<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

The season’s biggest run of king and Coho salmon so far pushed up the river by the weekend, a report on <b>Salmon River Guide</b> from Pulaski’s Web site said. Lots of the fish swam along the lower river to mid river. Plus plenty of salmon were drift-boated at the mouth of the river at Lake Ontario at night and in the mornings. So plenty of the fish remained to migrate up the Salmon River. Looking ahead, November and December are great months for steelheading on the river. Get in on the fish on a heated drift boat, “the best way to cover a lot of water effectively,” the report said. Fly fishing, center-pin fishing and spin fishing are offered for the trips. Steelheads move up the river then, spend the winter, spawn in spring, then return to Lake Ontario. Fishing for them is world class through winter.

Very good salmon fishing was socked on the river, said Eric from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. Most were kings, and the major run of Cohos already happened this season. A few steelheads were currently mixed in. Egg sacks and egg fly imitations clocked the salmon, and the river ran at 335 CFS.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Strong winds were forecast, so a guided trip aboard Greenwood Lake was cancelled Saturday, said Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale. But he headed to the lake on his own that day, and the weather wasn’t bad, was overcast, but that was good for walleye fishing, so he took a shot at the fish. A couple of walleyes to 4 pounds were trolled and released. He returned Sunday to the lake, and the weather was windy and overcast, and temperatures had dropped. But this time the weather seemed too much, and Dave marked plenty of walleyes, but none would bite. Fall fishing can be funny like that: easy on one day, tough on another. Conditions like volatile weather can affect the bite as the season changes from summer to winter. But fall sometimes serves up super days of catching, the best of the year. Greenwood was 68 degrees, warm, making the fish hold fairly deep. Live to Fish is concentrating on walleyes and muskies, and Dave met an angler at the dock who landed several tiger muskies to 42 inches on Saturday. The 42-incher pounced on a small Berkley Flicker Shad crank bait, and tigers like small lures. Tigers are no longer stocked at the lake, but Dave nailed a 30- to 40-incher there the previous weekend, covered in the last report, and fishing for tigers, a hybrid between a northern pike and a musky, seemed on at Greenwood. Dave’s walleye trips in fall typically troll the walleye rods and, in the prop wash, one musky rod. In summer his walleye trips cast top-water plugs at night. True-strain muskies should be starting to bite, Dave figures, and his trips also target them specifically. Muskies are called the fish of 10,000 casts, but anglers fish for them, because a catch can be the biggest fish of an angler’s life. Largemouth bass fishing seemed active on Greenwood, because Dave saw a number of the bass boated while a largemouth tournament took place there during the weekend. Largemouths also seemed to bite on Lake Hopatcong. Dave’s friend, a tournament largemouth angler, axed a 6-pound bucketmouth and won a tournament at Hopatcong during the weekend.  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.

The long stretch of cloudy, sometimes rainy, rough weather seemed to keep many from fishing, said Todd from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Ledgewood. A few customers were headed to Lake Hopatcong for walleyes and hybrid striped bass. But most customers either geared up for salmon that swam upstate New York’s Salmon River or striped bass that began to fill the surf at Sandy Hook. Fall trout stocking will begin Tuesday. Trouters in fall who bait fish often use salmon eggs, and who fly fish often work patterns like midges.

Not much happened with the lake’s fishing, but reports sometimes rolled in about hybrid striped bass, walleyes and chain pickerel caught, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. The ‘brids and ‘eyes were usually walloped on livelined herring, and the picks were usually punched on Mepps spinners. Yellow perch were plucked on small livelined herring. The shop will be open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. the next few weeks, and the rental boats will be available into November sometime.

