<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

The river’s steelhead fishing slowed somewhat, but trips still angled the fish, said Capt. Shane Thomas from <b>Salmon River Guide</b> from Pulaski. All the fish were drop-backs, steelheads that spawned in the river and were headed back to Lake Ontario for the summer, and Shane’s trips fished on the lower river. A few Atlantic salmon were in the mix on the outings. Pink worms became the choice to catch, but trout beads, nightcrawlers and flies were used. Brown trout fishing was super on Lake Ontario close to shore, and the fish moved a little deeper than before, holding in 10 to 20 feet. Walleye season opened Saturday, and was slow, but okay catches came from Oneida Lake, and better walleye fishing was found farther north off Henderson. Walleye fishing will improve, and Salmon River Guide will focus on them when steelheading ends. Fishing ran about a couple of weeks behind this year, because of a cold spring. Walleyes should go crazy in the next weeks.

Steelheads in the river were dropping back to Lake Ontario after spawning, but good fishing for them was still scored, said Ben from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. Pink worms worked well to hook them, but the steelies hit nearly anything, were hungry after the spawn. They jumped on trout beads, egg sacks and different flies. Customers even bought tackle like Power Bait that anglers wouldn’t normally think to use. Most of the steelheads moved to the lower river, but they still swam pretty far upstream. If anglers don’t catch, they need to move. Lots of brown trout schooled Lake Ontario close to shore, and began to move deeper, holding in 12 or 15 feet, instead of 5 or 8 feet like before. Atlantic salmon and lake trout were mixed in. Walleye fishing was a little slow after the season for them opened Saturday. Oneida Lake’s walleye fishing was better, including better than Lake Ontario’s. Lakes were high this season, and Oneida Lake remained open to boaters in the high waters, but wakes were prohibited. When waters become too high, boating is prohibited.

<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

The Delaware River’s striped bass fishing sounded tougher, more sporadic, than earlier this season, according to Bill from <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Philadelphia’s report on the shop’s Web site and his posts on his Facebook page. But the fishing turned on at times. On the lower river toward Philadelphia, smaller fish seemed to make up most striper catches. But sometimes bigger bass were seen, like 25- to 38-inch stripers that one experienced angler, someone who scored better than most, found plentiful near the Delaware Memorial Bridge, or a pair of 41- and 36-inchers another angler picked up at Station Avenue in two days, or a 41-inch 37-pound striper another angler heaved in at the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge. Bill today was supposed to fish for stripers farther upstream at Trenton, and just before the trip, he heard about tough striper fishing there, but sometimes the fishing turned on. Catching herring was similar: It was sometimes difficult, and sometimes good. Fishing for stripers and herring both picked up big time on Friday and Saturday at Trenton. On the next day, Sunday, at Trenton, the herring run was great, and only a few small stripers were landed. Tough fishing followed on Monday and Tuesday. One angler on the Schuylkill River at the Philadelphia art museum last week caught lots of 25- to 36-inch stripers. Trout fishing was still “a great thing to do,” Bill said, on some waters, and slow on others. Pennypack Creek gave up trout. A few trout came from Lake Luxembourg, but fishing for crappies, yellow perch and bluegills was better there. An angler who fished at Levittown Lake reported slow trouting.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

