<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

Rains somewhat muddied the Delaware River, said Bill from <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Philadelphia. But a few anglers hooked and released 20- to 24-inch striped bass on livelined white perch on the river in the Station Avenue area. The stretch at Linden Avenue also turned out stripers. Stripers and catfish were played farther downstream at the Rancocas Creek area and around the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Two customers who fished there plundered 25 stripers, 50 channel cats and all the eels and white perch they could want. A few of the whiskerfaces were 10- to 14-pound monsters, and the whole array of species were reeled in on a variety of herring, clams, chicken livers and shrimp. Good fishing made anglers head north to Manasquan Reservoir for largemouth bass to 4 pounds and pickerel to 3 pounds that punched Senko Worms, Zoom Grubs, Power Worms, spinner baits and Road Runner Jigs. Largemouths sat on the spawning beds in 8 to 12 feet of water.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Larger striped bass moved into the Phillipsburg section of the Delaware River, said Bill from <b>Bill’s Bait & Tackle</b> in the town. They honed in on eels and chunked shad, and catfish were also caught from the area on the eels, the shad and leeches. Lots of smaller stripers to 24 inches also seemed to swim the waters, hitting chicken livers and nightcrawlers, and a fair number of shad were also fought. Big cats included Marge Schimmel’s 7.4 pounder, Kelly Bogoly’s 7-pounder and Chris Bogoly’s 6-pounder. Stripers included Frank Gaydosh’s 25.6-pounder, Chauncey Mulligan’s 21- and 23-pounders and Phil Pokozni’s 15-pounder. Chris Farley angled in a 15-pound carp from the Big D. Trouters scored well through the week, and the Musconetcong River provided a 3-pound brown for Tony Scalafaro and a 2-pound brown for John Dickey. Louis Nemeth fished Pohatcong Creek for a 2.4-pound brown. Catches from stillwaters included Shawn Raymond’s 11-pound 12-ounce northern pike from Budd Lake and Kyle Rohrbach’s 4-pound chain pickerel out of Merrill Creek Reservoir.

Largemouth bass fishing held up well at Lake Hopatcong, said Dom from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Paramus. But the influx of summertime swimmers made fishing difficult around the state park, prompting anglers to move to the River Styx and Jefferson areas to land a catch, and rubber frogs got the most attention. Trout fishers will find the Rockaway River a little muddied from the rains, but sulfur flies should get action from the risers during the mornings.

Hybrid striped bass and walleyes were on the menu in the lake, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. Herring that got livelined in 15-foot depths off Bertrand’s Island and Byram and at Henderson and Davis coves produced a 7-pound hybrid for Nicholas Lehr, an 8.8-pounder for Wayne Bryant, a 7-pound 12-ouncer for Chuck Sorrentino and a bunch of 4- to 6-pounders for other anglers. The walleyes, including Mike Truglio 6-pound 14-ouncer and Don Rolf’s a 7-1/2-pounder, inhaled herring too. Trout sometimes attacked at Great Cove on small herring.

Docks at Lake Hopatcong drew in largemouth and smallmouth bass like magnets, said Al from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. He cast out Senkos and Rapala crank baits, nailing down 54 bass from 2 to 3 pounds, five crappies, two yellow perch and a bullhead catfish. Both brown and rainbow trout hung tight to the edges of the Paulinskill River, whacking nightcrawlers drop-shotted under the banks.

Lake trout 2 to 5 pounds gobbled up shiners in 50 to 60 feet at Round Valley Reservoir, said Dan from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport Shop</b>. A few rainbows and browns were mixed in. Shoreline anglers at the valley tied into largemouth bass and panfish in the coves, and nightcrawlers were the top bait. Spruce Run Reservoir was relatively quiet, but some good hybrid striper fishing went on from  9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Rivers got muddied and flooded, but when they clear up by the weekend, trout should be on a tear. Trout anglers scored great success on the South Branch of the Raritan River before the rains.

Dry flies definitely got swiped on all the treat streams, with the sulfur hatch but also the caddis hatch going on, said Bill Hoffman from <b>Skylands Angler</b> from Clinton. He used sizes 16 and 18 sulfurs later in the day when the flies got active. But dry caddis flies also worked well throughout those times, even when sulfurs hatched, but the sulfurs caught more. Fly-rodding for carp, more of a visual sport dependant on sighting the fish, was difficult at the reservoirs in high and dirty waters. Hybrid striped bass got more scattered than earlier but could still be angled in on flies. They sort of hung along the drop-offs, but will soon school up, when trolling for the fish will become more common. Get them on flies while possible. Bill spent the weekend at Martha’s Vineyard, catching striped bass from the surf at Lobsterville. But he’s back and will return to surf fishing, including on guided trips, from Jersey. Those trips lately beached stripers and blues at Sandy Hook, both on the bay and ocean sides, and the spring migration was well under way. If freshwater anglers want to try saltwater fly-rodding for the first time, this was the time to go. But it won’t last long. The fishing is 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>

