New Jersey Fishing Reports

The Delaware River was “smoking hot” for a variety of species, said Bill from Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle in Philadelphia. Smallmouth bass, striped bass, walleyes and channel catfish were on tap, and Capt. Deiter Scheel pounded away at the fish in the New Hope area during the evenings. One customer tried the Yardley area, waffling 27 smallmouths to 15 inches and 15 stripers to 20 inches. The New Hope stretch was also a smallmouth circus, and a customer who fished there tangled with 50 of the bronzebacks on spinner baits, crank baits and grubs. Mickey Melchiondo fished at New Hope, too, casting wacky-rigged Senkos to nail dozens of smallies and some walleyes, small stripers and a 20-pound flathead cat. Another angler plied the river at Washington’s Crossing, picking up 25 smallies and lots of small stripers on white and chartreuse grubs. Yet another fished the mouth of Tohickon Creek, catching 22 smallmouth to 16 inches, nine small stripers and five walleyes from 17 to 19 inches. Stripers on the river hit bloodworms, herring and clams, and the walleyes and the smallmouths chased small grubs and crank baits.

NEW JERSEY

North Jersey

Anglers who fished for striped bass on the Delaware River at night, swimming small eels, ended up pulling up quite a few walleyes, said Bill from Bill’s Bait & Tackle in Phillipsburg. But a good show of stripers also chomped after dark. Jeremy Compton rounded up a 7-pound walleye, and Mike Burns put the kibosh on a 5.3-pounder. Marty Bolmer heaved in a 27.9-pound striper. Also on the river, John Cesari landed a 6-pound 10-ounce channel catfish, and Stan Morrison creeled a 4.9-pound rainbow trout. Merrill Creek Reservoir impressed anglers with various catches. Jim Bowman took a 6.8-pound brown trout, and Robert Lynn netted a 7.9-pound lake trout. Paul Husker grabbed a 5.3-pound smallmouth bass, and Charles Dorn drilled a 5.4-pound chain pickerel.

Largemouth bass were the dominant catch, said Dom from Ramsey Outdoor in Paramus. Split Rock Reservoir and Saw Mill Pond turned out double-digit catches of the bigmouths for anglers bouncing Senkos and Keitech swim baits through the vegetation. Wooly bugger flies also hooked up.

Lots of largemouth bass were knuckled in from the lake, said Laurie from Dow’s Boat Rentals in Lake Hopatcong. Customers who fished along the docks and along the shoreline and weed lines scored. Ryan Ferraro weighed in a 5-pound 1-ouncer that he jigged, and Stan Stelmack banked a 4.4 pounder that he creamed on herring. Nicholas Lehr beat a 2.4-pound smallmouth bass off Nolans Point, and Martin Dolegiewicz dialed up a 3-plus-pound smallmouth bass. Nighttime action produced walleyes including Roman Pera’s 7-pound 15-ouncer and Tony D' Alauro’s 7-1/2-pounder that smacked a Bomber plug. John Fernandez was playing around with hybrid striped bass to 7.7-pounds while livelining herring off the points. Piotr Wasilewski batted down a 4.4-pound chain pickerel that punched a herring, and he also had luck with picks while tossing large Mepps spinners along the weed lines.

Lake Hopatcong offered a solid largemouth bass fishery, said Al from Meltzer’s Sporting Goods in Garfield. Joe Sedona won a tournament there with a five-bass total weight of 8 pounds. Jerry Otto also landed five bass to 6 pounds that pounced on rubber worms around the docks and weed lines.

Round Valley Reservoir gave up a sustained trout chew on rainbows and browns that pummeled live herring in 25- to 30-foot depths and small lakers that fed 60 to 70 feet down, said Frank from Lebanon Bait & Sport Shop. Look to the South Branch of the Raritan River for great trout opportunity. Power Bait and nightcrawlers sometimes claimed upwards of a dozen trout on a day out. Spruce Run Reservoir shoveled out crappies on medium shiners and a few hybrid striped bass on live herring.

