Stranded fish rescued

SUSSEX COUNTY-After the recent heavy rains, the New Jersey Bureau of Freshwater Fisheries received a report from park rangers that walleyes were stranded in the spillway below the Swartswood Lake Dam. In a cooperative effort between the Parks and Forestry and the Fish and Wildlife divisions, 72 large adult walleyes were collected by electrofishing and transported back into Swartswood Lake. The following week, similar reports were received from the Knee Deep Club concerning Lake Hopatcong and from Muskies, Inc. concerning Greenwood Lake. On the morning of April 21, Fish and Wildlife personnel were joined by members of the Lake Hopatcong Commission, Knee Deep Club, and Hopatcong State Park rangers in an electrofishing effort on the Musconetcong River immediately below the Lake Hopatcong Dam. Forty large adult walleyes were captured and returned to Lake Hopatcong. The Bureau of Freshwater Fisheries electrofishing crew also visited Greenwood Lake, where muskies and walleyes had washed over the dam into the Wanaque River. With the help of Muskies, Inc. volunteers, the crew was able to rescue 300 large adult walleyes by electrofishing and eight large muskies by seining. Six of the eight muskies exceeded 40 inches in length and a majority of the walleyes were in the 20 to 28 inch range. On April 28, the crew electrofished another 98 walleyes from the river and returned them back to Greenwood Lake with the help of several trout fishermen. In all, more than 500 walleye and eight muskies were returned to favorable habitat.