<b>Salmon River</b>

Steelhead and brown trout fishing should produce good catches through April, said Suzanne at <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. The river ran heavy at 1,800 to 2,300 CFS from runoff from snow melt and rains, so most anglers fished the tributaries. Naturals such as nightcrawlers and red trout worms were popular, but bubble-gum trout worms also turned out action.

The river cooked, probably as high as 2,000 CFS or so, leaving few fishable spots during the highest flows, said Bill Ferman from <b>High Hook Guide Service</b> from Pulaski. Even the creeks were blown out on Monday. But the river’s flow was 1,500 during previous days, and High Hook then banked steelheads on both the river and the creeks. Egg sacks, nightcrawlers and whatever flies that anglers preferred got bites. A few brown trout were around, probably mostly at the mouth of the river and some of the creek mouths. High waters are normal at this time of year, because of runoff from melting snow and springtime rains. This year was cool, slowing down the runoff, though. But spring is the peak season for steelheading, and high waters are good, sucking in the fish to the river and the tributaries. Fishing should really get excellent. Rains made the creeks high on Monday, but they’ll go back down when the weather is clear. The flow on the river is less predictable, susceptible to the power company opening and closing the gates at the dam on the reservoir for energy reasons. High Hook both wades and drift-boats for salmon, steelheads and trophy brown and rainbow trout with both spinning gear and fly rods.

Two anglers from Pennsylvania fished the river Saturday and Sunday with <b>SAS Guide Service</b> from Pulaski, Paul Auguscinski said. On the first day they fished with Paul from his drift boat on the upper river from Altmar to Pineville. Waters were crowded, but the anglers hooked five steelheads, landing two, on egg sacks and trout beads. On Sunday they fished the middle of the river on foot, hooking about 20 fish, landing nine, a mix of steelheads and browns. They lost a couple of screamers! So the fishing was good, even though the river was very high.  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. 

<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

Take note that Pennsylvania passed new regs for striped bass fishing on the Delaware River, said Bill from <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Philadelphia. Two striped bass 20 to 26 inches is the daily limit for two months from April 1 through May 31 from the Calhoun Street Bridge in Trenton downstream to the Pennsylvania state line. The river near Station Avenue served up decent striper activity, with 20 to 30 stripers reported caught so far. Some measured up to 38 inches, but the bulk were 20 to 26 inches. Waters near National Park and the UPS building offered fairly hot striper angling for 20- to 36-inchers on bloodworms. Walleye fishing picked up on the river at New Hope and Lambertville, and anglers wading near the wing dam waxed walleyes from 15 to 22 inches on a variety of minnows, jigs and bucktails. A few smallmouth bass were in the mix there. Sporadic shad catches came from the Railroad Bridge area, where one angler picked up four bucks on spoons.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Quite a few small, buck shad got played on the Delaware River from Milford to Carpentersville, said Bill from <b>Bill’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Phillipsburg. The fish seemed to key in on silver spoons, and the Big D also produced a 5-1/2-pound walleye and a 16.9-pound carp for Ryan Shoemaker. Marylee Smith whaled a 6-pouund walleye from the river, and George Carter fished Merrill Creek Reservoir to weigh in a 4-1/2-pound brown trout.

Small, local ponds began to give up largemouth bass, said Kevin from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Paramus. Lake Stockholm also offered a steady flow of bigmouths that hit suspended crank baits. Lake Aeroflex held quality trout that attacked live herring. Water levels at Lake Hopatcong were low, but anglers still pulled on perch and pickerel in the state park section.

Most of the action on the lake centralized around the Brady Bridge area, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. Crappies, perch and pickerel chased down minnows and small crank baits. Car-toppers launching small aluminum boats from shore scored well on walleyes off Chestnut Point. Gotcha jigs grabbed the marble eyes to 6 pounds on up and channel catfish to 10 pounds. The shop’s got a few row boats available for rent, and the rental fleet will be fully up and running by April 11. The Knee Deep Club’s first of two trout stockings on the lake will take place 10 a.m. Sunday. A total of 2,200 trout from 14 to 20 inches will be stocked near three locations: Dow's Boat Rentals, Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club and the Byram Bay Beach Club. The public is invited to participate. If anglers have a boat and would like to help, contact stocking chairman Tim Clancy at tim.clancy@verizon.net  

Greenwood Lake was a continual hot spot, said Al from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. He fished the lake, dropping down Trout Magnets, to pound 38 crappies and 16 yellow perch in the afternoon in slick-calm waters. He also stuck a few largemouth bass and small walleyes on the baits.

Boaters at Round Valley Reservoir hooked lake trout in the 70-foot depths, said Steve from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport Shop</b>. Some of the lakers pushed the 5-pound mark, and the key was to troll spoons at the depth. Spruce Run Reservoir was filled to the brim, and the impoundment’s northern pike fishing should really begin to take off as the water wolves go on the spawn in the shallows. Use large shiners, fishing them 3 feet under a float.

