Litton's Fishing Lines: South Branch Raritan Stocking at Neshanic Station

The state puts trout in above the mill house and to the left.

I fished the South Branch Raritan River at Neshanic Station late this afternoon and as evening began to come on, fulfilling yet more of my desire to trout fish new water near state access spots. Besides October and February for fall stockers, I've never fished trout here until today. I gave it only an hour and 15 minutes, but I pleasantly felt drawn into the fishing as if I were out much longer.

The Center Stocking Point

I decided to begin at the 5:00 PM opening of the river by fishing at Neshanic Station's well known Elm Street Bridge, imagining the river gets stocked by trout getting dumped off it. I saw a little trout near to where I had waded, but I got no hits by drifting salmon eggs four or five yards above the bridge. So I positioned myself underneath, and got hit a few times before I had the trout on, though I lost it during the beginning of a fight. I tried a few more casts and then, having accessed the walkway over the bridge, studied the water underneath. I saw river bottom but no trout, and I became aware the river probably was not stocked from the bridge. The walkway was in the way on the upstream side, and besides, the tank truck would block traffic.

A few guys fished upstream of the millhouse, which made me wonder if that stretch upstream gets stocked. I would soon learn that it does, by speaking to an informed angler who caught five trout. He also told me the river gets stocked just upstream of the Elm Street Bridge on the side opposite to the parking lot. Even so, I had studied the bottom at that spot and saw no fish, though I'm sure some were put in.

Upstream

I walked beside the parking lot and onto to the trail leading back to the upstream stretch, wondering if they carried trout in somehow on that trail. Soon I had the conversation with the guy who told me about the stocking. He was fishing orange Power Bait. I learned of how the state accesses the river at three points. I'll name the third shortly. More than half of my total time on the river used up, I wanted to catch a few trout. I fished opposite to and upstream a little of where I was told the state accesses the river just upstream of the millhouse.

My first drift resulted in a hit as the line began to belly out before it would straighten, and I'd reel in to make another cast. Pretty soon I had a trout on. A 10-incher I let go. My wife likes trout, but I wasn't expecting to catch five to make a meal. But on the next drift, I hooked up again. The little 10 1/2-incher put up a great fight on microlight tackle. I found it badly hooked, so I did keep this one. I missed another hit and hooked my third and last trout.

The Downstream Spot

I liked the view downstream from where I fished. The three bridges create a complication of lines and angles that tantalizes the mind, and you can see the railroad trestle, which is where the state also stocks here at Neshanic Station. It's not as if people who know about the stocking points fish right where they get stocked. I never saw anyone fishing at any one of the points until I was leaving. Someone fly cast about where the trout get stocked near the center bridge. I had stood on that bridge and examined the water there where they get stocked. I didn't see a single trout. It just helps to know the points so you can fish confidently in the vicinity. That I hooked a trout underneath that center bridge on the side opposite to where they got stocked goes to show that trout move fast.

This late in the season, it makes sense to take trout home if they're caught where they won't survive summer. Neshanic station is bass water. Even though I have heard about trout getting caught during summer at Stanton Station not too far upstream of here, for the most part, the trout water is upstream of Clinton. I also thought of the 68-degree rule. I don't know which trout species the rule applies to, but the fight can kill a trout if the water is too warm.

The river was plenty warm. I just wore wading boots and shorts. That warm water might be why so few got stocked today.