<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

The river ran at 750 CFS but was scheduled to be dropped to 500 CFS by the end of the week, said Suzanne at <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. King salmon kicked around from the Trestle Pool to upstream, but more steelheads 6 to 8 pounds and big brown trout to 7 pounds moved in, hanging around the Ballpark, Town Pool and Two-Way Bridge. Egg sacks, trout beads, wooly buggers and stoneflies all worked to hook fish.

Fishing for salmon on the river slowed a little, because the water levels dropped, but kings and Cohos were creeled on the upper river at Ellis Cove and the Wire Hole, said Victor from Altmar’s <b>Fish and Ride NY</b>, a rental rancher for anglers. A mix of old and new fish were seen, and the new fish continued to trickle up, but high waters previously triggered a slew of the fresh salmon to move in. But that settled down for the moment. But fishing for steelheads and brown trout gained fights farther downstream. The salmon fishing usually lasts another couple of weeks, and then steelheads surge up to stay for the winter, spawning in spring. They love to eat the eggs from the salmon. Catches on the river came on the whole variety of usual offerings including eggs, pink worms and various flies. Fish and Ride NY offers a rental rancher with all the amenities for anglers and other outdoor enthusiasts. Stay the weekend or a week, and the staff can recommend fishing guides.

<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

Smallmouth bass fishing on the Delaware River changed to a fall pattern: the fish hit much better in the late afternoons, seeming to follow the sun as it sets on the waters,  said Bill from <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Philadelphia. Minnows got the bites much better than anything else, but bigger fish were caught on grubs, tubes and Senko worms. One customer threw 5-inch Senkos to grab 15 to 30 smallies per trip, tackling more of the 14- to 18-inch fish in the fast waters just downstream from the Stockton Bridge. Another worked the Point Pleasant area, landing more than 20 of the bronzebacks each day out on Power Tubes. One angler fished the Lambertville stretch with minnows, finding the smallies holding up in the rocks along the New Jersey shoreline. A few anglers were up to the Water Gap, saying the leaves in the waters made fishing difficult with lures. But drifted minnows and nightcrawlers did the job on both smallmouth bass and walleyes.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Trout fishing exploded, and the past week’s breeder stocking was successful, said Bill from <b>Bill’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Phillipsburg. Catches from the Musconetcong River included Kyle Brandenburg’s 5.75-pound rainbow, John Riviera’s 5.4-pound ‘bow and Mike Nelson’s 5-pound rainbow. Trout from Pohatcong Creek included John Wilson’s 6-pound rainbow and Paul Cirelli’s 4-pound 12-ounce rainbow. Impressive trout were also pulled from Merrill Creek Reservoir: Jim Frankenfeld’s 5.9- and 3-pound rainbows and Angee Ramos’ 4.2-pound brown. But trout weren’t the only catch from Merrill. Fish like Pat Storm’s 5-pound largemouth bass and 9-year-old Dan Trembler’s 4.4-pound chain pickerel were claimed. The Delaware River offered a variety of species, such as Joe Karabinas’ 7.2-pound channel catfish, Jerry LaFleur’s 4-pound smallmouth bass and Carl Raub’s 5.6-pound walleye. Shawn Dornblaser found hybrid striped bass on the prowl at Spruce Run Reservoir, reeling in two that weighed 4 pounds and 3 pounds 10 ounces. Other waters where customers scored included White Lake, where Steve Carmody whacked a 6.2-pound largemouth, and Minsi Lake, where Alex Jackson punched a 5.6-pound pickerel.

Plenty of trout swam the Rockaway and Pequest rivers, but they were spooky, said Don from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Paramus. Anglers saw lots of the fish, but said a stealthy approach with dark clothing and a slow creep to the pools upped the chances of getting a strike. Use fathead minnows. The official Grand Opening of the shop’s new location kicks off this weekend with tons of promotions and manufacturers on hand to display new gear. So stop by. 

