<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

Steelheads, “lots and lots,” said Capt. Shane Thomas from <b>Salmon River Guide</b> in Pulaski, began filling the river. The amount was surprising this early in the season. “It’s crazy,” he said. “November looks like it’ll be on fire.” Trips with him landed 15 to 20 per day four days in a row through Monday. They were drift-boated on the upper river, but steelies swam throughout the river. Anglers aboard floated beads for the catches, but other anglers also connected on flies. The river was kept at a 335 CFS flow through Monday, though runoff from rains probably made the flow 500 CFS. The salmon was slated to be raised to 750 CFS on Monday night, after a season of low waters. The weather was turning with the season. Days were becoming colder and rainier, and rains, not lots, but rains, were predicted for the first several days of this week. Shane’s trips always begin honing in on the river’s steelheads through winter, after the fall salmon run ends there. But this was early. Still, salmon remained in the river, spawning everywhere, and salmon that were fresh from Lake Ontario were also seen, not a big run, but some. Salmon fishing will probably last another week. Salmon River Guide, after focusing on salmon in fall on the river, nails steelheads on the Salmon straight through the cold months. The fish winter there, giving up a world-class fishery. Steelheads then spawn in spring in the river, and return to the lake. 

The river’s salmon migration was coming near to the end for the season, but angling for them was good, said Ben from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. Lots of steelheads crammed the river. King salmon mostly gathered in the upper river, and most steelheads swam the lower river, though steelies were found throughout the waters. The usual egg sacks, imitation eggs and flies hooked the fish. The river was raised to 750 CFS, and the reservoir slowly filled, so waters could be released into the Salmon.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Crappies were nabbed on a trip on Greenwood Lake on Saturday with <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale, Capt. Dave Vollenweider said. The fish were punched on drop-shotted worms somewhat deep, and a white perch also grabbed one of the worms on the bottom, 30 feet down. The trip also trolled a little, and several big crappies jumped on the lures. No walleyes turned up on the troll, but something big was hooked a moment on a fire tiger Rapala Tail Dancer on a planer, but got off. Was probably a big walleye, but could’ve been a musky. Live to Fish is also fishing for walleyes and muskies, and waters were certainly warm enough, at 61 degrees. When the lakes reach the 50s, Dave expects especially good fishing, because the fish should feed-up for winter. None of the lakes seemed to turn over yet. A friend fished Monksville Reservoir, and another hit Lake Hopatcong, and both found 58-degree waters in the mornings. Dave hopes to fish into December, like he did last year. Autumn can be windy, sometimes challenging for fishing, but the season can offer some of the best angling of the year. 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.

Hybrid striped bass were clobbered on the lake during the weekend, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. Tony Farina got into dozens of the marble eyes to 7 pounds, a 4-pound 4-ounce smallmouth bass and a small walleye off Chestnut Point on herring livelined from the surface to 22 feet down. Jason Tate and friends scored a similar catch, including hybrids to an 8-pound 5-ouncer, the same way. Anglers began to jig walleyes off the deeper points on Rapalas and Gotchas. Crappies were swiped on small fathead minnows, and chain pickerel were mauled on Mepps spinners. The shop will remain open until mid November, including for boat rentals. Then the doors will be closed until being reopened for ice-fishing season. A large selection of ice-fishing tip ups, jigs, poles, creepers, jet sleds and live baits is carried. 

Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield’s final largemouth bass tournament of the season was held Sunday at Monksville Reservoir, he said. Only five or six largemouths were entered among the seven anglers, but they whaled loads of chain pickerel. But a buddy who pre-fished the rez on Thursday hacked lots of largemouths. So something changed, and maybe the slow down came from the rough weather toward the end of the week. The bass in the tournament were mostly waxed on 4-inch Keitechs in the weeds. The anglers probably should have fished for them at the wood after morning. The fishing shut down once the sun rose too high, and the bass probably retreated to the wood. But if anglers want pickerel, go to Monksville. Nick probably socked 20 pickerel in a row on a small fluke imitation worked to look like a beat up herring. After the rains toward the end of the week, the trout streams ran a little high. But Chris from the shop bailed good trouting afterward on the Big Flatbrook and the Ramapo River on fathead minnows. Lots of big trout swam the Flatbrook from the fall stocking, and Chris nailed a 4-pound, beautiful rainbow trout on the Ramapo. Most anglers he saw on the rivers fished with fatheads. But some used Rapalas, and butter worms somewhat caught. Nick heard about good trouting on lots of the streams from the stocking, including on the Wanaque River. Butter worms and nightcrawlers seemed the predominant baits to him, though fatheads also appeared productive. Nothing was heard about the Passaic River’s northern pike fishing.

