<b>NORTH JERSEY</b>

Fishing was good, said Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale. A trip aboard last week whaled and released a 49-inch musky on Echo Lake. Fifty inches is the benchmark for a big one, so Dave was happy about that. The musky inhaled a Super Magnum Bulldog, a 15-inch rubber bait, called the Pounder, and leapt from the waters twice. Only the head of the lure stuck out of the fish’s mouth, when the musky was landed. The fish was tagged by the state, and a phone call about the tag revealed that the state had caught the musky on April 15, when the fish weighed 27 ½ pounds, measuring 49.1 inches, and was full of eggs. The state gathered the eggs, and released the fish. A trip on deck Monday landed a 34-inch musky at Greenwood Lake on a giant, custom-made, broken-back lure in the prop wash. A lure is always fished in the prop wash on the trolling trips, because sometimes muskies will pounce on the plug getting kicked around in the turbulence. Though waters were warm, like 82 degrees at Echo and 84 at Greenwood, muskies ate even more in the warmth. Trips now just had to fish for them deep. Dave was back out on Greenwood on Wednesday, when he gave this report over the phone, trolling big lures. Later in the day he was going to fish for muskies at Echo with the author of the musky article that featured Dave in last week’s Fisherman magazine. Another friend bucktailed a 48-inch musky at Echo Lake this week. Live to Fish’s past several trips concentrated on muskies, and the fish will continue to be a focus, but trips aboard will also keep fishing for walleyes on the lakes. The walleye outings so far this season hunted them with cast plugs in the middle of the night, when muskies moved into the shallows to feed on baitfish like alewives. But walleyes might need to be trolled by this time of season, as the fish stay deep in the height of summer. Trips will also fish for whatever fish are on tap, like largemouth bass. A friend, a pro bass angler, hooked lots of largemouths, but smaller ones 1 pound or 1 ½ pounds, lately. Dave recently returned from Sweden, where he fished Lake Malaren, one of three of the country’s biggest lakes, in Stockholm with a guide. The fishing was slow, but gave up a pike; a zander, a fish that looks like a walleye, and is a pike-perch mix; and a 6-pound asp, a fish that looks like a big shad, putting up a strong fight, and is really a giant minnow. The guide was excited about the asp, apparently a rare catch. The pike smacked a plug that Dave figure-eighted near the boat, a maneuver that sometimes gets following muskies to strike. The zander and asp were trolled. The guide, Mike Puhakka, is on the Rapala pro staff, appearing in many Rapala ads, and had Dave fish with Rapalas. 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.

A buddy beaned nine largemouth bass, scored well, on a trip at Greenwood Lake on power-drop-shotted purple and blue crawls, said Kevin from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Ledgewood. The power-drop-shotting gets the lures down deep. Both largemouth and smallmouth bass turned up solid fishing at Split Rock Reservoir on Keitechs and Senkos. Keitechs were the best thing going. “If you don’t know Keitechs, you don’t know fishing,” Kevin said. Warmth of the waters made fishing slow at Lake Hopatcong during the weekend. So fish deep, avoiding the warm top waters. Power-drop-shotted crawls or 3- or 4-inch Gulp mullets fished 20 feet down or deeper, along the weed lines, was working. The Delaware River reportedly ran high and dirty for smallmouth bass fishing that is usually happening when conditions are better this time of year.

Hybrid striped bass to 8 pounds jumped on herring livelined off the lake’s points, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. Catfish, smallmouth bass and crappies were copped around the lake. Tanner Holly used a hot dog to hook a 6-pound 5-ounce channel catfish off Bertand’s Island, while fishing with friends Dylan Bakels and Paul Michra. Rob Piotowski claimed two sizeable white catfish to just larger than 3 pounds off Nolan’s Point. The Knee Deep Club’s catfish tournament will be held Saturday and Sunday, August 13 and 14. Info is available on the club’s Web site or by calling the shop: 973-663-3826.