The anglers on 15 of 16 boats limited out on largemouth bass at Monksville Reservoir during a tournament for the fish over the weekend, buddies who were entered in the event said, Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield reported. So the fishing was good, and all the anglers entered great weights, and nearly anything caught: jigs, Senkos, top-water lures and spinner baits. Nick tackled lots of largemouths, small ones, but fun, at Dahnerts Lake, like he did the previous week. Most of the bass were 6 or 7 inches, but abundant, a blast on 3- to 4-foot ultralight rods with 3-inch Senkos. One of the bass was finally better-sized, nearly 2 pounds: Nick on a trip winged that bass and five “dinks,” he said. Forecasts call for 70-degree weather in the next days, and maybe that will push largemouths into the shallows, Nick hopes. Nothing was heard about angling on Lake Hopatcong and Greenwood Lake. Lots of northern pike were pummeled on the Passaic River in the eddies on shiners. Lots of striped bass began to be slugged on the river on Storm swim baits. Fall trout stocking will begin Tuesday.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Boaters on Round Valley Reservoir trolled rainbow, brown and lake trout on flies, said Braden from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. A couple of customers pounded lakers, good catches, on Monksville Reservoir on herring livelined along the bottom. Fall trout stocking will get under way Tuesday, and Mike’s Salmon Eggs in pink shrimp are Braden’s favorite bait for the trout. The fish like the shrimp scent this time of year. For lures, Braden favors Rapalas and Mepps or Blue Fox spinners, using a silver blade in clear waters, and gold in dirty.

One angler was buying shiners, floating them out with no weight on Manasquan Reservoir from the rock wall, whacking a largemouth bass every 10, 15 or 20 minutes, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. The bass cruised along the shoreline. The same angler fished the same way, floating shiners, behind the boat rentals at the reservoir, hooking a largemouth or a hybrid striped bass once in a while. Floating shiners was probably best at the reservoir. At Lake Riviera a customer clapped crappies and chain pickerel at the waterfall on Brick Boulevard on killies under a bobber. Pickerel were burned on the Toms River around the Parkway at Trilco, the building supply that closed down. Killies worked best, but spinners connected. But kayakers, fishing Rapalas and spinners, scored the most, able to hit the nooks and crannies. Fall trout stocking will kick off on Tuesday, and the trout baits like trout worms and baby nightcrawlers will be stocked, and all the trout supplies will be on hand. Shiners, killies and nightcrawlers, regular-sized, are currently carried.

The weather was tough, and few customers fished, said Frank from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. Bait sales were flat. The Delaware River was flooded and “nasty,” he said. Half the town of Riverside was flooded because of the river’s high tides during the new moon last week. On the ponds, waters were a couple of feet high. “A couple of guys fished in the parking lot,” Frank joked. “That’s what it’s like.” But here’s the next best thing to fishing: Catch the shop’s Fall Fishing Clearance Sale featuring tackle like Mepps spinners, Power Baits and Senkos.

Customers mostly honed in on largemouth bass and crappies, said Dom from <b>Barracuda’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Riverside. Lake Lonnie and a bunch of the small lakes in Mount Laurel were go-to destinations for the largemouths, and most fished for them with shiners. But the bass bit on top, so lures like spinners worked. Olympia Lakes, harboring large crappies, were a top locale for the slabs. Some anglers swore by minnows for crappies, but others tossed Trout Magnets or Beetle Spins for them. The Delaware River at Riverside “was a mess,” Dom said. The bridge was closed three times for flooding. Once in a while a customer took a shot at fishing the river for catfish or the fall run of striped bass that sometimes happens. But Dom doubts the river will clear up for striper fishing this fall.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Striped bass, nearly all throwbacks, schooled the Delaware River, and the river was loaded with catfish, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b> in Brooklawn. Largemouth bass, good catches, were on the bite at the Cooper River, Newton Lake and lots of small, private ponds. Largemouths gave up tugs at Stewart Lake and Greenwich Lake. Crappies gathered in the Cooper, like at the bridges. Wilson Lake harbored plenty of crappies.

Chain pickerel were clubbed on minnows at New Brooklyn Lake, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> in Blackwood. A couple of anglers dredged up a couple of sizeable catfish to 21 or 22 inches at Grenloch Lake. Grenloch is slated to be stocked with trout on Tuesday, October 18, for the fall trout stocking. Nothing was heard about other fishing, like for largemouth bass or panfish. But panfish can always be toggled in from the spillways like at Blackwood Lake on worms like mealies.

Fish like largemouth bass, crappies and chain pickerel should be able to be plowed at the lakes, but customers all hunted, said Jim from <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown. Nothing was heard about local waters like Wilson Lake because of that.

Smallmouth bass were pulled from Union Lake, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Senkos and shallow crank baits seemed popular for the angling, and that was some of the only freshwater news. Still, one angler talked about faring okay on smallies at Lake Audrey. Largemouth bass could probably be drummed up from Union. Soft plastics like worms or creature baits were favorites for largemouths this time of year. Fall trout stocking will launch on Tuesday.

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