<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

Smallmouth bass fishing was the “big thing” on the Delaware River, said Bill from <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Philadelphia. Storms sometimes raised and muddied the waters, but the fishing was great in the past week. The best reports came from boaters who drifted the river from Frenchtown to Point Pleasant. Bill talked with at least 10 different groups of the boaters or couples who drifted the stretch, and one couple on a trip totaled 50 smallies, the best catch Bill heard about. They also reeled up 50 striped bass and catfish that day, mostly using minnows for all the fish. Anglers on another boat there picked up 35 smallies on a trip, saying catfish, 30 of them, also crushed the minnows fished. The other anglers boated a combo of 25 to 40 smallies and cats per trip. Wading conditions were perfect at Point Pleasant, according to a customer, who scored great on the bronzebacks each morning, pulling in 10 to 25 of the fish each time. Many of the smallmouths were small, but several were 14 to 17 inches. He racked them up on minnows, rubber grubs and Rapala lures the best. Another customer fished the river at Yardley, landing 15 smallies, mostly small ones, and a mix of small stripers and catfish one day. He planned to fish farther upstream next. But Neshaminy Creek was the second best place for smallmouth fishing. Most of the smallies were small, and rock bass and bluegills also jumped on the hook. One angler on the creek netted 15 smallies and 25 bluegills at the bridge at Playwicki Park on nightcrawlers. Perkiomen Creek was one of top spots to wade for smallmouths, rock bass and bluegills. One customer lambasted more than 75 of the fish on the creek at Schwenksville on minnows on a trip, and another drilled more than 50 of the fish to 12 inches at Collegeville on a short trip one afternoon. Most on the Perkiomen fished with minnows, nightcrawlers, meal worms and rubber grubs. But the creek was a super place for beginner fly anglers to learn the sport. They could hook plenty of the fish on popper flies, dry flies and nymphs. The Susquehanna River was smoking for smallmouths. This was not the time to find big smallies common in spring and fall on the river known for smallmouths. But 12- to 16-inchers, 30 to 70 per boat, were waxed. Back on the Delaware River, largemouth bass fishing was great, including in the high, off-colored waters from rains. Lots of baitfish began to appear in the river, so largemouth anglers worked top-water lures, Rat-L-Traps and rubber shads to fool the bucketmouths and also stripers. Weedless frogs fished along the cover accounted for a few of the largemouths for anglers who liked to fish with them. The river near Rohm and Haas Company at Bristol was a good place for the angling. Plastic worms and weedless lures fished there at the lily pads knocked around largemouths to 2 pounds, smaller fish, but a bunch, in the early mornings or the evenings. A customer who fished the river at the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge copped six largemouths, three stripers, two white perch and a catfish on Bomber, Lucky Strike and Mann’s lures in natural shad, crawfish and firetiger patterns. An angler who fished the river at Linden Avenue at the rocks along the banks was surprised to come up with an 18-inch smallmouth bass along with a 15-inch largemouth. Lots of healthy-sized largemouths to 5 pounds were beaten at the lake on Burlington Island in the river. Anglers paddled kayaks to the island from the shoreline, dragging the kayaks along several beaten paths to the lake, fishing with plastic worms, Rat-L-Traps and crank baits on the waters, mopping up 3 to 10 largemouths per trip. In still waters, fishing for largemouths was slow in the heat at Lake Luxembourg at Core Creek Park. But lots of panfish could be plucked from the waters. An angler at Lake Nockamixon rubber-wormed 15 largemouth bass, fishing in deeper, 15- to 20-foot waters, because he fished after sunup. Members of the Penn Warner Club pounded good fishing for smallmouths, largemouths, northern pike and crappies at the lakes on the grounds. Bill heard nothing this past week about fishing at New Jersey’s lakes, like at Union Lake in Millville in South Jersey that he sometimes reports about. Lots of customers headed to Jersey’s lakes, but none reported results, so that either meant the fishing stunk or was so good they had no energy left to call or e-mail him, Bill said!

