<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

Smallmouth bass fishing was the big story on the Delaware River, but fishing for catfish and striped bass improved on the lower river, said Bill from <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Philadelphia. Catches of 30 or more smallmouths, 12- to 17-inchers, per angler were boated by customers drifting the Point Pleasant area with artificial crawfish and hellgrammites. One angler bailed 18 smallmouths, eight catfish and four stripers in the Yardley area downstream from the Route 95 Bridge on fathead minnows. The improved angling for cats and stripers could be found near the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge and off Station, Linden and Princeton avenues. Fish with shrimp, chicken livers, nightcrawlers or bagels for the cats and bloodworms, herring or clams for the stripers.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

The local Delaware River’s fishing was on the slow side, said Bill from <b>Bill’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Phillipsburg. But striped bass should turn on any day, and catfish, like Paul Widner’s 7.4-pounder, were around. So most anglers headed to Merrill Creek Reservoir for a chance at catches like a pair of 4- and 5-pound smallmouth bass that Angee Ramos reeled in.

Lake Hopatcong was weeded up, said Dom from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Paramus, so top-water, weedless frogs worked best to land largemouth bass there. Trout fishing seemed to pick up on the Pequest and Rockaway rivers, and worms drifted with a single BB split shot caught them. The single BB provided enough weight to get down in the skinny waters.

Anglers scored well on a variety of species on herring off the points in 20 feet of waters or so, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. Pete Cusick wrangled out several sizeable walleyes that way, and also hung a 1.5-pound crappie. Marcin Dolegiewicz scored two 6.1-pound and 5.75-pound walleyes, and Bill Juchnewich claimed two 6.9- and 3.5-pound walleyes. Stan Stelmack boated a mess of hybrid striped bass to 8 pounds off Sharps Rock and Byram. The store will remain open with boat rentals and bait until mid November. But the doors get opened up for limited hours when ice fishing begins.

At Greenwood Lake largemouth and smallmouth bass to 2 pounds jumped all over Keitech spider jigs, and the waters were the top bass hangout around, said Al from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. To nail yellow perch, fish Pompton Lakes for scores of the slabs ready to hit small hair jigs tipped with curly-tailed grubs.

The 40-foot mark seemed the magic depth for trout fishing at Round Valley Reservoir, said Steve from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport Shop</b>. Both rainbows and lakers pounced on slow-trolled spoons at that depth, and mornings were best. Anglers shouldn’t sit at one spot, he said, because actively searching and moving around was a must. Big largemouth bass to 5 pounds were hauled from the Valley, especially in the deeper waters off drop-offs. Stream trout fishing steadily picked up, mainly at the South Branch of the Raritan River. Nightcrawlers will get eaten up during all hours of the day. Great smallmouth and largemouth bass action was on tap at Merrill Creek Reservoir.

The trout streams ran at a healthy water level, maybe a little high, but good for fishing, said Bill Hoffman from <b>Skylands Angler</b>. He did a lot of surf fishing through the week, but will also fish for trout during this great season for the angling, and did fish for trout on a small spring creek in Pennsylvania on Saturday evening. Number 20 blue winged olives came off, and so did caddis, and the dry-fly fishing connected. So did the surf fishing at Sandy Hook. At first Bill’s fly-rodding in the surf was tough early last week at the Hook. But by the weekend his trips were able to beach striped bass and false albacore in the mornings, all on the ocean side. The stripers, none of size, were beginning to get active, and that fishery will only build when the fall migration kicks in. The fishing for albies was on, prime time, and take a trip now to fight the powerful members of the tuna family. They come into the surf at this time of the year for maybe another two weeks to forage on baitfish that begin to leave the bays and rivers, moving to the ocean. One never knows when albies will pop up within casting range, but the only way to catch them is to be on the beach during the right time of the year. If no albies show, anglers keep busy fishing for stripers or blues, fish that were also currently in the surf, not a bad consolation. Tons of bait including mullet and silversides crammed the waters all along Sandy Hook. Not many peanut bunker seemed around, and peanuts are the bait that trigger blitzes of fish in the surf during this season, though peanuts aren’t abundant every year. Autumn, the best season for surf angling, was just beginning, and Bill was wasting no time getting out there. Deciding which of the fisheries like trouting and surf casting to do was the only issue now. Angling for everything was good across the board. Bill squeezed in no warm-water fly-rodding for fish like largemouth bass and carp during the week, but those fish should also be fat and happy. 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, 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>

