<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

Lots of Coho salmon entered the river, said Ben from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. A few king salmon trickled up the river, and the river wasn’t loaded with salmon yet, but enough of the fish came in to be fishing. The usual egg sacks and flies caught, and some anglers used trout beads with good success. The river flowed low at 335 CFS, and no expected change in the flow was reported. The area could use rains to make the river higher, but the weather was nice. Salmon fishing became slow on Lake Ontario, but produced a few catches, mostly Cohos.

Lake Ontario’s salmon fishing dropped right off, but the angling became good on the Salmon River, said Capt. Shane from <b>Salmon River Guide</b> from Pulaski. He ran his season’s first trip on the river Wednesday, after his trips previously fished the lake, and the river trip limited out on king salmon by 10 a.m. Lots of Coho salmon swam the river, and a few steelheads and brown trout ran the lower river. Shane’s trip fished mid river, back-trolling the catches on the drift boat. But bank anglers caught on the lower river. A few salmon held in the mouth of the river, giving up good fishing at night, but not during the day. The Salmon River flowed low at 335 CFS, and on the low end of 335. Two or three inches of rains could be used to fill the reservoir up, so more waters could be released into the river. Rains fell maybe two or three times per week, but the area was dry.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

A trip aboard Greenwood Lake Sunday found crappies schooling in the deep around 30 feet, bailing a bunch, mostly small, but one big slab, a 2-pounder, said Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale. Lots of panfish like bluegills and longear sunfish also bit in the depths on the trip, and so did a few largemouth bass, including one sizeable one about 1 ½ pounds. The angling was good, and fathead minnows on Lindy rigs and drop-shot rigs were fished. A tremendous number of fish held in the deep this time of year, and many weren’t fished for, because fishing the deep can take more effort than angling shallower. This was an opportunity for action. Fishing will likely get even better this fall, as fishing pressure and boat traffic drops off. Quite a few boats sailed the lake on the trip. Greenwood was 70 degrees, still warm, and the lake probably won’t turn over until October. A couple of cold days and some windy weather will trigger the turnover. Live to Fish was previously musky fishing, and musky fishing now was slow, but could kick in again. Live to Fish caught no walleyes in the past week, but is still walleye fishing. Dave doesn’t typically trout fish in fall, but instead in spring, though some good trouting can happen in fall. His trips mostly fish for trout with lures, and low waters in fall, and leaves in the waters then, aren’t ideal for lure fishing. If rains swell the rivers in the early autumn, before many leaves fall, Dave might fish for trout. The lures often getting fouled on leaves later in fall isn’t enjoyable. Bait fishing for trout can be good in fall, and Dave does offer that fishing if anglers would like. Live to Fish will probably guide trips into November this year, before going on a break a moment into winter. 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.

Participation was on the slower side, but customers sometimes hit smallmouth bass on Greenwood Lake on crank baits, said Kevin from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Ledgewood. Waters seemed freer of weeds on Greenwood than at other lakes. Participation was probably affected by recent rough weather, and this was just an in-between time of year, as summer gives way to autumn. Lake Hopatcong anglers copped crappies and other typical catches, and the no-wake regs might’ve ended, but the lake still had to be high. Not much was heard about the streams, but fall trout stocking is coming soon in the waters. The Delaware River wasn’t fishable because of high waters. High waters kept the river unfishable nearly all season, and customers who normally fish the river 20 times in the season talked about trying the waters only like three times this season.

Forty-nine entries, a good turnout, showed up for the Knee Deep Club’s walleye tournament on the lake this weekend, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. The winning walleyes ranged from 8 pounds 14 ounces to 4 pounds 1 ounce, and plenty of smaller ones were checked in. As the weather cools, jigging for walleyes and hybrid striped bass should produce in deeper waters off the points. Gotchas and ice-fishing Rapala jigs should catch. Hybrids were hooked in the lake, and Walter Lesiak and son belted a catch of the stripers 6 to 8 pounds in the evening on livelined herring. Hybrids, smallmouth bass, chain pickerel and crappies were also beaten in the mornings. Mark Cusack weighed in a 7-pound 13-ounce hybrid. The shop will be open, including for bait and boat rentals, into November sometime. The doors are then usually closed for a brief break until reopening when ice fishing begins.

