<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Adirondacks</b>

Twenty-four inches of snow was forecasted to slam the area today, and that frankly is going to slow  ice-fishing participation a couple of days, said Jeff at <b>FISH307.com</b> in Lake George. The crew at the shop should know by Thursday morning what kind of shape the ice is in. Previously conditions for ice angling were shaping up well on Lake George. The hard waters were becoming thicker, and the snow was becoming packed down, and mostly yellow perch and lake trout were pulled in. All the other local lakes and ponds also offered fishable ice. “Lots of ice,” Jeff said. All the bait is fully loaded at the shop. So is all the gear from tons of lures to electronics and everything between.

<b>Salmon River</b>

Temps rarely reached above 20 degrees, and that kept some from fishing, but steelheads were banked when anglers hit the river, said Ben from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. Snowfall hadn’t hampered anglers much, but 16 inches was supposed to fall today. The river flowed low at 285 CFS, making the fish gather in the pools and not move around much. Pink worms, trout beads and stoneflies coaxed bites. Ice fishing was productive, and plenty of fishable ice was formed. Sandy Pond served up yellow perch and a few walleyes through the hard waters, and so did Lake Oneida. Ice anglers also targeted walleyes through the frozen Guffins Bay on Lake Ontario. Yellow perch also swam there, but most anglers honed in on walleyes on the bay. All Seasons stocks all the ice-fishing supplies along with the full array of steelhead bait and tackle.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Customers were mainly interested in one thing: ice-fishing supplies, said Don from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Ledgewood. Deep snow covered the ponds and smaller lakes locally, and Don hadn’t seen the larger waters like Lake Hopatcong or Greenwood Lake, but he imagined winds helped blow snow off them in at least some spots. But nothing much was heard about the fishing on those lakes and also Budd Lake. Lake Aeroflex was a place to head for trout through the ice, and one customer kept catching them.

Plenty of ice, about 9 to 15 inches, covered the lake, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. So did a foot of snow. Good catches of yellow perch and crappies were angled through the ice off the state park, the islands and Woodport. An occasional walleye was tackled, but none of size. A 15-pound channel catfish was jigged off Chestnut Point in deeper waters. Bob Acetta weighed in a 3-pound 14-ounce chain pickerel that he jigged. The Knee Deep Club’s second ice-fishing tournament this season on the lake is set for Sunday, February 20. Anglers can call the shop for info: 973-663-3826.

Mark from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield made the ice-fishing rounds at Highlands Lakes, Cranberry Lake and Greenwood Lake, he said. A foot of ice or more covered each, and so did thick snow. At Highlands Lakes he bailed lots of panfish but no bigger fish like northern pike or muskies. At Cranberry he copped good fishing for mostly sunnies and chain pickerel, and at Greenwood he landed panfish. Mostly panfish, no big fish, were on the take at all the waters. He also cod fished on the Helen H in Montauk on Sunday. The catches slowed to a crawl on that trip, but, he heard, were super on the boat on Saturday. Lots of cod and sizeable ones were reportedly axed that day. Ice-fishing gear and many of the ice baits are stocked at the shop.

A couple of customers said they barreled up great fishing on the ice, said Burt from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. One put a beating on chain pickerel at a lake near Lake Hopatcong. All the usual lakes like Hopatcong held fishable ice. Burt heard that Round Valley Reservoir was almost completely frozen, but didn’t know if the ice there was fishable. A customer said a small patch of clear waters was seen toward the middle of the rez. Many customers bought ice-fishing baits including shiners, spikes, meal worms and wax worms, and picked up plenty of ice-angling tackle, at the shop.

<b>South Jersey</b>

The ice had been thick enough to fish on waters like the lakes at the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area and Prospertown Lake, said Sean from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. But the days were becoming warmer, and who knows how long the fishing will last? Ice anglers mostly jigged panfish at those lakes. Customers had been catching smallmouth bass at the Trenton power plant on the Delaware River. Sean was unsure whether the plant was turned on during the last few days, pumping warm waters that attract the smallies, walleyes and catfish in winter. The plant had been turned on for about the last month.

Ice covering the lakes kept fishing at a standstill, said Jeff from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Even when the ice had been fishable during the colder weather this winter, reports about anyone ice fishing are uncommon locally. The weather now began to warm, and walking on the ice might no longer be an option. Still, the lakes were covered, and casting a line was impossible, too. Trying for a bite at the open waters at the spillways is always an option. Baits including minnows and worms could draw a gobble, or small jigs could connect. Now was a good time to bring in reel repairs and get ready for spring.

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