<b>North Jersey</b>

A 40-inch musky, probably 17 or 18 pounds, was clobbered and released Saturday on Greenwood Lake with <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale, Capt. Dave Vollenweider said. The fish slammed a Rapala Taildancer lure trolled down 20 or 25 feet in 37-foot depths on a planer. The planer totally disappeared underwater when the fish hit. Another musky was lost previously on the trip, when the fish, swiping a lure trolled in the prop wash, dove, snagging the line on something on the bottom, breaking off. Muskies are sometimes attracted to the prop wash 5 or 6 feet behind the boat. But that was a two-musky-hit day, a great success, and the fish were active. A catch is never guaranteed for a musky angler, and even a follow is half the battle, when targeting this fish of 10,000 casts, as they’re called. Anglers target them because a musky can be the biggest fish someone ever catches. Plus the sport is simply fascinating. Anglers better go now if they want muskies, and Live to Fish hunts muskies all summer long. But sometimes waters can become stale in the height of summer, and muskies can become slower to respond, but now they were on the feed. The lake was 77 or 78 degrees, and the day was overcast and damp. Dave’s trips usually cast to the fish, but he’s been experimenting with trolling this spring, and trolling was turning out effective results. Trolling can also help when the heat forces the fish down into the thermocline. Live to fish is also walleye fishing, especially at night, when the fish move to the shallows, eating baitfish. That’s when walleyes, big fish, will pounce on top-water lures for great sport. The trips fish in the middle of the night, like 12 midnight or 2 a.m. Some of the fishing was covered in previous reports. Dave last Wednesday chartered a boat from Brielle for striped bass fishing on the ocean, after chartering the same boat the previous week on a trip that whaled incredible striper fishing, covered in the last report. But on the trip Wednesday, the fish had disappeared. The charter fished hard, covering the ocean from Point Pleasant Beach to Sandy Hook. A couple of big blues were trolled, and the anglers later played with cocktail blues on jigs, when livelining bunker for stripers apparently wasn’t going to produce. Before the trip, a tremendous blitz of stripers lasted through last week on Monday. The captain on the boat showed Dave photos of a 50-some-pound striper decked and tons of bunker schooling that Monday. The fishing dropped off for everyone for two or three days afterward, though the bass began to bite at times since then. Live to Fish will keep fishing for walleyes and muskies. 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.

Quite a few trout were plucked from the Pequest River on trips Greg from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Ledgewood took last Wednesday and Sunday, he said. Most were hooked on scuds, and waters were somewhat high and dirty, but cleaning up. Rains on Tuesday probably raised the level again. The Big Flatbrook reportedly fished well for trout last week, and a customer said the level was perfect then. Mostly nymphs and scuds caught, but a few sulfur dry flies hatched in the evening. Nothing was yet heard about smallmouth bass fishing .on the Delaware River, though Greg fished for them, and caught, a couple of weeks ago, covered in a previous report. But this was the time to begin hearing about the smallies. Smallmouths and largemouth bass will be able to be bagged in New Jersey starting Thursday, and in Pennsylvania starting Saturday, after the catch-and-release season, because of spawning. One customer plowed great fishing for largemouths at a local pond on poppers later at night. Another who fished Lake Hopatcong did a job on hybrid striped bass and a few walleyes Sunday evening. Mostly herring nabbed the fish, but dark-colored poppers grabbed a few. Greg fished for fluke at Sandy Hook Monday, landing 50, including two keepers.

Fishing for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, limited to catch and release through today, will open Thursday, “with reports of some nice fish being caught in the 3-pound range,” said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. The bass, white and yellow perch, chain pickerel and hybrid striped bass were sometimes caught in 15 feet of waters or so. Hybrids and walleyes were top-water lured at night at times. “Most fish in the 3- to 5-pound range,” Laurie said. Mike Costello whaled and released an 18-pound 4-ounce channel catfish that chomped a hot dog he cast from a dock at Mount Arlington. Live herring are stocked for bait on the lake, but are also terrific for fluke fishing in saltwater.

Smallmouth bass, super catches, were socked at Canistear Reservoir, including on Rapala X-Rap lures and Senko worms, said Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. Smallmouths and largemouths will be able to be kept starting Thursday. Nick competed in a largemouth tournament at Lake Hopatcong Sunday, and the entrants crushed them. Top-water lures, including Rebel Pop-R’s, got bitten in the mornings. But Nick caught all his bass on Texas-rigged Senkos with no weight, and his partner caught all his on weightless Keitechs. Lots of smallmouth bass chewed, unusual on Hopatcong, during the event. But all the anglers seemed to angle a couple of smallies apiece. A customer landed eight largemouths at Barbour Pond on top-waters in the early morning Monday. Nick is going to fish Barbour to break the state record for largemouth bass, he said! That’s because anglers started talking about a big bucketmouth 10 to 12 pounds in the pond. Anglers saw a big bass but couldn’t get the fish to bite, and enough mentioned the fish that Nick intends to see for himself. The current record is a  10-pound 14-ounce largemouth, hauled from Menantico Sandwash in South Jersey in 1980. One customer kept limiting out on trout at the Ramapo River on fathead minnows, and smallmouth bass occasionally jumped on the fatheads. Lots of northern pike swiped shiners on the Passaic River. Lots of big ones were wrestled from the river at Two Bridges in Fairfield.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

A trip that Burt, from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook, took only produced one trout on the South Branch of the Raritan River and Ken Lockwood Gorge, Amy from the shop said. Trout streams had flowed high from rains, and had started to come down, but rains Tuesday probably raised the levels at least moderately if not high. Customers were heading to the Raritan Canal for catfishing. Smallmouth bass fishing was probably just starting on the South Branch. The catches usually get going when the weather and waters warm somewhat more. Smallies and largemouth bass will be able to be kept starting Thursday. Customers headed to waters like Round Valley Reservoir for largemouth fishing. Many customers began to pick up gear for fluke fishing in saltwater.