Central Jersey

Bucketmouth bass were all the talk, said Nick from Efinger Sporting Goods in Bound Brook. A few customers loaded up on the largemouths to 3 pounds at the Hook Mountain area ponds on Yozuri Pins Minnows and Storm rubber sunfish. Nick Palermo fished the waters at Colonial Park, reeling in a 2.4-pound largemouth. The shoreline at Round Valley Reservoir was a fun place to fly-cast wooly buggers to rock bass, smallmouth bass and largemouths. Plenty of trout swam Ken Lockwood Gorge, sipping down dry flies.

Summertime fishing was certainly set solid, said Jeff from Murphy’s Hook House in Toms River. Largmouth bass and pickerel were the fare at the Winding River, eating up shiners and Senko worms. At Lake Riviera picks, largemouths and yellow perch were on the prowl. Lester’s Lake was a spot to target catfish in the mornings, when the whiskerfaces were hungry enough to Hoover chicken livers. At Manasquan Reservoir largemouths hunkered down in the stump fields, popping out to attack wacky rigged Senkos or shiners cast underneath a float.

Smallmouth bass ran around the Delaware River at Trenton, said Frank from Harry’s Army and Navy in Robbinsville. Fish Senkos or crank baits in the higher waters. The Assunpink Wildlife Management Area Lakes were home to largemouth bass that were probably most willing to rocket up to pound top-waters.

The Frenchtown section of the Delaware River was a smallmouth haven, said Carl from the Sportsmen’s Center in Bordentown. Zoom Fat Alberts and Senkos in green pumpkin and watermelon did the job on the smallies to 4 pounds. The tidal portion of the river had largemouth bass on the take, and 4-inch swim baits in black or June-bug color worked well. Lake Assunpink was a largemouth hangout, and the deeper waters attracted up to 5-pounders for anglers dragging 10-inch rubber worms along the bottom. Manasquan Reservoir offered a fair share of largemouths, and one customer released a whopper, 8-1/2-pounder, on the impoundment.

South Jersey

Striped bass and largemouth bass cooperated in the Delaware River, said Rick from Big Timber Bait & Tackle in Brooklawn. John Valdez slammed both while working crank baits where Big Timber Creek spills into the Big D. Catfish and carp could be found in the lower sections of the river, where feeder creeks entered. Bucketmouths also roamed Wilson Lake, Newton Lake and Willow Grove Lake, ambushing Senkos, buzz baits and Brush Hogs. The Cooper River produced crappies with regularity on small shiners and grub jigs.

Tons of family fun lately, said Ed from Creek Keepers in Blackwood, because the Blackwood Lake spillway dished up plenty of sunfish, bluegills and small largemouth bass that youngsters could enjoy. The Puppyland ponds were also a good bet to bend a rod on the fish. A 4-1/2-pound brown trout was angled out of Rowan’s Pond, and maybe that meant more of the breeders, stocked this spring, still lurked the waters.

Wilson Lake was the most steady largemouth-bass bet around, said Lou from the Sportsman’s Outpost in Williamstown. Young angler Mike Bociek was working the waters with Rat-L-Traps and nightcrawlers to tussle with the bass to 3 pounds.

Largemouth bass were the main attraction, said Matt from Shag’s Bait & Tackle in Pennsville. Bigmouths to 4 pounds could be wrestled out of Haddon Lake and the Deepwater Canal. Top-water lures such as Jitterbugs and Torpedoes drew in the fish. Catfish paved the bottom of the Delaware River, sucking in baits like dead herring.

Largemouth bass to 4 pounds whacked Flip-and-Jigs at Sunset Lake, said Steve from Blackwater Sports Center in Vineland. Smaller bigmouths could be played in the Salem Canal, and jigs and Senkos connected. Buzz baits seemed to work better with each passing week, too. Plastic frogs were a ticket to bass catches in the shallow waters like at ponds or at Malaga Lake and at Union Lake. Catfish could be claimed from the Maurice River on chicken livers dropped to the bottom.

The Maurice River’s fishing was well into a summertime pattern, said Ki from Huck’s Place in Millville. White perch could be fooled on grass shrimp on the high tides, and catfish could be targeted with chicken livers and Mr. Catfish stink baits at night. Baby striped bass to 18 inches were also on the feed.