Fishing mostly remained the same, said Jodie from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport Shop</b>. She previously reported that good trout fishing went down from the shoreline at Round Valley Reservoir, mostly for browns and rainbows. Power baits and/or meal worms caught them. But Spruce Run Reservoir’s fishing began to pick up since her last report, when angling there was slow. Now at Spruce, hybrid striped bass, but small ones, began to give up better catches. A few anglers fought northern pike at Spruce.

One angler was nabbing trout on the Toms  River at the Trout Conservation Area on spinners fished tight to the banks, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Another pulled in catches like one trout on one trip, two on another, on the Metedeconk River in Lakewood on Power Bait. One of the fish was 14 inches. A friend at Lake Riviera banked chain pickerel and a few largemouth bass from the dirt road between the waters on shiners. The angling wasn’t great, but was all right. Pickerel fishing was good on the Toms River at Trilco, the building supply that closed down near the Parkway. Dennis, walking his dog, saw an angler landing small largemouths at the front pond at the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area, on small poppers between the weeds and lily pads. Shiners, killies, nightcrawlers and garden worms are stocked.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

The trout streams seemed to flow at a healthy level, said Burt from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. He took a look at the waters at the fish ladder near the convergence of the Raritan and Millstone rivers. Waters there were too high to walk across the ladder, though he normally could walk across, but weren’t dirty. Customers said lots of trout anglers fished Ken Lockwood Gorge on Sunday. None seemed to score well, except one customer plucked a good catch on pale salmon-egg flies. Nothing was reported about largemouth bass fishing, though lots of customers bought shiners, and they mostly use the bait for largemouths. They use smaller shiners for trout.

Chain pickerel and largemouth bass were wrangled from the waters at the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area, said Carl from the <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Most anglers fished shiners for the picks, but some worked flashy spoons or spinners for them. Rubber worms worked deep and slow could clock the bass, because the fish began to move slowly in the cooler temps. Largemouths could also be rubber-wormed the same way at Stone Tavern Lake at the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area. The trout streams were stocked, and many customers fish the South Branch of the Raritan River for the stockers. The Delaware River ran high, but the river’s smallmouth bass fishing should be somewhat picking up. Shiners are a popular bait for them this time of year. But some anglers fish artificials slowly along the bottom for the smallies.

<b>South Jersey</b>

A few larger striped bass, and lots of small ones, were heard about that were reeled from the Delaware River, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b> in Brooklawn. Stripers should begin to swim in big schools in the river. Then anglers will cream lots. Currently a group of five anglers might land three sizeable stripers. Lots of catfish to 8 and 10 pounds sniffed around the river. A few fall-stocked trout were hung from Grenloch Lake and Oak Pond. Good-sized largemouth bass were beaten at waters including Newton Lake, Blackwood Lake and some of the ponds at Salem County, often on shiners. The bass sometimes weighed up to 5 and 6 pounds, and crank baits and jerk baits began to work well on them, too. Good fishing for crappies was winged at the Cooper River downstream from Route 130.

Fishing was all about the fall trout stocking, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> in Blackwood. Grenloch Lake shoveled up the catches on Power Bait and meal worms. Brooks and rainbows were the trout Ed saw from there. Oak Pond and Hammonton Lake were stocked around the same time as Grenloch last week. One customer was headed to fish for chain pickerel at New Brooklyn Lake, known for pickerels. But he said he didn’t fare too well on the fish lately.

Lots of crappies and chain pickerel were pounded, said Jim from <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown. Anglers kept stopping by for supplies for the angling, and Wilson Lake was the place heard about where anglers went for them. Customers bought trout bait and tackle to fish the fall trout stocking.

Largemouth bass fishing slowed a lot, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. The lakes were probably turning over, keeping the bass from biting, he thought. Though Union Lake previously dished up plenty of smallmouth and largemouth bass, the angling slowed, probably because of the turnover. But the catches should bust loose like before. A few of the fish were taken. Trout fishing was okay on the Maurice River, and Iona Lake seemed to dole out trout. Power Bait seemed to bait to soak. In saltwater, a few boaters launched on Delaware Bay for striped bass, decking a few, but the migration was yet to kick in.

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