<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

Lots of steelheads were bombed on the river on trips with Capt. Shane Thomas from <b>Salmon River Guide</b> from Pulaski, he said. The fishing was “very, very good,” he said, and trips in the past days each hooked about 20, landing 10. The river flowed at 1,200 CFS, higher than previously, and that was good for Shane’s drift-boating . A foot of snowpack or so remained in the hills, and the weather was warmer recently, so the melt and some rains contributed to the higher waters. He expects the level to be up another week or two. Many of the steelheads were drop-backs, fish that spawned and were returning to Lake Ontario, and a few were fresh from the lake. His anglers mostly hooked up on trout beads, but sometimes on egg sacks. The hatchery will release all its steelheads during the last week of April, and that will be good for the angling. The fishing will last a moment longer, before all the steelies return to the lake for summer. Afterward Shane’s trips will fish for walleyes and sometimes brown trout on the lakes, and he’ll already mix in brown trout fishing in the next weeks. Fishing for the browns took off in the 8- to 10-foot shallows of Lake Ontario along the shore. Shane heard about the catches everywhere from Rochester to the local lake. Boaters trolled the fish on stick baits.

Steelheads, good catches, lots of the fish, were beaten on the river, said Ben from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. He fished the river Tuesday morning, saw many anglers on the waters, and all were pretty much catching. The river was frigid, cold on the feet when wading. Many of the fish were drop backs, and a few were fresh, and most anglers connected with trout beads. A flow of 1,200 CFS was being released from the dam, but runoff probably increased the flow to 2,000. Brown trout began to be boated from the shallows along the shore on Lake Ontario, and most customers fished for them from Mexico Point.

<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

Striped bass were crushed on the Delaware River last week for several days through Friday and on Monday, said Bill from <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> on his Facebook page and in the report on the shop’s Web site. On Monday the fish, measuring in length from the teens to 33 inches, were landed “up and down the river,” he said. During the other days the fish were banked from shore and boated on the river at Rhawn Street and Princeton Avenue in Philly, the Burlington Bristol Bridge, “and the list goes on,” he said. Sunday wasn’t such a good day for the angling, though plenty of anglers fished the waters, and on Tuesday, a windy, rainy, cold day, Bill boated five stripers 13 to 31 inches and two catfish. All the bass inhaled bloodworms, and the catfish engulfed herring. Herring began to work for bait, after mainly bloodworms did previously. Herring and stripers began to be caught all the way up the river at Trenton. Bill heard his first report about herring at Trenton on Thursday, when a customer hooked two, seeing only one other caught among lots of boaters trying. But the number increased since then. Several customers scored good catches of herring on the Great Egg Harbor River at Mays Landing last week. Back on the Delaware, reports about healthy catches of shad rolled in from upstream. One guide on the river nailed 10 to 40 shad, mostly roe fish to 7 pounds, at New Hope last week, saying spoons and darts in chartreuse, pink and orange worked best. Anglers on the river at Trenton fought five to 15 shad per trip behind the bridges, and spoons worked best. Lots of walleyes filled the Schuylkill River at the Philly art museum. One customer bailed 22 of the walleyes on his best trip and 11 on his slowest. The mostly 14- to 18-inchers jumped on shad bodies and twister tails during evenings. He said that if anglers fished the Schuylkill during the daytime, plenty of American shad, gizzard shad and hickory shad could be landed. A few sizeable stripers were picked up on the Schuylkill last week on chunked herring. Trout fishing was great on the streams and lakes, and most customers who trout fished headed to Pennypack Creek, nabbing plenty. One angler bailed 10 to 15 per trip, including some big ones, on the creek. A 4-1/2-pound palomino trout was one of his lunkers. Another angler tugged in a 3-1/2-pound palomino there. Wissahickon Creek was the second-best trout locale heard about. Anglers there plucked five to 10 trout per trip, and most were chunky fish, 14-inchers. One angler honked a 4-1/2-pound rainbow trout on the Wissahickon. Other productive trout spots included the Delaware River Canal and Levittown Lake, though anglers seemed only to creel a few trout per trip at Levittown. Only a few trout seemed to be managed at Lake Luxembourg, but fishing for yellow perch, crappies and bluegills went well there.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

