<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Adirondacks</b>

Ice-fishing conditions became the best of the year, and this was prime time, said Jeff from <b>FISH307.com</b> in Lake George. Nights were cold, dipping to minus 5 to 10 degrees, and daytimes were cold enough. Eight to 15 inches, even 18 inches, of hard, dry ice, no slop on top, covered the lake. Yellow perch, the better-sized ones, hovered along the weed beds in 20- to 30-foot depths, and fishing for them was good. Smaller perch gathered in the shallows. Lake trout fishing went well in 60 to 100 feet, mostly at mid lake, or at drop offs where bays met the main lake. A 13-pound laker was cranked in from the lake near Dome Island last week. Landlocked salmon were sometimes tugged from the lake, usually from 2 to 3 feet under the ice in 60-foot depths, on icicles or emerald shiners on tip ups. A few ice contests were held Saturday and Sunday, and a couple of hundred entrants weighed in catches. Tremendous winds, gusting to 50 m.p.h., blew on Saturday, but the weather was better on Sunday. Another tournament on the lake at Hague, an inexpensive one only $15 to enter, will be held through this weekend. Tickets are available at the shop, and the store will be open early on Saturday for the event. Weigh in will be at Hague Fish & Gun Club on both days. All the ice baits are fully loaded up at the shop.

<b>Salmon River</b>

Some steelheads were getting ready to spawn in the river, began dropping eggs, said Capt. Shane Thomas from <b>Salmon River Guide</b> from Pulaski. The fish swim up the river in fall and winter, spawn in spring, then return to Lake Ontario, and fishing for them is on in the river until they return. Lots of fresh steelheads showed up in the lower to mid river during last week’s warm spell, and lots of “dark” steelies, fish that were in the river a while, swam the upper river. Time will have to pass for the fresh ones to push up that far. But the weather returned to very cold afterward, and the river remained low at 285 CFS. That wasn’t conducive to the easiest fishing, but Shane’s anglers scored a good couple of days on the catches, not tremendous, “but enough,” he said, during the warmth. Anglers crowded the river through the Presidents’ Day weekend. The angling will only get better as winter subsides, the snow thaws, and the river rises, becoming awesome in the next weeks. Shane had a busy slate of trips lined up for the rest of this week. Eggs, beads and pink worms all caught the fish. Ice fishing was great on Shane’s guided trips for healthy sized yellow perch and northern pike on Sandy Pond.

After warmer weather late last week, cold returned, including brutal cold during mornings this week, but good catches of steelhead were heard about from the river from nearly everyone, said Ben from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. Slush and ice flowed in the river, running low at 285 CFS, and hooked steelheads were sometimes lost when they broke off, because of ice. But the angling was good for the most part. The fish pooled up because of low waters, and most anglers fished the upper river at Ellis Cove and the fly-fishing zone. More slush and ice formed on the lower river. Pink worms and stoneflies and Wooly Buggers were popular. Lots of anglers flocked to the river during the warmer days last week, and also during Presidents’ Day weekend. Ice fishing was solid on ponds and lakes. Plenty of 16-inch ice was heard about, and the hard waters probably won’t disappear too soon. Yellow perch and occasional walleyes bit at Sandy Pond through the ice, and Guffins Bay on Lake Ontario was a favorite place for walleye ice-fishers. All Seasons carries all the ice-fishing supplies as well as the full gamut of steelhead gear.   

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

At <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Ledgewood, anglers mostly headed out for ice fishing on the lakes, Greg said. They angled yellow perch at places like Lake Hopatcong off Dow’s Boat Rentals. Some fished for trout on the Big Flatbrook and the Pequest River. On the Flatbrook, running clear and cold, they socked trout on size-14 stoneflies. But the fishing was slow on the Pequest, running somewhat high and muddy, once last week’s warm weather created snow runoff.

Plenty of ice, from 12 to probably 20 inches, covered the lake, and ice fishing picked up this past week, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. Good fishing for hefty crappies was crunched through the holes off the state park and Woodport. Anthony Accetta checked in a 1-pound 6-ounce crappie, and Bernie Yocius weighed in a 1-pound 2-ouncer. On the walleye front, Roman Pera jigged several, including a 6-pound 9-ouncer and a 5-pound 8-ouncer, in deeper waters during the weekend. Chris Czyz raked up a 3-pound 13-ounce walleye at Henderson’s Cove. Several sizeable largemouth bass were snatched on jigs or on shiners on tip ups. Lots of chain pickerel 3 to 5 pounds were bonked. Accetta brought in a 4-pound 2-ouncer. Victor Bador Jr. and Sr. came in with a 4-pound 4-ouncer and a 3-pound 3-ouncer, respectively. Dan McCarthy slapped a 4-pound 5-ouncer on the ice at Davis Cove. Last but not least, John Fernandez put the brakes on a 3-pound 3-ounce chainsider.

