<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

The river ran low at 335 CFS, and steelheads, mostly 3- to 5-pounders but some that topped 13 pounds, seemed to hang in the tail ends of the deeper pools in the quicker waters, said Simon at <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. The Trooper Hole was a hot spot to bag them, and monster brown and rainbow trout to 10 pounds were also a treat for anglers. Brown trout egg imitations, glow bugs, nymphs and sucker spawn flies got swiped.

Fishing was steady for steelheads and brown trout on the river, said Victor from Altmar’s <b>Fish and Ride NY</b>, a rental rancher for anglers. As the weather gets colder, the angling will keep improving. Sucker spawn flies and wooley buggers fished on center-pin rods worked well. Egg patterns in red or blue fished under floats also did. The fish could be easily picked up if anglers walked away from the parking areas to get off the beaten path. They shouldn’t hesitate to use natural baits to fool some of the larger, smarter fish. The salmon run was finished, and lots of the dead fish floated downstream. But Victor did hear about catches of fresh cohos, salmon that newly swam up the river from Lake Ontario. The cohos can sometimes come up after no more king salmon push up the river. One never knows what might be caught at this time of the year, he said. 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 and other services for a visit.

<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

Smallmouth fishing was on the upturn on the Delaware River, even through the rains, said Bill from <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Philadelphia. Most of the fish grabbed minnows, bucktails tipped with minnows, twister tails, tubes and spinners. One customer scored well at New Hope, landing lots of sizeable, 14- to 16-inch smallies on fatheads. Another who fished at the Stockton stretch tied into a good number of the bronzebacks and several quality walleyes, hooking up best on grubs, tubes and trolling crank baits. Largemouth bass fishing held solid at Dredge Harbor on crank baits, plastic worms, lizards and twister tails. A customer there caught nine to twenty bigmouths per outing while working Rat-L-Traps and crank baits. The lower section of the river turned out healthy fishing for 2- to 4-pound catfish on herring, clams, nightcrawlers, shrimp and chicken livers. Striped bass, mostly 12- to 18-inch shorts, swam the river upstream of the Philly airport. But bigger ones larger than 30 inches could be found from the Commodore Barry Bridge down to Salem.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Quite a few trout were caught between the windy, rainy weather, said Bill from <b>Bill’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Phillipsburg. Catches came from waters including the Pequest River, the Musconetcong River and Merrill Creek Reservoir, mostly on Power Baits and nightcrawlers. Cedric Benson landed a 4-pound rainbow on the Pequest, and Carole Duncan banked a 5.9-pound ‘bow on Musconetcong, and Dick Southard boated a 5.8-pound rainbow at Merrill. The impoundment also served up a 5.9-pound smallmouth bass for John Burrell and a 6.3-pound chain pickerel for Roger Willever. Hybrid striped bass could be pulled from Spruce Run Reservoir during the evenings, and Chris Bogoly tackled a 5.2-pounder. Customers who fished the Delaware River angled up a few walleyes, small ones, and smallmouth bass on crank baits.

Most customers honed in on trout, said Don from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Paramus. The Pequest River was a top producer for huge rainbows to 5 pounds, and bead-headed nymphs worked well. Lots of anglers bought up ice-fishing gear already. With cooler weather than recent years, they hoped for plenty of ice this winter.

Walleyes and hybrid striped bass were the main targets on the lake, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. Working the deep waters with Rapala ice-fishing jigs brought up both. In-line spinners ramshackled plenty of pickerel around the weed lines and some fat yellow perch in the shallower sections of the coves.

The Musconetcong River held good fishing for rainbow trout, said Al from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. He fished the river with garden worms and yellow Power Baits, rounding up 12- to 14-inch ‘bows. The Big Flatbrook River was loaded with big trout, but they were fickle to feed. Vernon Lake was a spot to come up with a good show of largemouth bass on Rapala crank baits.

Shoreline trouting at Round Valley Reservoir maintained a steady supply of rainbows, said Steve from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport Shop</b>. Nightcrawlers and small shiners were solid baits for a fight. Local streams started to become more fishable because of fewer leaves in the waters. Try hitting the South Branch of the Raritan River with nightcrawlers for the holdovers.