Buddies competed in a largemouth bass tournament on Spruce Run Reservoir, and catches were all right, said Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. All the entrants apparently caught, often on crank baits or Senkos, and 8 feet down was reportedly the magic depth. Nick competed this weekend in a largemouth tournament on a New York lake, and the fishing was okay. Nick came in second place, fishing with a Spittin Image top-water popper, and his partner came in first, angling with a Keitech. Six to 8 feet down was the place to catch, and largemouths swam shallow like that lately. The New York lake had apparently turned over. A few customers fished ponds for largemouths, connecting on top-waters in the mornings and jigs like ¼-ouncers with Keitechs during daytime. Lake Hopatcong remained under a no-wake zone the last Nick heard, but that might’ve changed. But the waters had been spilling over, and nobody talked about fishing there. A few caught trout, not a lot, but some, on the Pequannock and Wanaque rivers. Fall trout stocking will get under way soon. Anglers fought northern pike on the Passaic River again on shiners. The river had run too high for fishing recently, but now was at a better level.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Braden from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook catfished on the Delaware and Raritan Canal, he said. He knocked down bullhead cats on chicken livers and channel cats on chunks of snapper bluefish. Water levels were back to fishable after floods from recent storms, including on the Raritan River and the Millstone River. No anglers reported getting back out on the waters yet. Smallmouth bass fishing should still be happening on the Raritan this time of year, if storms like the hurricane didn’t displace the fish or something.

A few fished the Ocean County College pond, beginning to work popper lures, catching a token largemouth bass at dusk or at night, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Waters were still warm, but the clarity was good. Decent catfishing was on tap at the waters at Pinelands Park in Manchester at dusk, dawn or at night. Channel catfishing was also on at the waters at Seacourt Pavilion. The state stocks the channels. Chain pickerel could be played as usual on the Toms River at Trilco, the building supply that closed down. No sign identifies the building as Trilco, but locals know the stretch of river by that name, located around the Parkway. Killies and nightcrawlers are stocked, and Dennis trying to stock shiners for the season. If shiners are available this week, they’ll arrive Friday at the store.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Prospertown Lake was empty, because a crack in the spillway made the lake lose a foot of waters per day, said Eric from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. But before the lake drained, the state shocked the fish, moving them to the waters at Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area. So fishing was good at Colliers for chain pickerel, largemouth bass and crappies. Eric stopped at Colliers for the Wild Outdoor Expo during the weekend, and kids in the event were scoring catches, and waters looked clear. He also saw the lakes at the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area, and waters were muddy, but anglers were fishing, and Eric was sure some largemouth bass could be landed. Local farm ponds produced largemouths on top-waters in the evenings and plastic worms at various times. The Delaware River no longer ran high and full of debris but was very muddy. The <a href=" http://www.rossmarineservice.com/" target="_blank">Delaware River Roundup Charity Catfish Tournament</a> at Ross Marine will be held on the river Saturday, October 1, and the captain’s meeting will take place that Friday at Harry’s.

Largemouth bass were mainly targeted, said Dom from <b>Barracuda’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Riverside. Lake Lonnie and Olympia Lakes seemed the main spots that produced, and many anglers fished shiners for the bucketmouths. Still, lures could be used, because the bass were willing to chase them, after they previously weren’t very active in the summer heat. Some anglers went for crappies, mostly with minnows, and Olympia Lakes held big crappies. Live baits or shiners and minnows seemed the choice for the different types of fishing this time of year. The Delaware River probably remained muddy and full of debris. A couple of customers tried fishing the river during the weekend, and the fishing sounded difficult because of the conditions. In saltwater, not as many customers tried for summer flounder as before. But blowfish drew their interest, because blowfishing was reportedly good at places like the bay near Mantoloking.

A good report rolled in Wednesday about the Delaware River running heavy with striped bass socked on bloodworms, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b> in Brooklawn. The fishing seemed to be starting, and a customer was tackling 30- to 35-inchers. The fish came from different places like the Gloucester Pier and, for boaters, the river downstream from National Park. When the river clears, after being dirtied from the recent storms, largemouth bass fishing should take off. Catfish already bit well in the river. A few quality largemouth catches came from Newton Lake and Haddon Lake. Chatter baits seemed preferred for largemouth angling. Lots of crappies swam Wilson Lake. From saltwater, nothing much was heard about Delaware Bay. No fish like large schools of croakers seemed to gather there. Small kingfish and small croakers schooled waters tight to shore along the coast. Small blues supposedly schooled 5-Fathom Bank in the ocean. Offshore fishing was good for yellowfin tuna and longfin tuna between Baltimore and Wilmington canyons. Rick heard about the fish trolled during daytime but not often chunked at night. Big Timber carries bait and tackle for fishing on all waters from lakes to bays to offshore.

At <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> in Blackwood, Ed sent a couple of groups to fish New Brooklyn Lake with minnows, he said. The groups cleaned up on good fishing for chain pickerel. Panfish like sunnies should be able to be punched at the spillways like at Blackwood Lake on meal worms. Not a lot of anglers were out and about, and even the usual array of kids who fish for the sunnies at the spillways were around. But the fish should be on the bite.

The 27th annual fishing tournament for kids was held at Wilson Lake Saturday, said Jim from <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown. The kids in the event, co-sponsored by the Gloucester County Board of Freeholders and the store, tackled chain pickerel, small, but lots, on minnows and nightcrawlers. Wilson held a mess of lily pads, but the water level was fine, after previous high waters from the storms. Not a ton of other anglers fished, apparently because of the recent weather and the time of year, between summer and fall. But lake conditions were looking improved.

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