New Jersey Fishing Reports

Lots of anglers reported banking steelheads from the river on Tuesday, said Ben from All Seasons Sports in Pulaski. The river’s flow was at a low 335 CFS, but rains this week caused a shot of fresh steelheads to move up the river from Lake Ontario. Catches lately were made throughout the river, and neither the upper, middle nor lower stretches produced better. Egg sacks were the main bait, and the usual flies worked, and stone flies began to connect, but the season was early for them. A few brown trout were spread throughout the river, but the fly zone in the upper river held most. No snow covered the ground yet, but the season’s first substantial snowstorm was forecast for this Thursday to Friday.

Catches of steelheads were okay, not great, but good on the river, and the waters were crowded with anglers, said Capt. Shane Thomas from Salmon River Guide in Pulaski. That made fishing better on weekdays, when fewer crowds crammed the banks. A trip with him nailed a 16-1/2-pound steelhead this week, and Shane’s anglers, all fishing from the drift boat, mostly cast beads under floats. But they sometimes fished eggs and fly fished a bit with success. The river’s flow was kept at 335 CFS, and that’s low, but Shane thinks the flow will likely be raised in the next week, because of factors like recent precipitation. Big rainbow trout were netted at times, and a few brown trout were reeled up.

NEW JERSEY

North Jersey

Walleyes were jigged at Lake Hopatcong and Monksville Reservoir, said Greg from Ramsey Outdoor in Ledgewood. Rapala Jigging Raps in silver or perch connected. Trout were mostly plucked from the Pequest River. Fish with small bead-headed nymphs, tiny, sizes 20 or 22 Zebra Midges in red, or white Zonkers.

Trout were being stocked at the lakes this week, so maybe anglers will give results of the fishing in the coming week, said Nick from Meltzer’s Sporting Goods in Garfield. See the <a href="http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/news/2010/wntrtrt10.htm" target="_blank">trout stocking schedule</a> online. Yellow and pink Power Bait and nightcrawlers were the trout baits sold at the shop during the week, and should be the fare to dunk at the lakes. Most anglers stopped by for saltwater tackle, focusing on blackfish, since the bag limit increased last week. Lots of the tog, good-sized ones, seemed to chomp. A few striped bass anglers dropped by for supplies.

A few rainbow trout were hung, mostly from the Pequest River, when a handful of customers, not many, gave the fishing a shot, said Mark from Efinger Sporting Goods in Bound Brook. Small, size-18 nymphs, mostly Princes and Gold Ribbed Hares Ears, were the choices for the catches. Medium-sized lake trout were caught and released at Round Valley Reservoir down 70 feet on herring. Laker fishing currently is restricted to catch and release at the impoundment, one of two trophy trout lakes with special regulations in the state, along with Merrill Creek Reservoir. But lake trout season opens at both locations this coming Wednesday. The stream trouting and laker fishing drew most attention.

South Jersey

Some anglers banked a few chain pickerel at Lake Riviera on shiners while trying for largemouth bass, said Jeff from Murphy’s Hook House in Toms River. They copped no luck on the bass, but pickerel thrive in cool waters and will be able to be hooked through winter. Cool waters seemed to stifle some fishing. Jeff fished at Winding River, landing two yellow perch, and that’s all, on worms. The waters during the peak of the fishing season give up the whole variety of species from largemouths to panfish. No customers talked about fishing for trout that were stocked earlier this fall. But the fish should be able to be angled from the South Branch of the Metedeconk River, the Toms River and the Manasquan River. Shiners, killies and nightcrawlers are stocked.

Big muskellunge were beaten at Lake Mercer, said Frank from Harry’s Army and Navy in Robbinsville. Anglers can never expect to bail the catches, and muskies are the fish of 1,000 casts, but they were caught. A moderate walleye bite went down on the Delaware River, and was improving. The fishery, gaining steam as waters cool, doesn’t attract hordes of anglers, but a few take advantage on the river at places like Lambertville, at the wing dam there, downstream from Lambertville, and upstream from the town, like at Bull’s Island. Eric from the shop said walleyes were sometimes picked up from the river at Trenton, and catfish were clocked at Trenton in the river.

Customers tried to catch fall-stocked trout, but the fishing was difficult, said Ed from Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle in Blackwood. The fish were seen but were slow to bite. Grenloch Lake and Oak Pond are the local trout lakes. But word was heard about trout angling at Hammonton Lake, too. However, one customer who lives at Iona Lake piled up good catches of trout there on Power Bait. Participation in largemouth bass fishing dried up in the cooler weather. Chain pickerel that become more active in lower temps should be able to be fought at the different lakes.

A largemouth bass tournament churned up a fair number of the fish at Parvin’s Lake, said Steve from Blackwater Sports Center in Vineland. Reports about decent fishing for the bucketmouths came from there, and Davis Mill Pond also produced the fish. Mainly Rat-L-Traps and swim baits caught. Plenty of smallmouth bass started to pounce at Union Lake on jerk baits and Senko worms. Nothing was heard about Lake Audrey, the other waters, the only, that hold smallmouths in South Jersey. Fishing was great for chain pickerel, fish that are active in low temps. Anglers could pick up a dozen minnows and have at the water wolves for fun. Interest in fall-stocked trout petered out. But surely abundant trout swam the waters. Previously the Maurice River gave up the best fishing for them. In saltwater striped bass fishing was running full blast on Delaware Bay on bunker chunks.