Fiery trout fishing tore up the Pequest River, said Mike from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. He and Amy from the shop pounded rainbows in the 2- to 4-pound class on San Juan worms and caddis flies. Excellent action on holdover trout was waxed at Ken Lockwood Gorge and the Black River, and Madam X flies worked well for a hook up. Plus it was that time of year: Some anglers began to take the trip north to Pulaski, New York, for salmon fishing on the Salmon River.

Largemouth bass, pickerel and crappies were tugged from Lake Riviera, the waters that produced the most variety for anglers, and the fish gobbled up killies and shiners, said Jeff from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Consistent largemouth bassing was on the take at Lester’s Lake, and free-lined shiners did the job. Pickerel hot spots included the Winding River and the Trilco stretch of the Toms River. Big carp also milled around the Trilco area.

Smallmouth bass fishing was solid in the Delaware River, said Tony from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. Throw Senkos and Rapala crank baits at New Hope and Lambertville for action. A good show of largemouth bass got reeled in from Lake Assunpink by anglers who swam shiners in the early mornings and late evenings.

A torrid smallmouth chew took place in the deeper pools of the Delaware River from Trenton to Bull’s Island, said Carl from the <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Sinking Rapalas in chrome, blue and black and 4-inch Mister Twisters in green pumpkin on 1/8-ounce jigheads got whacked the most. Channel catfishing was super around Bordentown on the river, and the cats held along the channel edges, and would slurp up Berkley Gulp catfish bait. Zillions of small herring and shad schooled the river, and the gamefish eagerly foraged on them. A daytime largemouth bass fishery was going on at Lake Assunpink on top-water lures.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Largemouth bass hung in the creek mouths emptying into the Delaware River, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b> in Brooklawn. Big Timber, Woodbury and Mantua creeks were spots to locate the bass blasting top-water lures and Senkos. Catfish also fed strong in the creek mouths. Crappies began to get more active with the cooling weather at spots such as Willow Grove Lake, Wilson Lake and Blackwood Lake. The specks will swipe grub tails or fathead minnows.

Rowan’s Pond dished out quality trouting, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers</b> in Blackwood. Cast fathead minnows for rainbows to 3 pounds. The Puppyland Ponds were a largemouth bass haven for up to 3-pounders that attacked shiners. Grenloch Lake offered a blitz of big sunfish and sometimes largemouth bass that both sipped down dry flies.

The time was right for chain pickerel fishing, and waters like Malaga Lake and Iona Lake produced plenty to 3 pounds on shiners under bobbers, said Lou from the <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown. John Ruczynski won first prize in the annual kids’ tournament on Wilson Lake during the weekend with a 1-1/2-pound largemouth bass.

White perch were all over, said Matt from <b>Shag’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Salem. The season was getting the whities going in the Salem and Cohansey rivers and Mad Horse Creek, and bloodworms and trout worms drew bites. A few more largemouth bass than before were active. Try Alloway Lake, where Bomber crank baits got hit hard.

Smallmouth bass turned on at Union Lake, pummeling Senkos and Rapala Countdowns, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Largemouth bass also became more active in the fall-like weather at the different waters. Spinner baits and Senkos worked well in the Salem Canal, and crank baits and Rat-L-Traps did better at Lake Lenape. White perch swam abundant in the Maurice and Cohansey rivers, clamping down on bloodworms. Resident striped bass started to get hungry in the Maurice in the cooler season, and Rat-L-Traps cast on outgoing tides gained the most strikes.

More and more striped bass were caught by the day in the Maurice River, said Ki from <b>Huck’s Place</b> in Millville. Bloodworms and Bomber plugs tied into the fish on the higher tides in the mornings and evenings and at night. Catfish to 5 pounds could be clocked from the river bottom, especially after dark.

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