<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

Although fishing was slow on the upper Delaware River, catfishing really picked up on the lower stretches, said Bill from <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Philadelphia. Several customers amassed four to ten cats per trip off Linden Avenue in Philly while fishing with nightcrawlers, shrimp or herring. The river off Maggie's Waterfront Café on Delaware Avenue in the city was another spot where cats were thick. Boaters could tie into 5- to 8-pound whiskerfaces around the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge and below the oil refinery on chunked eels, herring, shrimp or chicken livers. A few largemouth bass were angled from the river at Dredge Harbor when anglers used dirty-waters tactics like fishing noisy surface lures such as Chatter Bug spinners and Rat-L-Traps. Carp 8 to 15 pounds could be nailed on the lower Penny Pack Creek on dough baits, corn, bagels and berries. At Lake Luxembourg in Buck’s County’s Core Creek Park a selection of crappies and yellow perch were grabbed on small minnows, meal worms, small grubs and jigs.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Local fishing was good, despite the heat and almost daily, heavy rains, said Bill from <b>Bill’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Phillipsburg. Carp, catfish and striped bass were the main catches on the Delaware River. Examples of the fish included Shawn Dornblaser’s 21-pound carp, Shawn Morello’s 12.6-pound channel catfish, Rich Antonacci’s 8-pound cat, Donald Wismer’s 7.4- and 6.6-pound cats and Jim Penyak’s 22-pound striper. Merrill Creek Reservoir turned out excellent largemouth and smallmouth bass action. Terri Caruso scored a 6-pound 12-ounce largemouth, and Gerry James claimed a 5.9-pounder. David Colotriona waxed a 4-1/2-pound smallmouth, and Clarissa James netted a 4.4-pounder. Charles Kline tackled the fish of the week: an 18-pound tiger muskie taken from Mountain Lake.

Some whopper weigh-ins were entered in the weekend’s Knee Deep Club Catfish Tournament on the lake, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. Jeff Good won first place with a 17-pound 17-ounce channel cat, and Paul Avenius came close, entering a 17.4-pounder to win second. Walter Morris took third with a 15-pounder. Hybrid striped bass went back on the feed, after being more reluctant to chew, around the Yacht Club, Sharps Rock and any of the points off the main lake, and live herring was the best bait. Hunter Good, 8, mugged a 5-pound 15-ounce largemouth bass from the lake on a green-sparkle, rubber worm. A load of crappies were around, pouncing on small jigs tipped with fathead minnows.

Greenwood Lake offered the best largemouth bass fishing, said Al from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. He hooked 14 of the bass to 3 pounds on Keitech Spider Jigs and green-pumpkin Senkos. Smallmouth bass were also on the take at the lake, and small Rapala lures got their attention. Steve Aletti walloped the smallies to 2 ½ pounds.

There was an advantage to the sweltering heat: It put hybrid striped bass on the bite at Spruce Run Reservoir, said Steve from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport Shop</b>. Hybrids to 7 pounds smacked trolled herring during evenings and nights. White perch, yellow perch, smallmouth bass and largemouth mass, a medley of species, filled the South Branch of the Raritan River. Baby nightcrawlers and small, marabou hair jigs hung all of them.

Trips fly fished for trout at just about all the waters this weekend, said Bill Hoffman from <b>Skylands Angler</b> from Clinton. The Pequest River was high and dirty, so Bill spent little time there. But wooley buggers in black, dark olive or a combo of both or larger flies should work best in the flooded conditions. The Musconetcong River ran high but at a good, cool temperature and fished especially well. Early mornings and afternoons were probably best, and caddis were seen emerging that could be imitated with a micro, size-18 pattern with a greenish body and a little peacock hurl. Bill would assume that the white fly hatch should be happening on the Musky in the evenings this week, so size-14 white flies should produce. He’s been looking forward to the hatch this summer. Ken Lockwood Gorge ran high but fished well, and typical nymph patterns worked. 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, so they can even 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 ocean and bay surf during the spring and fall migrations at Sandy Hook and Island Beach State Park.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Warm, humid weather sparked largemouth bass to cooperate at the ponds, said Nick from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Senkos and Rapala crank baits attracted non-stop action in the Clinton area ponds. Lake trout were pumped up from Round Valley Reservoir when anglers drifted shiners in 40-foot depths. Wild action was to be had on the impoundment’s feisty rock bass, all of them anglers could want, in 20- to 25-foot depths on super meal worms.

Lots of different species were knuckled in from Ocean County, said Jeff from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Pickerel and yellow perch were played at Forge Pond, and Lester’s Lake was a better largemouth-bass fishery. At Lake Riviera a bevy of largemouths, pickerel, crappies and sunfish swam. Killies and nightcrawlers were better baits to lance on a hook under a bobber for all the lake’s fish.

The Delaware River was unfishable for the most part, because of dirty waters, said Frank from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. So most customers headed to the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area lakes for largemouth bass Senkos and top-water lures such as Hula Poppers and Jitterbugs worked well.

The Delaware River was fishable early in the week, until waters got dirtied too much, said Carl from the <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. The Phillipsburg section had held steady smallmouth bass fishing and the occasional walleyes that both bit around dusk. Largemouth bass at Stone Tavern Lake and Assunpink Lake chased down Jitterbugs and buzz baits in the mornings and evenings. Bucketmouth anglers also targeted Lake Hopatcong, throwing Texas-rigged, 4-inch Senkos around the dock pilings for a pull.

<b>South Jersey</b>

For largemouth bass anglers, the hot and humid, mid-afternoon afternoons were the time to fish, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers</b> in Blackwood. Oak Pond gave up rabid fishing for them on fathead minnows. Anglers fishing after 10 a.m. also nabbed decent bigmouth catches at the Blackwood Lake spillway and Grenloch Lake.

Fishing was a pickerel frenzy, said Lou from the <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown. The chainsiders sunk teeth in crank baits at Malaga Lake and Wilson Lake. But shiners swum under bobbers also did the job.

Elkinton Pond or the Waterworks lake on Waterworks Road in Alloway in Salem County shoveled up consistent largemouth bass fishing, said Dave from <b>Shag’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Pennsville. Mepps spinners, Senkos and simple trout worms ploughed a bunch. The Delaware River was a five-star catfishery, putting out channels to 10 pounds that gobbled up cut herring or shedder crabs. Both baits are stocked at the shop.

The catfish crowd did a number on the whiskerfaces on the Maurice River and surrounding tidal creeks, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. The muddy waters at local lakes were leveling out, and if no more rains deluge the area, they should be completely fishable by about now. Rainbow Lake and the Salem Canal will offer steady largemouth action, and Daretown Lake is always a good bucketmouth locale, though the fish there run smaller. Senkos and spinner baits were lures of choice.

The Maurice River was a catfish circus, said Ki from <b>Huck’s Place</b> in Millville. The kitties, up to 7-pounders, inhaled blood baits and Mr. Catfish dough baits from the bottom. White perch were hooked on grass shrimp on the river as well.

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