<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Adirondacks</b>

Ice fishing was going down at all the lakes and ponds, said Ron at <b>FISH307.com</b> at Lake George. Four to 8 inches of cover sat on top of Lake George’s coves, and some of the deep spots remained open, but the entire lake should be buttoned up by the weekend. Areas such as Hearthstone, Northwest Bay, Huddle Bay and the Narrows were go-to spots to tackle lake trout, landlocked salmon and yellow perch. Lakers hung in the 45- to 100-foot depths, inhaling live suckers and Swedish Pimple jigs. Landlocked salmon fed on emerald shiners fished right under the ice, and perch attacked jigs in the coves. Schroon Lake and Brant Lake offered excellent trout and yellow perch fishing, and mousies, spikes and small shiners fooled both. Saratoga Lake was a place to try for walleyes and northern pike, and large shiners got whacked.

<b>Salmon River</b>

Bitter cold settled along the river, said Suzanne from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski, so steelhead fishing slowed down just a bit. But make no mistake, the steelheads were still there. They were just moving slower, and a more determined presentation was required to trick them to strike. Use float rigs with egg sacks on a leader to allow a greater spread of coverage. The river ran low at 375 CFS, so the steelies should congregate or school up more this week. Ice fishing on Sandy Pond was excellent, with 12 inches on top. Northern pike, panfish and largemouth bass were all hoisted up, and shiners worked best.

Days were cold, and were forecast to get even colder this week, and the low temps and a low flow on the river created lots of slush in the waters, said Paul Auguscinski from <b>SAS Guide Service</b> from Pulaski. On Saturday that made fishing difficult downstream from Pineville, and only the stretch around Altmar was free of slush and ice. But on Sunday conditions improved a little, and at least winds were calm, and steelheads were sometimes fought on blue egg sacks, glow roe and sun-orange beads fished under floats. The Altmar area did receive the most attention because of the slush. SAS Guide Service spin fishes for salmon, steelheads and trophy trout on wade and drift-boat trips, and enjoys teaching anglers the techniques that will help them learn how to hook up themselves, in hopes they can return on their own to catch.

Bill Ferman from <b>High Hook Guide Service</b> from Pulaski did no fishing in the past four or five days, and was about to travel to Florida, but fishing remained about the same as before, he said. But the cold certainly affects steelheading. When the weather and the river become cold, sometimes the fish cooperate like usual, and sometimes they bite only during a short time, sometimes in the late mornings and late afternoons. A small change in water temperatures, like 1 degree, can sometimes make a difference. On his last trip with three anglers, four steelheads were hooked within 20 or 30 minutes. Then time passed, and more were hooked at a different spot later in the day.  But whether the difference was the location or the time of day was impossible to know. High Hook both wades and drift-boats for salmon, steelheads and trophy brown and rainbow trout with both spinning gear and fly rods. Ask about winter steelhead rates!

<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

Trout fishing got most attention, said Bill from <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Philadelphia, and Core Creek and Pennypack Creek gave up numerous catches on meal worms, wax worms and Power Baits.  The lower Delaware River at Dredge Harbor should turn out smallmouth bass, crappies and yellow perch this time of year. Use fathead minnows or shiners, or cast small crank baits that have lively motion.  The upper river toward Byram and the Schuylkill River near the art museum should give up plenty of walleyes willing to eat up bucktails tipped with white twister tails in winter. Ice anglers hit Peck's Pond for double-digit catches of pickerel, and the ice was up to 12 inches thick. At Pompton Reservoir a few anglers tangled with a load of crappies, largemouth bass and pickerel on spoons, Rapala ice-fishing jigs and minnows.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

The time has come for ice anglers, said Dom from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Paramus. As of Tuesday, Budd Lake, Split Rock Reservoir, Lake Aeroflex and the coves at Lake Hopatcong were all ice fishable, producing a wide array of species. Budd Lake, Split Rock and Hopatcong held largemouth bass, yellow perch and pickerel for the most part, and Aeroflex put out trout for those jigging spoons.

Ice anglers were let out of the gates, slamming catches, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. Laurie’s Cove, Brady Bridge, River Styx and the Windlass areas doled out plenty of yellow perch and pickerel that hammered shiners on tip-ups. Some hardcore anglers hit the Woodport area down deep to pull up walleyes to 4 pounds. Lou Marcucci at the River Styx area shoveled up a 6-pound muskie and a mess of largemouth bass, crappies, pickerel and perch. Ice fishing is absolutely on! The ice should reach 6 to 7 inches by the weekend.

All the local lakes were frozen up tight for drilling holes and pulling in fish, said Tom from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. Budd Lake and Monksville Lake held a good 6 inches, and both gave up largemouth bass and plenty of panfish. Turtle Pond was a solid bet for rainbow trout and perch through the ice. On Greenwood Lake the New York arm held the most action, with fat pickerel and large yellow perch chomping shiners. Cranbury Lake dished up steady fishing for chain pickerel, and the River Styx section at Lake Hopatcong seemed the most productive for chasing flags for pickerel and perch.

