The Claremont

The Claremont stretch of the Raritan River is undoubtedly one of the toughest i've fished in the state of NJ.  It's narrow width and heavily covered banks make casting and wading very difficult.  The Claremont stays cool and shady throughout the summer with the large trees covering it.  Hiking through brush or wading through the river is a must here.  The last time the stretch was stocked was in the mid 90's giving the stretch a very unique and mysterious feel.  Its inhabitants as far as trout go are mainly wild with the exception of some large 15 inch+ fish that swim down from the club waters North of there. My first trip up to this stretch was a complete let down.  It was the middle of winter and the river was very low.  I didn't explore much of it, and the only section I fished was a couple of inches deep.  I saw no fish, and because of this didn't head back until this summer.  Finding a few nice holes I have been able to catch some  big trout in this stretch including two 15 inch rainbows that had swam down from club waters.  Today I caught a couple sunny's and chubs before I finally caught what I had driven around 45 minutes to catch: A wild brown.  Nymphing with a small blue egg pattern trailed by a flashback pheasant tail, my indicator stopped in the current and I set the hook as the fish began to run.  The average size brown jumped out of the water and ran around the pool before I could finally it.  A truly wild fish.

Two large bows 

A foggy morning on the Claremont

A very wild brownie