<b>NEW YORK</b>

Anglers with <b>Salmon River Guide</b> from Pulaski bailed a good weekend on steelheads from the river, running at 750 CFS since last week, Capt. Shane Thomas said. Steelhead fishing in general wasn’t on fire on the river, and other anglers complained about slow angling, but trips with Shane covered lots of ground to drift-boat good numbers. No one place served up lots, but some here, some there. Lots of drop-back and spawning steelies filled the river, and only a few fresh ones swam the waters. An equal mix of trout beads and egg sacks caught on the trips. But pinks worms hooked a few, and fly anglers caught. The upper fly zone opened Friday, and Shane heard the fishing wasn’t that productive, but the fly casters caught. One last blast of super steelhead fishing will break open in about two weeks or around mid April to mid May. All the drop backs will contribute to the catches, but the hatchery will release all its fish on April 20. The fishing should go nuts. After steelhead fishing. Shane will concentrate a lot on fishing for walleyes on the lakes and will also run a few brown trout trips. He’s already slated to fish for browns a few times in the next weeks. When winds were calm enough for boaters to fish Lake Ontario, they already decked some browns in the shallows near shore on Mexico Bay. That fishing will pick up.

Fishing for the river’s steelheads picked at the fish, not great catches, but decent, said Eric from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. Steelheads pretty much get landed throughout the length of the river this time of year, and Eric heard about drop-backs, spawned-out steelheads returning to Lake Ontario, and fresh steelies, fish just swimming up the river, a mix of both, caught. Mostly egg sacks connected, but nightcrawlers, stoneflies and lots of choices worked, and drop-backs aren’t that picky. The river is slated to flow at 750 CFS until Thursday night. Eric heard little about brown trout boated on Lake Ontario, and the season was early for them.

<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

Bill Brinkman from <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Philadelphia didn’t have a lot to report about the Delaware River’s striped bass fishing near the city on both his Facebook page and the report on the store’s Web site. The weather might’ve had a lot do with that. He began to take a trip on the river Tuesday, saw thunderstorms rolling in, and decided to nix the trip. Much of last week was cold and windy. Still, anglers lined the banks of the river shoulder to shoulder at Station Avenue on Monday. But Bill heard nothing about results. He heard about a 37-inch striper and some smaller ones picked at Station Avenue during the weekend. The fishing seemed like that so far near Philly: a pick of smaller bass and a few bigger. Most stripers banked at Station Avenue last week measured in the 20-inch class, but a few were 28 to 33 inches, for example. But several customers last week said the river was “showing good signs of smaller stripers,” Bill said, farther downstream near the Philly airport. Bill reported little else about striper fishing on the river locally. One angler reported that a few stripers to 30 inches bit in the Schuylkill River early in the day. The fishing should only get better. But that angler bailed walleyes to 18 inches, lots, on the Schuylkill downstream from the art museum any time from an hour before sunset to 11 at night, fishing with Sassy Shads or twister tails on jigs. Lots of gizzard shad and hickory shad got snagged on the jigs. No American shad did. American shad fishing was great on the upper Delaware on spoons and darts. One angler and friends had three shad hooked at all times on a trip last week. Another scored not a single hit while shad fishing at Trenton. His friend fared the same on the river at Yardley on a day out. Back on the lower river, one customer who fished for largemouth bass at Dredge Harbor managed a few small ones on crank baits and jigs, but said the angling was tough this season in cold weather and dirty waters. Trout season opened in Central Pennsylvania on Saturday, and both Pennypack and Wissahickon creeks put up good catches. One customer waxed 21 trout on a trip, and another winged 11, and several others creeled a few apiece. Power Baits and wax worms were best baits.  

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

A few largemouth bass were plucked from shallow, warm waters on Lake Hopatcong on Husky Jerks worked slowly, said Kevin from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Ledgewood. The season was early for the fishing. Customers waited for trout season to open Saturday. Trouters at the shop buy lots of salted minnows, eggs, nightcrawlers and small Phoebes, Kastmasters and Rapalas to fish for the stockers. A few shad reached the Delaware River at Lambertville. They should arrive closer to the shop within two weeks.

Nothing much happened on the lake in miserable weather, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. But the Knee Deep Club stocked trout in the waters, and anglers should fish on opening day of trout season Saturday. The shop’s rental boats will be in the waters and ready to fish this week.

The shop was super busy with anglers gearing up for the opening of trout season this coming Saturday, said Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. The Wanaque River and the Pompton River are the two most popular trout waters for customers. But the anglers will fish for trout at a range of waters including Dahnert’s Lake, Barbour’s Pond and the Big Flatbrook. The store is well stocked with trout tackle and bait. A few largemouth bass were managed on Lake Hopatcong on jerk baits, but the fishing was slow in the early season. Nick will compete in a largemouth tournament at Pompton Lake Sunday. Northern Pike were beaten on the Passaic River, running at a good level, not high and raging like before. The pike punched big shiners, and the shop began to stock live baits – shiners and fathead minnows – along with the usual variety of worms that were already carried. Striped bass should be tugged from the Passaic soon. If anglers were already catching them, they weren’t talking, but the waters might’ve needed to warm.

