
2021 has certainly been a challenging year in our world but we would like to spread some holiday cheer to all of our customers. The Bubba stocking here on the South Branch of the Raritan from earlier this month was popular as always. We stocked over 500 Rainbow, Brown and Tiger Trout in and around Califon with fish ranging from 12-21 inches along with two large tagged Bubbas, a Rainbow and a Brown in the 24-26 class. Surprisingly, both tagged fish were caught and released although we are still waiting to confirm the final circumstances of the fate of Bubba Bow. Bubba Brown took a midge presented by Don Sutton who complied with all of the contest rules and won himself a Douglas DXF rod.
The Bubba contest is something we all look forward to and so in the spirit of the season, two more large, tagged trout are now swimming in the South Branch, as usual a Brown and a Rainbow along with an additional 100 smaller trout. Lower than average flows may have contributed to the quick catch of the first two Bubba trout so these fish are a little smaller in the 22" class. Catch the fish and carefully remove the tag before releasing the fish and bring video or photographic proof to win a $100.00 gift certificate.
Shannon's is also very proud to announce that we've once again teamed up with local Trout Unlimited chapters to stock the Point Mountain Trout Conservation Area (TCA) on the Musconetcong River. Over 300 Rainbow trout ranging in size from 12-19 inches were stocked on Christmas Eve. Santa made a special stop on the Musky. All the fish for our stockings are raised locally by Vern, Jeff and Chase Mancini at the Musky Hatchery. Ridge and Valley, Hacklebarney, Fred Burroughs (North Jersey) and Central Jersey all contributed volunteers and funding for the stocking. Shannon's, working with Douglas Outdoors, has donated a Douglas Sky G fly rod to each chapter for a raffle to recoup the cost of the donation. Remember Point Mountain is a TCA so the limit is one fish per day over 15 inches. Hopefully most of these trout will survive some C&R fishing to become acclimated and provide some fine fishing well into the spring.
We will be open right through the New Year's holiday. Please be mindful of the current Covid-19 surge. Don't be afraid to wear a mask in the shop. I got the booster last week but I'm masking up, especially in doors. I just want to stay safe and do my part to keep others safe.
Here are a couple of Tim's suggestions for effective winter patterns:
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