<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

The river flowed at 285 CFS or low, but plenty of steelheads filled the waters, said Ben from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. Runoff from rains made the river run somewhat higher than that, but not a lot of rains fell, and the season was dry. The steelheads were beaten “on a little of everything,” Ben said, including flies, trout beads, egg sacks and pink, artificial worms. Brown trout had been boated on Lake Ontario, but winds kept trips from sailing recently. Seas reached 12 to 14 feet on Monday. Whoa! An occasional salmon – kings, Atlantics and Cohos – were mixed in. The fish, trolled on stick baits and spoons, sometimes schooled close to shore in the shallows, other times farther out, shifting location, depending on winds or weather.

<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

Two large striped bass were slugged from Delaware River early this week, Bill Brinkman from <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Philadelphia said on his Face book page. One was 52 inches, so the bass might’ve weighed 60 pounds. It maxed out a 50-pound scale. The other was even larger: 54 inches. Both were landed on the river between Linden Avenue and the Turnpike Bridge. Not a lot else was reported about the river’s striper fishing in past days on his page. But lots of 20- to 33-inch stripers were banked on the river off the Philly airport on Sunday. A few stripers were reported boated at Linden Avenue that day. An angler who posted on Bill’s page on Saturday said trips on two boats that day scored no stripers, and others the angler talked with also caught none then. Even white perch catches were scarce, the angler said. “Maybe the new moon or (the) spawn,” he said. The river’s smaller stripers seemed to hit bloodworms, and the larger ones seemed to engulf clams or bunker, Bill said.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Fishing was nixed with <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale on Sunday because of the storm, Capt. Dave Vollenweider said. But he took a shot at muskies, his second of the season, on Saturday at Echo Lake, scoring two follows. A follow is half the battle in fishing for muskies, and he also copped a follow there on the previous trip, covered in the last report. Waters were 59 degrees, chilly for muskies, but the fish were “starting to move a little,” Dave said. They become more active in waters in the 60s and especially the 70s. One of the muskies on the most recent trip was substantial sized, and both the follows on the outing came on small Rapala Shad Raps, a crank bait. Anglers often fish smaller lures for muskies in spring. A friend saw the state take two muskies from Echo the previous Saturday to the hatchery for breeding. They were 40 and 48 inches, so the 48-incher was probably at least 25 pounds, a large one. If the fish was filled with eggs, it probably weighed more. Muskies in New Jersey usually don’t reproduce naturally, and are usually stocked fish. So the state takes muskies during the spawning season in spring for breeding, returning the fish afterward. Musky fishing is one of Dave’s specialties. He also specializes in trout fishing in spring on streams with lures. Fishing streams with lures can become more difficult than usual in low waters like during the drought this year. Dave hopes the weekend’s storm helped replenish the waters for the lure trouting. He fished Ramapo River on Thursday a moment, catching one trout, losing two. The fish chased Phoebes, and nothing attacked Rapala lures he fished. With the Phoebes, Dave gives them a couple of “pumps,” he said, and that’s when the fish usually strike. The Ramapo ran very low on the outing. Even if streams were running high soon after the storm, Dave’s had luck on trout, sometimes big, on lures in high, off-color waters. He usually then fishes bright-colored lures, often a Rapala Countdown in size CD3, with a few split shots. When streams run high from rains, the trout can be anywhere in the rivers, becoming spread out. Dave’s trips will keep fishing for trout and muskies, and have also been fishing for crappies and perch on lakes. Largemouth bass fishing has also been productive this spring, and fishing for them is restricted to catch and release through June 15 for spawning. Dave’s season’s first walleye trip so far is set for June. The trip is set to fish in the middle of the night, a special trip that Dave runs, when the fish move into the shallows, foraging on bait, and can be whacked on top-water lures. 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.

The Rockaway River flowed somewhat high after the storm, but probably not as high as usual this time of year, because of the drought, said Ben from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. The river could be walked across at Denville. Ben stopped fishing for walleyes at Lake Hopatcong, because the angling turned off, probably because walleyes were spawning. Previously he boated one or two per trip, releasing the out-of-season fish, at night on jerk baits. Walleye season will open on Tuesday, and Ben will resume fishing for them when they start biting again. Ben tackled five sizeable largemouth bass last Wednesday at a lake, and the fish weren’t spawning, were aggressive, but seemed to be getting ready to spawn, gathering in shallows. He took a trip on the ocean from Manasquan Inlet on Saturday, meeting rough seas, landing a blackfish, releasing an out-of-season sea bass, before the seas made him return to port. One of the crew from the shop piled up a good catch of panfish, including crappies and yellow perch, and some chain pickerel at Butler Reservoir on Keitechs.

