<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

Quite a few steelheads swam the river, running at 335 CFS, but anglers had to work to catch, more than before, said Scott from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. They couldn’t stand in one place and expect to catch like previously, when the fish population was thicker. Anglers now had to keep walking, picking away. So long as they did, they caught, and no stretch harbored more of the fish than another. Steelheads roamed the whole length, and most anglers bounced eggs to hook them. A few fished small nymphs. A few brown trout, not as many as usual, ran the river. A foot of snow dumped on Pulaski, and 16 to 18 inches dropped on Altmar. No ice fishing was possible on lakes. “Oh, absolutely not,” Scott said. But ice gear began to be placed in the shop.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

A couple of crappies were nabbed on Greenwood Lake on a trip aboard Sunday, said Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale. That’s all that was hooked, but more time was spent searching for muskies. No muskies bit, but that’s musky fishing. Catching the fish of a thousand casts is never a guarantee. If Dave were to hone in on crappies, he’d bail them, usually. If anglers want action, take a trip aboard, because the slabs go on the bite now at lakes like Greenwood. Dave’s trips mark the fish on the fish finder, drop down live bait, and have at it. But some of the year’s best musky fishing can happen in the chillier season like currently. A friend has scored some of his best multi-musky-catch trips this time of year on Greenwood. Canadian guides on the trophy musky fishery Saint Lawrence River, where Dave recently returned from a trip, covered in a previous report, fish to December 15. Imagine the cold on the northern waters. The guides say the lower water temps offer the best shot at a trophy musky. The fish are feeding to prepare for winter, including on Greenwood. Dave heard about a 45-inch musky landed from the lake the day before his trip. On Dave’s trip, Greenwood was 46 degrees. He’d like to see the waters at 42. On the trip, few fish were marked in shallow waters. Most hovered in deeper waters. But at this time of year, when water temps are low, lakes can be largely the same temperature from top to bottom. Muskies can be found anywhere in the water column. That’s part of the challenge of the fishing: finding the fish. But with musky fishing, one catch can change the day. The large, elusive fish are trophies to anglers. Dave will keep fishing as long as possible this year. Last year, he ran his final trip, and caught his season’s last musky, in early December. Once lakes drop into the 30 degrees, some musky anglers still fish, but the fish can become sluggish. Still, anglers ice-fish for 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.

Rockaway River ran slightly high but about “where it should be,” said Don from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. Most trout streams might’ve flowed like that, and customers bought garden worms for the trouting in past days. When fly fishers gear up at the shop during this season, they often buy egg flies or San Juan worms. One angler tackled chain pickerel on top-water lures in shallow waters at a lake in a Wildlife Management Area near Sparta. Many customers headed to fish saltwater for blackfish on party boats at ports like Belmar. One was traveling to Point Pleasant Beach for the tautog.

One customer tugged a couple of limits of trout from Braddock Park Lake on corn and rainbow Power Baits, said Mark from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. Another crunched good trouting from shore at Round Valley Reservoir. Largemouth bass 8 to 10 inches swiped 3-inch Keitechs at Dahnert’s Lake. A 12-pound northern pike was banked along Passaic River in Fairfield.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

From <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook, Darrel fly-rodded trout on Pequest River, downstream from the hatchery, on egg and WD-40 patterns, he said. The water level was “very good,” he said, a little down from the previous week. The river was clear and becoming cold. For the past two weeks, his trouting produced catches from morning to midday. The fish seemed to stop biting after 3 p.m. No customers talked about largemouth bass fishing, and waters were becoming chilly for the angling. The fish were probably sluggish, and a hook probably needed to be placed “in front of their noses,” Darrel said. Trout fishing will become like that.

A few anglers grabbed supplies for trout fishing, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. One was on the way to the Toms River with worms for bait. Farther downstream, the Toms at Trilco is always a place to hunt chain pickerel. Try dunking killies or working spinners. Trilco is a closed building supply, and no sign identifies it. But locals know the stretch of river by the name, located near Garden State Parkway. Killies, nightcrawlers, garden worms and meal worms are stocked.

<b>South Jersey</b>

At <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville a few anglers mentioned socking crappies and chain pickerel from lakes on live bait, Eric said. An occasional largemouth bass chomped the bait, but nobody talked about targeting largemouths. Trout were taken at Rosedale and Colonial lakes. Northern streams fished well for trout, like Musconetcong and Pequest rivers. On Delaware River a few smallmouth bass were hair-jigged or tubed upstream toward Route 202 Bridge.

Fishing for trout from this month’s winter stocking produced well, said Tom P. from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Even holdover trout from the fall stocking were caught, including at Sylvan Lake. Customers bought worms for trout and shiners for largemouth bass. They fished for largemouths at Rosedale Lake, Carnegie Lake and the lakes at Assunpink Wildlife Management Area. Crappies were clobbered at Assunpink. Two anglers were seen together boating Delaware River, slow trolling, probably for walleyes. They weren’t seen catching anything, and nothing was heard about the river. Many customers bought supplies to fish for steelheads on upstate New York’s rivers.

Fishing with bait became popular, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b> in Brooklawn. That was apparently because of lower water temperatures, and small minnows were bought for crappie fishing. Lots of shiners were bought, probably for largemouth bass. Still, crank baits sometimes clocked largemouths on bigger lakes. Plenty of catfish and white perch swam active in Delaware River. If anglers want perch, they’re on tap. Not much was heard about trout. In saltwater, Delaware Bay churned out striped bass at usual places like 60-Foot Slough, Tussy’s Slough and Reed’s Beach, including not far from shore. Chunks of vacuum-packed bunker, stocked at the shop, were fished for them. Big Timber stocks bait and tackle for fishing on all waters from fresh to offshore.

In Blackwood, <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> was closed for the season and will probably be reopened in early March, the shop’s voicemail said. The shop thanks customers, “and happy holidays,” the recording said.

Heading out with a bucket of minnows is probably the best bet now, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Fish are probably sluggish in the cold, and live bait like that can offer the best chance for bites. Chain pickerel, crappies and yellow perch could probably be caught. A few trout were reported landed now and then, but no specifics were heard, and no great catches were talked about. But in saltwater, striped bass fishing was on in Delaware Bay. The fish were boated on chunks of bunker.

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