<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

The river was raised to a roaring 3,500 CFS on Wednesday, said Ben from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. Logs and debris tumbled in the torrent, and waters looked like chocolate milk. They were unfishable. Snow had fallen, and by Wednesday rain fell, and the DEC became concerned about flooding in the reservoir, so the river was raised. Ben spoke with DEC officials that day, and they said the flow would be kept that high as long as necessary to avoid flooding. The flow was disappointing, because steelhead fishing was awesome previously, even when the river was raised to 1,800 just prior. Anglers now fished north and south Sandy Creeks and the tributaries to the west of the Salmon River for steelhead and trout. But the Salmon River’s steelhead fishing lasts all winter, and that’s the time to target them, and the flow will subside. Before the river was raised, steelheads were caught from the waters on egg sacks, mainly blue and white, and trout beads. Many fly anglers connected on stoneflies.

Fishing for steelheads was sometimes good and other times not so good on the river in the past week, said Capt. Shane Thomas from <b>Salmon River Guide</b> from Pulaski. This was before the flow was raised to 3,500 CFS, making the river unfishable in the past day. The river early last week ran at 335 CFS, was raised to 500, then 750, then 1,800. Trips with Shane drift-boated steelheads and sometimes rainbow trout. A few brown trout were caught on a trip Monday on the lower river. Browns lately were banked by other anglers along the tributaries to the west. Fishing with Shane on Saturday shellacked catches. On Sunday waters were cold, and on Monday the day’s catch was okay with him. His anglers fished with egg sacks and beads under floats that day. Some of the guides who work with Shane scored well on back-trolled plugs from drift boats, and that works well when waters are higher and rougher. Fly anglers still caught, though fly fishing becomes a bit tougher in higher flows like 1,800.      

<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

Chain pickerel fishing in South Jersey was some of the best angling, said Bill from <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Philadelphia. Customers fought the fish at the different lakes, ponds, rivers and streams, especially around Batsto. At Batsto they fished the Mullica River, Batsto Lake and the stream that runs through the village saw mill. Bait anglers said minnows and shiners nailed most bites, and anglers fishing with artificials said rubber twister tails, spinners and Rapalas attracted most strikes. Largemouth bass and crappies were also pulled from waters around Batsto.  One customer fished Union Lake in Millville, rounding up five largemouth bass to 15 inches, some chain pickerel, tons of bluegills, and yellow perch from the shoreline. Closer to the shop, the Delaware River served up good catches of 1- to 3-pound catfish and 12- to 15-inch striped bass. Nightcrawlers and shrimp worked best on the cats, and shrimp, chicken livers and bloodworms nabbed the most stripers. Shops including Brinkman’s often stopped carrying bloodworms, because of lack of demand. A customer who fished the river at Dredge Harbor put the brakes on great catches of largemouth bass on two trips. He bailed 13 on one day and 11 on another on minnows on a bucktail. Another who fished the main river only landed one largemouth off Linden Avenue. Reports about walleye and smallmouth bass fishing farther upriver dropped off because of lack of anglers. But news that did roll in wasn’t great about the fishing. One angler reeled in two walleyes and one smallmouth at the New Hope wing dam, but landed two 6- to 8-pound catfish. Another boated three to eight walleyes per trip on the river at Stockton, and trolling grabbed most. The Susquehanna River shoveled out the best smallmouth catches: 20 to 40 per trip for most anglers. Not only were the fish abundant, but they were large: lots of them 14 to 19 inches. Trout anglers fished Pennypack Creek, and they caught, but the number of fish was down. Each angler typically totaled two trout, 12- to 14-inch rainbows, in several trips per week. A few trout were creeled at Levittown Lake, but offshore. Kastmasters drew hits. A customer who fished Lake Nockamixon drilled five smallmouths, each larger than 3 pounds, a super catch, on a trip. He yanked them in on minnows fished in the rocks. Anglers will lose tackle, but some monster bronzebacks swim there. The angler’s biggest last year weighed 6 pounds.    

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

The streams cooled, and trout in the waters settled into winter feeding patterns, said Kevin from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Ledgewood. Flies like small midges or scuds will produce. Largemouth bass anglers picked a few catches, not many. But the bass should be able to be landed. Use a jig-and-pig or a size-9 Husky Jerk, fished slowly. Gold Husky Jerks work for Kevin. Good fishing for chain pickerel should be able to be located at waters like Lake Hopatcong. Use bigger artificials like Husky Jerks. Again, fish slowly.

