Fri., March 29, 2024
Moon Phase:
Waning Gibbous
More Info
Inshore Charters
Offshore Charters
Party Boats
Saltwater
Tackle Shops &
Marinas
Saltwater
Boat Rentals
Freshwater
Guides
Freshwater
Tackle Shops
Brrr ...
It's Cold:
Upstate N.Y.
Ice Fishing
Upstate N.Y.
Winter Steelhead &
Trout Fishing
Long Island, N.Y.
Winter
Cod &
Wreck Fishing

New Jersey Freshwater Fishing Report 12-21-11


<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

Steelhead fishing on the river was “day to day,” said Ben from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski, because the flow of the waters fluctuated drastically. The river was raised and lowered several times between 335 and 1,800 CFS in the last week, and was at 1,250 on Tuesday. But plenty of steelheads swam the river, and quite a few anglers fished the waters, often scoring well. They adjusted tactics according to the flow, like searching for slow waters when the river ran high, and fast when it ran low. Fly fishing became difficult when the river was high. And so on. The weather also fluctuated a lot lately. Temperatures ranged from days in the 50s to a low of 10 to 15 degrees. Not a lot of snow covered grounds. No snow did in Pulaski, but a couple of inches lay on Redfield. 

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Not a lot happened with fishing during this holiday week, and customers holiday shopped more than fished, said Don from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Ledgewood. Plus the trout streams ran high. He saw the Rockaway River overflowing into the parking lot at Saint Clare’s. The river wasn’t as high as it had been, but ran heavy. Nothing was heard about anyone actually fishing the trout streams or the lakes like Lake Hopatcong.

Lots of customers picked up shiners for bait for northern pike fishing on the Passaic River, said Mark from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. But no results were heard, and the focus was on holiday shopping. But walleye fishing was tremendous at Lake Hopatcong on ice-fishing jigs.

One angler and a friend found trout fishing slow from the shoreline on a trip to Round Valley Reservoir, said Jody from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport</b> in an e-mail. They only copped two hits, but one was from a 3-pound lake trout landed on a floated nightcrawler. Another angler and friend waxed four hybrid striped bass 4 to 6 ½ pounds and a few crappies at Spruce Run Reservoir on extra-large shiners. Another customer hammered seven lake trout and two brown trout at Merrill Creek Reservoir, “all on spoons,” Jody said. “Otherwise, it has been slow on reports coming in,” she said.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Trout should still chomp for shore anglers at Round Valley Reservoir, said Ron from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. One customer said stream fishing for trout was slowing down. But another reported bailing a good catch of trout at the North Branch of the Raritan River in the slow waters on spinners fished deep and slow.

A few chain pickerel were reported caught on the Toms River at Trilco, said Jeff from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. The stretch of river, located at the Parkway, called Trilco because of a building supply by that name that closed down, is always a spot to tangle with picks. No sign identifies the building as Trilco anymore. Shiners and spinners should attract pickerel to bite, and Jeff fished with those at Winding River, but hooked nothing. There he usually lands pickerel, maybe a couple of largemouth bass, and also fished with rubber worms for the bass on the trip, without luck. Shiners and killies ran out at the shop, but worms are stocked.

Back to Top