<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

Delaware River anglers all seemed to land as many smallmouth bass as they wanted, said Bill from <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b>. He and wife Helen beat 52 smallies to 15 inches, none big, on the river mostly at Stockton on a trip. Some catfish were mixed in, and minnows and Zoom grubs were the only baits that worked for the smallies. The Zooms were watermelon, watermelon red, white, pumpkin seed and cotton candy. He went back out that evening, only reeling in two smallmouths. “Strange how we have not done anything after 5 at night,” he said. They fished the river at Stockton the next day, starting at 7 a.m., pummeling 94 fish that were mostly smallies but included a bunch of cats, a striper and a big bluegill. Most of the fish slammed minnows on this day, but grubs worked second best, and watermelon, white and pumpkin seed got the bites. Customers also pounded plenty of smallmouths at New Hope, Bull’s Island and Point Pleasant on the river. A few anglers who camped on the river at the Delaware Water Gap hooked more than a hundred smallmouths while fishing a couple of hours a day for three days. Nighttime was best for them. The creeks also turned out good smallmouth fishing, and the Perkiomen, at places like Collegeville, was best. Neshaminy Creek, including at Tyler State Park and Playwicki Park, also dished out plenty of smallmouths, though the waters were warm and started to fill with algae. The Schuylkill River also dished out lots of smallmouths. One angler on the Schuylkill picked up 10 to 20 smallies per trip, mostly on twister tails and critter-bait soft-plastic lures on jigs, but minnows also worked well. On the lower Delaware River largemouth bass fishing was great. Anglers belted the bucketmouths in the main river on crank baits, Rat-L-Traps, rubber worms and soft plastics on jigs. One boater scored nine largemouths to 3 pounds when he found a big school of baitfish working along the shore at the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge all afternoon. He fished a Rat-L-Trap right through the bait, also hooking four striped bass to 8 pounds. The bait was gone when he returned the next two days, but he boated a total of 13 largemouths in the two days at his favorite spots. Another reeled in nine largemouths on the river from below the Trenton power plant to the steel mill on Culprit worms in red shad and tomato. The bass held in 10 feet of waters around the docks. But he caught nothing at the power plant itself. Catfish, some of them up to 5 pounds, swarmed all over the river, and 10 to 15 per trip could easily be mugged, anglers said. Nightcrawlers, chicken livers, herring, shrimp and bagels were some of the top baits. In still waters, Lake Nockamixon shoveled up good largemouth fishing. One angler and his wife there clubbed 13 of the bass to 4 pounds, some of them from the shallow waters on weedless lures, in a trip. The angler fished by himself the next day on the lake, jigging three largemouths in deeper waters. Largemouth fishing was slow at Lake Luxembourg at Core Creek Park in the warm weather. But plenty of bluegills and yellow perch gave up action at Luxembourg. At Union Lake in Millville in South Jersey, largemouth fishing was also slow in the heat, according to customers who fished there. But Union was the place to head for chain pickerel. Some anglers who fished there for two days bailed 58 pickerel to 4 pounds and only five largemouths that were all under 15 inches. They fished with rubber worms and shallow-swimming Rapala lures and also along the lily pads with Scum Frogs, Spro Frogs and weedless Jitterbugs. Another angler was catching largemouths 2 to 4 pounds and pickerel to 21 inches all summer long at Lake Lenape in Mays Landing. The pickerel were actually a pain for bass anglers.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale fished the night shift with a friend at Greenwood Lake on Friday to Saturday, he said. Dave whacked one 3-1/2-pound walleye almost immediately at 11 p.m. when he began fishing, but that was the only fish that hit during the whole trip. The weather was windy and cool, and the lake was choppy, and the moon, though it was waning, was bright, and the conditions seemed to make the entire lake dead. Choppy waters and a bright moon often are not ideal times to fish a lake like this at night, Dave has found. They fished until 4 a.m., heading in earlier than usual, because of the slow angling. But Dave will continue walleye fishing at lakes like Greenwood in the middle of the night, when the fish rise from the depths to feed on herring in the shallows near the shore. Warm waters slowed some fishing at the different lakes lately, but Greenwood had actually cooled to 79 degrees during the trip from the relatively cooler nights. That should begin to change fishing. Musky fishing, Dave’s favorite angling, was affected by the warmth. He took a musky trip this past week, copping not even a follow from the fish. His friend moved a good-sized one that never attacked, and the friend has had seven of the fish follow a lure lately. But the muskies never committed for some reason, maybe because they were sluggish in the warmth. Dave was sure he could bucktail smaller muskies along the shorelines if he wanted. But he only fished with big lures in the deep, because he targeted big muskies, just his preference. The friend with the seven follows fished with a Shumway Flasher lure. Dave will also continue musky fishing. He also had an upcoming largemouth bass trip planned for this week. Dave joined a bluefin tuna trip on a charter boat last week on Tuesday that fished near the Chicken Canyon and the Atlantic Princess wreck. The fishing was slow, apparently because of the full moon, but six small, football, 15- to 20-pound bluefins were landed, and so was a 60-pound 50-incher. One – a fish that fit in the smaller slot limit, or an “under,” as anglers say – was kept, and the rest were released. Two bluefins in two specific sizes are allowed to be kept per trip. A trip on the boat walloped 40 bluefins a few days before. On this trip the five anglers began jigging for the tuna, and that failed to work. They began fishing with lures such as a Tuna Pen, a Japanese subsurface plug that was like a jerk bait, with no lip, similar to a large Rapala, but beefier. The boat began to be motored while the anglers cast the lures, and the trip targeted areas where skipjacks were seen with bluefins swimming below them. That’s when the tuna were hooked. 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.

