<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

Fishing for steelheads was good on the river, said Eric from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. All steelheads, no trout to speak of, swam the river, mostly in the upper to mid stretches. Trout beads, egg sacks and pink worms caught them, and the river ran at 335 CFS. Nighttimes started to be cold, but days were relatively mild. The lakes were nowhere near being iced over yet.

The river’s level was lowered way down to 335 CFS, after being raised as high as 1,500, and the weather became cold, so fishing for steelheads on the waters became tougher, said Capt. Shane Thomas from <b>Salmon River Guide</b> from Pulaski. Still, a trip Monday, when Shane gave this report over the phone, landed 12 steelheads. So that wasn’t bad, and the fishing just took more work than before. The angling was better later in the day, when waters warmed. Monday morning was 19 degrees, and Sunday morning was 22. Snow, 8 to 10 inches, dumped in 3 hours on the area Saturday, and that will also cool waters. Shane’s trips grabbed the steelheads on trout beads, pink worms and egg sacks under floats. Other drift-boaters scored fair catches on back-trolled Rapala and Luhr-Jensen Hot Shot lures. Fly-casters connected on egg imitations and nymphs. The steelheads began to move to deeper holes. Trips are available for steelheading, and the angling is world-class through winter. Steelheads enter the river in fall, remain through winter, spawn in the waters in spring, then return to Lake Ontario.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

One last musky was nailed on the final trip of the year on the boat with <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale, Capt. Dave Vollenweider said. The fish was trolled at Greenwood Lake on a spoonplug two weekends ago. Spoonplugging is the method that E.L. Buck Perry made famous and wrote about in his book by that title. Perry became known for pounding incredible catches of muskies, like three in a day or six in a day. In musky fishing, a catch is usually no guarantee, but anglers chase the fish, because a catch can be the biggest in an angler’s life. Dave tried spoonplugging on the trip, and hooked the musky within 5 minutes. Dave winterized the boat but might guide ice-fishing trips this winter.

Trout streams ran “crazy high,” said Eric from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Ledgewood. So not much was heard about fishing. But walleyes were heard about last week that were jigged on Lake Hopatcong.

A few customers trout fished, banking the catches on the Ramapo and Pequest rivers on pink salmon eggs, said Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. Crappies and yellow perch were yanked from Lake Hopatcong off the state park on fathead minnows and small shiners. Crappies were active this time of year, and Nick planned to angle for them at a private lake he fishes in Vernon. Walleyes were jigged at Greenwood Lake on spoons. Nothing was heard about the Passaic River, and Nick was surprised. The river ran high, but fishing for striped bass is usually good on the Passaic in waters about the current level this time of year.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

One angler who stopped by had jigged a few lake trout on Round Valley Reservoir, said Braden from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Another bought meal worms to fish for trout on the North Branch of the Raritan River. No results were heard, and not much was heard about fishing. But anglers who fish for trout this time of year often fly fish with bead-headed nymphs, spin fish with Panther Marin spinners with silver or gold blades, or bait fish with Mike’s pink salmon eggs.

A customer who bought shiners once or twice a week reported very good fishing with them at Turn Mill Pond for big bluegills and a few largemouth bass and chain pickerel, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. The angler, fishing from shore, met a boater fishing for largemouths on the lake, who reported excellent catches on shiners. Turn Mill, located at the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area, was fishing well this season, because fish from Prospertown Lake were relocated to Turn Mill when the dam failed at Prospertown earlier this year. A couple of customers fishing Lake Riviera banked pickerel, crappies and largemouths, not great catches, but picking them, from the dirt road. Yellow perch nipped in the Toms River at Trilco on nightcrawlers for shoreline anglers. Trilco is a building supply that closed down, and no sign identifies the building, but it’s located near the Parkway. Trilco, as locals call the stretch of river, is also known for good pickerel fishing. The picks will bite straight through winter on shiners or even spinners. Shiners, killies and nightcrawlers are stocked.   

<b>South Jersey</b>

Walleyes had been caught on the Delaware River, but nothing was heard about them lately, said Chris from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. Little was heard about any freshwater fishing. But previously the shop reported good walleye catches on the river including at Trenton and Frenchtown on thin, shallow-running crank baits like Rapala X-Raps and Storm Thundersticks and on shiners. The river’s smallmouth bass fishing was likely slow in cold waters. Though nothing was heard about lake fishing, now was a time when shiners were a good choice to fish on lakes in the lower temperatures.

Crappies were on the bite on Lake Assunpink and Rising Sun Lake “around the wood,” said Carl from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Fathhead minnows on small, 1/32-ounce hair or marabou jigs under floats nabbed them in the lakes, located in the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area. Walleyes were walloped on the Delaware River at Scudders Falls on black Berkley Gulp leaches on ¼-ounce jigs. The river ran somewhat high and dirty but fishable.

A few reports rolled in about decent fishing for crappies at Union Lake, mostly on minnows, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Chain pickerel fishing was fair on the lakes, on minnows or spinners. But rains last week dirtied the lakes, slowing fishing, keeping fishing reports to a minimum. In saltwater, the few boaters with vessels still in the waters socked striped bass on Delaware Bay.

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