Trout season begins this weekend in New Jersey. Here's what to know

The only sound coming from trout streams Saturday morning will be the slight "drib" from an artificial fly landing on the water or the more definitive "plunk" of a worm-laden hook diving into the stream as New Jersey's trout "season" officially opens.

By regulations and location, it is actually possible to fish for trout nearly year-round in some New Jersey streams, although there are periods when only catch-and-release is allowed.

However, 8 a.m. of the second Saturday in April is the "official" and traditional opening in most waters of the state. The state Division of Fish and Wildlife has a compilation of trout fishing regulations at: 2023 New Jersey Freshwater Fishing Digest - Segment, Pages 16 - 21 (nj.gov).

The Division of Fish and Wildlife's Pequest Trout Hatchery in northern Warren County began shipping its first batch of trout to dozens of stocking spots across the state with about 184,000 trout distributed since March 20.

The hatchery also will be restocking over the next seven weeks to its stocking points, but not every site will get stocked each week.

The division has also published a list of public access points, with locations broken down by county. Be aware, however, that some of the stocking points will be closed from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the day of stocking. Those days will be the same each week.

At other locations, however, anglers are allowed to wait on the banks or even wade into the water as the fish are being scooped out of the stocking truck or being tossed with a bucketful of water into the creek.

A fishing license and trout stamp are required to fish for trout if you are 16 years or older. Children under 16 and New Jersey residents 70 years and older can fish without a license.

How much does a fishing license and trout stamp cost?

A trout stamp is $10.50 for a state resident and a license is $22.50. For seniors 65 to 69, the cost of a license is $12.50. An annual out-of-state license is $34 and trout stamp $20. There are also less costly licenses for non-residents who are visiting for a limited time.

Licenses and stamps may be obtained through one of the many license agents statewide, or online.

What kind of trout are stocked in NJ?

The hatchery is also mixing in 1,000 golden trout with the seasonal stocking. Those fish can be identified by a special lip tag, and anglers who catch a tagged trout can claim a certificate and patch by submitting an application form.

There were 118,389 senior and regular and 16,920 non-resident fishing licenses sold in New Jersey last year. The state also sold 92,345 trout stamps. Those numbers do not include the numbers of temporary, out-of-state licenses also sold. The high point in license sales came in 1974 when more than 140,00 resident and non-resident fishing licenses were sold.

For the first part of this year's fishing season, the daily limit on trout will be six fish of 9 inches or more. From June 1 to Dec. 31, the legal size remains 9 inches, but the daily limit is reduced to four.

Last year, the hatchery stocked nearly 618,000 trout with the average size for the spring stocking at 11.3 inches, the fall stocking at 14.6 inches and the winter stocking, which amounted to 4,460 fish, at 14.8 inches.

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Beginning in 2015, only rainbow trout have been raised and stocked from the Pequest Trout Hatchery. From 1983 through 2013 the hatchery annually produced approximately 600,000 to 700,000 brook, brown and rainbow trout to be distributed across the state.

However, in the fall of 2013 a disease afflicted hatchery trout, resulting in lower numbers of fish for stocking in 2014.

The hatchery converted to raising only rainbow trout, which have proven resistant to the disease.

In each of the past six years, spring production of rainbow trout has exceeded targets in both numbers and average size. The fall and winter stocking programs again had larger, 2-year-old fish to stock.

This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: NJ trout season 2023 begins April 8 for fishing fans