Despite the storm Sunday, a few anglers competed in the Knee Deep Club’s chain pickerel tournament on the lake that day, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong in an e-mail. The winning fish ranged from 4 pounds 1 ounce to 2 pounds 6 ounces. Most of the contest’s picks were trolled, but some were live-baited. Lots of trout were trolled on the lake on Phoebe spoons and small Rapala lures, and the state stocked trout in the waters for the final time this season. Clint Myers, Paterson, limited out on brook trout to 3 pounds. Rich Giessuebel, Lake Hopatcong, checked in a 2-pound 9-ounce brown trout he axed from a dock in Mount Arlington on a Panther Martin spinner. Crappies were caught from the lake on small jigs or fathead minnows. Rich Christiansen’s 1-pound 6-ounce crappie was his biggest from the lake so far this spring. Hybrid striped bass began to be socked from the lake, on herring. Eddie Mackin bailed lots of the stripers to a 10-pound 4-ouncer and a 9-pound 1-ouncer off Nolan’s Point in the past week. Jim Welsh walloped an 8-pound 9-ounce hybrid. David Coppola and wife snatched up stripers to 7 ½ pounds when they drifted the main lake with herring on a trip that mostly trolled for trout with Rapalas. Walleye season will open Tuesday, Laurie reminded.

Rains finally fell, but anglers could use more to replenish the streams and lakes, said Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. Lots of trout and smallmouth bass, a mix, were angled from Ramapo River. A buddy drilled good trouting on Wallkill River on yellow and green Power Bait nuggets. Trout swam abundant at Dahnert’s Lake and Barbour’s Pond, swiping fathead minnows and butter worms, but butters were scarce this season. The shop was trying to stock them. The rains raised Passaic River, after the  waters had flowed very low. One of the staff from the shop punched a healthy catch of smallmouth bass on the Passaic below Paterson Falls on fatheads and shiners. A couple of customers rounded up northern pike from the Passaic on shiners. A couple of friends trolled hybrid striped bass, walleyes and yellow perch at Lake Hopatcong, fishing in the middle of the night to the mornings, on trips. Walleyes must be released until the season opens for them on Tuesday. Rains probably raised Greenwood Lake, but Nick was waiting to hear or see how much. Launching a boat this season had been impossible on Greenwood, because the waters were lowered 5 or 6 feet for dock repairs in winter, and rains had never replenished the impoundment. Whether they did now seemed unlikely, but anglers would see. Largemouth bass fishing was slow on lakes, but the catches could be made if anglers worked for them. Nick did a job on lots of small largemouths on 3-inch Keitechs. Waters on lakes seemed to dip into the mid 50s from the colder weather. Nick a week ago saw waters 73 degrees in the 6-inch shallows. Since then, he saw largemouth spawning beds everywhere on a couple of lakes he fished locally, but no fish on them. Largemouths must be released through June 15.

Catches on Round Valley Reservoir, according to an e-mail from Jody from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport</b>, included Gary Thompson’s 5-1/4-pound rainbow trout plugged from shore on a Rapala. Catches from the valley from boats included: Brian Paolella’s 4-pound rainbow on a Rapala trolled 20 feet down; John Wisneiwski’s 4.66-pound rainbow on a trolled spoon; Joe Satkowki’s 17.2-pound lake trout trolled on a Meat Head; Randy Guerrera’s 15-pound laker trolled on a Sutton spoon; Rocco Catania’s 6.68-pound 24-1/2-inch laker; and Mike Roman’s 22-inch laker he trolled. Brian Dennis on Spruce Run Reservoir boated a 34-inch northern pike. On Musconetcong River, Jody herself landed five rainbows and a brown trout. A 4-pounder was the biggest trout and grabbed a baby nightcrawler. “Salted minnows were working great as well,” Jody said. Also on the Musky, Jim Collins meal-wormed a 2-pound rainbow and two sizeable browns, his first-ever trout. Richard Henry on the Musky baby-nightcrawlered an 18-inch brown and some smaller rainbows.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

A couple of sizeable trout 17 to 20 inches were checked in from the North Branch of the Raritan River, said Braden from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Faster waters seemed to produce on lures including spoons and spinners, especially Roostertails. The storm raised trout streams, but not as much as anglers hoped. Still, the waters came up enough to wash around forage like worms, and anglers expected trout to go on the feed as a result. Braden put together a “decent” catch, he said, of brook trout before the storm on the Raritan “all the way down to Manville,” he said. Silver Mepps spinners caught, but gold or chartreuse probably worked better once the rains made waters off-color. One of the staff from the shop looted good largemouth bass fishing at Colonial Ponds, and most of the fish were in pre-spawn. Largemouthing produced fish to 5 pounds at the small ponds in Somerset and Monmouth counties on Senkos. Be sure to release the bass until they can be kept starting June 16.

