<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Adirondacks</b>

Twenty-two inches of snow blanketed the area this week, putting a halt to ice fishing, said Brian from <b>FISH307.com</b> in Lake George. Previously conditions for ice fishing were the best of the season the past two weeks. Nighttimes had remained frigid, dipping a few degrees below zero, actually building ice, and the lake had been frozen thick all the way across. Yellow perch fishing had been super, and the big ones were feeding before the spawn, like they do in March. They hovered along weed beds in 20 to 30 feet, and smaller perch gathered in the shallows. Lots of lake trout had been weighed in from the lake, and they had collected in 60 to 100 feet, mostly at mid lake, or at drop offs where bays met the main lake. Anglers looked forward to spring fishing, but this was a great time for ice angling. Some old items, including ice tackle, are on sale in FISH307.com’s <a href=" http://www.fish307.com/onsale.aspx" target="_blank">Bargain Basement</a>. Check it out.

<b>Salmon River</b>

The river was raised to 1,250 CFS by Monday, making steelhead fishing from the banks somewhat tough, but the angling was great from the drift boat with <b>Salmon River Guide</b> from Pulaski, Capt. Shane Thomas said. Lots of steelies filled the river, and a trip with him that day landed 12, and probably had 20 on. An occasional brown trout was boated lately. His anglers on trips mostly fished with beads and egg sacks, and they concentrated on the mid to upper river. Steelheads swam throughout the length of the Salmon, but the lower river could be slushy, like it was Monday, because of cold nights and mornings. Shane kept ice fishing a little, going a couple of times, and he also guides those trips. But most of his trips honed in on steelheads every day now. Steelhead fishing will come into its own as winter weather subsides, before the fish spawn and depart the river to Lake Ontario for the summer.

The river’s flow kept getting raised, reaching 1,800 CFS by Tuesday, starting to get high for fishing, said Ben from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. Previously steelhead catches were terrific on the waters, when the river was first raised. The flow had been a low 285 CFS a long time this winter, and last week was raised to 500, then 900 and more. That was because of snow melt and runoff and the winter thaw. A few brown trout had also been kicking around the river. Ice anglers reported a few areas of open waters, but ice fishing was still productive. Plenty of yellow perch were pulled through the holes at Sandy Pond, and walleyes should begin to stage for spawning at the pond and Oneida Lake, feeding up, good for ice fishing.

<b>NORTH JERSEY</b>

The ice was melting, and a few anglers began to try to fish the open waters along the shorelines, said Don from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Ledgewood. Greg from the shop tried to get on the ice to fish at Lake Hopatcong, but open waters from the shore to 7 feet out prevented him. Don was seeing the ponds and lakes each morning on the way to work, and they were all covered with ice, but certainly nobody fished them. The streams and rivers began to run high, too high for fishing, from the winter thaw. He saw the Rockaway River during the weekend, and it looked like a white-water river. Catch the shop’s Fly Fishing Day on Saturday, a free event featuring: four speakers on topics from fishing the Catskills to stream restoration; fly tyers; and coupons for tackle discounts. Visit the shop’s booth at the Saltwater Fishing Expo on March 18 to 20 at the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset.

Ice fishing was probably finished for the year, and waters from the lakes to the streams were high because of thawing and snow melt, and anglers seemed to wait until conditions calmed to get back out to fish, said Mark from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. The Passaic River ran way too high for fishing, though anglers had previously began to be interested in searching for northern pike and striped bass there. The rising Passaic at first promised better fishing, and higher waters are the time to hit the river. Now anglers would have to wait for the flow to subside. Get ready for spring fishing and stop by the shop’s booth at the Saltwater Fishing Expo on March 18 to 20 at the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset.

If any fishable ice was left, it was probably far north in the state, said Burt from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> from Bound Brook. One customer checked out the North Branch of the Raritan River, and the waters ran hard and cold. Downpours during the weekend raised waters all around, and a few days would have to pass for the levels to drop. More rains were forecast for this week, though. All of this prevented many customers from fishing, but many stopped by to purchase a new fishing license for the year and tackle to gear up for the coming season. The shop’s annual pre-season sale launches Thursday, running through Sunday, March 20. Discounts 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>

Waters were cold, but a few anglers picked up bait to head out, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Some said shiners were even difficult to keep alive, not lasting long in the chilly lakes. Chain pickerel, crappies and trout will be the main fare in the early season. Dennis’s nephew wrestled small chain pickerel on the Toms River at Trilco, the stretch around the Parkway Bridge. Trilco is an old building supply that’s no longer open. No sign identifies the building, but locals call the stretch by the name. One customer reported tangling with a few crappies at Monmouth County lakes. Another customer grabbed a couple of trout from the dock at Lake Shenandoah. The still, shallow waters probably helped. On the streams, trout fishing might be better in the Toms, because of warmer, more stable waters, than on colder streams like the Metedeconk River, at first this season. Baits stocked at the shop include shiners, killies, garden worms and nightcrawlers. The store began being open full time for the season this week. Hours in the next days will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

The ponds and lakes were about thawed, but became too high because of the melt, said Frank from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. Largemouth bass and pickerel had started to be fought on the open waters at spots like the lakes at the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area. The ice had finally melted, and the bass had began to be active, and the pickerel had been willing to fight, until the waters became too high. The Trenton power plant was turned off, wasn’t pumping warm waters into the Delaware River that attract smallmouth bass, striped bass, walleyes and catfish. But the river was nearly flooded anyway. Fishing was mostly in a holding pattern. The shop’s big sale will kick off the fishing season from Monday, March 21, to Sunday, April 3. Grab discounts like 20 percent off selected rods, 10 percent off selected reels, sales on different fishing lines and lots more!

Largemouth bass began to bite all over the area, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b> in Brooklawn. Some of the private lakes shoveled up good catches. A couple of customers beat the bass well at the private Bells Lake in Turnersville. A few largemouths and some crappies came from Newton Lake. Catches of both were heard about from Stewart Lake. Lots of fish, including largemouths and crappies, chomped at Haddon Lake, and Malaga Lake turned up largemouths from the deeper waters near the dam. Crappies were copped on the Cooper River toward the golf course. No trout were heard about lately. Anglers waited for the spring run of striped bass on the Delaware River, and a few of the linesiders were heard about that were banked from shore as far upstream as Penns Grove and the DOD. Shorts were sometimes reported landed from shore all the way down to Fortescue on Delaware Bay. Nobody reported hooking stripers from boats yet. But customers in a boat tried for stripers on the bay at the 10-foot shallows inshore of 14-Foot Light on the bay, and, surprisingly, hooked cod. They were plugging for stripers but had two dead-sticked rods set out to fish the bottom with bait, landing six cod on those rods. Cod were also taken on five or six other boats in the area. Strange, but true, according to the anglers, who showed photos of the fish. Land could be seen in the background. Bloodworms, the favorite striper bait on the Delaware River in the early season, are stocked, and so is the full array of freshwater baits, including trout baits, nightcrawlers and shiners. All the frozen saltwater baits are stocked. Big Timber is open full time for the season. The hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays, and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays. The shop carries tackle and bait for fishing in all waters from freshwater to offshore.

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