<b>Skylands Angler</b> from Clinton mostly fly-rodded for northern pike, while trout season was closed a few weeks for stocking, Bill Hoffman said. The fish were pummeled on <a href=" http://skylandsangler.com/Tarpon_Toad.html
" target="_blank">toad flies</a>, a tarpon pattern, at a reservoir that Bill kept mum, because angler pressure could wipe out the fishing. The fish were difficult to get to bite, but lots were seen for the opportunity to cast to them. The angling was sight fishing, and once a pike was seen swimming, the fly was cast in front of the fish and stripped. Most of the toothy critters were up to 28 inches, but huge, larger ones were spotted and refused to attack. Bill also gave fly fishing for hybrid striped bass a shot at Spruce Run Reservoir, but that fishing seemed not to be happening yet. Waters were apparently too cold, even though Bill usually starts to hook them now.  This spring’s been chilly. <a href="http://skylandsangler.com/Puglisi_Baitfish.html" target="_blank">Puglisi baitfish flies</a> work well on the rockets, but so do a variety of patterns from streamers to poppers, similar to fishing for non-hybrid stripers or any kind of bass. He also gave carp fishing a brief shot with flies, hooked none but saw some monsters! Bill looks forward to trout fishing when the season opens April 11. Skylands Angler predominantly 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. But he also offers trips for other fish, like pike, hybrids, carp and largemouth bass, if anglers want to fly rod for them.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

The artificial-only stretches of the Pequest River and Ken Lockwood Gorge are giving up brook trout on small green and gray Rapalas, said Mike from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. The shoreline areas of Round Valley Reservoir also held trout, though one customer reported bouncing a spoon off the bottom to catch a 3-pound smallmouth bass.

Fishing was picking up all around, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>  in Toms River. The Ocean County College ponds churned out a mix of largemouth bass, bluegills and crappies willing to eat up killies. Forge Pond was home to a decent blend of both yellow and white perch hitting shrimp. The island at Lake Assunpink attracted good numbers of crappies eager to inhale small twister tails fished underneath floats. Largemouths could sometimes be taken out of Assunpink, and one to three was an average daily catch. The Trilco stretch of the Toms River was a place for chain pickerel and white perch that whacked shiners hung below bobbers.

Striped bass were moving into the Delaware River, said Frank from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. The Tacony-Palmyra Bridge area and the mouth of Rancocas Creek were two spots to try, and bloodworms were the bait of choice. Shad were supposedly fought on chartreuse- or pink-spotted flutter spoons in the Lambertville area. The Assunpink Wildlife Management Area lakes got an injection of activity from crappies and largemouth bass. Slowly drag a rubber worm along the bottom for the largemouths. Be sure to stop by the store for the Spring Sale through Sunday. Also catch the Jersey Trout Fishing Seminar on April 8 at the shop.

The crappie chew turned on at Rising Sun Lake and Stone Tavern Lake, said Carl from the <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. The specks sucked in small fathead minnows and small twister-tail grubs. Striped bass sometimes started to get drilled on the Delaware River around Trenton, and a few shad reportedly hit spoons around the bridges at Trenton and Lambertville.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Some solid largemouth bass fishing was going on, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers</b> in Blackwood. The shop opened back up seven days a week for the season. Shiners fished under bobbers grabbed the most serious numbers of smaller, 1/2-pound-caliber bass at Blackwood Lake, Atco Lake and Lake Rene. One youngster said he bailed 15 to 20 a day.

Herring schools moved up the Great Egg Harbor River to the railroad bridge at Mays Landing, said Lou from the <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown. Smaller striped bass were sometimes caught within the schools. Steady fishing for crappies and yellow perch could be found at Franklinville Lake and Malaga Lake. Chain pickerel were a dime a dozen at all the local lakes and ponds, eager to jump on a shiner or a slowly trolled crank bait. Remember that trout-stocked lakes are closed to fishing until April 11.

Striped bass got tackled in the Delaware River at Elsinboro Point and in Delaware Bay at Fortescue, said Jeff from <b>Shag’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Pennsville. Shorts but also keepers to 36 inches gobbled up sandworms for shore anglers, and the fishing will only get better as water temps rise above 45 degrees. A few largemouth bass got creamed at the water works lake and at the Salem Canal.

Striped bass were moving up to freshwater areas in the rivers, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. The Maurice River and both the Elsinboro and Penns Grove sections of the Delaware River doled out short bass and occasional keepers. Steady crappie fishing could be scored at Union Lake and Lake Lenape, and yellow twister tails will take the bulk of the bites. Pickerel picking was reliable at the Menantico Ponds and Union Lake, and the chainsiders crushed jerk baits. A sustained smallmouth bass feed was going down at Union Lake, with quality 2 to 4-pounders chomping crank baits. Largemouth bass fishing was a hit or miss proposition day to day, but a 9-pound lunker was reportedly jigged at an unspecified pond this past week.

More and more striped bass showed up daily in the Maurice River, said Ki from <b>Huck’s Place</b> in Millville. Shorts and white perch inhaled bloodworms, and little shots of herring began to move up the river. Look for larger linesiders to swim up, chasing the herring schools, in the next few weeks.

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