The Musconetcong River flows 45.7 miles from Lake Hopatcong’s dam to the Delaware River at Riegelsville. Swampy tributaries feed the lake along the eastern shore. Not far below the state park where the dam situates, the river feeds Lake Musconetcong where many people think the river begins at the dam there in Netcong. Regardless, the Musconetcong River has dams holding historic and recreational value; it has also seen dams removed and has at least one dam soon to be destroyed. A National Wild & Scenic River flowing freely and full of trout, smallmouth bass…now shad, striped bass, and walleye near the terminus.
“I’ve fished almost every inch of the river,” said Gerry Dumont, a fly-fishing guide from South Branch Outfitters. He’d fish every inch again, because the Musky doesn’t disappoint. He says the deepest holes are just above Finesville. “Brian Cowden did stream restoration there and dug 10 feet down. At Point Mountain he dug down 8 feet, but holes fill in after a while. He dug another deep hole at the A-Frame where the game warden lives. Brian not only dug two holes there; he was supposed to go further upstream, but the land owner on the other side of the river stopped him. The state owns one side; this guy the other. Wouldn’t let him do the rest of it, but those holes were very deep.”
Deep water not only serves as smallmouth bass habitat through the winter; it holds trout any time of year. “I got into Euronymphing,” Dumont said, adding “For that you need flow with depth. That’s why I like the Musconetcong so much. It’s got more flowing deep water.” He also compares the South Branch as having smaller-sized smallmouth bass – though more of them – and although he believes the South Branch has more wild browns, he added “Surprisingly, you’ll catch a lot of native brook trout in the Musconetcong, but I think it’s always near tributaries. The former No Kill stretch near Hackettstown – I get a lot of brookies there. Point Mountain and Changewater are good for them, too.”
Although Dumont catches no brookies below Hampton, it’s not an issue of the river being warmer, because he says the Musconetcong flows along a limestone aquifer, at least from about the midpoint. “I consider the Musky a backwards river. With most rivers, the headwaters are the coolest. Changewater was named Changewater because that’s where most of the spring influence takes over.”
Well upstream, for an example of warmer water, Dumont cites the large pond behind the Saxton Falls dam as warming the water that flows over it. He strongly doubts it will ever be removed. “It’s the beginning of the (Morris) canal, so it’s historic.” Not too many miles farther, the Lake Musconetcong dam isn’t going anywhere because of property values and recreation.
The Warren Glenn dam, however, is slated for removal. “When the big one comes out, Warren Glenn, that’s going to have a huge effect,” said Dumont, adding “So many tons of silt above that dam they have to move first. It’s a major project.” Possibly, the dam at Penwell Mills will eventually be removed. “That will help the Point Mountain stretches,” Dumont noted.
Hunterdon County Parks & Recreation’s Point Mountain Reservation takes up about three-quarters of Point Mountain Trout Conservation Area’s (TCA) land according to Dumont, noting how park officials “bring an ATV with a tank on it, three, sometimes four trips, and they spread trout through there. It gets pressure. Don’t think quite as much as the (Ken Lockwood) Gorge but close.” Much of the TCA’s 1.2-mile length of river from Penwell Road to Point Mountain Road is shallow and “very, very good for bug life, especially the caddis. End of April, beginning of May—it’s unbelievable.”
Plenty of the Musconetcong reaches upstream and down of the TCA also generate great bug life, the fishing accessible to the public. Private fishing clubs do exist on the lower river near Asbury, but “just about everything from there up is open,” said Dumont, pointing out that flooding rains spread stocked trout out. That helps make the effort to work your way upstream or down from access points worthwhile.
Keep an eye out for Bruce Litton’s book, The Microlight Quest: Trout, Adventure, Renewal, which will be available soon.
