It was 1980 — a turning point for New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Bureau of Freshwater Fisheries — when construction began for the new Pequest Trout Hatchery and Natural Resource Education Center in the Pequest Valley, Warren County.

Read the entire guide online! Our unique digital edition allows you to page through the entire guide, just as if you were reading the magazine. The table of contents, URLs and advertisements are all clickable and will take you right to the website.

The Raritan River is the largest watershed completely within New Jersey that supports migratory fish species. The increased industrialization of the region resulted in severe pollution and the construction of dams which left the Raritan unsuitable and not navigable for shad.

An angler’s proper handling of fish can greatly improve their survival when released. Fighting a fish to exhaustion increases mortality as does rapidly bringing up a fish through the changing water pressure and temperature gradients.