Another opening day of New Jersey trout season has come and gone, with the 2026 opener going down in the historic books for something quite unique around these parts – the fact that it did not rain!
Over a thousand kids participated in this year’s free trout fishing contest for kids at Spring Lake presented by the Shark River Surf Anglers (SRSA). Free as always to children ages 15 and under, the young anglers this year were treated to donuts and bagels in the morning, hot dogs and Jersey Mike’s subs for lunch, with plenty of awards handed out.
This year’s grand prize winner was 15-year-old Abe Toohey for a 4-pound, 13-ounce brown trout (see photo of Abe surrounded by fellow anglers). The largest golden trout award went to Jackson Long with a 3-pound, 8-ounce fish, while our cover girl this week – 10-year-old Brielle Bazydlo – won a prize for the first trout of the day, a 2-pound, 1-ounce rainbow checked in two minutes after the 8 a.m. season opener.
Congrats to all of this year’s winners, and kudos to the SRSA members for hosting another stellar event at Spring Lake to kick off New Jersey’s 2026 trout season.
AGE 5 & UNDER
Morgan Miller (age 5) 3 lbs, 5 oz brown
Kaia Krauchuk (age 3) 3 lbs, 1 oz golden
Melanie Gjatollori (age 5) 2 lb, 11 oz brown
AGE 6-9
Jax Grande (age 9) 3 lbs, 7 oz golden
Nathaniel Dossantos (age 8) 3 lbs, 5 oz brown
Layna Bazydlo (age 7) 2 lbs, 10 oz rainbow
AGE 10-12
Nicholas Fasone (age 10) 4 lbs, 8 oz brown
Zack Gatollari (age 10) 3 lbs, 15 oz brown
Evan Knofel (age 12) 3 lbs, 12 oz brown
AGE 13-15
Gabriel Gjatollari (age 13) 4 lbs brown
Manus McGinley (age 13) 3 lbs, 11 oz brown
Michale Morzocca (age 13) 3 lbs, 8 oz tiger
Keep an eye out for our May 11th, 2026 digital weekly copy of The Fisherman Magazine (Issue #11) for a photo spread of some of this year’s youth anglers at Spring Lake. For more information on the Shark River Surf Anglers and their events for 2026 at www.sharkriversurfanglers.com.
