<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Adirondacks</b>

Ice 6 to 18 inches, a solid base, covered the lake, and snow was very packed down on top, fairly easy to walk across with creepers, said Ron from <b>FISH307.com</b> at Lake George. Landlocked salmon ate up emerald shiners fished 3 to 5 feet underneath the ice near Phelp’s Island. Lake trout hit Buckshot Rattlin’ spoons in 70- to 120-foot depths near Tongue Mountain and at Silver Bay, the Narrows and Northwest Bay. Yellow perch schooled thick in 20- to 30-foot depths at Saw Mill Bay and Harris Bay, and try jigging Swedish Pimples, Kodiak jigs and Hali jigs, tipping them with mousies and grubs. Northern pike hung around Diamond Point and Basin Bay, chasing down large shiners.

<b>Salmon River</b>

Anglers kept pretty busy on the river, said Suzanne at <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. With the Salmon flowing at 750 CFS, steelhead anglers found the fish at Douglaston and the Town Pool areas and in the upper stretches near Altmar. Four to eight fish per outing was average, and the steelies ran 6 to 12 pounds. Egg sacks worked best, but a local guide cast two or three mousies on a hook to land holdover brown trout. Ice anglers pulled up panfish at Sandy Pond and pike at Oneida Lake that gobbled up Rosy Reds and pike minnows.

Fishing on the river somewhat slowed down on Thursday and Friday but began to improve on Saturday, said Paul Auguscinski from <b>SAS Guide Service</b> from Pulaski. Forecasts called for 40-degree temps that day but were wrong, and the weather was cold and windy until warming late in the day, and slush floated in the river until clearing in the early afternoon. Still, a mix of steelheads fresh from Lake Ontario and brown trout were landed Saturday on blue egg sacks fished under bobbers in the middle section of the river. On Monday catches of fresh steelheads improved on the lower river on egg sacks and trout beads. With warm weather and rains now in the forecast, the river’s flow might increase, so anglers should keep an eye on that in the next days.  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, so they can even return to catch on their own. Time is running out: A special rate of two anglers for the price of one is available until March 15.

Bill Ferman from <b>High Hook Guide Service</b> from Pulaski recently returned from a trip to Florida for a number of weeks, he said. He took a look at the Salmon River a couple of hours on Tuesday, casting a line but hooking no fish in the short time, but others landed the fish. So the steelheads were still there, and he knew they would be. He’ll be back in action on the river now. The flow that day looked to be 750 CFS, decent for the fishing. In Florida he caught largemouth bass and redfish in brackish waters 60 miles up the St. John River near Picolata or St. Augustine. No huge largemouths bit, but quite a few did.  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>

Lake Luxembourg at Core Creek Park was the place to head, said Bill from <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Philadelphia. Most anglers fished at the dam to catch lots of big crappies, a few perch and tons of bluegills, usually 20 to 30 fish per trip. A few trout were in the mix, honing in on wax worms, meal worms, smaller minnows and Rapala ice-fishing jigs. Lake Nockamixon was a panfish and yellow perch haven, with catches of 50 fish the norm for ice hounds using small grubtail jigs. Walleyes, some good numbers, were found near the dam. One customer hung 17 walleyes, including one that topped 18 inches. A shiner on a bucktail will dial one in, and largemouth bass will sometimes pounce them, too. Marsh Creek Lake was an active ice-angling spot for wrangling in yellow perch, pickerel and largemouth bass.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Most ice anglers targeted Lake Hopatcong, said Kevin from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Paramus. The state park and Woodport areas dished out healthy servings of yellow perch and pickerel, and the deeper waters just outside Great Cove sometimes served up walleyes. At Lake Aeroflex ice fishing for trout held up strongly, and fathead minnows worked best. At Split Rock Reservoir crappies smacked 1/12-ounce Kastmasters baited with mousies. Stream trouters focused on the Pequest River, fly-casting small midges or black stoneflies on warmer day that got the fish active.

