Landlocked Salmon in New Jersey

Salmon Stocking Continues in 2016 - 3/15/16

Spring 2016 Salmon Update: Another 2,000 Landlocked Salmon were delivered from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife's's Roger Reed Salmon Hatchery on April 27. They were 8.5 inches and 800 were stocked the same day as follows:

  Wawayanda Lake - 456
  Lake Aeroflex - 184
  Tilcon Lake - 160

The remaining 1200 fish are slated for this fall 2016 when they'll be about 15"; some may be held over until spring, 2017, when they'll be approximately 18"-20". In return, the hatchery provided Massachusetts with 28,000 surplus three-inch Northern Pike.

Fall 2015 Salmon Update: On October 22, staff from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife's's Roger Reed Salmon Hatchery delivered 1,200 landlocked salmon to the Hackettstown Hatchery. The fish measured between 12-14 inches and weighed just under a pound each. They were float stocked the following day in the following waters: Wawayanda Lake - 685, Lake Aeroflex - 275, and Allamuchy Mountain State Park's Tilcon Lake - 240.

The original plan was for Massachusetts to deliver 2,400 salmon on one trip, but the fish grew bigger than their transport truck could safely handle. Therefore, on November 2nd, hatchery staff made a trip to Massachusetts to pick up the remaining 1,200 salmon, which also averaged 12-14 inches. On the return trip a boat from the hatchery met the stocking truck at the Lake Aeroflex boat ramp and float stocked 340 fish. The remaining 860 were held in tanks at the hatchery and float stoked in Wawayanda Lake on November 4th.

An additional 1,200 salmon are being held over the winter at the hatchery and will be stocked in April at around 15 inches. 2015 is the ninth year of stocking landlocked salmon in New Jersey. Anglers are urged to report catches of these fish by e-mailing the Bureau of Freshwater Fisheries at: njfwfish@dep.nj.gov. Please attach photos of your catch.

An exciting, new sport fish is now swimming in New Jersey’s waters - the hard-fighting landlocked salmon! This salmonid species is the lake-dwelling form of the Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar. Unlike the anadromous Atlantic salmon, which migrates from saltwater to spawn in freshwater streams, the landlocked form is able to complete its entire life cycle in freshwater. Landlocked salmon are native to eastern Canada and Maine, and have been successfully introduced to suitable waters outside their native range in New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and New York. And now New Jersey! On May 17, 2006, the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife introduced landlocked salmon into two lakes to provide anglers with an opportunity to fish for this unique coldwater sport fish close to home. Only a handful of deep lakes in New Jersey have suitable year round habitat for coldwater fish like trout and salmon. Salmon prefer water temperatures less than 70°F and dissolved oxygen levels greater than 5 mg/L, but can withstand warmer, less oxygenated water conditions for short periods. Salmon were stocked in several NJ waters a half-century ago, and the historical state record for landlocked salmon is an 8 pound fish caught from Lake Aeroflex in 1951. The two lakes selected to receive landlocked salmon are Wawayanda Lake and Lake Aeroflex. Wawayanda Lake is located in Wawayanda State Park in northern Sussex County near Vernon. It has a surface area of 255 acres and a maximum depth of 80 feet. Lake Aeroflex (also known as New Wawayanda Lake) lies in southern Sussex County, within Kittatinny Valley State Park near Andover, and has a surface area of 100 acres and a maximum depth of 101 feet. Both lakes have suitable coldwater fish habitat year round and a forage base of alewives for the salmon to feed upon.

Tilcon Lake Stocking Yields Immediate Results Click to enlarge

The salmon that are stocked are surplus fish provided by Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife free of charge. These fish are spring yearlings, the product of eggs taken from mature females and then fertilized. When stocked in May they are at an age of approximately 1½ years. A truck from our fish hatchery transports the salmon from Massachusetts and immediately stocked them in each lake. Annually approximately 1,000 fish are stocked in Wawayanda Lake and Lake Aeroflex receives 400-500 fish. Approximately 1,020 fish were stocked in Wawayanda Lake and Lake Aeroflex receivee 404 fish the first year. To help minimize loss through predation, the salmon are float stocked away from the shoreline.

Initially the newly stocked salmon will feed upon macroinvertebrates and insects. Towards the end of the summer they will shift to a diet of alewives. Anglers are allowed to keep two salmon per day measuring at least 12 inches long during most of the year (catch & release fishing in effect during the 19 day period preceding the opening day of the trout season in April). The stocking rate and harvest regulations are intended to provide anglers with an opportunity to catch salmon that commonly range from 12" – 17", and an expectation of catching an occasional salmon in excess of 17" (3 pounds).

Salmon caught June 28, 2009 at Lake Waywayanda Click to enlarge

Both lakes selected for the introduction of salmon are currently stocked with brown and rainbow trout and are managed to provide good trout fisheries through the Holdover Trout Lakes regulation. (Trout that survive the critical summer period are referred to as "holdovers.") Salmon and trout are competitors in that both are pelagic (occupying primarily open water, away from shallow water areas) and will utilize the alewife forage base. Landlocked salmon are closely related to brown trout (Salmo trutta), and anglers may have difficulty telling them apart. Because size and creel limits are different for salmon and trout, anglers need to know the differences in order to comply with the regulations and quickly release fish that can not be kept. The most obvious differences between salmon and brown trout can be found in the head and tail areas. The caudal fin (tail) of a salmon is forked and a brown trout’s tail is square (unforked). The upper jaw (maxillary) of a salmon does not extend beyond the rear edge of the eye while a brown trout’s maxillary generally extends well past the rear edge. A salmon may also (but not always) have "X" shaped markings along its back. Posters detailing these characteristics will be prominently displayed at each lake and handouts with this information will also be available.

The landlocked salmon populations will be maintained through annual stockings of spring yearlings. While mature salmon may migrate into the inlets and outlets and attempt to spawn it is unlikely that natural reproduction will produce enough fish to maintain an acceptable fisheries. The salmon fisheries will be monitored by Fish and Wildlife and if warranted stocking rates and fishing regulations for salmonids will be adjusted to maintain a desirable fishery.

Both state parks have boat launching facilities (ramps) and ample parking. Only electric motors are permitted (no gas outboards). Boat rentals are also available seasonally at Wawayanda Lake. A park entrance fee is charged at Wawayanda Lake (located in Wawayanda State Park) from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, and the facilities are open from dawn to dusk. There is no fee to launch boats at Lake Aeroflex and boat fishing is permitted 24 hours a day. Links to the park websites are below, and office phone numbers are as follows: Allamuchy Mountain State Park: 908-852-3790 Kittatinny Valley State Park: 973-786-6445 Wawayanda State Park: 973-853-4462 PAST STOCKINGS NEWS 2,400 Landlocked Salmon Stocked in Three Lakes Add to Fall Fishing Season - DEP News Release, 11/6/15 Large Salmon Stocked After Year of Growth at Hackettstown - 5/4/15 More Large Salmon Stocked In State Park Lakes - 10/2/14 Large Salmon Stocked in Tilcon Lake, Morris County - 4/22/14 Additional Salmon Stocked in Two Sussex County Lakes - 12/5/13 Landlocked Salmon Arrive in New Jersey 5/17/06 DEP News Release Trout Fishing in New Jersey

August, 2011 catch Click to enlarge