Trout season opened Saturday, but catches seemed slow, said Don from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Ledgewood. “I tell people, throw in a fish Monday, and they might no want to bite on a Wednesday,” he said. “You might have to wait.” Water levels seemed good on the trout streams. He saw the Rockaway River a few times, and the depth looked average. Don heard that Lake Hopatcong was packed with trouters at the state park on opening day. A fisheries researcher from the state told Don the researcher was there that day, but catches appeared slower to him. Don heard little about largemouth bass fishing, saying that if he had heard about good bassing, he’d be on the fish, his favorite. Apparently waters were cold for the bucketmouths. Many customers stopped by for fishing licenses and supplies, but didn’t mention lots about catches.

“Pretty quiet for a nice opening day of trout season,” said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. But anglers – mostly either boaters who trolled in the shallows or shore casters who tossed Phoebes, small Rapalas or spinners – scored some action. Anthony Castillo, fishing with his dad and sister, picked up five sizeable trout, about 1 ½ pounds apiece, at Brady Bridge on a blue-and-silver Phoebe. His dad also caught some. Matt Campagna trolled at Great Cove, Nolan’s Point and Henderson’s Cove, weighing in a 1-pound 13-ounce brown trout and a 15-ounce rainbow trout. Several of the shop’s rental boaters trolled chunky, 2- to 3-pound trout. Yellow perch nipped in shallow waters. Remember that walleye season opens May 1, Laurie reminded. The shop is open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day in April and will be open 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. starting in May. Baits are stocked, and herring should be available in the next week or so, and rental boats are at the ready.

Some customers said trout fishing was good, and others said the angling was a little slow, said Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. Dahnert’s Pond fished well for trout, including some big ones. Nick heard about an 8-pounder. Barber’s Pond put up solid trouting for rainbows. Trouting sounded a bit slow on the Wanaque River. Catches were also heard about from other waters, including the Big Flatbrook and Lake Hopatcong. Many customers fished for trout with Power Bait Nuggets or others, and yellow could hardly be kept stocked. A few largemouth bass began to bite, but waters were cold, in the mid to upper 40s. They probably needed to warm by 5 degrees or more. Nick and fishing partner competed in a largemouth tournament this weekend at Pompton Lake, totaling three bass: one for Nick, two for his partner. Those were the only bass landed among the 10 entrants. Fifteen northern pike and two 4-pound chain pickerel were also landed on Nick’s trip, and all the fish swiped jerk baits. A few largemouths were reported drummed up from Lake Hopatcong, also on jerk baits. Pike, no striped bass yet, were wrestled on the Passaic River, running at about a normal level, on shiners. The river probably needed somewhat to warm to give up stripers. But if the level remains like now, the fishing should get better as temps increase.

Trouting produced good catches, mostly browns and rainbows, on Round Valley Reservoir from both boats and shore, said Jodie from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport Shop</b>. A 9-1/4-pound brown was weighed in that was trolled on the impoundment. A 23-inch rainbow was the winning fish in a trout tournament that the Round Valley Trout Association held there during the weekend, after the association stocked the rez with trout two weeks ago. The association will stock again May 1, and the state will stock May 2, so lots of trout will cram Round Valley. Plenty of lake trout 15 to 20 inches were boated at the valley. For stream anglers, trout fishing sounded good on the South Branch of the Raritan River, but a little slow on the north branch. Northern pike, none big, were slugged at Spruce Run Reservoir. One angler who waded at Spruce reeled in a pike and hooked but lost a hybrid striped bass. Crappie fishing should begin to improve at Spruce when the 48-degree waters warm another couple of degrees, and hybrid fishing should pick up next.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Trout fishing on the whole appeared a little off, but the stream levels seemed moderate, said Denny at <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Trout that were weighed in included: Todd Kelly’s 2-pound 4-ounce brookie, North Branch of the Raritan River, meal worm; Joe Guthie’s 1-pound 6-ounch brook, meal worm; Justin Olesmik’s 2-pound 8-ounce brook, South Branch; Bill Both’s 5-pound 14-ounce rainbow, a pond, Power Bait; and Scott Fellin’s 2-pound 6-ounce brook, South Branch, mealie. Customers all talked about trout, and little was heard about other fish.

