<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Adirondacks</b>

The lakes were mostly open waters locally, no longer ice-fishable mostly, and the shop was being readied for spring fishing, said Amber from <b>FISH307.com</b> in the village of Lake George. Anglers began to boat Lake George. But fishable ice remained in the northern Adirondacks, and ice tackle and baits were stocked at the shop. Not all the baits were stocked – mousies, scarce this year, ran out some time ago – but a large supply remained. Schroon Lake held ice, and an ice-fishing tournament took place there during the weekend. Most anglers boating Lake George looked for lake trout, jigging for them off the bottom with tackle like spoons from PK Lures. Or they searched for yellow perch and northern pike. Beautiful weather in the 60s was forecasted for coming days. The shop’s ice-fishing clearance sale is ongoing and also featured on <a href="http://www.fish307.com/" target="_blank">FISH307.com</a> itself. The store’s Spring Fishing Open House is set for May 5. Lots of spring tackle, including the year’s new gear, is being loaded up at the shop.

<b>Salmon River</b>

The river was up to 900 CFS through the beginning of the week, compared with 500 previously, and that was a good, medium level for steelhead fishing, said Capt. Shane Thomas from <b>Salmon River Guide</b> in Pulaski. The medium level enabled anglers to fish the whole river, and Shane’s trips on his drift boat belted plenty of steelheads, fishing mostly at mid river. Lots of steelheads were spawning, but lots kept biting, and steelheads fresh from Lake Ontario still entered the river. The fish enter the river through winter, spawn there in spring and return to the lake for summer. Shane’s trips caught the fish on trout beads and egg sacks. The river was getting crowded with anglers. A few brown trout, small ones, began to be boated on Lake Ontario. Only a few fished for them, and the season was early, and Shane will probably begin that angling in April, maybe running a few trips for the trout before then. Big browns are trolled close to shore in spring. Ice fishing was finished locally for the season.

Though the river ran at 900 CFS a few days, it was dropped back down to 500 now, said Eric from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. How’s the steelhead fishing? he was asked. “Depends on whom you talk to,” he said. Many said the fishing was slow in the lower flow, giving up a couple of the fish a trip. “Nobody was setting the world on fire,” Eric said. Most who scored good catches seemed to fish the upper river at Altmar in the lower flow. Small stoneflies, trout beads and egg sacks caught. A few brown trout swam Lake Ontario locally, and the population grows in spring. Eric guessed the brown trout fishing was already going well farther west at Sodus and Wilson. Local lakes were wide open, no longer ice fished. No snow even covered the ground.

<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

A 15-pound striped bass and a mid-30-incher were banked on the Delaware River at Station Avenue on bloodworms Monday, <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Philadelphia’s Facebook page said. “It looks like it’s going to be a real early season,” the report said. “Sixties the next couple days. Oh boy!” Until water temps rise higher than 55 or 60 degrees, bloodworms will be the bait that takes the river’s stripers. “Then it will be clams,” the report said. Herring that also migrate up the river to spawn used to be preferred bait during the run. But herring, except landlocked ones, became illegal to catch this year. The shop is stocking saltwater herring, “but make sure you have a receipt with you,” the report said. Anglers hope fresh bunker will work somewhat as well. Non-migrating, juvenile stripers will bite at first on the river. But anglers waited for the migration of large, mature stripers that will enter the river to spawn from the ocean this spring. Lots of anglers fished the river Sunday, but only one runoff, at National Park, was reported, probably from a catfish, because the fish swam slowly. The season’s first striper, an 18-incher, caught at Station Avenue that was reported at the shop was landed toward the end of last week.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Yellow perch bit at some of the small lakes already, said Kevin from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Ledgewood. Lots of anglers fished for perch and crappies on Lake Hopatcong, but no results were heard. Small largemouth bass were reeled in, seeming to swim shallow waters for warmth. Look for them under the weeds with small jigs like a 1/16-ounce, black bucktail that Kevin prefers this time of year. Abundant early black stoneflies came off the Big Flatbrook, and the stream for trout fishing “seems to be in pretty good shape,” Kevin said. The shop’s Fly Fishing Day will be under way from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, featuring a couple of seminars, fly tying, fly casting, probably a giveaway and more.

Anglers began to tug in crappies and yellow perch from the lake’s shallows, mostly from the bridges, said Joe from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. Few launched boats yet this season, and the launch at the state park “is really the only boat ramp,” Joe said. The panfish were clocked on fathead minnows under a bobber or small jigs like a Rufus Jr. or small lures like a Might Mite. Hybrid striped bass 15 to 22 inches were jigged off Chestnut Point on Sunday on about six boats that fished there. Some trips totaled six or seven. The shop’s rental boats will be available for the season starting this weekend. Large and medium shiners, fathead minnows and worms are stocked. Herring usually begin to be stocked in April.