An angler, Ron Clark from West Milford, who never before fished the Paulinskill, fished the river for trout with Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale, and the angling was great, Dave said. Ron banked quite a few trout, and hooked three big ones: a beautiful, 16-inch holdover brown, a gorgeous, 18-inch rainbow, and a trout larger than 3 pounds that spit the hook. All three were fought within 20 minutes. Dave landed 17 trout, mostly smaller ones. Ron at first landed a few on salmon eggs, but Dave prefers fishing with lures, and Ron caught the rest on lures, a black and silver Rapala CountDown in size CD3, fishing with the plug once he saw Dave’s success on the CountDown. Dave likes lures simply because they bail the fish, especially large trout. When trout become larger, they feed on small fish or minnows, so anglers should fish with something that looks like that to catch them. Fishing with lures takes work, because anglers must stay on the move, walking the river, casting constantly, instead of staying in one place, like bait anglers often do. But moving and working the waters is fun, and productive. Some stretches of rivers won’t hold trout, and some will, and anglers need to locate them. Walking the waters also helps the angler become familiar with the river, and Dave has found that certain spots give up trout year after year. Fishing with lures requires confidence, or anglers have to believe they’ll catch. Lure anglers have to be unafraid to cast the lures to places where the plug might get hung up, like a log jam, because that’s where the trout can be. The fishing takes pin-point accuracy, and anglers should work the waters thoroughly, fan-casting the area before stepping in the waters to move on. Dave so often sees anglers walk through waters that might hold fish. So fishing with lures can take more effort, but the learning experience is more rewarding, and lure fishing is deadly. Dave slams the fish, especially bigger ones, on lures, and he’s grown to prefer them. Fewer trout might be caught on lures, but bigger ones are. The state apparently stocked brown trout, because browns were reeled in on the trip. Brook trout, a fish that loves cold waters and is aggressive, giving up easier catches, are usually the predominant fish stocked first in the trout stocking season. Rainbows are usually the most abundant stocked next, and browns, the most tolerant to warmer waters or less-ideal water conditions, are usually the predominant trout stocked last. But a few brood stock, bigger, breeder trout, are usually put in the waters in each stocking. So anglers can always come up with a lunker. The Paulinskill’s water level and conditions were beautiful, and the level was coming down. The river felt warmer to the touch than earlier this season. Dave usually focuses on trout fishing to the end of May, when the state stops stocking, and trout streams start to become low and warm. Currently, he’s mostly fishing the Paulinskill and Pequest, sometimes the Ramapo and Big Flatbrook. The fishing becomes more difficult in low waters, and the trout can’t tolerate being caught in the heat. They’ll die, and won’t be able to be released. But walleye fishing on the lakes becomes one of Dave’s focuses next. He fishes for walleyes at night, when the big fish move to the shallows to crash baitfish. The trips are a unique, amazing experience. Dave saw a 9-pound walleye reported caught at night at Lake Hopatcong, so the angling was beginning. Dave also fishes for muskies in a big way. Live to Fish Guide Service guides trips for trout, muskies, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleyes, crappies, chain pickerel, panfish, yellow perch, white perch, carp and more. Lakes fished include Greenwood Lake, Lake Hopatcong, Monksville Reservoir, Echo Lake, Mountain Lake and Furnace Lake. Rivers fished include the Flatbrook, Pequest, Paulinskill and Ramapo.

Crappie fishing was turned on at places like Lake Hopatcong and Lake Musconetcong, said Greg from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Ledgewood. Many anglers talked about creaming the fish, and Greg axed them on a couple of trips. Angling for bluegills and sunfish started to really take off. Largemouth bass were spawning, and Greg saw them on the beds, and anglers should be careful about bothering them then. Largemouth and smallmouth bass fishing is catch and release through June 15 because of spawning. Trout fishing went well on the streams. The Big Flatbrook reportedly ran clear and at a good level. Minimal hatches were under way this time of year, so nymphs were a common choice to fish. Greg fished the Flatbrook last week on Monday, scoring well on nymphs. The Musconetcong River supposedly ran beautifully, and a customer who lives on the river said the conditions were the best in some time. The Pequest River apparently flowed high but fishable, according to customers.

 Trout were trolled in the lake’s shallows on Phoebes, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> on Lake Hoptacong.  Catches included Jim Smith’s 2-pound 14-ounce brown trout and 1-pound 11-ounce rainbow trout and Dan Lehr’s 2-pound 14-ounce brown. Tom Facciola hung a 2-pound crappie while trolling for trout with Phoebes. Pat Robinson whaled a 7-pound 12-ounce rainbow on the Musconetcong River. Hybrid striped bass were sometimes honked on stick baits or rubber jigs. Matt Campagna checked in an 8-pound 5-ounce hybrid that swiped his herring at Great Cove. Some walleyes were brought in. Eddie Mackin showed off his 9-pound walleye that pounced his herring off Nolans Point, Stephen Van Ness, 12, came in with a 5 -pound 8-ounce walleye that drilled his Rapala lure. The Knee Deep Club will hold a trout tournament Sunday. For details, anglers can call shop at 973-663-3826 or visit the <a href="http://www.kneedeepclub.org" target="_blank">Knee Deep Club’s Web site</a>.