The trout rivers and streams fished well, and consistent catches should continue another month or so, provided no deluge of rains rolls in, said Bill Hoffman from <b>Skylands Angler</b> from Clinton. Nymphs and streamers were good choices, and Bill recommends heading out now, if anyone’s interested. He also fished the surf at Sandy Hook a couple of times through the week, and winds were a factor, so metal jigs were tossed, and they hooked short striped bass. Mornings seemed somewhat better than afternoons at the moment, and the angling should hold up in high gear through the week. Both trout and surf fishing are in prime season, and choosing which to pursue might be the only challenge! 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 also offers trips for other freshwater fish, like pike, hybrid striped bass, carp and largemouth bass, if anglers want to fly rod for them. Plus he guides trips in the ocean and bay surf during the spring and fall migrations at Sandy Hook and Island Beach State Park.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Trouters bailed the fish at Ken Lockwood Gorge, said Amy from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Size-14, bead-headed hare’s ear nymphs did the work on rainbows and brookies in the 2- to 3-pound class, and rains replenished the stream levels all around. Catch this: The store is offering 30-percent discounts on Raymarine and Lowrance products. Now’s a great time for a deal on a fish finder.

Chain pickerel to 19 inches hammered killies in the Presidential Lakes, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. The chainsiders seemed to get really aggressive, now that water temperatures dropped. A slow pick of largemouth bass was on tap at Manasquan Reservoir, and shiners elicited strikes. Forge Pond had white perch chomping on grass shrimp floated out on a 2-foot leader.

Gropp’s Lake was the place to be, because largemouth bass 3 to 5 pounds struck small spinners, crank baits and nightcrawlers, said Frank from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. The Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area lakes were a pickerel paradise, and shiners hung plenty in the mornings. A load of shiners are stocked for both pickerel and bass.

Largemouth bass began to get lively at the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area lakes, said Carl from the <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Top-water lures, jerk baits and shiners all worked to catch the bass to 2 1/2 pounds. Trout fishing was on fire at the Delaware and Raritan Canal, Crystal Lake and Colonial Lake, and yellow Power Baits and fathead minnows were choices to limit out. Carnegie Lake was a crappie factory, and small hair jigs tipped with trout magnets banged them out.

<b>South Jersey</b>

A variety of species were served up throughout the Delaware River estuary, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b> in Brooklawn. Striped bass to 32 inches stalked the Camden and Palmyra sections of the river, inhaling bloodworms. Catfish were on the prowl at the mouths of Rancocas and Raccoon creeks, gobbling up stink baits. Largemouth bass were on the take in the Big D at usual places like the Graveyard, located north of the Commodore Barry Bridge, and crank baits seemed best. Largemouths also chased down shiners at the ponds in the Medford area. Trout were caught with consistency at Grenwich Lake, Oak Pond and Grenloch Lake, and use yellow or pink Power Baits for the best chance at a hook up.

Time for trout in the lakes, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers</b> in Blackwood. Brook trout, like Val Blas’s big one caught on a fathead minnow and Carmen DeMarco’s 1-pound 4-ouncer drilled on a Kastmaster, were on the hunt at Grenloch Lake. Dave Briant bagged largemouth bass to 3 pounds at Woodstown Lake on a Dancing Eel Lure. He also whacked a whopper, 3-pound 10-ounce yellow perch at Tomlinson Mill Pond on a shiner.

Trout fishing was the thing to do, said Lou from the <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown. Big breeders could be plucked from Oak Pond, Iona Lake and Grenloch Lake, and big, juicy nightcrawlers got the nod. Pickerel anglers should head to New Brooklyn Lake to pull on the chainsiders, and shiners or crank baits are good bets.

Largemouth bass fishing somewhat gained steam, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Rat-L-Traps and jerk baits put the kibosh on good numbers at Parvin Lake, Wilson Lake and Mary Elmer Lake. Crappie fishing turned on at Union Lake and the Salem Canal, and the specks attacked twister tails and fathead minnows. Jumbo trout from 3 to 5 ½ pounds were consistently tugged out of the Maurice River on yellow Power Baits and Roostertails.

There was no shortage of anglers fishing for striped bass on the Maurice River, said Ki from <b>Huck’s Place</b> in Millville. Those who braved the rains were rewarded with plenty of shorts but very few keepers. Bloodworms and cut bunker chunks nabbed them, and fishing on the bottom was key.

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