<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Adirondacks</b>

Ice fishing was practically finished for the season, said Bruce from <b>FISH307.com</b> in Lake George. On the lake, 8 to 10 inches still lay, but the edges were slushy and dangerous, so the shop was recommending nobody attempt to fish on the ice anymore this season. Because fishing from the ice wasn’t recommended, yet the ice prevented casting a line or boating, this was an “in-between stage,” Bill said, and not much happened with angling. The springtime striped bass migration up the Hudson River will be one of the next big fisheries for customers.

<b>Salmon River</b>

Fluctuating weather, like a sunny day, then a drizzly one, then a rainy one, and a high, 1,500 CFS flow on the river, had made steelhead fishing slow, but now the angling was getting better, said Ben from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. Brown trout were sometimes angled from the river, and most customers said mid river held the most. Still, steelheads were most predominant, swimming throughout the river. The anglers seemed to catch them on a little of everything, or all said they used this or that specific bait or fly. Pink worms, egg sacks, beads, stoneflies and caddis nymphs all worked. Steelhead fishing lasts through spring on the river, until the fish spawn and return to Lake Ontario. Ice fishing was pretty much finished for the year. Last week on Wednesday was probably the last that the ice on Oneida Lake was fishable. Some anglers tried fishing there on Saturday and had to be rescued. Ben nailed a great day of yellow perch fishing on Friday at Sandy Pond on 8-inch ice that was melting quickly.  

The river’s steelhead fishing turned “very good,” said Capt. Shane Thomas from Pulaski’s <b>Salmon River Guide</b>, on the river for his anglers. “Very, very good,” he said. The waters dropped to 1,500 CFS, after running severely high a couple of weeks ago from the winter thaw, and his anglers now drift-boated the catches on floated egg sacks and beads. They also hung brown trout, and a trip Monday whaled lots. Browns had also just started to be pulled from along the shoreline on Lake Ontario. But steelheads made up most fights on Shane’s trips, and the fish were boated throughout the river with him. Quite a few of the steelies started to sit on the spawning beds, but lots of silvers remained. Shane hopes the fishing lasts to the second week of May.

<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

Bill from <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Philadelphia boated for striped bass on the Delaware River on Tuesday, scoring no bites, he posted on his Facebook page. He dunked herring and bloodworms at many places, but heard about lots of small stripers landed farther downstream on the river near the Philadelphia airport on bloods. One customer talked about lots of stripers hitting there, and he bought a flat of the worms, so Bill figured he was catching. All those stripers made Bill think the big run of the bass was starting to push up the Big D. Several anglers tackled good catches of 10- to 15-pound stripers on Delaware Bay. But Bill hooked no bass on the river either on Thursday, during his first trip of the year on the waters. The river then was muddy and full of debris at high tide, almost impossible to fish. Conditions became better by mid tide, but still no bass bit. A few stripers were picked on the river at Linden Avenue near the shop during the weekend. Small stripers were sometimes nabbed farther upstream toward the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge, and catfish nipped throughout the river. Fishing was great for 20- to 29-inch stripers on the Salem River. Bill on both his Facebook page and his report on the store’s Web site mentioned nothing about whether the herring migration appeared yet in the Delaware toward Philadelphia. He did mention that no herring yet showed up in the river at Trenton, when someone asked on his Facebook page. But he told the angler that shad began to show up in the river, so herring should appear around Trenton soon. A report from another angler on Bill’s Facebook page after a trip Friday said the river was 48 degrees at Linden Avenue and 46.72 degrees at Trenton. The shop received plenty of herring to stock for bait, and a few herring began to be caught in the Great Egg Harbor River at Mays Landing, Bill reported. In other waters, a few walleyes began to be fought in the Schuylkill River near the art museum in Philly on Sassy Shads. Trout stockings are slated on Pennypack Creek for March 29 and April 14 and 30 and on Wissahickon Creek for March 30, April 15 and May 5. In South Jersey, one customer plowed great catches of 12- to 18-inch chain pickerel on Millville’s Union Lake from the shoreline on spoons, spinners and twister tails. Farther north in Jersey, another customer found fishing slow on Spruce Run Reservoir, but managed a largemouth bass here and there, several crappies and some bluegills on each trip.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Trout fishing was closed Monday on many waters for stocking, said Don from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Ledgewood. Anglers waited for trout season to open on Saturday, April 9. Water levels on the trout streams seemed to start dropping back to normal, after flooding. But rains forecast for the next day or two might change that. Don hiked the Rockaway River, and the waters looked high but not terribly. Panfish that began swimming close to shore became the focus for anglers on big waters like Lake Hopatcong. Crappies were copped at Landing on Hopatcong. One of the crew from the shop kept loading up on crappies and yellow perch off Brady Bridge on the lake on trips. Nobody mentioned fishing for largemouth bass or other species.

Crappies started to be creamed on Lake Hopatcong, said Mark from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. He heard about five largemouth bass 2 pounds apiece winged on jerk baits on the lake. A few yellow perch began to head up the streams from Greenwood Lake to spawn. Waters dropped, becoming fishable, on the Passaic River, and customers bought bait and tackle for angling for northern pike and striped bass there. The shop started carrying live bait: shiners and fathead minnows. Previously the Passaic ran way too high for angling. Lots of bait was being seen in Raritan Bay, and fishing there for stripers and winter flounder seemed poised to bust open. The crew from the shop just returned from the shop’s exhibit at the Saltwater Fishing Expo during the weekend, and show prices on tackle will be held-over at the shop for another week. Stop by and save!

