I've considered the South Branch of the Raritan River my "home water" since moving to New Jersey in July of 2007. Prior to that month, I'd fished the river once; since then, I've consistently driven the forty-four miles to the Ken Lockwood Gorge. In the past month, I've visited the river three times and caught four trout (three stocked browns and one wild brook).October has rewarded me with a few memorable moments. I've watched the annual molting of the tall sycamores.
I've seen their large green leaves turn yellow, then brown, and finally collapse into the Raritan. Their presence makes casting a fly an impossible task: countless times I've needed to recast after hooking sycamore castaway after sycamore castaway. I've watched as a young bald eagle flew above my head, coasting toward a shallow pool where its evening's feast swam. I've watched a great blue heron frighten a squirrel so severely the acrobatic quadruped nearly crashed onto the Raritan's moist bank. And I've watched my girlfriend finally view my favorite New Jersey river. 
(Image #1: View downstream of the Raritan, taken by Jackie.)
(Image #2: A nice brook trout. Maybe wild, maybe stocked.)
(Image #3: View upstream of the Raritan, taken by Jackie.)
Overall Total: 168
River Breakdown:
Marshalls Creek - 28 (28 Wild Brook)
Raritan River, South Branch - 26 (16 Stocked Brown, 7 Stocked Brook, 2 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Bushkill Creek - 21 (17 Stocked Brown, 3 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Golden Rainbow)
Pequest River - 17 (9 Stocked Brown, 6 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Beaverkill River - 10 (7 Wild Brown, 2 Wild Brook, 1 Stocked Brown)
Spring Creek - 10 (5 Wild Brown, 5 Wild Rainbow)
Poplar Run - 9 (7 Wild Brook, 2 Wild Brown)
Faulkner Brook - 7 (6 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 7 (7 Stocked Rainbow)
Brodhead Creek - 4 (3 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 4 (4 Stocked Brown)
Penns Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Rattlesnake Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Mill Creek - 3 (2 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Tiger)
Mullet Brook - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Mud Run - 2 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brook)
Old Town Run - 2 (2 Wild Brown)
Pine Creek - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Cherry Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Lawrence Brook - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Musconetcong River - 1 (1 Stocked Brown)
Neversink River - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Yellow Breeches Creek - (1 Wild Brown)
Species Breakdown:
Brown Trout - 75
Stocked - 51
Wild - 24
Brook Trout - 73
Wild - 58
Stocked - 15
Rainbow Trout - 19
Stocked - 13
Wild - 5
Golden Rainbow - 1
Tiger Trout - 1
Wild - 1
Stocked - 0
Wild Trout - 88
Stocked Trout - 80
Trout 15+ Inches: 7
Angling Breakdown:
Fly Fishing Rod - 99 (37 Stocked Brown, 20 Wild Brown, 16 Wild Brook, 11 Stocked Rainbow, 9 Stocked Brook, 5 Wild Rainbow, 1 Stocked Golden Rainbow)
58 Stocked
41 Wild
Spinning Rod - 69 (42 Wild Brook, 14 Stocked Brown, 6 Stocked Brook, 4 Wild Brown, 2 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Wild Tiger)
47 Wild
22 Stocked
State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 98
New Jersey - 56
New York - 14