At Lake Riviera largemouth bass, limited to catch and release through today, chain pickerel and a few yellow perch were angled, said Jeff from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Killies and grass shrimp caught them, and nightcrawlers grabbed sunnies and bluegills there. Nothing was heard about catfish from Riviera, but the cats should be heard about soon. Picks and largemouths hit in the Winding River on shiners. A few picks on spinners and sunnies on worms were rounded up from Lester’s Lake. Largemouths and crappies were tugged from the Ocean County College pond. Pickerel and a few perch were played on the Toms River at Trilco, the stretch around the Parkway Bridge, named for a building supply that closed down. Lots of carp were seen at Trilco, and Jeff heard about none caught. Largemouth bass fishing sounded somewhat good at Manasquan Reservoir in the trees on jigs or rubber worms.

Fishing for smallmouth bass put up solid angling on the Delaware River at Lambertville, said Frank from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. The fish will be able to be kept starting Thursday in New Jersey and beginning Saturday in Pennsylvania. Largemouth bass, able to be kept starting Thursday in New Jersey, probably all finished spawning, and were willing to strike, in the lakes at the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area. Though the bass were probably off the beds in the shallows, they were probably headed to the deep to escape the heat. Also at Assunpink, crappies were clocked in open waters, and chain pickerel were punched along the weeds. Carp fishing seemed to pick up at the local ponds. Anglers fished with them with homemade carp baits, a mix of everything from corn and cornmeal to strawberry flavors. All kinds of crazy stuff. Sales of shiners slowed a little, and sales of nightcrawlers went through the roof.  

Largemouth bass became a main target for customers, said Dom from <b>Barracuda’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Riverside. The fish had to be released by law, but will be able to be kept starting Thursday. Anglers often fished for them with shiners, at waters including Olympia Lakes, Lake Lonnie and Lake Sooy. But the pond on Amico Island on the Delaware River was a great spot for largemouthing. The pond on the island – a park that’s actually a peninsula, located between Dredge Harbor and the mouth of Rancocas Creek – is connected to the Delaware River underground. Lots of fresh, oxygenated waters reach the pond, helping the fishing. The pond also doesn’t get filled with lily pads and weeds that hamper many stillwaters in the warm months. The park is also a pleasant place to take the family. Crappie fishing somewhat slowed on the lakes, though local waters hold surprisingly good fishing for crappies earlier in the season. A couple of anglers said they switched to largemouths from crappies for the better bite. Catfishing on the Delaware River became another focus for customers. Catfish always swim the river, and anglers begin to pay attention to them once other fishing, like for striped bass on the Delaware, is finished for the season. Salted clams are a favorite bait for the cats, and might even work better than fresh clams. Catfish like smelly baits, and will also inhale offerings like blood and cheese tube baits from Uncle Josh. The store stocks salted clams, Uncle Josh baits, shiners and a large variety of baits.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Largemouth bass, crappies and sunnies, good catches, were pulled from Haddon Lake and the Cooper River, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b> in Brooklawn. Largemouths had to be released through today, the final day of the catch-and-release season for them. Stewart Lake produced a bunch of fish like that, and Wilson Lake shoveled up plenty of chain pickerel, a few crappies and an occasional, sizeable largemouth. Big catfish milled all around the Delaware River, sniffing out salted clams, especially, and chicken livers. In saltwater, news from Delaware Bay was unusually quiet. Little was heard about summer flounder fishing that would normally be in high gear in the bay, and drum fishing was ending for the season on the bay, as the fish departed like usual this time of year. More reports than before started to be heard about flounder hooked at the inlets along the coast and in the ocean. Maybe the flatfish were moving out already, even if the season was early. Kingfish were beached from the surf, mostly farther north, toward Atlantic City. Lots of fish hovered offshore. Decent sea bass catches were pumped in from the 20-fathom wrecks, and cod remained in the ocean 20 miles from shore. Big Timber carries bait and tackle for fishing on all waters from freshwater to bays to offshore.

Grenloch Lake sometimes produced largemouth bass, said Tim from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> in Blackwood. The fish could be caught and released through today, and will be able to be bagged starting Thursday. Blackwood Lake sometimes dished up quality catches of largemouths. A big snakehead, the first Tim ever saw, was checked in from Blackwood Lake. Snakeheads are invasive or foreign fish that somehow show up, like if somebody released them into the waters, and aren’t good news. Snakeheads have the potential to deplete native fish. The government asks anglers to kill them if caught. A couple of customers fished Puppyland Pond to land largemouths. Customers also talked about good largemouth fishing at Victory and Timber lakes in Williamstown. Check to see how to fish those lakes. For example, Victory is private, but fishing is allowed for a fee payable in lock boxes on the grounds from the Friends of Victory Lakes Association, or with a season pass from the association. Anglers also talked about largemouth fishing at their favorite sandwashes, like off Berlin Cross Keys Road. Anglers bought shiners and nightcrawlers for largemouth fishing. But some veteran anglers picked up crank baits for the catches.

Lots of smallmouth bass were pounded on Lake Audrey, said Jim from <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown. Seven-inch power worms coaxed strikes, and Audrey is one of two lakes, along with Union Lake, that harbor smallies in South Jersey. Smallmouth bass and largemouth bass will be able to be kept starting Thursday. Largemouths were nailed at Iona Lake and Franklinville Lake. They were small but were caught, including on minnows, but also on top-water lures bounced off the lily pads. Anglers also bought nightcrawlers for them. A bunch of chain pickerel got waxed on Wilson Lake.

Back to Top