To help minimize future crowding, distribute current fishing effort more safely, and help local anglers participate in passive recreation activities outdoors, New Jersey announced an early start to the 2020 trout fishing. During New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s March 31 daily COVID-19 press briefing, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Commissioner Catherine McCabe announced that catch and release trout action was officially underway as of April 1 in the Garden State.
“This is to help us, to help you maintain safe, social distance while fishing,” McCabe said at the governor’s presser, adding “We’ve released the state-raised trout early to disperse them before fishing season opens so that you can disperse too as you move out to catch them, instead of everyone gathering around the hatchery on day one of the trout season which is traditional.”
New Jersey joins Delaware, Pennsylvania and New York in recommending at least one rod’s length between anglers – 6 feet or more – while encouraging anglers to fish alone or exclusively with immediate family members. “If you find others gathered at your favorite fishing hole consider trying a new location this year,” Commissioner McCabe also said.
Each spring, approximately 570,000 rainbow trout raised at the Pequest Trout Hatchery are stocked into the state’s streams, ponds, and lakes. Nearly 1/3 of these trout, 184,100, await anglers on April 11 when the season opens to actual harvest. Anglers should refer to the 2020 Freshwater Digest for additional regulations and delineated sections of special regulation areas. For more information on New Jersey trout fishing, including access to the fishing license and stamp portal go to www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/trtinfo_spring20.htm
As for gearing up for the action, the state’s online COVID-19 Information Hub (Covid19.NJ.Gov) spells out Gov. Murphy’s statewide stay at home order as it applies to non-essential retail businesses as this – “If your business is a retail business that operates with a physical location that the public accesses your services from, you must close your business to the public. Delivery and online operations of retail businesses may continue.” Efforts have been underway in Trenton help clarify how bait and tackle shops can continue operate safely under the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions; for breaking news and information regarding COVID-19 make sure to follow The Fisherman on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thefishermanmagazine.
