<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Adirondacks</b>

Temperatures finally plummeted below zero this week, so fishable ice was finally starting to take hold, said Jeff from <b>FISH307.com</b> in the village of Lake George. Ice was fished on waters including Lake Eaton, Lake Durant, Lake Luzerne, Loon Lake, South Bay on Lake Champlain and the bays on Brant Lake. Two to six inches lay on most of those waters. Ice had blown out on Loon Lake, but Tuesday night was minus 5 to 10 degrees there, surely forming 2 to 3 inches. Saranac Lake was minus 14 degrees this morning. Daytimes are supposed to stay below freezing today and tomorrow. Most anglers on the ice fished for yellow perch, trout and northern pike, with success. The early season is usually good. Zero snow lay on the ground. The best scenario now would be if snow like 5 inches fell on the ice, then rains like a ½ inch dropped on it, then the weather became cold again. That would create 5 or 6 inches of ice that wouldn’t otherwise develop. Baits are fully stocked, including icicles, suckers, shiners, fatheads and rosy reds. The shop began opening at 6 a.m. daily, and will open at 5:30 a.m. daily as ice conditions improve.

<b>Salmon River</b>

Steelhead fishing on the river was “decent,” a report on <b>Salmon River Guide</b> from Pulaski’s Web site said. Catches on the drift-boat trips on most days were “just about average,” the report said. The outings covered lots of waters to find the scattered fish. Most deeper areas held the steelies, but no concentrations of the fish stacked up anywhere. Ten-millimeter trout beads under floats worked best aboard. The weather was rough, Capt. Shane Thomas said in a phone call. Days were cold, and were getting colder in a current cold front, and snow fell. The river ran at 900 CFS, and Shane guessed the level would be kept at 900 for the moment. But the flow was fluctuated up and down a lot lately, so it seemed that the flow couldn’t be assured.

Steelheading was tougher on the river in the past days, said Ben from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. A few were banked, but anglers complained. The weather became cold, dropping to a high of 10 degrees on Tuesday. Wednesday was 30 degrees but windy. Still, days are supposed to become warmer again, reaching 40 degrees by the end of the week. Waters became cold, and the slow down in catches was probably because the fish were somewhat stunned from the temps, but also because fewer anglers fished, probably because of the weather and the holidays. Everything from trout beads to egg sacks and flies caught. When the angling was good last week, everything also seemed to work. Customers then seemed to buy whatever was their favorite, scoring success. The river flowed at 900 CFS through Tuesday. On the ponds and lakes, not much fishable ice formed yet. A few areas had become ice-fishable, then the weather warmed.   

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

A few customers jigged crappies on Lake Hopatcong in 20 feet, said Kevin from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Ledgewood. A few fly-rodded trout on the Pequest River on small midges. Not a bit of fishable ice formed on the lakes and ponds. The weather turned cold these current couple of days. But it’s supposed to warm back up, reaching the 50s, later in the week.

Lake Hopatcong turned up yellow perch in 30 feet on Rapala ice-fishing jigs, said Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. Not a lot was heard about fishing, because of the holidays. Lots of bait was sold, but hardly anyone reported fishing results. No news rolled in about trout fishing, and nothing was heard about the Passaic River’s northern pike fishing. Some probably fished for both, though. No fishable ice froze on the lakes and ponds whatsoever. Despite the cold snap for a couple of days this week, the weather is supposed to return to the 40s next week. A solid two weeks of cold is needed for substantial ice fishing. That would mean that the beginning of February would be the first that fishable ice could be expected. But with the way this winter was seeming warm, Nick wondered whether there will be ice fishing this year. But the weather could change. “Who knows?” he asked.

One young customer, fishing from the shoreline at Round Valley Reservoir, landed four brown trout to 18 inches, Jody from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport</b> said in an e-mail. He fished “in the boat launch,” she said, with large shiners on the trip. Another angler, Rich V., banked a brown and a rainbow trout on a trip at the South Branch of the Raritan River on a Rapala lure.

When waters were warmer recently, one customer angled seven good-sized rainbow trout on the North Branch of the Raritan River on a Panther Martin spinner on a trip, said Braden from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. But now, trout streams are colder, and anglers should use something that trout won’t need to expend much energy to chase, like a salmon egg or a meal worm. Trout stream levels were fine, fishable. Some anglers surely fished for trout from the shoreline at Round Valley Reservoir, though nothing was heard about the fishing. The trout swim the shallows for warmth this time of year. Lots of anglers waited for fishable ice on the lakes and ponds.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Walleyes were pulled from the Delaware River upstream at places like Frenchtown, at least before this week’s cold snap, said Chris from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. Crappie fishing was great on the local lakes, including at Carnegie Lake, Stone Tavern Lake and at the lakes at the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area. Fatheads, a  productive bait for them, will be stocked at the shop starting next week. Largemouth bass fishing was “on the slow side,” Chris said. But crappie fishing “more than made up for it,” he noted.

On the Delaware River walleyes could be nabbed at the wing dams at Lambertville and Bull’s Island, said Bob from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Shiners, nightcrawlers and jigs hooked them. Not much was heard about lake fishing, but the trout streams fished well whenever water levels were good. Streamers or wooly buggers imitating small baitfish and nymphs like midges or small larva will work during this season. So will flies like San Juan worms or eggs. “That sort of thing,” Bob said.

Practically nothing was heard about fishing because of the holidays, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Chain pickerel and crappies, fish that are active in cold waters, might be able to be clocked. The shop is trying to keep minnows stocked for them. No substantial ice formed on waters.

Back to Top