<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

Great catches of salmon were pounded from the river the past couple of weeks, said Eric from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. The river ran exceptionally low, at 185 CFS, in the drought. But king salmon and Coho salmon filled the waters. Fishing at mid river was probably best, and the usual egg imitations and egg sacks were mostly fished. A few steelheads, not many, began to swim the river, and nothing was heard about brown trout in the waters yet. Boating for salmon on Lake Ontario was mostly finished for the season. Most of the fish migrated up the river. But drift-boaters socked plenty of salmon at the mouth of the river at night.

Though <b>Salmon River Guide</b> from Pulaski would normally drift-boat Salmon River for salmon this season, the river ran too low, at 185 CFS, to drift-boat, a report on Salmon River Guide’s Web site said. But that just meant trips instead waded the river or, in evenings, drift-boated the river mouth. Salmon fishing turns on at the mouth then. Fishing was good for lots of king salmon and Coho salmon on Salmon River and other tributaries of Lake Ontario. When drift-boating Salmon River’s mouth in evenings, the fishing was “easy pickings,” the report said, when winds were calm. When winds blew strongly, the fishing struggled a bit. If lots of rains fall, trips could start drift-boating the main river. After the salmon migration this fall, trips will fish for steelheads that pile into the river through winter and early spring.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

With <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b>, Rich Cabana fished last Wednesday on a lake, tackling a beautiful tiger musky, Capt. Dave Vollenweider said. The fish, trolled in open waters in 32 to 35 feet, was released, and another musky, a true strain, was trolled but got off. This was Cabana’s second trip with Live to Fish. On the first, in August, no muskies, the fish of a thousand casts, bit. “So this was his trip,” Dave said. The lake was 67 or 68 degrees, and the fish that bit were good news, because fishing seemed slow previously. Fish still seemed “funky,” Dave said, in lakes, maybe because waters were turning over. Dave expects angling to become very good after the turn over. It usually does. On a trip Saturday with Lou Martinez aboard, about an 18-pound 40-inch musky was trolled, jumped twice, then threw the hook on a lake. Then a sizeable walleye 6 pounds was trolled. The fish was long and skinny, and should have weighed more. A walleye aboard on a previous trip, reported here in past weeks, was also like that. Boat traffic was lighter on the trips than in summer, and Dave liked that. Traffic should keep decreasing, good for fishing. In other news, Dave’s friend Paul Schmidt, a tournament largemouth bass angler, competed at Greenwood Lake this past week. He didn’t fare well, but one entrant totaled 18 pounds for five fish. 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.

Trout stocking will kick off next week, said Kevin from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. Trout streams ran low, “but have been worse,” he said, and rains this week should help. Still, the waters “looked good,” he said, for the fishing, and terrestrial flies, small bead-headed nymphs and small egg patterns should catch. Smallmouth bass were slugged on reservoirs like Oak Ridge on lures like Keitechs on ¼-ounce jigheads fished slowly. Fishing for largemouth bass with top-water lures seemed to slow.

Fishing the Passaic River for smallmouth bass and northern pike beat the best catches lately, said Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. The smallmouths were on a tear below the falls. Lots of smallmouths, including sizeable or 12- to 14-inchers, swarmed Ramapo River. A few pike were plastered from Pompton Lake. Crappies and yellow perch nipped at the bridge there. Barber’s Pond served up crappies and small largemouth bass. Live bait like shiners was a choice for much fishing these days, including all the angling mentioned above. Shiners could take the smallmouths and pike on the Passaic. But 3-inch Keitechs also clocked the smallies. The smallmouths on the Ramapo were axed on free-weighted shiners, simply chucked out and allowed to swim. The crappies and largemouths at Barber’s were all whacked on live bait. The crappies and yellow perch at Pompton smacked shiners or small Hopkins lures. And so on. Nothing was heard about Lake Hopactong. Nick will compete in a largemouth bass tournament, his final of the year, Sunday at Greenwood Lake. Catching them was a struggle at Greenwood this season.