Lots of talk suddenly became about the Delaware River, said Bill from <b>Bill’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Phillipsburg. Three big striped bass were checked in from the river: Jerry Perkins from Williams Township’s 25-pound 6-ounce 41-incher, Dave Au from Phillipsburg’s 22-pound 38-incher, and Robert Lee from Williams Township’s 20-pound 8-ounce 38-incher. The big bass are always around this time of year, but they’re not always willing to bite. They’re usually mugged when stormy weather raises and muddies the river. Then anglers fish for them with eels in the evenings or at night. But customers complained about currently low waters on the river. So Bill figured the river’s angling picked up because low waters created pools where fish became concentrated. Anglers then will still need to fish to catch, but that makes targeting the catches a bit easier. Other catches checked in from the river included: John Seymore from Bethlehem’s 8-pound 4-ounce walleye, earning him a New Jersey Skillful Angler Award; Anthony Sherin, 9, from Phillipsburg’s 5-pound 10-ounce channel catfish; and Russell Pickett from Phillipsburg’s invasive 9-pound flathead catfish. Walleyes and catfish from the river also pounced on eels. Small striped bass can always be angled from the river until the weather cools, mostly on chicken livers. Small smallmouth bass could also be picked up from the river. Fishing sounded slow at Merrill Creek Reservoir in the warmth, but Carmen Ruggiero from Clinton pulled a 4-pound 9-ounce chain pickerel from the impoundment. Low waters kept anglers from fishing at Spruce Run Reservoir. Crappies that had been on a tear at Spruce were still there. But low waters made boating difficult to reach them.

A few fished Lake Hopatcong at night for walleyes, mostly on top-water lures like Zara Spooks, said Greg from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Ledgewood. Nothing was heard about hybrid striped bass at such waters. He fished for smallmouth bass on the Delaware River. The day was beautiful, and the waters were the right temperature, but the angling was somewhat off. He totaled 12 smallies but normally hangs 30 in a day. And that’s what he’d been hearing about the river’s smallmouth fishing: that it was either somewhat off or hit or miss. Good catches of largemouth bass were banged out in the private ponds in the evenings on rubber baits. Trout fishing was totally shut down in the streams in low, warm waters. Nobody was even trying for the fish, including on popular waters like the Pequest River.

Fishing was on the slower side at the lake, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. But reports sometimes rolled in about catches of hybrid striped bass, crappies and smallmouth and largemouth bass. A beautiful, 3-pound 11-ounce smallie was weighed in during the weekend. Remember the Knee Deep Club’s catfish tournament on the lake Saturday and Sunday, August 14 and 15. “Make a date with your buddies,” Laurie said. “It’s usually a fun time.” Anglers can call the shop for info: 973-663-3826. Most who fish for the cats use cut bait, namely herring, nightcrawlers, chicken livers, hot dogs and dough baits.