Was doubtful the ice opened on Lake Hopatcong, despite last week’s warmth, said Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. Two different anglers in four-wheel drives sank their trucks in the lake. They were safe, but the trucks were a problem. But Hopatcong’s fishing sounded about the same, like putting up yellow perch off the state park on tip ups and jigs, and turning out lots of perch and sometimes largemouth bass off Woodport. The shallows, 2 to 3 feet, at Lake Aeroflex were a spot to grab trout through the ice. Nobody mentioned ice fishing at Pompton Lakes. Ice angling was slow at Greenwood Lake this season, people said. But a customer there started catching fish, including a couple of muskies, 24- to 30-inchers or so, on tips ups. The customer heard others say the catches were slow, but he began finding bites. Maybe the fishing was picking up as ice-out approached, like can happen, Nick thought. A few customers began fishing on the Pequest River, and they scored. They landed sizeable trout on spinners, not bait. Some began to fish the Passaic River, looking for northern pike and striped bass, because the waters flowed well because of snow melt. High waters are the time to hit the river. However, the anglers found the river cold because of the melt, so the angling wasn’t ready to serve up bites. A couple of anglers kayaked the river from Nutley to Garfield, saying the waters were crystal clear, but they saw no fish at all, and the river was 42 degrees. The temp probably needs to amp up a few degrees. Lots of anglers will probably fish the Passaic during the high waters in the next weeks. Note that striper season is closed in rivers and bays until opening on Tuesday, so any stripers on the Passaic must be released until then. Catch the deals and specials that will be featured at the Meltzer’s exhibits at the World Fishing & Outdoor Exposition in Suffern, N.Y., next week on Thursday to Sunday, and the Saltwater Fishing Expo in Somerset, N.J., on March 18 to 20.

One of the staff from the shop and a couple of customers tried for trout at Ken Lockwood Gorge, said Pat from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. But they fared slow on catches, saying waters were cold. Not much ice formed on the river, but ice was frozen on the banks, they said. Customers ice fished, like at Lake Hopatcong, where some reported running down big crappies. Another staff member jumped on a New Jersey party boat for cod on the ocean, bagging 12, none big, but not a bad result. The shop’s annual pre-season sale will be held March 10 to 20. Sale items will include Gamma line from 2 to 20 pounds for 2 cents per yard, Power Pro braid at 20 percent off for 150-, 300- and 500-yard spools, fly lines at 30 percent off, some hard lures at 30 percent, Z-Man ChatterBaits at up to 50 percent, soft-plastic lures at 30 percent, Orvis fly rods at 30 percent, Orvis fly reels at 20 percent, Fin Strike saltwater fishing rigs at 25 percent, salmon eggs at 20 percent, Quantum Optic reels at 2-for-1, deck boots at 40 percent, and more.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Ice-out began on local lakes, and the ice was no longer fishable this week, said Chris from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. Yet the ice prevented anglers from casting a line. The Trenton power plant was turned off, no longer pumping warm waters into the Delaware River that attract smallmouth bass, striped bass, walleyes and catfish. So fishing was in limbo a moment. Striped bass season opens in the rivers and bays on Tuesday. A look at last year’s reports showed that the shop began to mention the local Delaware River’s first striper catches at the beginning of April. By mid April the fishing became serious, the shop reported, and herring migrated then. Shad were also reported swimming the river big time by mid April. Striper season becomes open on the river from Trenton to downstream throughout March, but closes there afterward through May. Stripers can be kept during the open season in that location, and anglers catch and release them there during the closed season. The closed season in April through May happens during the tremendous spawning run of big, mature stripers up the Big D.

Fish began to be landed here and there, as anglers got back on the waters after winter’s peak, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b> in Brooklawn. Largemouth bass to 5 pounds 9 ounces were reported nipped from Rainbow Lake on bucktail jigs with pork rinds. Mary Elmer Lake produced a few fish, mostly largemouths, and Newton Lake gave up a few catches. Not much was heard about crappies. Trout and largemouths were sometimes plucked from Audubon Lake, when open waters allowed angling. Nobody mentioned trying for smallmouth bass at Lake Audrey, one of two lakes in South Jersey, along with Union Lake, that harbors the bronzebacks, a cold-water fish. The shop opened back up for the season on Wednesdays and Saturdays this month, and will be open full time starting this Saturday, and the number of anglers showing up so far wasn’t bad. There was some interest. Lots of shiners were sold, and customers used them for ice fishing at the lakes in the northern state, tackling good catches, and they used them on local waters. Striped bass season will open on Tuesday in the rivers and bays, and anglers will begin targeting them on the local Delaware River immediately. The legal limit of stripers is allowed to be kept on the river in March, until the fishing becomes catch-and-release afterward through May, the spawning season. Be sure to check striper regulations for fishing the river, like the type of circle hooks that are required. Bloodworms will be the bait of choice at first, and Rick hopes to stock bloods in the next days. He found none available so far, but that should change because of the striper opening. Anglers will hunt stripers at all the well-known spots on the lower river, including Elsinboro, Salem to National Park, River Winds, Floodgate Road, the DOD area, and so on.

Anglers finally began to fish this weekend, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Nothing too exiting was heard about catches, but this was a start, and that was good. Ice was breaking up, and anglers suffered from a pretty strong dose of cabin fever. Fishing sounded fair at Union Lake for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. Okay catches of largemouths and chain pickerel were punched at Sunset Lake. Some said they toggled-in yellow perch at spillways at different lakes. Drop-shotting is a way to latch into largemouths and picks this time of year. Jerk baits are a key choice during the current season. Rat-L-Traps will clunk a catch. Though the weather improved, became warm, toward the end of last week, horrendous winds on Saturday were challenging for fishing. The winds came from the front after the warm weather. Still, good signs for fishing were under way. Lots of reel and tackle repairs rolled into the shop, as anglers prepped for the season. The store is loaded with largemouth bass tackle, and is geared up well with supplies in general. 

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