A good report came in from Lake Hopatcong, said Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. A friend on Monday nailed a 26-pound musky and a couple of walleyes there on Rapala ice-fishing jigs. Greenwood Lake remained too low to fish, because of lowered waters for dock repairs this season. A couple of customers bailed a load of yellow perch, good-sized, spawning fish, at Pompton Lake from the bridge. A few customers fished the Passaic River, saying catches were slow. They angled occasional small northern pike and a few smallmouth bass, waiting for striped bass to become active in the waters this spring. Customers sometimes trout fished on the Pequest and Ramapo Rivers, managing some catches. Pink salmon eggs were the preferred bait this winter, and ran out of stock, were bought up. But more will be restocked. Nick, a tournament largemouth bass angler, planned to fish for the bucketmouths at a couple of lakes today. He intended to throw Rapala X-Rap Jerk Baits and probably spinner baits and Rat-L-Traps. He was looking to search for active bass and cover waters. That’s instead of fishing slowly with plastic worms or finesse fishing that can work well this time of year. But jerk baits work best, he believes.

One customer boated two rainbow trout and two lake trout on a trip to Round Valley Reservoir last week on Tuesday, Jody from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport</b> said in an e-mail. The rainbows were cracked near Ranger Cove, just northeast of there, on shiners hung 10 feet down on bobbers in 90 feet. The lakers were looted near South Trench on shiners on the bottom in 85 feet. “Slow day overall,” the e-mail said. “The wind started to settle down around 3 p.m.” The angler at first trolled with gold and black J7 Rapalas and golden spoons fished 10 and 20 feet down on Dipsy Divers off the boat launch with no luck. The angler later fished with jigs in four different colors, with no hits that day. Waters were 39 degrees on the sunny, 50-degree day with winds. Two other anglers, Mike Kalinchok and Pat, boated 12 lakers 17 to 21 inches on the reservoir in 70 to 80 feet on a trip last week “Perch spoons were on fire,” the e-mail said. “Tried for browns-bows with no luck.” An 8-1/2-pound brown trout, a tagged fish, was weighed in from the valley’s shoreline last week. Mark Gogal, fishing on the South Branch of the Raritan River, walloped a 4-pound brown trout, “nice and fat,” the e-mail said, last week. “Then moved to Bloomsbury, and landed a 3- to 4-pound rainbow on corn and a crawler,” it said. “Lost a nice brown, too.” 

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Midges hatched at Ken Lockwood Gorge on a trip that Burt from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook took Friday, he said. He saw one trout caught, and saw a few swimming the river that he couldn’t get to bite. They seemed to feed on midges and duns coming off, but there wasn’t much surface activity. Waters were somewhat low, probably because of no snow runoff this year. Waters were somewhat cold for largemouth bass fishing on the lakes, but anglers began to try for them, and catch. Mike from the shop and his dad fished for them on a trip to a pond near Hackettstown. His dad beat a 4- or 5-pounder, probably on an artificial, but Burt didn’t ask. They saw bass breaking the water surface, surprised the fish were that aggressive. The warm winter probably made them active.

White and yellow perch and chain pickerel were pulled from the Toms River at Trilco, said Jeff from <b>Murphy’s Hook House<b> in the town of Toms River. Trilco is a building supply that closed down, and no sign identifies the building, but locals know the stretch of river by the name, located at the Garden State Parkway. Bloodworms, killies and shiners drew strikes. Picks and largemouth bass were plucked from Lake Riviera on shiners. Striped bass were socked on the Toms and Oyster Creek, the Forked River power plant outflow, now that striper season opened in rivers and bays. The fish at both places were crunched on bloodworms, white Fin-S Fish, Bomber lures and Mambo Minnows. Murphy’s is now open daily: from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays. Bloodworms, nightcrawlers, trout worms, shiners and killies are stocked.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Anglers waited for the migration of striped bass on the Delaware River, currently running low and clear, said Chris from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. That was different than many years, when runoff from snow in the mountains to the north can swell the river through spring. Snow was scarce during the warm winter. Crappie fishing was very good on lakes including Farrington and Carnegie and at the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area. Small shiners and trout magnets could catch them.

Crappies and yellow perch were cracked at Carnegie Lake on fathead minnows under a bobber, said Carl from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Heard anything about largemouth bass yet this season? he was asked. Yes, he said. Anglers fishing Allentown Pond grabbed largemouths on slow-rolled, ¼-ounce, white spinner baits on a trip. A few trout were angled on the Pequest River’s trophy stretch on sizes 16 and 18 black caddis and 16 and 18 black stoneflies. Nothing was heard about the Delaware River. “Soon, though,” he said. The river’s migration of striped bass will happen in spring.

Largemouth bass were slugged on Parvin Lake on jerk baits and Rat-L-Traps in a tournament during the weekend, said Vince from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Chain pickerel and crappies could be axed on the different lakes. Minnows work well on them and are stocked. Lakes that will be stocked with trout will be closed to fishing from March 19 until reopening April 7, opening day of trout season. In saltwater, small striped bass were reported caught in Delaware Bay through waters north of Fortescue so far this season, since striper season opened in bays and rivers. Small ones were reported reeled in on the Delaware River. Anglers waited for the spring migration of large stripers from the ocean.

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