South Branch Raritan River Fishing

A 4.23-pound rainbow trout caught by the writer in the South Branch middle flow south of Clinton.

Trout and Bass Fishing

Here’s another originally published in New Jersey Federated Sportsmen’s News, the publication of the New Jersey Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs. Think of the river as a two-tier fishery, trout and bass. Smallmouth Bass get caught all the way up to Califon, though the river is not a wild trout fishery from Lake Solitude Southward. The lower South Branch has largemouths.

Shot taken from the Confluence, facing the North Branch Raritan.

The upper South Branch Raritan at Califon.

The Upper River’s Flow Characteristics

When I think “South Branch,” I imagine the river’s lower reach. Flowing through Hillsborough to the south of the North Branch, the river progresses from west to east and then south to north before arriving at the Confluence. The North Branch flows downward to that Confluence. Otherwise, the South Branch might as well have been named the “West Branch” in relation to the “East Branch.”

          Regardless, the South Branch courses 51 miles to the Raritan River from its beginning at the outflow of Budd Lake. No dam exists there; the lake is entirely natural, elevation above sea level at 928 feet. Many years ago, I believe I spoke to someone from the Division of Fish & Wildlife who told me native brook trout exist within a quarter mile of the river’s origin. Long Valley, eight miles downstream as the river flows, sits at the mountain’s base at 554 feet above sea level. Brook trout, appearing so suddenly after the river leaves the lake’s warm water during the summer, indicate that the stream is heavily spring fed as it begins that swift descent.

          Until the river reaches the dam 400 feet above Flanders-Drakestown Road in Mount Olive Township, the fish are native brook trout. From that point downstream to the dam 200 feet above County Road 517 in Long Valley, the river is managed for multiple wild species. The Claremont stretch above Long Valley is well known for its reproducing brown, brook, and rainbow trout. It is not stocked. According to Gerry Dumont, a South Branch Outfitters guide, “The area where the Electric Brook flows into the river is especially good for brookies.”

           Brookies are not common below the Claremont. An April occasion in Califon became interesting in that respect. Mike Maxwell and I fished stockers when a friend of his showed up with a fly rod and introduced us to a tiny size 22 Rainbow Warrior attractor pattern. Keeping up with Mike and I at catching stockers, he suddenly hooked an OK fish, which turned out to be a 14-inch brook trout. That was 2017, three years after brook trout stopped getting stocked by the state, although I guess Shannon’s Fly Shop stocked brook trout in the private stretches above town, although I might be incorrect on that.

When the river gets low, the Ken Lockwood Gorge can look like this, with barely enough flow to see, let alone fly fish.

          From the dam at Long Valley downstream to the Lake Solitude Dam below Ken Lockwood Gorge, the river is designated by the state as “Trout Stocked Stream-Wild Brown Trout Managed.” Wild browns get caught in the Ken Lockwood Gorge below Califon, and I’ve heard of one or two caught below the Lake Solitude Dam, but for wild browns—think KLG and upstream. I know stocked rainbows get caught in August as far south as Stanton Station near Flemington, and for that matter, even at Duke Island Dam on the Raritan River, but I’ve never heard of brown trout in these waters besides Brenden Kuprel’s good one caught at the Island Farm Weir below Somerville in March 2024. From Mount Olive Township through the KLG, Gerry Dumont regards the South Branch as the richest brown trout river water in the state. While the river may be fishable for trout on cool mornings into June, it’s best to refrain from trout fishing when the water temperature is above 68, because lactic acid buildup during the fight may prevent healthy release.

Nineteen-inch smallmouth caught while float tripping the lower South Branch Raritan.

Aquatic vegetation is thick in the lower South Branch during summer. It’s rocky, too. Notice the shale or other sedimentary stone.

Even lily pads grow on the lower South Branch.

Tractor tire being removed from the lower South Branch Raritan by Central Jersey Stream Team. Photographed in 2016.

Andy Still is a legendary lower South Branch Raritan presence, who has removed unknown quantities of tires and other refuse from the river. Photographed in 2916.

 The Lower South Branch Raritan

The South Branch offers other opportunities, if anyone hasn’t heard. Personally, I’ve caught smallmouth bass from the area of Studdiford Bridge near the Confluence northward to High Bridge, but Dumont told me about a three-pounder caught by a flyrodder in the private water above Califon. I’ve tried Califon for bass on one summer occasion but failed. From Clinton southward, the river has been called the best smallmouth bass water in the state. No matter how it really stands up to the Delaware and other rivers, not to mention lakes and reservoirs, it is a legendary bass river from which a 6.6-pound smallmouth got weighed in at the former Efinger Sporting Goods in 2010, according to The Fisherman. Perhaps not even the Delaware boasts of a bass quite as big. Otherwise, I’ve heard of them as big as 5.5 pounds from the South Branch. Bass 19 and even 20 inches long do get caught frequently. Largemouths are less common, and I believe the largest I’ve heard about is four pounds. As I remember, word of that fish came from Kevin Ortiz, who guides on the river. I caught one close to 2.5 pounds in Neshanic. In Hillsborough, I measured one at 17 inches.

Carp and Pike

          Big fish—not only big bass and outsized stocked rainbows and privately stocked Bubba browns—exist in the river. In 1995, Billy Friedman caught the state record common carp from the South Branch, weighing 47 pounds. Carp inhabit many deep holes and stretches, though you won’t find any in the KLG! At Neshanic, I caught one 31 inches long on six-pound-test mono. It took a Yum Dinger intended for a smallmouth, and I will never forget the fight that fish put up!

          Even northern pike have been caught in the river. Decades ago, my friend Joe Landolfi offered me glowing accounts of fishing smallmouths. On one occasion, he told me, he landed a 30-inch northern. Once again, I’ll mention The Fisherman. The magazine featured an article about catching northerns in the river. A very few come from Spruce Run Reservoir and possibly from Budd Lake, too.

Stocked Trout

          Despite the many opportunities, far and away most fishermen pursue stocked rainbows during springtime. I’ve been under the impression that trout get stocked a good way upstream of Long Valley from Bartley-Flanders Road, but the trout stocked-brown trout managed designation indicates that from the mill dam 200 feet upstream of County Road 517 in Long Valley, downstream to the Confluence—that’s where trout get stocked.

          The river is popular for fall stockers, also. Only on two occasions while fishing the river during the winter, however, have I run into another angler. Like during springtime, most fishermen are eager to catch them when they get stocked and have no stamina to pursue the fish that remain until March and beyond. Quality fishing is available during the bitter months of January and February. It’s best to go when early afternoon temperatures reach at least 40 degrees, as even a rise of a degree or two in water temperature makes a difference to the trout. You’ll be comfortable in neoprene bootfoot waders, find solitude, and you may find the happiness of connecting with good-sized rainbows making winter literally come alive.

          I’ve been fishing winter trout seriously for only a few years and don’t go terribly often. So far, while most of my trout have been average 14- to 16-inchers, I’ve caught a 4.23-, 3.85-, 3.88- and 5.3-pounder. Great trout stunning to have encountered.