A handful of anglers jigged the 35-foot depths off the bottom to angle up walleyes to 8 pounds, hybrid striped bass and crappies, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. Yellow perch roamed the shallower waters, and pickerel and muskies cruised along the weed lines, swiping Mepps spinners. Live herring are available at the shop at least until the end of the month. November 15 will be the last day for boat rentals for the season. 

Formidable largemouth bass were hauled from Lake Hopatcong, said Al from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. He tossed jig-and-pigs in green pumpkin and black and blue patterns to beat the bass to 5 pounds. Nick from the shop boated the bucketmouths larger than 6 pounds, including four that topped the 5-pound mark. The Ramapo River put out good action on brook and rainbow trout to 16 inches on spinners and Power Baits.

Shoreline angling for rainbow trout marched on at Round Valley Reservoir, said Steve from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport Shop</b>. The trout that were caught seemed to run smaller, and big browns to 6 pounds sometimes cruised along, but they turned up their noses at most baits. For stream trout anglers, both the north and south branches of the Raritan River dished out breeders that ate up Power Baits and meal worms.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Trout were spooky in the Pequest River, said Mike from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. He saw big browns to 7 pounds inspecting his baits and flies, but they were reluctant to commit. But he did hook smaller rainbows on Rapalas. Rainbow trout were also jabbed along the Round Valley Reservoir shoreline, and Power Baits and shiners got attention, especially around the rock piles.

Most action for customers revolved around Lake Riviera and the Winding River, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Pickerel and crappies were most active at both locales, but largemouth bass were taken from the waters on nightcrawlers and shiners. White perch should really be on the feed in the Trilco stretch of the Toms River, now that the weather cleared. Bring plenty of grass shrimp and nightcrawlers.

The heavy rains through the beginning of the week kept stream fishing to a minimum, said Frank from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. But trout fishing should bounce back this week in better weather on the Musconetcong and Pequest rivers. Waters cooled considerably both in streams and lakes because of the weather. So look for chain pickerel to get more active at the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area lakes.

Smallmouth bass and walleyes crowded the Delaware River from Trenton to the north, said Bob from the <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. The smallmouths keyed in on shiners, and the walleyes preferred nightcrawlers and Gulp Leeches. Lake Assunpink and Stone Tavern Lake were homes to largemouth bass that pounced on rubber worms. Muskies could be battled at Mercer Lake on Mepps Musky Killer Spinners. Carnegie Lake crappies chased after tiny, white, grub-tailed jigs.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Striped bass kept getting plucked out of the Delaware River, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b> in Brooklawn. From the Commodore Barry Bridge to the Ben Franklin Bridge, including all the piers between, held the linesiders, and bloodworms were best to trick them up. Largemouth bass could be found on the hunt at Stewart Lake, the Cooper River and Blackwood Lake, willing to pound jig-and-pigs and creature baits.

Results of the trout stocking were surely evident at Grenloch Lake, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers</b> in Blackwood. Fathead minnows, crank baits and Power Baits plundered plenty of the quality fish for the frying pan. Jeff Hayes rounded up a 5-pound rainbow on a bucktail spinner at the lake. Another angler showed off a 1-pound 13-ounce brown trout that he rapped on a crank bait at the impoundment. Oak Pond was another place to go after the stockers, like a 22-inch brookie that Ben Galway smoked on a fathead minnow.

Oak Pond was the hot spot for trouters, said Lou from the <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown. Rainbows to 4 pounds were eager to gobble up Power Baits and small garden worms on most days, and plenty of the trout were leftover, and favorable weather this week should have them chomping.

The freshwater section of the Maurice River banged out a load of the big, breeder, stocked trout, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Most were pinned down on pink Power Baits and small crank baits. Local lakes now turned over for the season, and largemouth bass got more aggressive. They struck Rat-L-Traps at Parvin Lake, Newton Lake and Union Lake.

Customers plied the upper Maurice River for trout to 4 pounds, said Ki from <b>Huck’s Place</b> in Millville. With the cooling waters, look for white perch to really get on the take on the lower, tidal portion of the river. Grass shrimp and bloodworms are the baits to soak.

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