Fishing the Saddle River is not always the easiest experience. It is stocked from the NY State line down to Dunkerhook Rd in Paramus. In the lower stretches the river is sometimes cut between steep dirt banks which are treacherous to climb down. When you finally get into the river you are greeted by soft sandy or muddy bottoms that like to grip your boots like quick sand! There are some nice bends and deep holes though that make it worthy to fish. The northern part of the river is a little more rocky and more natural looking however access is tough as it runs through some quite expensive private properties.
NJ Fishing Report 05/05/2011: Today I fished the Dunkerhook Park section of the Saddle River and managed to catch 4 rainbow trout and 1 native brown. YES I DID SAY NATIVE BROWN! I wish I could've snapped a photo but the little bugger was eager to get back into the water before I could get the camera ready. It was a surprise to find a wild born fish down that far in the river. My guess is that he was spawned more near the NY side and high waters brought him down to Paramus. The native was about six inches long with a deep bronze back and loosly spaced black and red spots. It is always something special to catch fish that were wild born rather then hatchery stocked even if it was just a little guy.
Tomorrow I will be up in Connecticut to try my luck at the Salmon River or Eight Mile River again. Stay tuned for more fishing reports!
Fishing for fun with Tommy P, formerly of Scotts Bait-n-Tackle, Mystic Islands, NJ. Follow my adventures as I chronicle my fishing and outdoors experience here in the North East!
I fish the Saddle River a lot and my son nailed a native brown yesterday there....it was his first fish ever.
ReplyDelete