Excellent trout fishing was clobbered on the Ramapo River, said Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. Mark from the shop whammed the fish on fathead minnows. Trouting was also excellent at the Rockaway River, often on spinners, salted minnows or sometimes Power Baits. The Paulinskill served up pretty good trout fishing on spinners, Power Baits and even nightcrawlers. The Wanaque River’s trout fishing was so-so, often on wax worms. Many anglers flocked to crappie fishing in the shallows, including from the bridges, on Lake Hopatcong on small shiners, fatheads or even worms. Customers said the fish were all schooled up. Nick, a largemouth bass angler, found fishing for the bigmouths, restricted to catch and release through June 15, slow at Pompton Lake last week on Tuesday. He managed only two bass in the 58-degree waters, not quite the temp to make the fish more active. However, a largemouth tournament is slated for Sunday at Pompton, and the fishing will probably be coming on. Nothing was heard about fishing at Greenwood Lake. Customers who fished the Passaic River talked about fighting northern pike here and there on large shiners, available at the shop. The river flowed high but not flooded, actually a good level for the fishing. Nobody reported landing striped bass on the river.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Rich Pasternak, South Bound Brook, angled five brown trout to 4.8-pounds on the South Branch of the Raritan River on a streamer fly, said Burt from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. A number of large trout, including browns, were reported caught, so the state apparently stocked browns. Fish reported landed included: Paul Kusio’s six browns to 6 pounds 2 ounces from the South Branch on a Rapala and a Blue Fox spinner; Fred Holub’s 4-pound 10-ounce brown from Clinton Falls on a worm and egg combo; Ryan Murphy’s 3-pound 10-ounce brown from the Pequest; and Ken Michaliak’s 7-pound 10-ounce rainbow trout from the Big Flatbrook on a butter worm. Burt fished the South Branch on Friday afternoon, fly-rodding two rainbow trout, a brown and a brook trout on pheasant tail nymphs. Caddis were the only hatch seen, but no fish rose to them. So Burt fished the nymphs. The river during the trip flowed at a perfect level and clear. Not many rains fell since then, so the level probably dropped a bit.  

Spinners began to do the job well on trout on the Metedeconk River in Lakewood, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Other choices like small Rapala lures and Power Baits connected, but spinners worked well. The river flowed at a normal level and clear. Trout fishing was similar on the Manasquan River near the I-95 Bridge, putting up healthy catches on spinners. Lake Riviera dished up plenty of crappies and chain pickerel, and fishing for largemouth bass, limited to catch and release through June 15, became somewhat better there. Most of the fishing was on live bait. Largemouthing was also improving at the Pineland Park pond in Manachester on shiners. Pickerel also chewed there on shiners or spinners. Shiners, killies, nightcrawlers, trout worms, meal worms and all the freshwater baits are stocked.

Lots of striped bass were lit up on the Delaware River, said Frank from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. The bigger ones came from toward Florence, mostly on the Pennsylvania side. Livelined herring are always a bait to swim, and plugs that imitate herring can be a second choice. But the fishing was better on herring chunks at some places farther down the river like that. Good catches of herring were still made on the river at the top of the tides. Shad and herring were rounded up from the river at Lambertville. Anglers who fished there could split the day by fishing for trout on the Delaware Canal, too.  On the ponds and lakes, some of the largemouth bass were spawning, and some were finished spawning. The bass must be released through June 15, but they could be fought on lures like spinner baits or Reaction Strikes. Customers bought shiners left and right to fish for lots of chain pickerel and largemouths at the lakes at the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area.