Customers talked about okay fishing for hybrid striped bass and walleyes at night at Lake Hopatcong, said Chris from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. During the heat of the day, fish deep, or under cover. Greenwood Lake was reportedly stained because of weed killer or something. Tons of chain pickerel and a few largemouth bass bit at Cranberry Lake. Not much was heard about trout in the summer weather. A bunch of channel catfish mouthed dead herring on the Delaware River around Worthington. Cats and carp chewed in the Passaic River, and a few northern pike still attacked there. Mark from the shop heard about a 35-inch pike that smacked a Zara Spook, “of all things,” Mark said, on the Passaic, at Kennedy Avenue in Paterson. Large, live shiners are usually fished for the pike. Mark knew about anglers at Twin Bridges who played pike on silver, weedless Johnson spoons with Mister Twister tails.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

One angler popper-flied lots off largemouth bass on the South Branch of the Raritan River at Clinton, said Amy from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Both largemouths and smallmouths were the fish to hone in on along the river. Most anglers will avoid trout fishing in summer, because the fish can quickly die in the heat if hooked. But if anglers want trout, they head to the Pequest River, because of cold waters from the hatchery.

Largemouth bass fishing doled out fairly good catches at the smaller two of the three lakes at the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area, said Eric from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. Anglers knocked them around in the evenings and at night on lures like buzz baits and Jitterbugs. Nighttime was popular for largemouthing now, and many anglers fished for them the same way at lots of the small ponds at night and in the evenings. Decent smallmouth bass fishing started to amp up on the Delaware River from Trenton to farther upstream. Eric, a guide on the river, likes to work popper lures, 3-inch rubber grubs or twisters for the bronzebacks.

Fishing perked up a little, and customers beat a few healthy-sized largemouth bass, said Dom from <b>Barracuda’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Riverside. One of the large fish came from Sylvan Lake, and a couple came from Olympia Lakes. The biggest of the week was clocked on a yellow and red Roostertail, but that was unusual. Lures like Roostertails are popular when waters are cooler, in spring and fall. But in summer, largemouth fishing usually requires rubber worms, plastic baits or nightcrawlers that can be fished slower. The fish are unlikely to move much in the high temps. But spoons or spinners could currently be fished during evenings or mornings, cooler times. Largemouth anglers this time of year will also seek cool moments like after the summer rains. After a storm Tuesday night, temperatures dipped to 73 degrees, a perfect pocket of weather to get after largemouths. The fishing, lots of times, will crank up during those windows, because the largemouths will really feed, after not doing much in the heat of the rest of the day. Nothing substantial was heard about catfishing on the Delaware Rive that can be popular in summer. Cats can be some of the more active fish in the warmth. Good reports were heard about summer flounder fishing in saltwater. Customers headed to places like the bay at Mantoloking or the ocean reefs for the fluke. This was a time when floundering kicks in everywhere from the bay to the ocean reefs and wrecks.

<b>South Jersey</b>

The pond at Sicklerville’s Stella Farms, previously private, now owned by the state, and maybe called a new name, was hopping for largemouth bass catches “and everything,” said Tim from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> in Blackwood. Largemouths and sunnies chomped at Blackwood Lake, and sunnies and a few bass nipped at Grenloch Lake. Chain pickerel punched hooks at Wilson Lake, now called Scotland Run, in the back around the lily pads. Not a ton was happening anywhere in the heat, but some catches were heard about.

One of the crew from the shop slugged a 5-pound largemouth bass at Wilson Lake on a rubber worm, and returned Wednesday, wrestling several chain pickerel on minnows, said Jim from <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown. Largemouths were sometimes scum-frogged at Iona and Franklinville Lakes. Pickerel and a few largemouths were nightcrawlered and minnowed at Victory Lakes in Williamstown, private, catch-and-release lakes that can be fished with a $5 day pass, available at lock-boxes around the waters. Or buy a season pass from the Friends of Victory Lakes Association. Lots of turtles stole worms that were fished at all the different lakes near the shop.

Fishing was tough in the heat, but if anglers tried for largemouth bass, Senkos or Power worms were probably the best bet, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Fish early or late in the day, and a rubber-frog bite was also happening, and buzz baits and poppers or top-water lures also locked into decent catches. “Nobody’s setting the world on fire,” Steve said. Saltwater fishing was the best angling. Summer flounder fishing was fair on Delaware Bay, and many flounder fishers hit the ocean reefs. 

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