State of the Twin Rivers- Navesink & Shrewsbury

Submitted by Paulyfish on Tue, 05/13/2008 - 21:24


Hi- My schedule has been oh so hectic the last few months, but I have snuck in a couple of boat/fish/kayak trips since April 1st. I have to say that the water quality in the Navesink this spring has not looked good at all. I am no biologist, but in years past it may have been muddy, but it didn't look like it does now. Even before the latest rainful, it seemed as though there was an algae bloom in April. This is not good. I can only guess that the high temps so early in the year coupled with all the residences fertilizing the lawns is the culprit.Now that we have had some serious rainfall, I am thinking that the bloom will really take off. Luckily the temps are staying cool and hopefully some strong tides will flush the river out. Normally we are picking Stripers and blues on the back flats but this year has been spotty at best. Sure, the plankton feeding adult mossbunkers are loving this green stuff but the big bass haven't really taken up on these as of yet. The monster blues have eaten them at times but they are very sporadic as well. Interestingly the Shrewsbury river (at the same time) has remained cleaner and less "green". There are small baitfish and bluefish all over the place and the river overall seems to be in better condition than it sister river. The next few weeks will tell the story. Hopefully the Nav will find it's balance and the waterfront homeowners will find an organic alternative to prevent the river from being as green as their lawns... :) Paul

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