Three inches of ice formed on Spruce Run Reservoir, and the impoundment could be safe for ice fishing by the weekend, said Chris from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport Shop</b>. Small ponds were covered with enough ice for fishing, and Matt Zmuda fished one of them, lifting a 12-pound muskie and a dozen yellow perch though the hard water while fishing with shiners and jigs. Round Valley Reservoir anglers continue to reel in rainbow trout that fed along the shoreline on Power Baits or nightcrawlers on bottom float rigs.

River levels were back to normal and good for trouting, said Bill Hoffman from <b>Skylands Angler</b> from Clinton. Although the weather was cold and was about to get colder, trout will definitely be there and will be “happy,” with ideal water temps for the cold-water fish, and with few anglers pressuring them. If anglers are up for braving the weather, the fishing actually offers the best chances of the year to catch. Although small midges and hares ears are popular in the cold, Bill likes throwing wooly buggers in black or olive. They work, and more waters can be covered, and they also help keep anglers active in the cold. With wooly buggers anglers twitch and work the fly and cast all over the stream. That’s different from nymphing, when anglers plant themselves at each run and pay close attention to the ways the waters flow to drift the nymphs the best. Wooly buggers can also be more appropriate for working various depths, and trout in the cold will swim all different depths, not just the deep. If plain wooly buggers fail to connect, he’ll switch to ones with rubber legs. Bill was busy tying a mess of caddis flies when he gave this report over the telephone, getting ready for the hatches in March, working on enough for trips with anglers. He also noted that The Fly Fishing Show is coming in two weekends. The show, maybe the best fly show anywhere, takes place Friday to Sunday, January 23 to 25, at the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset. Fly anglers can check out and buy products, see the world’s best fly tiers in action, book fly-fishing trips and watch seminars. Skylands Angler guides fly-fishing trips for trout on the Musconetcong and Pequest rivers and Ken Lockwood Gorge. Bill aims to teach anglers, whether beginners or advanced, how to fish the rivers, even so they can come back and catch on their own. That includes fly selection, how to fish the flies, casting lessons and all aspects. He’s also available for trips for other fish like largemouth bass, if anglers want to fly rod for them. Skylands Angler fishes all year long, including for trout in winter. Winter’s actually a prime time, with lower water temperatures that trout prefer, and less pressure on the waters, making the fish less wary.

Determined steelhead anglers still made the trip to upstate New York’s Salmon River, said Mike from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. He went 1 for 5 on steelies in minus-10 degree weather during the weekend. Ice anglers headed to Lake Hopatcong for pickerel and perch fishing through the holes. Trouters sometimes found steady action on the Pequest River, and midges in sizes 20 to 22 worked well, and so did size-14 stoneflies.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Although North Jersey’s lakes were locked up with ice, the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area lakes were almost ready, with 2 to 3 inches on them, said Bill from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. Look for Rising Sun Lake and Stone Tavern Lake to be fishable by the weekend, with single-digit temps predicted at night. Walleye fishing on the Delaware River was fairly solid at Lambertville and at the Water Gap, and twister tails or fathead minnows claimed bites. Trout fishing got torrid on the Pequest and Musconetcong rivers and Ken Lockwood Gorge, and customers reported plenty of strikes on Roostertails, Daiwa Doctor Minnows and Panther Martin spinners. Harry’s new store, right behind the old store, is opening today! Check it out.

Before Rising Sun Lake froze over, anglers there cast shiners and twister tails to land a load of crappies and largemouth bass, said Tony from the <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. A thin layer of ice was now on the lake, and that should build enough for fishing possibly by the weekend, and the chew should continue through the ice. Carnegie Lake had been a solid spot to bang out largemouth bass on shiners, but now was also locked up with a thin layer of ice. Lake Mercer was also icing over and might be ready to fish by the weekend for muskies and largemouths.

A layer of thin ice covered the lakes, said Lou from the <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown. Some of them such as Malaga Lake and Iona Lake opened up for a little while in the heat of the daytime and could be fished with Senkos or small crank baits for pickerel. But there might actually be safe ice after the weekend, because temperatures were predicted to go into the single digits during nighttimes. Remember: Now is the time to buy a 2009 fishing license, if you haven’t already.

All of the Pineland ponds locked up again during the weekend, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland, with about an inch of ice covering most. So the key was to fish the moving waters at the spillways, such as at Union Lake, Parvin Lake and Sunset Lake. Largemouth bass, crappies, pickerel, yellow perch and bluegills will hit chartreuse grub tails, Rapala Countdowns and Mepps spinners in the unfrozen areas.

With the cold weather, few anglers took advantage of the white perch fishing in the Maurice River, said Ki from <b>Huck’s Place</b> in Millville. Simple float rigs tipped with frozen grass shrimp will put anglers into the tasty whiteys on the higher tides in the river. The full moon influence this week will have the waters running higher than normal, and that might just bring in more whiteys to feed.

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