2009 Pequest Open House and Fishing Flea Market

2009 Pequest Open House and Fishing Flea Market
Saturday & Sunday, April 4 & 5, 2009
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. daily
FREE!

Since 1984, the Pequest Trout Hatchery and Natural Resource Education Center has been opening its doors to the public for the annual Open House, which takes place the weekend before Trout Season opens.

This event allows the Division of Fish and Wildlife to show off the trout raised at the hatchery and learn more about the Division's efforts in NJ.

Families, individuals, scout and church groups, fishing clubs and anyone can spend some time in the outdoors for the day in a beautiful part of the state.

For kids between the ages of 8 and 16, try your hand at trout fishing a week before the season opens in our Fishing Education Pond. There will be expert instruction by our staff, Wildlife Conservation Corps volunteers and volunteers from Trout Unlimited. Kids under 8 can try catching one of our trout in the "Kiddie Fishing Tank". The hatchery will supply all the equipment.

You can try out "fish printing" (the ancient Japanese art known as Gyotaku).

Visit displays about fisheries management, aquatic insects and much more.

In the fields along the roadway, there will be beginner archery and shotgun ranges set up. For those experts out there, there will be a 15 target 3-D archery course set up in the woods, offering you many nice shots at some of New Jersey's huntable wildlife targets in realistic situations. (You will need to bring your own archery equipment for this course.)

Each day at 10:30, Hunter Education staff will lead a Hunter Education Field Session. This hour-long program will enable participants to bypass this portion of the course when you attend a regularly scheduled hunter education class. No pre-registration or homework is required to participate.

There will also be ongoing fly tying demonstrations and many different wildlife artists, carvers and taxidermists will be here with their artwork and equipment for sale.

In side the Exhibit Hall, learn about the history of Pequest and the hatchery. There's a self-guided tour of the facility, where everything will be in full swing in anticipation of the upcoming trout season.

Just outside the main building, the Fishing Flea Market is sure to offer some good deals on both new and used equipment, lures, gear and more So if you're looking to upgrade your fishing equipment or if you're just starting out, you'll want to check out the vendors here.

There will be food vendors on hand at the event, or you can bring your own lunch and enjoy one of our 3 picnic areas nestled in the heart of the Pequest Valley.

The Pequest Trout Hatchery and Natural Resource Education Center is located 9 miles west of Hackettstown on Route 46 in scenic Warren County.

Come for a family or group outing during the Open House or anytime throughout the year. For more information on public or group visitation/programs call 908-637-4125 or see the on-line schedule of public programs.

The Open House is generously sponsored by the Warren County Public Information & Tourism Dept., GBW Insurance Co., Trout Unlimited, Ramsey Outdoor, Skylands Tourism Council of New Jersey and the NJ Office of Travel and Tourism.

The entire event is free-of-charge (including parking).

• Schedule of Activities (pdf, 21kb)
• Directions to Pequest
• Open House Flyer (pdf, 52kb)