<b>NEW YORK</b>
<b>Salmon River</b>
The river had been raised to more than 3,250 CFS, and flowed even higher from runoff, on Monday night to Tuesday, but was lowered to 1,900, not bad for steelhead fishing, by Tuesday afternoon, and the waters seemed to be dropping, said Ben from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. Healthy catches of the steelies were slugged before the high waters on eggs, beads and sucker spawn flies. A few Atlantics were landed from the river. On Lake Ontario brown trout, Atlantics, lake trout and a few salmon were dusted in shallow waters close to shore.
Lots of steelheads were burned on the river on trips before the flow was raised to 3,000 CFS on Monday night, said Capt. Shane Thomas from <b>Salmon River Guide</b> in Pulaski. Previously the river ran at 1,500 CFS a few days, and his customers then drift-boated the fish on floated beads and egg sacks on the lower end of the river. A big Atlantic was heaved in on a trip Monday, and a few Atlantics were around. The river’s level recently was going up and down. Brown trout fishing was awesome in Lake Ontario in 10 feet close to shore. Shane is running a few trips for them, between steelhead fishing. Walleye season will open in two Saturdays, May 7. Salmon River Guide does lots of walleye fishing on waters including Oneida and Oswego lakes after steelheads, when finished spawning, leave the river to swim the lake for summer.
<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>
Anglers fishing for striped bass on the Delaware River dealt with high, rough waters at times, according to Bill from Philadelphia’s <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> on his Facebook page and the fishing reports on the shop’s Web site. He boated the river Tuesday with his daughter in some of the roughest waters he ever fished, and they only landed a catfish and a white perch. “You could not keep your lines straight,” he said, “and the only way to catch a fish was for them to hang themselves.” But he thought today “will be the day!” he said. Still, the river’s fishing for stripers was great on Sunday. Stripers 18 to 44 inches were hooked from the Betsy Ross Bridge to Trenton. Anglers also crushed the fish Saturday around Philly and the surrounding area, and Friday there was a “killer day,” Bill said. That was on the river including at Station Avenue in Philly and the Betsy Ross Bridge. Reports were heard last week from as far downriver as near the Philadelphia airport, and anglers there then scored well on stripers 18 to 36 inches, and several mentioned limiting out on each trip. Bloodworms were the best bait on the lower river, and clams worked. Not much was mentioned about herring caught on the upper river, apparently because of fishing conditions, for the most part, though the herring run never sounded impressive so far this year. The upper river toward Trenton often ran too high and dirty for stripers and herring to bite in the last week. One angler said the river at Trenton was high and muddy Monday, and another that day said the Delaware at Stockton was the same but beginning to clear late that day. The upper river last week was “screwed up all the way to the Water Gap,” Bill said. But he hoped the waters around now would become better if major rains held off. The upper river’s conditions kept news about shad to a minimum. A few anglers tried for shad on the upper river, but decided to fish for trout on the streams instead, after seeing the river running rough. But good catches of shad and stripers were angled from the Schuylkill River downstream from the Philadelphia art museum when the waters cleared up last week. Bill didn’t mention what the shad bit, but said the stripers smacked rubber twister tails and shads on jigs best but sometimes crank baits and poppers. Both fish were angled during the daytime, and the Schuylkill’s walleye fishing became better at night. The walleyes strictly swiped shads or twister tails in chartreuse, yellow or white. Trout fishing was good, including on Pennypack Creek, Wissahickon Creek and Lake Luxembourg at Core Creek Park. Neshaminy Creek’s trouting was slow at Tyler State Park, but a few were caught. Largemouth bass anglers played with all the small, 4- to 8-inch bass they wanted, but occasional 12-inchers, at Tullytown Cove on the Delaware River, on 4-inch rubber worms fished along the rocks and pilings, in muddy waters. One angler braved the Delaware to paddle to Burlington Island to fish the pond, only landing four largemouths under 12 inches, saying better-sized bass worked the shoreline, but refused to hit. Fishing for bigger largemouths began to pick up at Rahm and Haas Lake in Bristol. Largemouths 3 to 6 pounds were pulled from deeper waters, and fishing was very good for smaller bass along the shoreline.
