Landlocked salmon, ranging in size from 10.8 to 15 inches in length, were recently stocked in two northern New Jersey lakes by the NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife.
Tilcon Lake in Allamuchy Mt. State Park received 198 salmon and Lake Aeroflex in Kittatinny Valley State Park received 227 salmon. Another 574 salmon in this size range are slated for Wawayanda State Park’s Wawayanda Lake in late September or early October.
The salmon were obtained from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife last spring as 8-inch yearlings, and were grown to larger size in the Hackettstown State Fish Hatchery prior to their release.
Additional salmon were recently obtained from Massachussetts and are being grown to a larger size before being released later this fall and next spring in these three lakes.
Larger salmon were stocked for the first time last spring and fall (fish averaged about 8″ in previous years). As a result anglers have reported catching this hard-fighting fish species much more frequently this year.
The salmon stocking program began in 2006, in lakes Aeroflex and Wawayanda, and this year Tilcon Lake was added to the salmon stocking program. Anglers are reminded that this time of year two salmon, measuring at least 12 inches, may be kept daily.
For more information on landlocked salmon in New Jersey, visit www.njfishandwildlife.com/salmon.htm.
source: NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife