<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

Smallmouth bass and walleyes headlined the Delaware River’s catches, said Bill from <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Philadelphia. One boater bailed 24 smallmouths to 19 inches and 11 walleyes. Rubber grubs, tube lures and surface poppers snatched up both fish, but the walleyes also honed in on soft-plastic lizards, hellgrammites and crawfish. One group of anglers who drifted from Frenchtown to Point Pleasant picked up more than a hundred smallmouths and walleyes while fishing fathead minnows and twister tails. Customers who drifted the Point Pleasant area generally reeled up 20 to 30 smallies per boat and said Senko worms and crawfish imitation were a couple of go-to lures. Bill in 4 hours beat 20 smallmouths from 12 to 17 inches, a catfish and a striped bass on the river from the Route 202 Bridge to the Lambertville Bridge on minnows and watermelon-red Zoom grubs.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Big striped bass failed to arrive in the Delaware River in the Phillipsburg area, said Bill from <b>Bill’s Bait & Tackle</b> in the town. Most of the large linesiders get pelted in August and early September, so maybe they ran late. Still, Ronald Morgan walloped one large one, a 27-pounder. Catfish were creeled from the river, like Sean Mitchell’s 7-pound channel cat that sniffed out a dead bait on the bottom. Jon Vincent dragged in a 6.9-pound channel from Minsi Lake. Merrill Creek Reservoir put up a variety of fish for anglers fishing with shiners, fathead minnows and Senkos. Bryan Mussig bested a 6-pound 10-ounce largemouth bass, and Jim Stout claimed a 7.3-pound lake trout. Justin Dornblaser pummeled a 4-pound 12-ounce chain pickerel, and Dan Lewis blasted a 3.9-pound pickerel.

Chain pickerel served up the bulk of the action for customers fishing at Lake Hopatcong, said Don from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Paramus. The anglers connected on spinner baits from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Trouters tackled holdovers to 4 pounds on the Musconetcong and Pequest rivers on prince and pheasant tail nymphs.

Lots of different fish were wrestled from the lake, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. Walleyes—like Mike Truglio’s 5.2-pounder, Brad Garie’s identical 5.2-pounder, Rob Healey’s 4-pound 11-ouncer and Greg White’s 4.9-pounder—were hungry for herring. Actually, anglers had a ball on the myriad of species when they livelined herring off the drop-offs and points and at the underwater ridge off Barnes Brothers Marina. Don Rolfs drilled a 6-pound 10-ounce walleye and a monster, 17-pound 10-ounce channel catfish on the baitfish. Hybrid striped bass, like Wayne Bryant’s 7-pound 14-ouncer, hunted down the herring. Jim Archambault rustled up a 4.3-pound smallmouth bass to boot.

Greenwood Lake shoveled out the best fishing, said Al from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. Both smallmouth and largemouth bass were all over jigs and rubber worms in the coves. Crappies from 10 to 13 inches nibbled 3-inch white grubs “in the cover,” he said. He whacked a bunch of smallies, largemouths and a 5-pound pickerel on jig-and-pigs with pork rinds at the lake. He also busted off three 20-pound muskellunge. The muskies could easily be targeted with heavier gear and larger lures, such as Mepps Musky Killers and large, 1-ounce spinner baits.

Small lake trout dominated catches at Round Valley Reservoir, and brown trout to 4 pounds were in the mix, said Steve from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport Shop</b>. The lakers attacked livelined herring, but be aware that fishing for them is catch-and-release on the reservoir until December 1. Largemouth bass to 4 pounds were cooperative in the coves, willing to strike shiners. Merrill Creek Reservoir gave up a host of species including largemouths, smallmouths, brown trout and lake trout, and livelined herring socked them all.

The storm last week never affected the trout streams much, and some were a little cloudy, but water levels were good, and fishing was on, said Bill Hoffman from <b>Skylands Angler</b>. He was standing alongside the Musconetcong River in the evening when he gave this report over the phone, and a solid white fly hatch was happening. Late evenings were the time to cast the white flies like a size 14, fun to fish the big dries. Blue-winged olives, an early-spring and autumn hatch, were also active on the streams. Although rains kept making the trout streams run high through much of spring and summer, healthy water levels now, instead of low, stagnant waters that sometimes occur through summer, were the payoff. Bill also fly-rodded for carp on the lakes, and waters were somewhat murky, and that mattered, because sight-fishing is important for carp, but the fish were around and on the take. Most bonefish flies will coax the carp to bite, but tricking them to snap at a fly takes work. Bill did no surf fishing last week, because seas were too rough in the storm, but he’s got his eye on the shoreline angling that’s about to bust open with the fall migration. False albacore could be some of the first fish to invade the wash any day, usually appearing in late September and early October. Could be a good season for them, because they were abundant offshore this year. During some years a bunch move in to the suds to ravage baitfish that pour out of the bays and rivers and line the shore. One never knows if the albies will be thick along the beaches in a given year, but they could be. They last showed up in a healthy population two years ago. Bluefish and striped bass will eventually storm the shoreline in autumn, and Bill will be after them. 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 even 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, hybrid striped bass, 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>