<b>NEW JERSEY</b>
<b>North Jersey</b>
Mixed reports were heard about trout fishing, and waters often ran high, said Don from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Ledgewood. He saw the Rockaway River, and overflow made accessing the waters impossible from at least St. Clare’s Hospital in Denton to Boonton Township. The hospital’s parking lot was flooded. But a customer fished the Rockaway in Dover after the stocking this week, bailing trout that gathered in every pool. Another customer said the Musconetcong River ran high, but that was unconfirmed. Don heard no reports about the lakes like Lake Hopatcong, because he was away last week. He heard about chain pickerel and yellow perch plucked from the lakes, but nothing about crappies. Mostly baitfish like fathead minnows took the picks and perch. Don would hope largemouth bass fishing picks up soon. He’d likely fish for them with small baitfish another month, and then work top-water plugs on the surface or Senko worms on the bottom.
Trout, some good catches, were tugged from the lake, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. Anglers trolled for them or cast small Rapalas, Phoebes or spinners. The fish included Piotr Skierowski’s 5-pound 12-ounce brown, Donald Dunne’s 2-pound 9-ounce brown and Jack Desombre’s 5-pound 8-ounce rainbow. Walleye season will open Sunday, and the fish were just starting to bite, jumping on trolled, small Rapala Husky Jerks in the shallows. Chain pickerel attacked, and hybrid striped bass should start to become active with the warmer weather. “Finally,” Laurie said about the higher temps. Largemouth bass were sometimes caught, but remember that New Jersey’s largemouth fishing became catch and release only from April 15 through June 15, Laurie reminded. That’s always the case, because of spawning. Herring are stocked at the shop. The store’s hours will change to 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. starting Sunday. The Knee Deep Club’s trout tournament will be held Sunday, May 15, and anglers can call the shop for info: 973-663-3826.
Good fishing for trout was pounded at the Ramapo River, the Big Flatbrook, Dahnerts Pond and Barber Pond, said Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. One customer at the Flatbrook did the job with baby nightcrawlers. At Dahnerts trout ate small fatheads, sold at the shop, like crazy, and gobbled yellow Power Baits. Mostly fatheads and No. 1 Mepps spinners connected at Barber. Little was heard about fishing for largemouth bass, but lots of largemouth tournaments will begin this weekend, and news will start to pick up then. Largemouth fishing is currently catch and release only in the state. Northern pike were sometimes punched on the Passaic River, running somewhat high, but that wasn’t bad for the fishing. The level will probably get back to normal in 1 ½ weeks if no big rains fall. No striped bass were reported caught on the Passaic.
From the shoreline at Round Valley Reservoir, Antonio Brito banked a 3-pound chain pickerel on a shiner, saw a sizeable, 18-inch trout caught, and saw a few other anglers reel in largemouth bass, an e-mail from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport Shop</b> said. Remember that largemouth fishing is limited to catch and release for now. Evan Tudge and grandfather trolled Round Valley early in the morning, coming up with a 20-inch lake trout on a Sutton spoon 40 feet off the bottom. Vince Martinez boated an 8-pound rainbow trout from the impoundment in 4 feet of waters, and Don Golabek boated an 8-1/4-pound brown trout that pounced on a Rapala Husky Jerk at the Valley. Trout fishing went well on Spruce Run Creek after the fish were stocked this week.
<b>Central Jersey</b>
Trout streams were probably fishable, at least by today, after high waters recently, said Ron from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. He’d drift worms, if fishing with bait, and cast Hendricksons, if fly-rodding, probably. Wax worms work especially well. Brown trout, fish that can be eager to gulp fathead minnows or streamers, are usually stocked toward the end of the state’s stocking. The South Branch of the Raritan River at Califon seemed to fish well for trout. Kelly Woodring checked in two brown trout to 3.4 pounds creeled at Duke Island Park on the Raritan on Power Bait. Customers sometimes talked about good trouting on the Big Flatbrook. Nothing was really heard about largemouth bass fishing. Catches of crappies should pick up as the weather warms.