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Thunderstorms forced some trips to be cancelled, said Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale. Between the cancellations and avoiding the incredible heat for two or three days, his fishing was mostly wiped out recently. But angling for walleyes in the middle of the night, fishing that his trips concentrated on lately, probably kept producing. Waters were warm, but they were also warm or 83 degrees on his last trip for the fish that pummeled seven walleyes, covered in the last report. The trips haunt the lakes in the dead of night, when walleyes move to the shallows from the deep, following herring that rise to the skinny waters to feed on zooplankton. Then anglers wallop the walleyes on top-water lures for exciting surface attacks. The action might not take off until hours like midnight or 2 a.m. Largemouth and smallmouth bass should be able to be wrestled on trips. Dave did take a trip for muskies on Echo Lake, and that fishing appeared to be slow in the heat. He saw one musky, but the fish didn’t even seem to consider pouncing on a nearby lure, and the heat probably had the fish reluctant to expend the energy. Anglers might have to wait for somewhat cooler waters for musky fishing, Dave’s favorite angling. He was going bluefin tuna fishing on the ocean on Wednesday, and the angling was reportedly serving up double-digit catches at places like the Chicken Canyon on the boat he was fishing on. Most of the tuna are released, and the bag limit is two bluefins in two different size ranges. Live to Fish Guide Service guides trips for trout, muskies, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleyes, crappies, chain pickerel, panfish, yellow perch, white perch, carp and more. Lakes fished include Greenwood Lake, Lake Hopatcong, Monksville Reservoir, Echo Lake, Mountain Lake and Furnace Lake. Rivers fished include the Flatbrook, Pequest, Paulinskill and Ramapo.

One big striped bass was checked in from the Delaware River, said Bill from <b>Bill’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Phillipsburg. Paul Serfoss, Freemansburg, weighed in the 21-pound 3-ouncer.  But the river ran low, and fishing for the big linesiders is best during high, rough waters from storms, mostly at night on eels. Channel catfishing on the river is usually best then, too, and the cats are usually a by-catch for the striper anglers. But for some reason some of the cats were clocked lately. Jimmy Kiefer, 7, Harmony, stopped by with a 7-pound channel cat from the river. No invasive flathead catfish were seen at the shop, though one a week was checked in from the river during the previous few weeks. The state encourages anglers to kill the flatheads caught, because the fish could start to overshadow some of native fish in the Delaware. Small striped bass and small smallmouth bass could be played on the river, and that fishing lasts until cooler weather. Nothing much was doing at Merrill Creek Reservoir in the heat. Spruce Run Reservoir was supposedly 80 degrees, but crappies were angled up from the impoundment. Chris Bogoly, Easton, earned a New Jersey Catch and Release Skillful Angler Award for a 15-1/4-pound crappie he let go at Spruce. Bill Scharbough, 9, Phillipsburg, at Spruce tackled a 6-pound 7-ounce hybrid striped bass, winning a Skillful Angler Award. Anglers suddenly began to catch small trout on the Pequest and Musconetcong rivers, mostly on fathead minnows. Trout catches are uncommon in the heat that puts down the cold-water fish, but the trout began biting, for unknown reasons. Jim Cantrell, Greenwich Township, lifted a larger trout, a 4-pound 12-ounce rainbow, from the Musky.

The heat generally slowed fishing, but Todd from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Ledgewood cracked lots of largemouth bass at Lake Hopatcong at the docks in the coves on Keitech soft-plastic baits, he said. Reports still rolled in about walleyes and hybrid striped bass dialed up from Hopatcong at Bertrand Island at dusk on livelined herring. Smallmouth bass, good catches, were slugged on the Delaware River upstream. The fishing was hopping at Dingman’s Ferry. Carp chewed in the river and also at Lake Musconetcong.

Catches were slower on the lake in the hot weather, and early mornings and evenings were better times to fish, but hybrid striped bass and an occasional walleye were sometimes waxed, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong.  The hybrids and walleyes came from around Bertrand Island and Byram Cove. A 6-pound 11-ounce walleye was weighed in that was nabbed on a livelined herring. Herring could be caught on the lake for fluke bait down the shore. Pete Rathjens weighed in a 2-pound 11-ounce smallmouth bass and dusted other small ones. Lots of crappies could be piled up on fathead minnows or small jigs. Panfish swam the shallower waters, willing to hit worms, if anglers wanted fun with the kids. The Knee Deep Club’s catfish tournament will be held in August, and anglers can call the shop for info: 973-663-3826.

Fishing for largemouth bass was tough on Greenwood Lake when Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield competed in a tournament there Sunday, he said. Waters were 88 degrees or hot, and entrants caught the fish, but mostly small ones. Nick landed 20 but only one keeper. The winning weight was only 4 pounds for five fish. The bass were also difficult to keep alive for weigh in because of the heat. Dead largemouths were even seen floating. But an entrant in another tournament during the same day won with 16 pounds for five largemouths, fishing at the heavy matted weeds. Six pounds was the winning weight for five of the fish in a tournament Saturday on Greenwood. Conditions were similar on many lakes, and anglers needed water temps to drop, and could use more rains. Water levels were low. Still, largemouths could be caught, and the fish had to feed some time, and anglers should fish for them in the early mornings. Once the sun rises, the bite shuts down. Or if anglers can fish in the middle of the night, like from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m., even better. Chuck out lures like Jitterbugs. Walleyes could be pelted on lakes like Hopatcong at night, and Nick knew a few anglers who honked them in the shallows in the late hours of dark. They fished with livelined herring, but the bait was difficult to keep alive in the high temps.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Hybrid striped bass and catfish put up tussles at Spruce Run Reservoir at night, said Nick from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. That was a mainstay for anglers or some of the best angling in the heat. But largemouth bass were tugged from some of the farm ponds in the mornings and evenings, and a friend pancaked a 6-pounder at one of the ponds around 7 p.m. on a Senko worm. Smallmouth bass, little ones, were angled from the South Branch of the Raritan River on lures like spinners. Anthony Stackhouse weighed in an 8-pound 6-ounce catfish he hauled in from Hillsborough Pond on a nightcrawler.