At <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield, Nick from the shop, who usually gives the report, came in fifth place in a largemouth bass tournament at Lake Hopatcong during the weekend, Chris said. Nick was off when Chris gave this report, but Nick reportedly came 8 ounces shy of first place, landing his bass, including a couple of 4-pounders, far under the docks in 2 or 3 feet of waters on 4-inch Senko worms. Someone also reported hooking 12 keeper-sized largemouths on rubber frogs worked over the weeds at either Hopatcong or Greenwood Lake. Walleye fishing turned slower than before at Hopatcong and Greenwood, but the fish were socked in the middle of the night while they chased bait in the shallows. Fishing on the Passaic River was slow because of warm, low waters, but the waters should rise in fall. Fishing on the trout streams is hardly ever done during the warm waters in the height of summer. But the few customers who fished for trout fly-rodded the fish in the heat. Flies produce better than bait in the warmth.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Shiners were the most popular item anglers bought at <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook, Burt said. They purchased the shiners for smallmouth and largemouth bass fishing. But Amy from the shop fly-rodded a few smallies on the South Branch of the Raritan River around Neshanic on wooly buggers. Largemouth anglers used the shiners at places like the farm ponds early and late in the day to avoid the heat. A few customers bought mostly terrestrial flies like ants and sometimes tricos to fish for trout on the Musconetcong River. Most were club members who fished a private stretch.

A few customers fished for hybrid striped bass at Manasquan Reservoir, landing the fish on chicken lives drifted on egg sinkers or split shots in the middle of the impoundment while chumming with the livers, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Others fished at Lake Riviera from the dirt road, rounding up crappies, chain pickerel and a largemouth bass here or there on killies and shiners. Some canoers picked at pickerel and yellow perch at the back of Forge Pond. Pickerel were angled from the cooler waters of the Trilco stretch of the Toms River upstream from the parkway. Locals call the river Trilco in that area, roughly from Route 166 to the Parkway. Trilco was a building supply store that is now closed, and no sign identifies any of the area as Trilco anymore. Shiners ran out at the shop but will be restocked toward the end of the week, and killies and nightcrawlers are on hand.

Smallmouth bass were toggled up from the Delaware River north of Lambertville, said Sean from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. Catfish could be clocked in the river closer to the shop in the deep holes. Impale a bait like herring or a worm or even a hot dog on a three-way rig with a weight to sink to the bottom. Largemouth bass fishing was also best in the deeper, cooler holes at places like the lakes at the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area. Fish with jigs, including shaky-head jigs, tipped with anything like a Keitech or other soft-plastics or rubber baits. But one customer kept buying shiners, saying he used them to hit largemouths hard, including 3- and 4-pounders, at irrigation ponds.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Kids who caught bluegills at Puppyland Pond and the spillway across the road from Blackwood Lake made up most of the action, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> in Blackwood. Meal worms under a bobber were hard to beat for bait. But largemouth bass were sometimes latched into at the pond at the vocational school on Cross Keys Road. Anglers there worked all kinds of lures and rubber worms.

Lou from <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown was away last week, he said. But minnows had to be restocked a couple of times last week when he was gone, so they seemed to be the popular bait for chain pickerel and largemouth bass. Late in the day or early in the mornings, before the sun rises high, should be the most active times for the fish.

Though the summertime warmth made lots of freshwater fishing slow, largemouth bass fishing was fair at the Salem Canal, always a summertime haunt for bigmouth anglers, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Rubber worms including Senkos are most popular. If anglers never fished the canal, the largemouths can be hooked generally anyplace from the boat launch, on Route 40 in Carney’s Point, through the whole canal. <a href="http://www.sjhhclub.110mb.com/salem.htm" target="_blank">Click here</a> for info and a map from the South Jersey Hawg Hunters Bass Club. Bridgeton’s Sunset Lake was another notable bass fishery, not a great producer in the heat, but decent. Fishing at Union Lake was tough in the warmth, but if anglers there try for largemouths, fish the lily pads with lures like frogs or soft plastics. No matter where largemouth anglers fish, they should angle during early mornings, evenings or at night, and mid days gave up slow catches or none. Anglers scored a bit of activity on the Maurice River with largemouths, catfish and occasional resident striped bass. In saltwater, summer flounder anglers might be better off fishing the ocean at spots like the reefs or the Old Grounds off Delaware. The flatties continued to be boated at places like Delaware Bay, but the time was here when the fish were probably starting to migrate to the ocean.

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