<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

A handful of salmon, mostly kings and a few Cohos, began to trickle up the river, and were fought from the Sportsman’s Pool down to Lake Ontario, said Don from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. Windy weather mostly prevented boaters for trying for the salmon staged in the lake, getting ready to migrate up the river. Dave also heard about a few brown trout and steelheads banked from the river. Sponges, rubber eggs and baits like that turned up the salmon, and worms, eggs and flies drew the trout and steelheads to strike. The river was raised to 335 CFS, up from 185 last week.

<b>Oswego River</b>

Fishing for king salmon and brown and rainbow trout was just beginning on the Oswego, said Larry from <b>Larry’s Oswego Salmon Shop</b> in the town of Oswego. Most of the fish held at the Varick Street dam. The salmon usually enter the river first, but the trout have been coming up at the same time in recent years. The salmon were about two weeks late, but that should mean the fishing will last later. The angling doesn’t last long, so don’t wait to go, but it usually lasts until the end of October. The fish might remain until the beginning of November this year, because of the late start. Whether the salmon were stacked up in Lake Ontario, staged to shoot up the river for the migration, was unknown. Windy weather kept boaters from fishing the lake since Friday. Egg sacks, trout beads and estaz flies will hook the catches. When the run is going strong, anglers will land them on stick baits and deep-diving crank baits at the deep channel behind the shop. The Oswego is a deep river. When the river is running at 1,000 CFS, that’s low waters. But on most rivers the flow would be a blow-out. The river was currently running low. A few walleyes could be nabbed on the river at Utica Street on nightcrawlers.

<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

One angler banked 35 smallmouth bass on a trip on the Delaware River upstream from the Route 202 Bridge between Lambertville and New Hope last week, said Bill from <b> Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Philadelphia. Bill noticed that the river was up 12 inches and was 5 to 10 degrees cooler than a couple of weeks ago. Another angler in that area reeled in 30 to 60 smallies per trip, swimming minnows close to shore for the best numbers of smaller bronzebacks 6 to 10 inches, fishing the main river with rubber grubs to nail fewer but bigger ones. But the most smallmouths were clocked by rafters or tubers drifting farther upstream from Frenchtown to Point Pleasant. A wader at Point Pleasant, who complained that higher, cooler waters made wading difficult, hooked more than 100 smallmouths through last week. He fished along the ledges and bridge abutments,  finding that rubber grubs, spinners and Rapala lures worked best. Another who fished farther upriver at the Delaware Water Gap beat 35 smallies to 18 inches on one day and 24 of the fish to 16 inches on another. A few walleyes, striped bass and catfish were mixed in. Still, anglers who fished farther downstream at Yardley said smallmouth fishing was good, even if the bass were small. They picked up 15 to 25 of the fish, mostly 12-inchers or smaller, per trip. Smallmouth fishing was productive on many of the streams, and Perkiomen Creek was best. Waters there were low, so the fish, 5- to 10-inchers, gathered in the pools, easy to target. Customers hooked a few smallmouths on Pennypack and Tohickon creeks. One said smallmouth fishing was slow on Neshaminy Creek, but all the rock bass and bluegills anyone could want bit in the waters. On the lower Delaware River at place like off Station and Linden avenues toward Northeast Philadelphia, fishing racked up solid fishing for catfish 1 to 5 pounds and striped bass 10 to 20 inches, occasionally larger. The catfish inhaled nightcrawlers, chicken livers and shrimp, and the stripers scarfed up bloodworms, chicken livers and shrimp. Some who fished the river downstream from the Betsy Ross Bridge bloodwormed more than 25 stripers apiece on trips. Farther downstream at Chester, plenty of catfish and small stripers chewed, and shad, small ones, herring, spots, croakers and bunker were netted. Anglers hooked those fish on top-and-bottom rigs to catch cats to 8 pounds and stripers to 16 inches. Largemouth bass fishing went well on the lower river, though few reported trying for them. The bucketmouths were mostly 13 to 15 inches, but a few weighed up to 4 pounds. One angled up 5 to 15 of the bucketmouths per trip on top-water lures when the bass were on batfish and on spinner baits, Rat-L-Traps and crank baits when fishing structure. Another at Tullytown Cove totaled two to five largemouths per trip on nightcrawlers and shiners. He grabbed the most while floating the bait in the tide over the rock piles. In still waters largemouths, yellow perch and bluegills were yanked from Lake Luxembourg in Core Creek Park. No big numbers of the bass were cranked up, but some weighed 3 to 4 pounds. One customer hung a 5-pound 5-ouncer. At Lake Nockamixon a customer creamed 10 to 25 largemouths, chain pickerel, crappies, yellow perch and bluegills on two different days off the docks. Another at Nockamixon pelted lots of largemouths before sunrise in the lily pads and along the pad lines with weedless frogs, buzz baits and plastic worms. Once the sun came up, he still caught, but not as many, while throwing crank baits. Not a lot of reports rolled in to the shop at this time of year.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

A 45- to 48-inch musky was released and about a 40-incher was hooked but lost at the boat on a trip to Echo Lake on Monday, said Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> in Montvale. He fished solo on the outing, and that was the most action from muskies he saw since the heat of summer. The angling seemed to be waking up. The bigger fish was snagged in the tail when Dave dropped a white Bagley Big Game Spinner to the bottom then jerked it up to get the spinner moving. The 40-incher that got off hit the same lure within 5 minutes of the trip beginning. Dave saw the musky follow the spinner, sped up the lure, and the fish attacked. Many muskies are missed once the fish is seen, because anglers become excited to see the huge fish, losing concentration on the action of the lure. Speeding up the lure triggered the fish to pounce, apparently because the bait looked like it began to flee. Waters were in the 70s, and Dave’s trips will keep musky fishing, his favorite angling, and will continue fishing for walleyes on the lakes. Catches should be good through early fall. 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.