Plenty of ice angling went down on the lake, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. Catches were rapid at the Woodport area, where Greg Coughlin beat a 6-pound 4-ounce largemouth bass. Eddie Mackin and Bernie Yocius also fished there, each weighing in identical 1-pound 14-ounce crappies. Christopher Mackin joined them, checking in a 4-1/2-pound pickerel to boot. The waters at Chestnut Point also gave up quality fish, including an 8-pound walleye that Stanley Malinowska walloped. Roman Pera also angled there, whacking a 17-1/2-pound channel cat and a 7-pound walleye. The Knee Deep Club’s second ice-fishing tournament of the season will take place Sunday. Sign ups will be accepted until 8 a.m. that day at Dow’s. For info on the tournament or to check on ice conditions, call the shop at 973-663-3826.

The New Jersey end of Greenwood Lake was a go-to locale for ice fishing, said Al from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b>.  He and Mark from the shop hit it to pull up a 30-inch muskellunge and some yellow perch, largemouth bass and crappies. Meal worms on blue and silver Kastmasters and shiners on tip-ups s tricked the bulk of the fish. The Bertram’s Island section of Lake Hopatcong was supposedly a place to land pickerel to 25 inches on shiners.

Yellow perch and largemouth bass pounded wax worms jigged on Mud Bugs through the ice at Oxford Furnace Lake, said Steve from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport Shop</b>. Ice anglers also fished the swimming area section of Round Valley Reservoir, pulling up perch, bluegills and chain pickerel, and shiners were the best bait.

Bill Hoffman from <b>Skylands Angler</b> from Clinton fly rodded for trout at Ken Lockwood Gorge over the weekend, taking advantage of the break in the cold weather, he said. On nymphs he picked a few 12- to 17-inch brown trout, and a slow presentation was key. So lots of mending, line control and high-rodding was done to help the flies drift naturally in the waters along the bottom that flow more slowly than up top.  The types of flies probably didn’t matter much, but he worked size-14 Hares Ears and small caddis pupae with olive dubbing and peacock hurl, probably size 16. The trout appeared to be holdovers, not natives, and Bill was happy with the catch, especially because fishing seemed mostly slow, after the cold affected it. But if the weather stays relatively warm, the angling should only become better. Some ice remained on the river, and conditions on the stream weren’t perfect but were improving. The river was “full,” not overly fast but on the higher side, not muddy, and fairly clear. 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 is a prime time for the cold-water fish, and the streams are less pressured by anglers, making the trout less wary.

With the warmer weather trout anglers headed to the Pequest River, casting small, size-20 midges to catch rainbows, said Mike from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. The Musconetcong River pumped out larger rainbows to 15 inches for fly casters. Ice fishing at the swimming area at Round Valley Reservoir doled out steady action on yellow perch and chain pickerel.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Trout anglers fished Ken Lockwood Gorge in the warmer weather, said Eric from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. Small, size-16, bead-headed nymphs and red-wiggler flies scored rainbows to 16 inches. For spin casters, small crank baits such as DC Minnows and Pins Minnows produced the trout. Local lakes such as Lake Assunpink and Rising Sun Lake most likely became unsafe for ice fishing. Three to 6 inches covered the waters and was deteriorating on most parts.

Ice fishing late last week shoveled up excellent catches of largemouth bass at Lake Assunpink, said Carl from the <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. But the ice was unsafe to fish this week. Rising Sun and Stone Tavern lakes were shaky at best, and one angler reportedly fell through at Rising Sun. So steer clear of the hard water unless freezing temps return for a few straight days and nights. Carnegie Lake and Mercer Lake should still be possible to ice fish, and plenty of yellow perch are on tap at both.

The ice finally melted at most South Jersey lakes, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Previously the lakes were covered, but not thick enough to walk on, preventing fishing, except at the spillways. Largemouth bass and sometimes yellow perch could be drilled at Sunset Lake, Daretown Lake, Giampetro Park and the Salem Canal. Any lakes that failed to melt should be clear by the weekend, and shiners swum under float will get a strike.

Frozen grass shrimp flung into the Maurice River grabbed bites from white perch, said Ki from <b>Huck’s Place</b> in Millville. The slabs were on the feed, and be sure to bring nightcrawlers as well to draw hook-ups. Yellow perch were sometimes yanked from the Salem Canal, and nightcrawlers also did the job there.

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