<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Adirondacks</b>

Plenty of solid ice to 18 inches remained on the lake, but holes opened up over deeper waters, said Ron at <b>FISH307.com</b> at Lake George. Big yellow perch started feeding in Harris Bay, Saw Mill Bay and near Million Dollar Beach, and Hali jigs hooked most of the barred brawlers. The same Hali jigs and Swedish Pimple jigs did the job on lake trout averaging 20 to 25 inches that seemed to swim everywhere in 10 to 150 feet. A few landlocked salmon gulped down emerald shiners off Fordham Beach and the Paulist Fathers Seminary. This will be the last weekend to legally fish for northern pike and walleyes, and the shop will stock suckers for them. Another good three weeks should be left to fish on the hard waters.

<b>Salmon River</b>

The river ran really high at 1,800 CFS, said Eric at <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski, and anglers should fish the upper stretches near Altmar to avoid snowmelt and debris that clogged downstream. Plenty of fish were on the take. More brown trout showed up, and three to five steelheads that weighed 6 to 12 pounds was an average catch. All baits across the board worked, including egg sacks, trout beads and stoneflies.

The flow on the river was bumped up to 1,150 CFS on Friday through the weekend and then up to 1,800 this week, not impossible to fish, but tough, said Bill Ferman from <b>High Hook Guide Service</b> from Pulaski. Previously the flow was 750. Rains and melted snow that filled the reservoir was the reason. The creeks were all blown out with high waters. Still, the high waters on the Salmon were a good thing, because it only attracts more steelheads to enter the river. Fishing for them might be difficult for a time, but springtime is steelhead season, and catches should only increase. Winter was almost over, and the fishery should come into its own through about April. Get ready!  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.

Spring was coming, and the weather was warmer, and the snow started to melt, said Paul Auguscinski from <b>SAS Guide Service</b> from Pulaski. The river and creeks ran high, but fishing was steady during the weekend for this time of year. A mix of brown trout and steelheads were banked, even if anglers with SAS had to cover lots of waters. White and blue egg sacks and cream-colored trout beads under floats got the bites. Warm, rainy weather was forecast, and the river should stay high. Fishing can be challenging in the strong flow from melting snow and also during the impeding steelhead spawn.  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. Last chance: A special rate of two anglers for the price of one is available until this Sunday, March 15. 

<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

The Delaware River was coming alive, said Bill from <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Philadelphia. The area around the Commodore Barry Bridge attracted lots of smaller catfish that inhaled shrimp and chicken livers. The Camac Street section was a steady producer of 2- to 4-pounders. Near the Trenton power plant two stripers 18 and 20 inches sucked up chicken livers that one angler intended to dunk for catfish, smallmouth or largemouth bass, walleyes or carp. Walleye fishing really cranked up in all the usual areas, such as Yardley, New Hope, Lambertville, Point Pleasant and Upper Black Eddy. One customer knocked down four legal walleyes to 4 pounds at Lambertville on chartreuse twister tails. Other anglers at the Point Pleasant stretch wrestled in the marble eyes on drifted nightcrawlers, minnows, shiners, twister tails, blade baits, jigs or Gulp leeches, usually scoring two to five of the fish to 5 pounds. Another customer hit the river near the New Hope wing dam, nailing four walleyes 16 to 21 inches on nightcrawlers.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

This was pretty much the official end to the ice-fishing season, said Don from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Paramus. One ice angler reportedly fell through the shallows at Lake Musconetcong but was pulled to safety. No fish is worth risking a life. As the lakes free up entirely, crappies, yellow perch and largemouth anglers can cast shiners on floats to get a strike. Trouters found lots of luck on the Pequest River with rainbows that sipped up San Juan worms and small, bead-headed nymphs.

The lake entered the dreaded transition period, with no safe ice and no open waters to fish effectively, said Lou at <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. Jim Archambault did haul out a14-pound channel catfish last week, when the ice was fishable. Once the waters open up, crappie anglers will head to King’s Cove and the state park section to toss out small shiners on floats. The big thaw is coming soon, and the dam just got closed off, so waters should be on the rise.

A spark of northern pike fishing ignited on the Passaic River, said Al from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. Pikers floated out shiners in the slack waters near Kennedy High School to tangle with water wolves in the 5- to 9-pound class, and a few stretched to 36 inches. Any ice that remained in the area was unsafe, and lakes should clean up entirely by next week.

