Working for the coldwater conservation organization, Trout Unlimited of which Trout Scapes is a TU Business Member, we recently restored a 1/3 mile reach of the Musconetcong (Musky) in northwest New Jersey on state owned land between the towns of Asbury and Bloomsbury. Most of the water up and downstream is in private hands, but this section is owned by the NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife and maintained as public fishing access for trout.
BELOW: pre restoration
BELOW: post restoration
This work was funded by William Penn Foundation, Theodore Gordon Flyfishers, a Trout Unlimited Embrace A Stream (EAS) grant, as well as contributions from 7 NJ based TU chapters. The project lead is Cole Baldino, TU’s NJ Delaware River Coordinator and TU national staffer working to protect and restore NJ trout tributaries to the Delaware River. This property had once been leased to fishing clubs, and the clubs were fond of building stone dams to try to create deep pool habitat. Instead, the dams got “pushed down” by flows and that allowed the water to flow towards the banks, widening the river by as much as 44′ in places. Point bars adjacent to newly restored pool habitat act to narrow the flows back to normal which for this reach is between 65′ and 72′ in width. Not only will anglers benefit, but so will paddlers as this is a popular spot with canoes and kayaks.
BELOW: pre restoration
BELOW: post restoration pocket water