<b>Central Jersey</b>

A couple of anglers landed a few trout on Ken Lockwood Gorge on Monday, finding the water levels fine for fishing, said Burt from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Anglers should be aware about where trout fishing is allowed, like on the catch and release stretch on the Gorge, while many waters are currently closed to trouting for stocking. Burt checked out the South Branch of the Raritan River on Friday, finding waters somewhat high but not bad, not over the banks, and the level had receded to about normal when he returned on Sunday. But he could see where the river had breached the banks and flooded previously from snow melt and rain. The river was 48 degrees, he thought. Most trout anglers at the store reported fishing with standard nymphs like pheasanttails and hare’s ears and other usual choices like wooly buggers. Some fished with streamers to try for larger trout. Nothing was heard about lake fishing. Otherwise customers traveled to upstate New York’s rivers for steelhead fishing or Hatteras, North Carolina, for 200-pound bluefin tuna.

Canoers who fished the Toms River fought small chain pickerel at Trilco on Roostertails, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Trilco was a building supply that closed, but locals call the stretch Trilco that runs past the old store, located around the Parkway Bridge. Small crappies, not great catches, but some, were beaten farther upstream on killies. Few people yet fished the Ocean County College pond this season, but bluegills just started to bite there. The shallow, warm waters helped, and pickerel were sometimes banked at the pond. Customers showed off photos of impressive, fat largemouth bass tackled at Lake Riviera on ¼-ounce spinner baits, sometimes shiners. The season was early for largemouths to feed, and they mostly bit on reaction strikes. Fishing wasn’t bad on Riviera, also putting up pickerel and crappies.  A few trout were landed on the Toms River at the Trout Conservation Area that’s open to catch and release while trout fishing is closed on many waters for stocking. Trout are currently also allowed to be caught and released at Lake Shenandoah. Killies, nightcrawlers and garden worms are stocked. The shop starting today is open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily except 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.

Shad began to arrive in the Delaware River, running high but reasonably clear, at Lambertville, said Frank from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. Striped bass were snatched from the river at the Burlington-Bristol and the Tacony-Palmyra bridges on bloodworms. Rumors circulated about a few stripers caught farther upstream, but not about specific locations. The Trenton power plant on the river was shut down, pumping no warm waters that attract fish. Chain pickerel, crappies and largemouth bass turned on at the lakes, depending on how high and clear the waters were, and how cold the previous night was. Anglers from the shop fish lakes including those at the Assunpink and Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Areas, Gropp’s Lake and Prospertown Lake. The shop is kicking off the fishing season with a big sale from Thursday through Sunday, April 3, featuring discounts on rods, reels and all kinds of tackle. Check out the new <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Harrys-Army-Navy/205104827807" target="_blank">Harry’s Army and Navy Facebook page</a>. Like the page to keep up on updates about the sale, new tackle, and so on. Three tickets remain for the fishing seminar that shop crew member Eric Kerber, charter captain and guide with his company On a Mission Fishing Adventures, will host Saturday, April 2, at the Garden State Diner in Wrightstown. Check out the seminar on <a href="http://www.omfishing.com/seminar.htm" target="_blank">On a Mission’s Web site</a>.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Lots of fish, an awful lot, were clobbered in freshwater, said Rick from <br><b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b> in Brooklawn. Not a ton of anglers stopped by yet this season, but they should begin to come in, and better weather, like the couple of days in the 60s toward the end of last week, was needed to trigger them to get out. Participation seemed like it would break open during the better weather Thursday and Friday. Activity could hit the wall overnight. Big largemouth bass were clubbed on shiners on different lakes. Union Lake and Parvin Lake shoveled them up, and so did some of the ponds in Camden County. Haddon Lake tossed up some big ones. Crappies chomped on the Cooper River. Striped bass, mostly small fish, but sometimes keepers just about legal size, began to be clapped from the Delaware River from River Winds to farther upstream. The migration of big, mature stripers was impending any moment. Good catches of striped bass were heard about from Elsinboro on the lower river and Fortescue on Delaware Bay, and Rick saw photos. No big ones were yanked in, but sometimes bass to 35 inches were. Lots of big catfish milled around the Delaware River. The shop is fully loaded with baits including bloodworms, shiners and minnows, and all the frozen saltwater baits are stocked. The store is fully operational for the season. Big Timber carries baits and tackle for fishing on all waters from freshwater to offshore.

Not much was heard about striped bass on the Delaware River so far this season, said Dave from <b>Shag’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Pennsville. But customers flocked to the Salem River for stripers, mostly shorts, but a few keepers, that bit throughout much of the length of the waters. Lots of white perch, good-sized slabs, ran great in the Salem. Bloodworms were mostly fished for both and are stocked. But some anglers fished fresh bunker for the bass, and the menhaden is stocked. Nightcrawlers, trout worms and frozen baits are carried.

Anglers fished for largemouth bass, and the Salem Canal gave up the fish, said Vince from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Catches of the bucketmouths were also heard about from Sunset Lake during the weekend. What the anglers fished with at the canal was unknown, but chatter baits worked at Sunset. Decent fishing for crappies was walloped all over the different lakes and ponds on minnows. Chain pickerel will always bite throughout the waters on nearly anything, including minnows and spinners. A few striped bass were banked at Fortescue on Delaware Bay. No striper catches were reported from the Delaware River yet this season.

<b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown reopened for the season during the weekend, under new ownership, manager Jim said. Lou, the founder and previous owner, retired, and the owners from Wildwood’s Sterling Harbor Bait & Tackle bought the shop. Jim didn’t hear much about fishing, because the doors just opened, but customers bought lures for chain pickerel fishing on the lakes. Nothing was heard about largemouth bass or crappies or other fish, but that should change as customers come in this week. The full supply of freshwater tackle is stocked, and worms are on hand. The minnow tank is being built. For saltwater, frozen baits are in the freezer, and the store will carry the full array of saltwater baits and tackle as the business gets under way. Kayaks are carried, and stop by to see the new digs. The store is open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays.

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