Ken Lockwood Gorge was a consistent trout producer, said Mike from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Flies such as the Madam X and nymphs claimed plenty of the fish to 3 pounds. The Pequest was also a trout haven, and San Juan worms worked well there, right downstream from the chute, where the hatchery lets out. Hybrid striped bass could reportedly be fought at Spruce Run Reservoir in the evenings, and Matt Blew hooked a 6-pound 12-ouncer on the impoundment on a livelined herring.

Manasquan Reservoir hosted a steady chew on largemouth bass, and jig-and-pigs fished at the edges of standing timber got attention, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Crappies could be copped at the reservoir around the stick piles on twister tails 3 feet under a bobber, twitched repeatedly. The Trilco stretch of the Toms River was home to pickerel that pounced on killies and shiners. The lower portion of Lake Riviera held largemouth bass, crappies and bluegills that could be wormed.

A good-show of smaller-sized largemouth bass and crappies were pulled from Lake Assunpink, and Senkos worked for both, said Bob from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. Quality yellow perch to 1 pound were on tap at Stone Tavern Lake, inhaling white grub tails. Small shad fry were on the move downstream in the Delaware River, and all sorts of predators, including smallmouth bass, striped bass and walleyes, foraged on them. Anglers used 3-inch, white grubs and swim shads to mimic the fry to tangle with the fish.

Fishing on the Delaware River bounced back after previous high waters, and was in good shape, said Bob from the <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Smallmouth bass were available in the Lambertville area for anglers chucking Senkos and crank baits. Catfish and carp were a given catch in the river, and Gulp carp bait and Nitro bait worked to take both. A steady largemouth bass and crappie feed was happening at Lake Assunpink, and seemed to be gaining steam with dropping water temps. Lake Mercer showcased quality muskie catches on big, flashy spinner baits in the early mornings. Trout anglers on the Pequest and Musconetcong rivers drifted salmon eggs and cranked-in Panther Martins to land the fish.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Feeder creeks along the Delaware River were ripe with largemouth bass action, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b> in Brooklawn. Big Timber Creek and Rancocas Creek were top producers for anglers working Senkos. Consistent catfishing could be had at the Concrete Pier on the river and also on the Schuylkill River. On the Cooper River and Newton Lake crappie fishing was heating up, and look for the specks to get more active as waters cool. Toss out fathead minnows or marabou jigs for a hook-up.

Serious-sized pickerel to 5 pounds devoured shiners at Grenloch Lake, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers</b> in Blackwood. Solid numbers of trout were belted at Rowan Pond on fatheads. Big catfish hung around the mouth of Big Timber Creek, and Tom Wolfe banked a 10.3-pounder on a cut bait.

Chain pickerel fishing held steady at Malaga and Franklinville lakes, said Lou from the <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown. Shiners fished with or without bobbers nailed the water wolves along the shorelines. A whopper, 18-pound carp was muscled out of  Iona Lake! The angler tied into the beast on a piece of Wawa pretzel on a treble hook. Might be more where that came from, Lou said.

The tributaries of the Delaware River were about the best places to fish locally, said Matt from <b>Shag’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Pennsville. Tribs like the Salem River and Mad Horse Creek amassed white perch and crappies that were caught best on fathead minnow. Smaller striped bass were sometimes nabbed from the tributaries, and swim shads or livelined herring and shiners got them to bite.

Most of the local lakes were like chocolate milk after the rains, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. So largemouth bass anglers fished the Salem Canal, scoring on shallow-running crank baits or shiners. But Rat-L-Traps worked better for the bucketmouths at the spillway at the Union Lake dam. Torrid white perch fishing was under way on the Maurice and Cohansey rivers. The tidal ditches on the rivers attracted the whiteys, and they chomped bloodworms and grass shrimp.

More and more striped bass started moving in to the Maurice River by the day, said Ki from <b>Huck’s Place</b> in Millville. Drift bloodworms on the higher tides to fool them. White perch were also around on the river, gobbling up the bloods.

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