Not a lot of anglers were out in the heat, but families with kids pummeled bluegills at the Ocean County College pond on nightcrawlers under bobbers, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. A few anglers there tried fishing popper lures for largemouth bass at sunset, but coaxing a bite was challenging in the warmth. Some anglers fished at Lake Riviera from the dirt road, looking for shade from the trees, picking a few crappies, largemouths and chain pickerel, mostly on shiners, though shiners could be difficult to keep alive in the high temps. Killies will last longer. Manasquan Reservoir dished up good fishing for hybrid striped bass, mostly on deep-diving plugs. The hybrids could also be clubbed on chicken livers on a size-7 hook with a ½-ounce egg sinker in the middle of the lake in the deep. Anglers also chummed with the chicken livers.

A few catfish sniffed out baits like chicken livers, worms or hot dogs in the Delaware River, said Sean from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. Impale the baits on a 2/0 hook on a three-way rig weighted to fish on the bottom. Mornings or evenings were the times to land a largemouth bass on lakes like the ones at the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area or Gropp’s Lake. Fish with Senko worms, buzz baits or plugs like Jitterbugs. Stop by the shop to check out the freshwater fishing section being totally expanded and re-vamped. All kinds of new products are being stocked.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Largemouth bass 2 to 3 pounds were drummed up from the creek mouths along the Delaware River from Pennsauken Creek to Raccoon Creek, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b> in Brooklawn. Spinner baits, soft-plastic lures and Senko worms drew strikes. Catfish could be mongered from the river on bloodworms, chicken livers and cut baits. Small striped bass, an occasional keeper, gathered in the river at places like along the island off National Park. For anglers fishing saltwater, Delaware Bay’s summer flounder fishing might’ve offered the best catches around, even if the keeper ratio was 1 in 10. But a 10-pound flounder was clobbered on the back bay at Sea Isle City on a rental boat, and maybe that meant keepers were becoming more abundant in the back bays. Tons of small bluefish and a few small false albacore littered all the lumps in the ocean from Ocean City to Cape May, like from Sea Isle Lump to 5-Fathom Bank. Yellowfin tuna were boated at the flats east of Wilmington Canyon in 50 fathoms and at the 40-Fathom Fingers inshore of Spencer Canyon. Big Timber carries bait and tackle for fishing in all waters from freshwater to bays to offshore.

Kids had fun fighting bluegills at the spillway across from Blackwood Lake and at Puppyland Pond, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> in Blackwood. Those are always go-to spots for angling with children. In the previous weeks anglers reported tugging on 1-1/2- to 3-pound largemouth bass at Pupplyland, but none talked about the angling lately, maybe because of the hot weather. One customer said he clobbered a 6-pound largemouth at a lake hidden off the Blackhorse Pike near Williamstown’s Piney Hollow Road toward Collings Lakes. One girl name Marian bombed a fairly large chain pickerel at Almonesson Lake. Pickerel, largemouth bass, sunfish, carp and usual species hold in Almonesson.

Chain pickerel and largemouth bass bit here and there in the warmth, said Lou from <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown. Anglers tried to find a tree to sit under or some shade, throwing out a minnow under a bobber, trying to take it easy in the weather. Early mornings were a best bet, or anglers could fish in the evenings. Maybe the fish moved to shallower depths to feed during those hours, escaping to deep waters during the height of the sun. In saltwater Delaware Bay’s summer flounder fishing stayed about the same as before: Boaters waded through 15, 20 or 30 throwbacks to come up with a keeper or sometimes none. The shop carries freshwater baits and a selection of frozen saltwater baits.

Largemouth bass anglers who fished in the heat last week and through the weekend searched for catches in the early mornings and evenings, and many fished at night, said Rick from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. But catches seemed to become somewhat easier after the heat dropped off this week. One customer regularly hooked the bass again after the heat on top-water lures. Fishing plastic worms wacky style is a way to hook up in this weather. Jig and jig the rigs to entice the bass that aren’t moving much to conserve energy. In saltwater Delaware Bay’s summer flounder anglers picked away at catches last week, but probably fewer of the fish, as the flatties began to migrate toward the ocean. An angler Wednesday morning bagged four keeper flounder in the back bay at Strathmere, and fewer of the flatties might’ve held there than before, because of the migration.

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