Fishing became pretty good in freshwater, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Chain pickerel catches busted wide open at nearly any of the lakes and ponds on minnows or shiners. Angling for sunnies and bluegills started coming on lots in the last week. At least eight anglers surrounded the Ocean County College Pond when Dennis saw the waters the other day. Half were kids fishing for the panfish with nightcrawlers or meal worms. But a couple tried for largemouth bass on poppers, though the season was a little early for that. Lake Riviera gave up a mixed bag of fish, not so many bluegills, because of the somewhat deeper waters, but decent catches of pickerel and largemouths. Trout fishing started to improve as the weather warmed. A dozen cars must’ve been parked at the South Branch of the Metedeconk River on Monday evening, after trout were stocked. Bait had been best for trouting during the cold waters previously. But spinners will work, and that’s all Dennis fished with at the Metedeconk last week on Monday. He saw an angler catching the fish on a wooly bugger on a spinning rod, an unusual way to fish, but that worked. Shiners, killies or minnows, the different worms and all the baits are stocked.
Tons and tons of striped bass, more than in 10 years, filled the local Delaware River, said Eric from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. Catching herring for bait from the river was the only problem, was tough this year. An angler was lucky to nab four herring. If no herring were available, lures, like Yozuri Mag Darters or Storm Kickin’ Sticks, worked to catch. Shad were socked from the river at Lambertville. Try fishing with a shad spoon behind a drail weight. A few shad were hooked by mistake on the river near the store on Sabiki rigs meant for herring. Lots of catfish were clocked from the river. Largemouth bass and crappie fishing put out some catches, not on fire, but some, on the lakes, including at the Assunpink and Colliers Mills wildlife management areas, Gropps Lake and Prospertown Lake. The largemouths could be coaxed to chomp spinners or Senko worms. Largemouth fishing is catch and release at the moment. Customers talked about decent trout catches from waters up north like the Musconetcong River and the South Branch of the Raritan River.
<b>South Jersey</b>
Fishing was all about stocked trout, said Ed at <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> in Blackwood. The fish were creeled at Oak Pond and Grenloch Lake on meal worms and trout worms. Both of those waters and Rowands Pond in Clementon were stocked Tuesday. Meal worms and Power Baits did the job at Rowands. All the trout baits mentioned and more, the full supply, are stocked. All the talk was about trout and few other fish. One set of customers was headed to fish for chain pickerel, planning to use minnows, but they gave no results. Catch the shop’s <a href=" http://www.creekkeepers.com" target="_blank">15th Annual Catfish Tournament</a> on Saturday, May 14.
The Delaware River doled out striped bass, somewhat slower catches than before, but halfway decent still, said Wade from <b>Shag’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Pennsville. Customers landed them from shore from Elsinboro to the DOD and even farther upstream. A couple of 40-inchers were nailed from Elisinboro Tuesday. Most of the anglers fished bloodworms for bait, and plenty bought fresh bunker to fish as cut bait. Not much was heard about results on cut bait, and maybe the bait caught stripers, or maybe not, but Wade assumed it did. Waters started to warm, and cut bait begins to work when water temps become higher. Nobody talked about fishing with cut herring, and herring could be caught farther up the Delaware, but few anglers made the trip, because the herring bag limit was only 10 fish. White perch bit full force in the local river, and most anglers wanted stripers, not perch. When perch kept stealing baits meant for stripers, anglers used “spawn mesh” or “spawn nets,” available at the shop, to tie around the bait, helping to keep the perch from devouring them. Stripers should begin dropping back down the river toward Delaware Bay, on their way to the ocean, in the next couple of weeks, after spawning in the river. Anglers hope that triggers another healthy shot at the fish on the river like it can.
Largemouth bass fishing was consistent, pretty much, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Freshwater fishing in general was picking up in warmer weather. Rains didn’t help the largemouth fishing, but the angling was good, all in all. The bigmouth fishing was limited to catch and release through this June 15, and the fish were spawning. Senko worms and jigs are effective then. Smallmouth bass, so-so catches, definitely not great, were pulled from Union Lake and Lake Audrey. That fishing was also limited to catch and release through the same time, for spawning. Plenty of trout were taken at Giampietro Pond, Iona Lake and the Maurice River. Striped bass fishing was great on the Delaware River. Fishing for the linesiders somewhat tapered off, wasn’t gangbusters like before, but still produced, from shore at Fortescue on Delaware Bay. The stripers everywhere were bloodwormed. But both bloods and herring grabbed them from the Maurice River.