Rainbow trout began to swim near the shoreline at Round Valley Reservoir for the season, said Jody from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport</b> in an e-mail. The fishing began to pick up, and Zach Merchant from the shore banked a 12-inch rainbow and two smallmouth bass that were small, losing a bigger smallmouth. On another trip, he broke off a huge channel catfish on 15-pound braid from the shore. At Merrill Creek Reservoir, Richard Holler landed two 3-pound smallmouths on large shiners.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Customers began fishing trout streams somewhat, said Josh from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Many midge-fished Pequest River. Customers also somewhat fished Raritan River for smallmouth bass at places including Duke Island. One of the shop’s staff fished for the river’s smallies at East Brunswick with small Rapala lures. Catfish were clunked on the Raritan. Nothing substantial was heard about largemouth bass fishing. But some fished for them at Delaware and Raritan Canal and the larger reservoirs like Lake Hopatcong.

Catches of hybrid striped bass were increasing on Manasquan Reservoir, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Drifted shiners caught more than chicken livers did. One angler fishing Lake Riviera was managing largemouth bass, crappies and chain pickerel. “Not beating anything up,” Dennis said, but catching some, and the customer said the lake’s temperature began to be more stable. He fished with shiners and killies, and shiners worked better a little. Bluegills pounced at Ocean County College pond on nightcrawlers under bobbers, but news about the pond’s fishing was scarcer than before. Maybe ponds and lakes began to turn over a bit. Shiners, killies and nightcrawlers are stocked. Garden worms and meal worms will arrive within the next days for trout stocking that will begin next week. Power Baits and all the trout gear is loaded up at the store.

Walleyes were rustled from Delaware River from sunset into night on trolled or cast Rapalas, said Bill from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. Catches were heard about from Trenton to Lambertville, and the river’s smallmouth bass fishing slowed since waters rose this season. Still, trout streams like Pequest River ran low. Lake anglers found a “jump,” Bill said, in crappie fishing, for some reason, maybe because of cool nights. They bailed 20 or 30 per trip, so they kept locations to themselves. Nobody talked about largemouth bass fishing.

The store jumped with anglers traveling to fish for salmon on upstate New York’s rivers, said Tom P. from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. The fishing was nuts. Big crappies were honked from Rosedale Lake on Crappie Magnets with gold heads and chartreuse-sparkle bodies. Sizeable largemouth bass 3 and 4 pounds at Rosedale were plastic-wormed and spinner-baited. A customer showed photos of largemouths to 4 pounds he dragged from Oakford Lake on shiners and Rat-L-Traps. Big channel catfish were bombed from three spots: Pemberton Lake, Crystal Lake and Pennsauken Creek. Fish only with chicken livers, not worms or anything else.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Delaware River put up good largemouth bass fishing, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b> in Brooklawn. Catfish flooded the river, and a few small striped bass were tugged from the waters. Healthy stringers of largemouth bass came from Salem Canal. Big largemouths were pasted from Union Lake. Largemouthing produced at Cooper River, Stewart Lake, Haddon Lake and Newton Lake. Soft-plastic lures and top-water lures winged the bass, and largemouths were yet to prefer jerk baits. Big Timber stocks bait and tackle for fishing on all waters from fresh to offshore.

Little was doing, except the usual sunnies getting played at the spillway across the road from Blackwood Lake and at Grenloch Lake, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> in Blackwood. But trout will be stocked at Grenloch and Oak Pond on Tuesday, October 16. Farther from the store, they’ll be stocked the same day at Maurice River, Giampetro Park Pond, Hammonton Lake and Mary Elmer Lake. On the next day, Wednesday, October 17, Iona Lake, Greenwich Lake, Shadlers Sand Wash Pond and Swedesboro Lake will be stocked.

Largemouth bass began to hit reaction-type lures, like spinner baits and flipping jigs, a little more than before, said Vince from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Largemouth catches were talked about from Union Lake and South Vineland Park Pond. Vince was unsure whether Parvin’s Lake was reopened, but thought probably not, but looked forward to the reopening. The lake had been closed because of storm damage earlier this year. The reopening could be opportunity to nail big largemouth bass that hadn’t been pressured. Vince attended a kid’s largemouth tournament at the lake at Picatinny Arsenal, near Lake Hopatcong in North Jersey, this past week. Forty-some largemouths to 4 pounds, weighing a total of 90-some pounds, were landed, and a kid with 11-1/2-pounds, for five bass, won. Six kids limited out, and Senko worms caught best.

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