<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

Steelhead fishing continued to impress the river’s anglers, said Jim from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. The upper river held 5- to 9-pounders, and drift-boaters tied into the most. Egg sacks, glow sacks and stoneflies all worked, and look for the action to continue through the month.

Steelhead fishing on the river ended for the season for <b>High Hook Guide Service</b> from Pulaski, Bill Ferman said. The fish were still around, and the cool weather lately should keep them in the river a bit longer. The river flowed at 750 CFS, high but not too bad. High Hook will begin fishing the river again when the salmon run starts in late August or early September, depending on the weather.  High Hook both wades and drift-boats for salmon, steelheads and trophy brown and rainbow trout with both spinning gear and fly rods. 

The final steelhead trips of the season fished the river with <b>SAS Guide Service</b> from Pulaski on Sunday and Monday, and the angling was tough, Paul Auguscinski said. The three anglers on Sunday did hook six and land three, but they had to work for every bite, not the easy catching and numerous fish like before. Winds and cool weather in the low 40s didn’t make things easier, but the anglers braved it out. Fishing on Monday’s trip was even tougher. Four steelies were hooked, and two were landed, and lots of water had to be covered with an arsenal of baits. Steelheads remained scattered through the river, and some hung around the gravel areas, and some were still upriver at the hatchery, and others were on the way back to Lake Ontario. The river was in the high 50s, and the flow was high. Time to stow away the steelhead gear and switch to striped bass. Paul does some saltwater fishing for stripers in Jersey. His trips will start fishing the river again for salmon in late August or early September. 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>

Striped bass fishing kept anglers busy on the Delaware River, said Bill from <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Philadelphia. He fished the river near Linden Avenue with old herring and frozen shad, landing nine linesiders from 20 to 38 inches, 19 catfish from 4 to 6 pounds and two eels. Anglers fishing below the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge with chunked herring or bloodworms sometimes found bass that topped 40 inches. Plenty of stripers 20 to 26 inches gathered near the airport, and so did white perch, both hitting bloodworms. Capt. Deiter Scheel fished the river at Trenton with herring, claiming stripers to 32 inches during the early mornings. Smallmouth bass fishing from Yardley north picked up before the rains, and the Lambertville area was hot with smallies 12 to 15 inches. The bronzebacks gobbled grubs, tubes and minnows. One customer fished at Bull's Island on Saturday, anchoring up under the foot of the bridge to fight nine shads on spoons, and three smallmouths and two walleyes on Zoom grubs. On the next day he picked up 35 smallies to 17 inches and one walleye.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Fishing was on the upswing at all different places, said Bill from <b>Bill’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Phillipsburg. Catches at Merrill Creek Reservoir included William Blackwell’s 4-pound pickerel, Wayne Voorhees’ 5-pound brown trout, 8-year-old Justin Dornblaser’s 3-pound brown trout and 3-pound largemouth bass, and Rick Hesington’s 5.8-pound largemouth. The Delaware River served up a 5.8-pound channel catfish for Jerry Caruso, a 14-pound tiger musky for Ronald Gallagher and a pair of 2.3- and 2.7-pound crappies for Bob Willens. Trout fishing on the Musconetcong River produced a 3.9-pound brown for Chris Luster and a 4.4-pound rainbow for Mark Laros. Allanna Brackan, 3, reeled in a 1-pound 12-ounce brown, her first-ever, at Pohatcong Creek. Charles Methwine fished Oxford Furnace Lake for a 3-pound 10-ounce rainbow trout, and Dave Utzinger plied Spruce Run Reservoir for a 6-pound hybrid striped bass.

Angling was going off, said Greg from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Paramus. Largemouth bassing was hot and heavy at Split Rock Reservoir, Lake Hopatcong and Round Valley Reservoir, and poppers or shiners hooked plenty. Lake Hopatcong also dished out plenty of trout for anglers trolling Phoebes. Crappie action was stellar at Split Rock Reservoir to boot.

Some monster channel catfish were on the prowl in the lake, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. They were beaten at Sharps Rock, Brady’s Bridge, and the River Styx area on herring or hot dogs. Jack White cleaned up on a 15.8-pounder, and Wayne Bryant pummeled a 13.9-pounder. Tom Facciola banked a 12.88-pounder. Hybrid striped bass and walleyes could be hung in shallower waters. Mark Dominquez, fishing at Nolan’s Point, caught a 7-pound 12-ounce hybrid, and Piotr Wasilewski landed a 7.6-pound hybrid and a 5.4-pound walleye at Byram’s Cove. Frank Scweiger Jr. rounded up a same-sized, 5.4-pound walleye that inhaled herring. Trout were trolled on Phoebes and Rapalas, and some even pounced small herring. Bill Hand fished the Musconetcong River for a whopper 6-pound 13-ounce rainbow trout that smacked a Phoebe. The Knee Deep Club’s trout tournament will take place Sunday on the lake. Anglers can call the shop for info at 973-663-3826. Knee Deep stocked 400 large trout for the event.

Trout fishing was top notch on the Paulinskill and Ramapo rivers, said Al from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. Rainbow trout chewed on pink-shrimp salmon eggs and chased down in-line spinners. Greenwood Lake served up a solid show of largemouth bass that struck shiners or Senkos. The Passaic River got active with striped bass that attacked swim baits or Storm shads during nights, and put out smallmouth bass below the Dundee Dam during daytimes.