Because of rough weather, fishing was “up and down,” said Steve from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport Shop</b>. Trouting was probably terrific from Round Valley Reservoir’s shore, but with few anglers fishing, that was difficult to tell. When, for example, only three anglers fish, and one catches, and the others don’t, that doesn’t say much about the fishing. An 8-3/4-pound, whopper brown trout was weighed in from the shoreline Saturday, though. Boaters trolled some good catches of lake trout, not big ones, on tackle like 2- to 3-inch flutter spoons. At Spruce Run Reservoir northern pike fishing was slow, because of cold waters, but progressively improving. Crappie bites were practically nonexistent at Spruce in the cold. The streams will begin to be fished when trout season opens Saturday. Medium, large and extra-large shiners are stocked, and herring will be stocked after herring season opens May 1.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

At Bound Brook’s <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> customers mostly got ready for this Saturday’s opening of trout season, Amy said. They often fish Ken Lockwood Gorge, the Raritan River, some of the streams at Neshanic and Hillsborough, the Pequest River farther north, and Round Valley Reservoir. That was mainly the doings at the shop in the early season, and all the trout supplies are stocked.

Angling for chain pickerel and crappies was improving after last week’s cold snap, but largemouth bass fishing remained slow, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. The picks and crappies could be grabbed at Manchester’s Pineland Park Pond. One customer fished there, coming up only with pickerel. The Trilco stretch of the Toms River, located around the Parkway Bridge, was a good bet for pickerel. That area is named for the Trilco building supply that no longer exists. Crappies usually begin to perk up on the Toms in the first or second week of April, when they begin to move to the shallows to spawn. Forge Pond dished up white perch on bloodworms or nightcrawlers. A few yellow perch chomped at Forge, but the season was early for them.

Fishing was definitely picking up, said Chris from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville, and striped bass began to appear in the local Delaware River. He heard about herring showing up in the waters but saw none. Plus shad began to be fought on the river at Lambertville. The shop will open at 7 a.m. Saturday, the first day of trout season, and the full supply of trout tackle and baits is at the ready. Some of the local trout haunts include the Delaware and Raritan Canal, Assunpink Creek, Stony Brook and Colonial Lake. Fishing for the usual chain pickerel, crappies, panfish and some largemouth bass was good at waters like the lakes at the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area. Lots was heard about Prospertown Lake. A few anglers hunted down muskies at Mercer Lake.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Striped bass, a good number, were dusted from the Delaware River, said Matt from <b>Shag’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Pennsville. None was huge, but lots were keepers to 28, 32 or 33 inches. He heard about the catches from as far upstream as Penns Grove, but that’s about how far customers fish. They fish at places like at the old nursing home in Penns Grove or at Pennsville’s Riverview Beach Park or along the road along the river in Pennsville. Most anglers soaked bloodworms for them, but fresh herring was usually stocked that could be used. Bloodworms and sometimes fresh bunker were stocked, and bunker was scarce lately. The weather often kept bunker boats from sailing last week. A few anglers started to fish for stripers from boats on the river. Not much was heard about striper fishing on Delaware Bay near the shop. But customers tended to fish from the banks of the river. Some began to fish for white perch along the tributaries and bridges and such, reporting decent landings.

Few fished yet this season, but anglers bought tackle and bait like meal worms, nightcrawlers and trout worms for the opening of trout season Saturday, said Jim from <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown. Anglers will look in the state’s Freshwater Fishing Digest to find the waters that will be stocked.  <a href="http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/2011/digfsh14-23.pdf" target="_blank">Click here</a> and scroll down a few pages for the list. Sportsman’s Outpost is under new ownership this season, after Lou, the store’s founder, retired this past season. Stop by to check it out.

The lakes were closed for trout stocking, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> in Blackwood. But when the season opens Saturday, they’ll flock to stocked waters including Grenloch Lake near the shop, Oak Pond, Rowan’s Pond, Haddon Lake, Westville Pond, Iona Lake and Hammonton Lake. At Puppyland Pond, near the Gloucester Township Police Station, lots of sunnies were nipped on meal worms and some crappies were copped on Trout Magnets. Shiners, minnows, meal worms, nightcrawlers and trout worms are stocked. Catch the shop’s <a href=" http://www.creekkeepers.com" target="_blank">15th Annual Catfish Tournament</a> on Saturday, May 14.

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