Round Valley Reservoir’s shoreline anglers tugged in rainbow trout, said Steve from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport Shop</b>. Lake trout season opens today on the reservoir, and boaters had already been catching and releasing lakers from the shallows. Big streamer flies were especially attacked. Fishing was dead for boaters at Spruce Run Reservoir, because low waters prevented vessels from being launched there. But shoreline anglers banked catfish from Spruce. Nobody mentioned trout fishing on the streams by this time of season. But bead-headed nymphs should hook-up well on the streams.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Most trout, a few, were pumped in from the Pequest River, said Mark from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Many anglers fished with small nymphs, including bead heads, including Gold Ribbed Hares Ears and pheasanttails. They also fished with worm flies, and for streamers they tossed Muddler Minnows. But any of the early season patterns used in March and April should work now. The trout are swimming the streams and are hungry. But waters are cold, so the fish are sluggish. Catch the shop’s sale featuring Orvis waders and wading shoes at 20 percent off, rods at 30 percent and reels at 20 percent, lasting at least until the end of the month. A large sale on fly-tying material will kick off at the beginning of the year.

Chain pickerel and crappie fishing will be good in the cooler waters at all the lakes that hold the fish, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Trout will stay active a while yet in the Metedeconk, Toms and Manasquan Rivers and Spring Lake. One customer was buying Power Bait to fish at Spring Lake, cranking in a few trout. A few shiners were sold at the shop to anglers heading to Lake Riviera. The shop typically reports catches of pickerel, largemouth bass and panfish from there. The store’s shiner supply will probably last another week, and no more will be stocked until fishing begins to pick up. Killies and nightcrawlers are carried.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Sometimes walleyes were wrangled from the Delaware River from Trenton to the north, said Frank from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. Fishing with shiners mopped up most, and lots of shiners were sold at the store. But jigs and deep-diving lures will ace some bites. Eric from the shop, in a report he gave a few days previously, said walleyes were occasionally picked from the river from Trenton to the north, but the angling was yet to pick up, and he heard about catfish socked from the river. Crappies were copped on the lakes at the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area on small jigs, Frank said. A few customers worked the largemouth bass fishing at the local lakes, but Frank wasn’t hearing about lots of success, probably because of cold waters. The bass either swam the shallows in the sun or moved deep to try to escape the cold, but anglers weren’t figuring them out. Winter trout anglers are usually seen at the store but were a no show this year so far, for some reason.

Trout anglers began to report catching the big fish stocked this season in the lakes, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b> in Brooklawn. He heard about the catches from Haddon and Greenwich lakes, and is sure the fish should swim other waters like Grenloch Lake. Largemouth bass fishing was active on the Delaware River. The fish, small ones, but plenty, bunched up like they do in cold waters. They gathered at haunts like the Graveyard near the Commodore Barry Bridge. Crank baits and jerk baits will nab them. Catfish were willing to nip baits in the river and the creeks along the river. The Cooper River was a place to tangle with crappies. Newton and Stewart lakes were locales to find crappies and largemouth bass. For the bass, work cranks baits, jerk baits or plastics like Senkos, Sweet Beavers or creature baits. In saltwater, striped bass were hung from the Cape May Rips on eels and spots and from Delaware Bay on bunker chunks. The southern end of 60-Foot Slough is always a place to fish on the bay. Big stripers roamed the rips and 60-Foot, but Rick also heard that some came from depths less than 20 feet from Bug Light to the north. In the ocean lots of stripers schooled beyond 3 miles from shore, where fishing for them is closed. They collected at places like 5-Fathom Bank. Big, monster blues also swam from a bit offshore to spots like 5FB. Big Timber stocks tackle and bait for all waters from freshwater to bays to offshore. Looking for the perfect holiday gift? Pick up a gift certificate!

Fair fishing for largemouth bass was heard about from the lakes, mostly on Rat-L-Traps and crank baits, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Davis Mill Pond produced good reports. A couple of customers fared all right on the bigmouths at Parvin Lake and Rainbow Lake. A few anglers talked about plucking smallmouth bass from Union Lake. No word rolled in about Lake Audrey, the only other lake that harbors smallmouths in South Jersey. Crappies were supposedly on the feed at Mary Elmer Lake. Interest in trout fishing dropped off, though the fish were recently stocked. Trout should be abundant, if anglers want to try for them. Previously the Maurice River doled out most trout for customers. But other waters were also stocked. Striped bass fishing on Delaware Bay was the main news. The saltwater fishing was outstanding this season. Most of the stripers were boated on chunks of bunker. But the linesiders were bucktailed or trolled at the Cape May Rips.

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