navigation bar
   
njdep  
  New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife
 
njdep home f&w home
Facebook Logo

Don’t Miss Out on Bonus Broodstock!

 
Every spring the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife stocks more than 570,000 trout in nearly 200 streams, lakes, and ponds statewide. The popular spring stocking program provides fabulous trout fishing opportunities for more than 100,000 anglers.

The trout are reared at the Division's Pequest Trout Hatchery, and most of those stocked in the spring are 1½ years old and average about 10½ inches in length and weigh about ½ pound. However, some of the trout that are stocked every spring are considerable larger, weighing 3 to 7 pounds each and ranging from 15 to 24 inches. These large trout are called "broodstock" or "breeders" because they are mature fish (2½ - 3½ years old) that were used the previous fall to obtain and fertilize eggs as part of the hatchery's continuous production cycle.

Bonus trout ready to go So imagine going to a small pond or lake and latching onto the trout of a lifetime. Actually, there is no need to imagine - any one of the ponds and lakes in the Bonus Broodstock Program offers the chance to land that 'lifetime trout' during the spring season. Don't miss this exciting opportunity.

After the broodstock are spawned in the hatchery, some are stocked in the fall while the majority are stocked the following spring, primarily before the opening day of the spring trout season.

To increase interest and excitement in this popular springtime angling activity the Division stocks higher numbers of broodstock in a few (9-10) trout-stocked ponds and small lakes. Each spring a different set of waters receives about three to five times more broodstock than they traditionally receive.

Ten waters were selected for 2015 and are listed in the table below and shown on the map. By concentrating 460 of these large trout in these relatively small lakes and ponds, it is expected that many trout anglers will experience the catch of a lifetime or observe others catching them. The bonus broodstock trout are stocked prior to the opening day of the trout season.

The list and map below will help you find the lakes and ponds receiving the bonus broodstock for 2015. And remember - trout season begins this year on Saturday April 4 - so fine tune your tackle and be ready for another exciting year of trout fishing in New Jersey!

Bonus Broodstock Waters Location Map (.jpg, 60kb)
Bonus Broodstock Waters Location Map (pdf, 74kb)

2015 BONUS BROODSTOCK PONDS AND LAKES
Waterbody County Waterbody
Size
(acres)
Proposed 2015
Pre-season
Trout Allocation1
Pre-season
Broodstock Allocation
2015 2014
Amwell Lake Hunterdon 10 370 50 302
Barbours Pond Passaic 12 420 50 10
Echo Lake Monmouth 6 350 50 5
Giampetro Park Pond Cumberland 11 420 50 10
Holmdel Park Pond Monmouth 3 210 30 5
Oak Pond Camden 12 420 50 10
Ponderlodge Pond Cape May 8 470 50 10
Seeley's Pond Union 3 230 30 5
Spooky Brook Park Pond Somerset 8 360 50 10
Sylvan Lake Burlington 12 420 50 10
1 - The pre-season allocation includes both the production size trout (10½ inch average size) and the broodstock. The pre-season trout allocation is stocked prior to Opening Day.
2 - Amwell Lake was also stocked with Bonus Broodstock in 2014. (normally the lake receives 5 broodstock pre-season)

Directions to these and other trout-stocked waters can be found at www.njfishandwildlife.com/accesswater.htm - Fishing Access Locations on Trout Waters.

ADDITIONAL LINKS

arrow Spring 2015 Trout Information
arrow Landlocked Salmon in NJ
arrow Places to Fish - Ponds
arrow Places to Fish - Streams
arrow Sea Run Brown Trout
arrow Fishing Regulations
 
back to top
  Adobe Acrobat Some files on this site require adobe acrobat pdf reader to view. download the free pdf reader  
bottom footer contact dep privacy notice legal statement accessibility statement nj home nj home citizen business government services a to z departments dep home

division of fish & wildlife: home | links | contact f&w
department: njdep home | about dep | index by topic | programs/units | dep online
statewide: njhome | citizen | business | government | services A to Z | departments | search

Copyright © State of New Jersey, 1996-2015
Department of Environmental Protection
P. O. Box 402
Trenton, NJ 08625-0402

Last Updated: March xx, 2015