Chasing rainbows: Delaware & Raritan Canal in Lambertville stocked for fishing season

Workers with the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife were busily stocking the Delaware & Raritan Canal in Lambertville Monday in anticipation of opening day for anglers on April 9.

All told, nearly 13,000 rainbow trout will be be added to the Delaware & Raritan “feeder canal,” which runs from Bull’s Island down to Interstate 95.

Amazingly, taxpayers aren’t footing the bill, in case you’re wondering. License fees from hunters and anglers pay for the stocking program.

So, why does the state do it?

“We want to promote fishing and other great outdoor experiences in New Jersey,” explained Mark Boriek, Principal Fisheries Biologist with the Bureau of Freshwater Fisheries in the N.J. Division of Fish and Wildlife.

All of the trout will be of the rainbow variety, which is not only disease-resistant, but is an aggressive game fish favored by seasoned anglers and epicureans alike. A list of fishing access locations is available online.

For those who can’t wait until April 9, the Pequest Trout Hatchery and Natural Resource Education Center hosts its annual Open House April 2-3 in Oxford, Warren County. It’s open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, is free of charge, and held rain or shine.