Lake Hopatcong anglers boated hybrid striped bass at night on livelined herring, sometimes on Zara Spooks, said Kevin from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Ledgewood. He heard about catfish pulled in from the lake. The Delaware River ran low, but smallmouth bass hit in the waters on Senko worms or 1/16-ounce Keitech jigs drifted slowly. Trout streams ran low, so fishing there was slow. But rains last week and cooler weather lately helped the angling a bit. A few customers fished for trout at Ken Lockwood Gorge early in the mornings or late in the evenings with terrestrial flies like ants and beetles.

Catches somewhat picked up on the lake, and should improve in cooler weather that’s forecast, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. Hybrid striped bass hit better during the past days, and Jim Welsh and Stan Stelmack swam livelined herring to tie into the fish to 7 pounds. Crappies were around, gobbling fathead minnows, small herring or small jigs. Largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and chain pickerel sometimes pounced. The Knee Deep Club’s walleye tournament will take place on the lake this Saturday and Sunday.

Much fishing was at a standstill as anglers waited for fish to become more active as waters cooled, said Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. Even he was busy with other activities, not fishing in the past days, unusual for him, though he’ll quickly return. If he were going to target largemouth bass on the lakes, he’d fish the weed beds close to the banks and the waters off docks, not under the docks. Waters probably cooled a little, so the bass probably no longer sought shade underneath docks like before. He’d toss Keitech soft plastics or Senko worms or jigs like those from Keitech, tipped with a Keitech Spider or a Sweet Beaver or a Yamamoto Kreature, or Megastrike Evolution Jigs or drop-shots. Drop-shots were deadly this year, and Nick usually fishes them deep, but other anglers used them in 6 to 8 feet with plenty of success. Waters will turn over soon. He heard about lakes in the low 70s, and they’ll turn over once they reach 60 to 65. That will turn off fishing a moment, but then the angling will take off again. The Passaic River ran low, too low for most fishing. A few carp were hauled from the upper river. But the fishing will come into its own for fish like northern pike when waters rise in fall. The angling becomes excellent when that happens. When the river rises a lot, striped bass even head up.

More customers than before began fishing the lakes and streams, buying up lots of bait, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Waters were warm, and the angling was yet to be great, but if anglers go, they’ll catch something, whether largemouth bass, chain pickerel, crappies or panfish. Not a lot of largemouths were lit up from Manasquan Reservoir, but a few were rapped on 8-inch rubber worms on ½-ounce worm weights worked slowly along the bottom, the only way to connect in the warm waters. Hybrid striped bass were dredged up from the bottom of the rez on chicken livers. Some anglers tried with no luck to catch largemouths at the Ocean County pond at night on popper lures. Water temps needed to drop. But Dennis saw a few kids landing bluegills there. A couple of customers were tugging in pickerel from Forge Pond on spinners. The Trilco stretch of the Toms River around the Parkway was ever a place to play pickerel. Trilco used to be a building supply shop but no longer exists, but locals call the stretch Trilco. Crappies pounced on killies under bobbers under the bridge at Lake Carasaljo.

<b>South Jersey</b>

A few largemouth bass were toggled up from the Delaware River, but rains that would cool the waters would help, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b> in Brooklawn. Lots of big catfish were hoisted from the river. But good fishing for largemouths was clubbed at many of the lakes, mostly on shiners or nightcrawlers, but sometimes on Senko worms or creature baits. Haddon Lake and Audubon Lake gave them up, including some topping 4 and 5 pounds. Newton Lake produced. Crappies were snatched from the Cooper River at Camden at times. News was scarce from saltwater because of rough seas from the remnants of last week’s hurricane and windy weather. Big Timber carries bait and tackle for fishing in all waters from freshwater to bays to offshore.

Waters ran low on the Delaware River, but the pools that were formed concentrated smallmouth bass, making them easier to target, said Frank from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. Anglers knuckled them in at Frenchtown and farther downstream on small popper, top-water or shallow-diving lures. Some of the fish were good-sized, and Frank heard about ones to 3 pounds. Largemouth bass fishing probably remained the same as before, though the cooler weather should improve catches. Previously Frank said customers bought shiners and nightcrawlers for largemouth fishing at places like Gropp’s Lake and the lakes at the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area. The big lake there, Assunpink Lake, turned out slow fishing for largemouths at the time, for unknown reasons. But the other two lakes, Rising Sun and Stone Tavern, were  better. No customers talked about catfishing on the Delaware, but the whiskerfaces should be able to be rounded up. The <a href="http://www.drfishermen.com/
" target="_blank">Delaware River Fisherman Association</a>’s Big Cat Shootout will take place on the river September 25 at Lightening Jack’s Marina.

Few customers stopped by during the past week, and they all seemed to take advantage of activities like going to the shore in the last days of the summer season up to Labor Day, said Lou from <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown. But some bought minnows on Tuesday, the day after the holiday, and anglers seemed to pick up minnows and nightcrawlers, both plentiful at the shop, to fish the local lakes for chain pickerel, largemouth bass or whatever bites. Anglers looked forward to the fall and winter trout stockings, and particularly big trout to 8 pounds will be stocked. “So that’ll be nice,” Lou said.

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