Construction somewhat limited fishing on Lake Riviera, but anglers swiped some good angling for largemouth bass there, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. The season was a little early for largemouths to spawn, but some definitely were. Some were fat, full of eggs, at Ocean County Pond. Largemouths must be released through June 15. Bluegills began to nibble worms at the pond. Forge Pond gave up plenty of white perch. For trout anglers, streams ran high after the storm. Dennis saw the South Branch of the Metedeconk River running over the banks. Streams had been low previously from the drought. Lake Horicon put up fairly busy fishing for small chain pickerel on spinners like Roostertails, small ones or size 1, because of the small fish. They seemed to work better than shiners. Shiners, killies, nightcrawlers, garden worms, meal worms and Power Baits are stocked.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Lots of herring migrated in Delaware River, so striped bass fishing there became sort of slow, said Eric from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. Catching the bass can become more difficult when the fish can feed on all the herring. But stripers were reeled in, including on plugs like Bombers, Yozuri’s and Rapala X-Raps. The river’s shad fishing was a little slow, but would probably become better as the river cleaned up from the weekend’s storm, and as the affects of Saturday’s new moon subsided. Largemouth bass were spawning in the lakes, but some anglers caught them on lures like spinners and crank baits worked along the spawning beds to cause a reaction strike. The bass, reluctant to feed during the breed, will hit the lures to remove them from the beds. Anglers are releasing the bass by law through June 15. Local trout fishing, at places including Delaware and Raritan Canal, was slow but turned up catches. Maybe not a lot of trout were stocked. “But they’re catching,” Eric said. “Just not crazy.”

Striped bass, very good catches, were plowed from Delaware River, said Carl from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Anglers plugged them at night at Trenton on black or purple Bombers or Yozuri Mag Darters. A few shad were plucked from the river at Trenton on flutter spoons. Trout fishing churned up good angling at Delaware and Raritan Canal and Sylvan Lake. Shrimp-colored salmon eggs can work well. Largemouth bass were spawning, and must be let go through June 15. But crappies, healthy catches, were tugged from lakes including Stone Tavern and Rising Sun at the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area. Two-inch, white Mister Twisters smacked them.

Largemouth bass were spawning, but the bass and crappies were clubbed at usual places, including Willow Grove Lake, Audubon Lake and Cooper River, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b> in Brooklawn. Make sure to release the bass, according to law, through June 15. When the bass are on the beds, creature baits or other soft-plastics cast there can make the bass bite them to remove the lures. Trout fishing seemed mostly finished for the season locally, was slow. Winds since the weekend’s storm kept most from fishing for striped bass on Delaware River. Plus the waters were dirty like chocolate from the rains, hampering the angling. But stripers were hooked on the river north of Ben Franklin Ridge and toward the mouth of Cooper River from shore and boats. For shore anglers, bloodworms and clams caught equally, after bloods worked better previously. For boaters, clams were the choice. Catfishing was very good on the Delaware. Use the smelliest bait possible like old bunker, mackerel or bluefish. Carp began to bite in the river. Bloodworms, fresh clams and the full supply of baits is stocked. Big Timber carries bait and tackle for fishing on all waters from fresh to offshore.

Fishing was mostly about trout, since springtime stocking, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> in Blackwood. Trout were zapped at Rowan’s Pond on minnows, wax worms, meal worms and Trout Magnets. They were winged at Oak Pond on the same things. Chain pickerel were sacked at New Brooklyn Lake on large minnows. Kids meal-wormed sunnies at Puppyland Pond. The pond had been low, but maybe the storm raised the level.

Trout were creeled at Iona Lake and South Vineland Park Pond, said Vince from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Power Baits or meal worms could catch them. Largemouth bass were on the spawn, but whether the cold snap would affect that would be seen. When the fish were on the beds, reluctant to feed, anglers could fish jigs like Shakey Heads or rubber lures like lizards, causing the bass to try to remove the lure from the bed. Boats loads of largemouths were reported landed at Wilson Lake on Saturday in rains at the start of the storm. Largemouths are required to be released through June 15. Nothing was heard about Union and Audrey lakes lately.  Chain pickerel and crappies bit at most lakes. “They always bite,” Vince said. Nobody talked about striped bass fishing on Maurice River, but the stripers, and white perch, surely swam the river.

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