All fish pretty much bit now, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Crappies and chain pickerel pounced at all the ponds and lakes, and largemouth bass fishing was getting better and better at the waters. For the largemouths, most anglers swam shiners, but some worked spinners or Senkos, mostly. A couple of kids who stopped by limited out on trout on the Toms River on opening day of trout season. Dennis on the Toms landed one trout on a spinner Monday, and four others came up on the lure but failed to commit. The fish weren’t aggressive, and he spoke with a couple of anglers who said the same: they saw trout, but the fish were reluctant to bite. Dennis stopped at Lake Shenandoah that day, seeing one angler who reeled in six trout on bait, and the fish only wanted bait, not lures. Trout should hit well on lures like spinners after a couple of weeks. Trout fishing was good on the South Branch of the Metedeconk River on opening day. Crowds were light on trout waters, and all the streams flowed at a good level.

Striped bass fishing turned on fire on the Delaware River, said Chris from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. The fishing was some of the best in decades, “off the hook,” he said. The linesiders smacked livelined herring, and plenty of the baitfish migrated the river. Rigs are stocked at the shop that are made with in-line circle hooks that are required to be fished for the river’s stripers. The bass also punched lures like Yozuri Mag Darters or Bombers. Shad fishing was good on the Delaware at Lambertville. On the lakes, like those at the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area, lots of crappies and largemouth bass were angled. The crappies gobbled Trout Magnets, stocked at the shop, and fathead minnows. The bass were bonked on Teacha-Worms and PowerTeam Lures. Trout fishing served up solid catches at places like Colonial Lake and the Delaware and Raritan Canal.

<b>South Jersey</b>

The Delaware River’s striped bass fishing turned slow from about the Salem River to the DOD from Saturday to the beginning of the week, said Wade from <b>Shag’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Pennsville. But he heard about catches farther south on Delaware Bay, including at Fortescue, and those fish should move to the local area, migrating toward the river to spawn. The fish can come through in waves, and he expects catches to turn back on. Anglers might’ve slammed them by now, for all he knew. The fishing was good previously. Most anglers fished for them with bloodworms, and cut baits or bunker and herring didn’t produce so many stripers. But cut baits should work better in the next week, especially because of warmer weather. Other fish, like white perch and catfish, were probably around in the river or tributaries, but anglers honed in on stripers this time of year. Bloodworms and fresh bunker were stocked.

Trout fishing always seems hit or miss when the season first opens, and many trout fishers found slow catches, but some scored well, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> in Blackwood.  Customers mentioned trout fishing at Grenloch Lake, Oak Pond, Rowan’s Pond and Winslow Lake, mostly saying a few anglers caught. One customer, Sal, limited out on six brook trout at Grenloch in less than an hour on a yellow Roostertail. Kevin, the shop owner’s brother in law, crunched three rainbow trout at Grenloch on a rainbow Roostertail. All the talk was about trout because of the opening, and nothing much was heard about other fishing. All the trout supplies are stocked.  Catch the shop’s <a href=" http://www.creekkeepers.com" target="_blank">15th Annual Catfish Tournament</a> on Saturday, May 14.

Trout, good catches, were taken during the opening weekend of the season at the Maurice River, Giampietro Park Pond and Iona Lake, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Mostly spinners and Power Baits hung the fish. Fishing for a mix of largemouth and smallmouth bass turned off a bit at Union Lake. But look for the angling to pick back up with the warmer weather. Fishing for smallmouths at Lake Audrey, one of two lakes, in addition to Union, that harbors the bronzebacks in South Jersey, was not good, for some reason. Anglers would’ve expected smallies, the cold-water fish, to get snapping this season already. Not much was heard about chain pickerel fishing, but the picks surely bit everywhere, and the catches were surely just steady. Striped bass fishing in saltwater was the big thing. Outstanding catches were boated on Delaware Bay, and shore angling for the linesiders at Fortescue kept getting better. The boaters fished with clams, and Steve wasn’t asked what the shore casters dunked, but bloodworms, and maybe clams by this time of year, were likely the choice. Great reports were heard about striper catches on the Delaware River around the Delaware Memorial Bridge on bloods.

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