Big breeder trout were willing to eat up Power Baits along the shoreline at Round Valley Reservoir, said Steve from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport Shop</b>, and the fish even rose to flies. Lake trout 15 to 20 inches got lifted from 65- to 100-foot depths on jigs. Chris from the shop said he banged a bunch of lakers while trolling the 40-foot depths. So the lakers might be all over the water column. Spruce Run Reservoir could be fished for a few hybrid stripers, but anglers awaited a solid chew.

Fly fishing for trout became tough because of runoff from last week’s storms, said Bill Hoffman from <b>Skylands Angler</b> from Clinton. The rivers ran high and somewhat dirty, so he concentrated on smaller creeks and spring creeks that were less affected. Hares Ear Nymphs worked well, and so did San Juan Worms, imitating worms that came out in the rains. Caddis dry flies and emergers were tried, but the nymphs and worms did better. Skylands also fly-rodded for largemouth bass on the lakes with solid success, and the bucketmouths were getting more active, although they were starting to dig spawning beds. Toad flies and Meat Whistles scored. Hybrid striped bass cooperated on the reservoirs at night, but Bill was looking for them to turn on during daytimes. That’ll happen when water temps rise. He actually spent much of his time fly fishing the surf, like he did the previous week. He targets the surf during the spring and fall migrations. In the wash this past week his trips nailed more striped bass than blues, although blues were all of the catch before. Blues, less tolerant of freshwater, seemed to become scattered because of the storms, but they could still be battled at certain places, including Union Beach on Raritan Bay.  The stripers, a mix of shorts and keepers, were landed on Toad Flies on the bay side of Sandy Hook, where the Shrewsbury River meets the bay. If freshwater anglers especially wanted to try saltwater fly-rodding for the first time, this was the time to go. But it won’t last long. The fishing was equally a blast for experienced fly fishers. 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, hybrids, carp and largemouth bass, if anglers want to fly rod for them. Plus he guides fly trips in the surf during the spring and fall migrations at Sandy Hook and Island Beach State Park.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Seriously monster trout were weighed in, said Al from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. The Pequest River was full of breeders, and Rich Deschinol drilled an 8.4-pound rainbow on the waters on Power Bait. Lou Truppi fished the river, besting an 8.3-rainbow on a spoon, and Walt Byleckie plied the stream for an 8.2-pound rainbow that hammered a spinner. The South Branch of the Raritan River turned up a 6-1/2-pound brown trout that punched a Yozuri swimming plug for Rich Pasternak, and the Musconetcong River put out an 8.4-pound rainbow on a fathead minnow for Chris Crivel.

Trout fed in the Riverwood section of the Toms River and in the South Branch of the Metedeconk River, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in the town of Toms River. Pickerel fishing was a solid bet at the Ocean County Mall ponds and at Lake Riviera. Largemouth bass were also on the hunt at Riviera, especially around the dock. Use a shiner under a float rig for best results. White perch, yellow perch and herring could be creeled at Forge Pond.

The fantastic striped bass run continued on the Delaware River, said Frank from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville, and both the Trenton area and the stretch at the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge were places to line up a bite. The Assunpink Wildlife Management Area lakes began to offer decent fishing for largemouth bass, and shiners got their attention in the mornings. Be sure to catch the shop’s open-house sale on Saturday and Sunday for excellent deals on tackle.

Largemouth bass fishing really sparked up, said Tony from the <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Lake Mercer, Rising Sun Lake, Carnegie Lake and Lake Assunpink were all big-time bucketmouth  producers on shiners and spinner baits during the evenings. Pickerel mouthed up baby nightcrawlers in the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area lakes, a steady fishery during dusk hours.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Striped bass fishing on the Delaware River was the biggest news, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b> in Brooklawn. The linesiders chewed up bloodworms and herring chunks around Trenton. Smallmouth bass fishing was picking up on the Big D, and the bronzebacks Hoovered fathead minnows and attacked Senkos. Largemouth bass were active at Greenwich and Stewart lakes and on the Cooper River. Crappies could also be cornered in good numbers on the Cooper. A behemoth, 19-pound channel catfish was the winning fish in the Gloucester Catfish Tournament. The big whiskerface was taken at the mouth of Raccoon Creek.

Plenty of largemouth bass were to be had at New Brooklyn Lake, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers</b> in Blackwood. A 7.1-pound bigmouth that was released by Joe Riley was proof in the pudding. A  bevy of lunkers to 5 pounds could also be creamed on shiners. Grenloch Lake was a trout haven, with anglers banging away on Roostertails or meal worms. Puppyland Lake held a plethora of sunfish eating up mealies, and Lake Rene was the best place to tie into a chain pickerel.

Fish cooperated even in the constant rains last week, said Lou from the <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown. Robert Keen released a 5-1/2-pound largemouth bass at an unnamed, local lake, and Wilson Lake was a super producer for one angler who pounded 10 pickerel and a largemouth bass, when he took a dozen shiners down to the impoundment.

Union Lake held consistent smallmouth bass fishing, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. They chomped crank baits and Senkos in watermelon and green pumpkin. The Maurice River doled out a good pull of striped bass whacking away at bloodworms and Rat-L-Traps. Trout honed in on spinners on the upper Maurice.

Lots more people began fishing, said Ki from <b>Huck’s Place</b> in Millville, and more reports of stripers caught came rolling in from the Maurice River. Bloodworms or  livelined herring scored short bass but also a few keepers 28 to 30 inches. White perch and catfish could be cranked in from the river to mix it up a bit.

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