Round Valley Reservoir trout fishing turned red hot for boaters, said Steve at <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport Shop</b>. Paul Silva fished “meathead” rigs, drifting shiners on leadcore line, to put impressive catches on the deck. In two days of fishing, he creamed 39 lakers, rainbows and browns. Shoreline trouting was more fickle, and anglers had to put in the time to hang a few. The South Branch of the Raritan River served up lots of 2-pound-plus, holdover brown and rainbow trout that swiped small Disco Midges and Trout Magnets. Largemouth bass to 3 pounds were also reported caught in the South Branch.

Bill Hoffman from <b>Skylands Angler</b> from Clinton returned during the weekend from fishing in Florida, but he checked out the water levels on the trout streams when he came back, he said. They looked a little high but fishable. Without being on the rivers, the types of flies that should be used for trout was difficult to say, because this time of year can present lots of changes, because of weather like warm days mixed with cold ones, snow melt and rains. But he would keep using nymphs. Less than two weeks remain before trout fishing is closed a moment for stocking on March 23. Get in your licks while you can! Bill looked forward to trying to fish locally this week and was also eager to get on the bite after the stocking. In Florida Bill fished from the Keys, fly-rodding a 10-pound bonefish, a barracuda and a blacktip shark. He also got several shots at permit, the most difficult fish to hook on a fly, placing casts right on the button several times, but with no takers. The weather in the Keys was difficult last week, with strong winds and a cold front.  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 can be a prime time for the cold-water fish, and the streams can be less pressured by anglers, making the trout less wary.

Trout fishing drew the attention of most anglers, said Mike at <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. The Pequest River was a spot to find prized fighters. Mike himself fished there, battling a 4-pound rainbow that pounced a Rapala Countdown. Another angler fished the river to hook an estimated 6-pound rainbow on a flash-back, pheasant-tail nymph, before losing the fish at bank side. Stoneflies were hatching in the area, so be sure to bring sizes-8 and -10 patterns. At Round Valley Reservoir boaters got back out to troll for rainbows, and Rapalas on downriggers did the trick.

<b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River re-opened on Thursdays to Sundays and will re-open full-time later in the month, Jeff said. Customers already plucked a variety of species. The Trilco stretch of the Toms River offered up plenty of pickerel, and the Ocean County College ponds dished out crappies willing to chomp fathead minnows. Lake Riviera held largemouth bass in deeper waters that could be enticed to bite killies or rubber worms. At Spring Lake trout chased down Mepps spinners.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Crappie fishing was on the rise, said Frank at <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. At Carnegie Lake and the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area lakes the specks nibbled fathead minnows on hair jigs. Waters were warming, and the crappie chew should only get better in the countdown to spring.

All the local lake fishing was heating up, said Tony from the <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Anglers at Carnegie Lake, Mercer Lake, Assunpink Lake and Rising Sun Lake tossed out shiners and nightcrawlers under bobbers to catch a mix of largemouth bass, crappies and pickerel. On some days shiners out-fished worms and vice versa, so be prepared: bring both baits. A pickerel bonanza was going on all day long at the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area lakes. Fish nightcrawlers wacky style with a slow retrieve.

Pickerel fishing was on a tear everywhere, especially at Sunset Lake and Cumberland Pond, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. On any given day anglers could find picks toothing up shiners, Rat-L-Traps and jerk baits. Largemouth bass fishing was spotty, but the bigmouths started to wake up at Malaga Lake, Sunset Lake and Mary Elmer Lake. Mary Elmer Lake was a surprisingly good trout spot, with rainbows regularly smacking crank baits intended for bass. Crappies schooled Union Lake and Parvin Lake. A mix of pickerel, yellow perch and largemouth bass plied the upper Maurice River, and white perch started moving up the tidal portion. Resident striped bass began to open their mouths on the river as well. Try drifting bloodworms for either species.

Although anglers had to wait for any decent numbers of white perch to show in the Maurice River, the Tuckahoe River went wild with the whiteys, said Ki from <b>Huck’s Place</b> in Millville. The feisty scrappers preferred grass shrimp or bits of bloodworms, and both are stocked. Striper anglers eagerly hoped for the linesiders to start feeding soon in the Maurice.

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