Fishing for the Delaware River’s striped bass was spotty this year, because of cold waters, and dirty waters and debris from rains, and from runoff from the winter’s snow, said Dom from <b>Barracuda’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Riverside. During most years reports will pinpoint places to fish for stripers on the river. That was more difficult this year, but the river at Burlington and the Turnpike Bridge were talked about. Stripers there were bloodwormed and clammed. Currently, shorts around 24 inches, and occasional 30-inchers, were tugged in. Shad fishing gave up a good run from the river this spring. The fishing probably peaked a few days ago, but continued to pound out catches. The usual darts or spoons, anything flashy, got hit. Rigs that anglers fished for herring also caught shad. Herring catches were very spotty in the river this year, and fewer and fewer herring migrated up the river each year recently. The Delaware is always a solid place for catfishing on any smelly baits, from clams to Uncle Josh stink baits. Great fishing for trout was clubbed this season on the stocked waters like Crystal and Sylvan lakes. Big breeder trout were stocked, though breeders are usually more commonly stocked in fall. Trouters fished with Power Baits, butter worms, wax worms and so on. Some of the breeders actually gulped shiners. Being flexible was a key to trout fishing. Sometimes the fish swam deep, like on sunny days, and sometimes they hovered along the top. Largemouth bass were spawning, and fishing for them is catch and release through June 15 for the spawn, so fishing for them was slow. Anglers instead concentrated on good panfishing on waters like Lake Lonnie. Lots of big crappies are common in the local area around the shop. Olympia Lake holds a swarming population of bass and panfish. Nearly all freshwater baits are stocked, including shiners, minnows, nightcrawlers, butter worms and more. Bloodworms are carried, and frozen baits for saltwater are on hand.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Striped bass were still dialed up from the Delaware River, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b> in Brooklawn. The season for them was on the downturn, but was still happening. Boaters now decked the bass on all the different baits: bloodworms, bunker and clams. A friend hooked a 45- or 50-pounder from a boat, releasing the fish without removing it from the waters. Shore anglers mostly fished for the stripers with bloodworms, but fresh clams worked well. Rick heard about stripers to 45 inches banked from the shore. Loads of catfish milled along the river’s bottom. White perch nipped in the Delaware, and largemouth bass fishing began to improve in the waters, though largemouth fishing is catch and release through June 15. Crappies were claimed, and largemouths were released, on the Cooper River. Largemouths were let go on many of the farm ponds and small lakes in the Mullica Hill and Swedesboro areas. Bowfins, lots, were wrestled off Crown Point Road in the waters from Woodbury Creek on top-water lures, nightcrawlers, minnows and shiners. Little was heard about trout, and trout fishing seemed to be ending for the season. The full supply of baits from minnows and shiners to all the worms and everything between is stocked. Big Timber carries bait and tackle for fishing on all waters from freshwater to bays to offshore.

Trout fishing was slowing down in warming waters but still drew most attention from customers, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> in Blackwood. Trout pounced meal worms at Rowands Pound. Rich Daisy kept busting trout on meals at Grenloch Lake and Oak Pound. Largemouth bass were probably spawning, and the fishing is catch and release through June 15, so nothing was heard about them. Not much was heard about chain pickerel, because customers put the bead on trout. But New Brooklyn Lake is always a place to punch pickerel on minnows. Large shiners will also coax pickerel, but minnows seem better.  Catch the shop’s <a href=" http://www.creekkeepers.com" target="_blank">15th Annual Catfish Tournament</a> on Saturday.

Largemouth bass, restricted to catch and release through June 15, were plucked from Wilson Lake on minnows or nightcrawlers, said Jim from <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown. Lots of sunnies and panfish nibbled there on worms on bobbers. Most customers talked about Wilson, the closest lake to the shop. Trout fishing began to drop off, late in the season for the cold-water fish. The minnow tank is up and running at the store, and the refrigerator is full of nightcrawlers, meal worms and trout worms, and all three caught fish. New owners began operating the shop this year, after the founder, Lou, retired.

 Thirty fish – yellow perch, crappies and chain pickerel – were bailed on a trip Saturday at Victory Lakes on minnows on Double Thomas Spinners, said “Grateful” Bob “Bobstock” Trainer from the <a href="http://www.fvlaonline.com/" target="_blank"><b>Friends of Victory Lakes Association</b></a> and <a href=" http://www.myspace.com/bobstock" target="_blank"><b>Bobstock Productions</b></a>, his music promotion business. The fishing was heating up, after the cold spring. A trip last Wednesday plowed 19 fish, and another the previous Saturday lambasted 27. In the three trips, about five largemouth bass were caught. The largemouth fishing should motor up like usual on the lakes after the spawn. Fishing at Victory – catch and release lakes, chock full of largemouths, pickerel, crappies, yellow perch, sunnies, bluegills and an occasional catfish – is available for only $5 per person for day passes, available at drop boxes around the lakes, or from the non-profit Lakes Association. Or grab a season-long pass from the group. 

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