The Pequest River and Ken Lockwood Gorge were loaded with trout, said Mike from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Sizes 10 to 12 sulfurs and sizes 20 to 22 midges hung rainbows in the mornings. Trouting was top-notch at Round Valley Reservoir, and big ones crashed the surface, feeding on flies, around the boat launch. Largemouth bass anglers plucked catches from the impoundment near Duke Island and Colonial Park, and Senkos and shiners worked best.

Fishing at Manasquan Reservoir finally started coming alive, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. With warming waters, smallmouth and largemouth bass hung around the tree-lines, and Yamamoto spider jigs tricked them to bite. Forge Pond was a continual perch haven, with both whites and yellows engulfing nightcrawlers. Trout action was steady up north at Stevens State Park, where James Moore claimed a 7.1-pound rainbow. Closer to the shop, pickerel and largemouth bass made up the bulk of action on the Winding River. Lake Assunpink’s largemouth bass fishing was strong and steady along the spawning beds. Sign up for the C.A.S.T. largemouth bass tournament set at Lake Assunpink on June 19, and anglers can call the store for details.

The Delaware River’s catfishing kicked into overdrive, said Frank at <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. Channels to 12 pounds sucked up cut herring and shad chunks in the Trenton area. The Assunpink Wildlife Management Area lakes were on fire with largemouth bass and crappies, and medium-sized shiners fished under float rigs got walloped. Trout fishing was still a viable option at most streams, as the fish now hunkered down in the deeper pools and under banks.

The lakes at the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area held a pickerel fiesta, said Carl from the <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Shiners worked best to nab the water wolves to 3 ½ pounds. Largemouth bass fishing picked up at Pemberton Lake and Carnegie Lake on Yum Dingers, Venom tubes and black and blue flaked Senkos. The shore at Manasquan Reservoir attracted bucketmouth bass along the sunken tree lines, exploding on rubber lizards in pumpkin with chartreuse tails.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Gigantic carp to 45 inches were hauled from the Gloucester Pier on the Delaware River, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b> in Brooklawn. The water donkeys ate up cornmeal and carp dough baits. Catfishing was superb on the river at spots like National Park and off Newton Creek, Big Timber Creek and Woodbury Creek. More weeds were growing on the Big D, and that will help get smallmouth bass more on the prowl very soon. Largemouth bass action was heavy at Stewart Lake and Blackwood Lake, both giving up bucketmouths to 4 1/2 pounds on shiners.

Some huge, water-dragon-sized pickerel to 30 inches sliced up shiners at Clementon Lake, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers</b> in Blackwood. Lake Rene and Wilson Lake were also pickerel hangouts, and bigmouth bass anglers pulled in a good amount of the fish from Penn Bryn Lake and Blackwood Lake while fishing medium-sized shiners. Remember that the largemouth bass season opens June 15,  if anglers intend to keep any for the frying pan, Ed reminded. Until then, the fishing is catch and release.

Heavy rains that caused murky waters made for difficult largemouth bass angling, said Lou at the <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown. But shiners still belted pickerel at Malaga Lake, Franklinville Lake and Wilson Lake. The bass fishing should begin to pick up with warming waters.

Largemouth bass opened up their mouths at the local ponds, said Dave from <b>Shag’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Pennsville. Mill Pond, Elkington Pond and the Waterworks Pond all shelled out largemouths that hit Senko worms and Boogey Baits. Quality catfishing could be cornered on the Delaware River in the Salem area, and big channel kitties to 10 pounds vacuumed up herring chunks and stink baits. White perch and a few short striped bass also came from the river.

Determined bucketmouth bass anglers were able to get a strike, even in high and muddy waters, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Spinner baits, black and blue Senkos and lizards in green pumpkin with chartreuse tails did the job in the dark waters. Bass fishing at the Salem Canal and Daretown Lake was better in the dusk and dawn hours. The tidal portion of the Maurice River was home to small striped bass that smacked Rat-L-Traps and swim baits. White perch fishing was hot and heavy in the river’s tidal ditches, and grass shrimp, bloodworms and pieces of shedder crab were all great baits.

White perch were the mainstay on the Maurice River, said Ki from <b>Huck’s Place</b> in Millville. The feisty scrappers pounced on frozen grass shrimp or bits of shedder crab. Short striped bass were sometimes mixed in.

Back to Top