<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Adirondacks</b>

Ice fishing season was near, said Ron from <b>Fish307.com</b> at Lake George. Smaller ponds began to ice over, and 2 inches covered Indian Lake and Adirondack Lake. Fishable ice was expected on Lake George within a week. Boat anglers launched out to catch lake trout and landlocked salmon, trolling Sutton Spoons off the east shore of the lake’s south basin.

<b>Salmon River</b>

The river’s flow increased to 750 CFS because of precipitation, and anglers scored excellent steelheading, averaging six to eight of the fish, 2- to 5-pounders with larger ones mixed in,  per trip, said Simon at <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. Drift boaters racked up double digits. The gravel beds at Ellis Cove and the Altmar area were solid spots, and 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. and 3 p.m. to dark were productive. Use size-16 nymphs or blue and pink egg sacks.

Eighteen inches of snow dumped on the area by Saturday morning, said Victor from Altmar’s <b>Fish and Ride NY</b>, a rental rancher for anglers. But warmer weather afterward was expected to create runoff that should trigger fresh steelheads to move up the river from Lake Ontario. Still, the angling was already going great from guide boats, mostly on drifts from Altmar to Pineville. A friend hooked 40 fish, landing 16 steelheads and brown trout. Trout beads, blue egg sacks and pink worms got bitten. 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.

<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

The lower Delaware River turned out decent catfishing, said Bill from <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Philadelphia. Shrimp, nightcrawlers, chicken livers and bagels did the job. One customer belted catfish to 3 pounds and witnessed a 25-inch striper caught on chicken liver at Princeton Avenue. Walleye fishing was great on the upper river at Lambertville before the rains. A customer landed three to ten per trip on crank baits. Another fished the river farther up at the Water Gap, tangling with plenty of smallmouth bass at the 30-foot depths on minnows on the bottom.  Several trips nailed nearly a hundred fish.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

</b>North Jersey</b>

Some anglers headed to Merrill Creek Reservoir to fish before the impoundment iced over, because the waters become off limits to ice fishing, said Bill from <b>Bill’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Phillipsburg. Anglers reeled up smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, walleyes and various trout. Live shiners or fathead minnows work well for all.

Trout fishing grabbed the most catches, said Kevin from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. The Musconetcong and Pequest rivers were loaded with quality trout to 4 pounds that swiped midge flies in sizes 18 to 22 and egg patterns in size 10. But some customers ran to Lake Hopatcong to hook walleyes on Rapala ice-fishing jigs off the points. Skim ice covered some of the lake, but no ice was nearly safe for walking on yet.

Some of the back coves began to form a thin layer of ice, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. The shop is fully loaded with ice-fishing gear and baits, and frigid nighttime temperatures in the forecast should begin to set an initial layer. Boaters trolled along the weed lines to tempt muskellunge with 2-ounce, white spinner baits. Others jigged around Raccoon Island, picking up a few walleyes.

Skim ice formed all over the small ponds, said Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. Some of the larger lakes got frozen edges, but no waters were yet ice fishable. Anglers who cast shiners on floats past the fringe ice at Lake Hopatcong and Greenwood Lake fought chain pickerel. Look for some serious ice to form in the next week.

Fishing along Round Valley Reservoir’s shoreline pulled in rainbow and brown trout, said Steve from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport Shop</b>. Nightcrawlers and shiners fished at Ranger’s Cove and in the boat launch area nabbed 3-pounders. Smaller lake trout in the 15- to 18-inch range also patrolled the valley’s shoreline.

Between rains, cold or winds – one of the three – trout angling was often tough, said Bill Hoffman from <b>Skylands Angler</b> from Clinton. But he expected better fishing in clearer weather this week. If anglers got a break in the weather and found parts of the rivers where trout held, midge fishing should do the trick through the next months on the warmer days that trigger hatches. Otherwise streamers and generic nymphs like Hare’s Ears are top choices when relatively fewer bug hatches go off during these months. Slow drifts are key while the metabolism of the fish is slower in the cold. Trout often gather in deeper pools through winter. The reasons are unknown, but different theories abound, like that colder weather promotes more oxygen in the waters than during the stagnant summer, so the trout have less need to seek oxygenated areas like riffles. Or maybe the temperatures of the deep holes are right, and so on. Bill did no surf fishing in the past days, concentrating on trout instead, but surf angling was still an option on his trips. Schoolie striped bass seemed to swim the surf, and Ava jigs or other lures and flies that imitated sand eels were the artificials that connected most. If anglers want to fish the surf, go now, before the migration ends for winter. 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 fly trips for other freshwater fish, like pike, hybrid striped bass, carp and largemouth bass. Plus he guides trips in the ocean and bay surf during the spring and fall migrations at Sandy Hook and Island Beach State Park with both conventional and fly tackle.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Trouting on the Pequest River got the most attention, said Bert from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Most customers on the river tossed midge flies to bank rainbows to 4 pounds. Check out the shop’s fantastic deals on Quantam Optix reels, Scientific Angler reels and youth fly rods, especially for the holidays.

Trout action was on fire at Lake Shenandoah, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Simply casting out nightcrawlers on a bobber on the east side of the lake near the dam was the best tactic. Chain pickerel were a mainstay in the Trilco section of the Toms River, and they attacked killies. Catch the shop’s sale featuring 25- to 50-percent discounts on most products.

Either rains or frigid temperatures kept putting the kibosh on angling at the lakes, said Frank from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. Skim ice kept coming and going on the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area lakes, and the waters were expected to be opened up enough to bank cast at mid week, but more cold weather was coming. If the waters are open enough, fish shiners on bobbers for yellow perch and pickerel at the management area’s Stone Tavern Lake and Lake Assunpink.

Chain pickerel pounced all over red Roostertails at the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area lakes, said Carl from the <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. But shiners under bobbers also drew good strikes. Crappies nibbled at Carnegie Lake on 1/64-ounce, white or chartreuse hair jigs under slip floats.

<b>South Jersey</b>

The Delaware River ran fairly clean and clear since the rains, and striped bass could still be played around the Gloucester Pier, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b> in Brooklawn. The linesiders keyed in on bloodworms drifted along the bottom. Crappies should really be on the feed in areas such as the Cooper River, Wilson Lake and Stewart Lake. Small hair jigs tipped with 1-inch grubs will get them going. “People just need to get out there and fish,” he said. “The fish are there.”

Chain pickerel angling was holding up, said Lou from the <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown. Cast fathead minnows or killies along the weed lines at Wilson Lake or Malaga Lake for a hook up. The baits can either be free-lined or fished under a bobber, and experiment to see what works better.

Rains muddied up the lakes, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. But the waters were expected to clear up enough to fish by today. Use killies at Union Lake or Parvin Lake to target big chain pickerel, or head to Lake Audrey for a few smallmouth bass. Crappie fishing should be on full tilt in the clearer waters, and Lake Lenape will be a hot spot to jig with 2-inch chartreuse twister tails for the specks. Rains probably pushed the Maurice River’s trout downstream toward the tidal break section. So if angler are trouting, they should look downriver, using bright, smelly baits such as pink or chartreuse Power Baits.

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