:
1 donna fulgenz laker 2.6 19 3/8 42
2 ron degraff laker 2.34 19 7/8 37
3 dave plichta laker 2.32 19 1/2 37
Stay tuned to the RVTA website https://www.fishrvta.com/ for full results.
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.
“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
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.
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!
