<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

A few steelheads remained in the river, but fishing for them was slow, and the river ran low at 185 CFS, said Eric from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. Steelheads spend winter in the river, spawn there in spring, then return to Lake Ontario for summer. Brown trout fishing was good on the lake, and king salmon were sometimes beaten on the lake. The browns schooled in 10- to 30-foot depths, swiping trolled stick baits, and the kings gathered in 50-foot depths, jumping on trolled spoons. The brown trout fishing will be a mainstay through summer. Then king and Coho salmon in late summer will stage in the lake toward the mouths of rivers like the Salmon. They’ll shoot up the rivers to spawn next, in late summer through fall, and fishing will be about them in the river until they spawn and pass away there. Steelheads will enter the rivers, including the Salmon, next in fall, and anglers will hone in on them through winter there, until the fish return to the lake. Steelheads don’t pass away after spawning like salmon do, but keep living instead, moving to the lake through the warm months, returning to the rivers through winter.

<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

Fishing for Delaware River’s striped bass was slow for Bill Brinkman from <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Philadelphia on a trip on his boat Tuesday, he said on his Facebook page. Six small stripers 4 inches to 15 inches and some catfish to 3 pounds and white perch and an eel were landed on clams and bunker. An angler who commented on Bill’s page said the striper fishing shut down since the last weather front, but hoped the warm weather that was coming would turn the angling back on. Bill heard about a few large stripers hauled in around the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge during the weekend. They included a 50-pound 48-incher that an angler heaved in on a bunker tail, and two stripers 43 and 40 inches that another angler bunker-chunked. The river’s striper fishing was very good on Friday. Catches were reported then from up and down the river, including from a boater who trolled off the Philly airport to shore anglers who dunked bait off Station Avenue. Lots of catfish and white perch were also dragged in.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Not a lot was heard about trout, but the Rockaway River appeared to run somewhat low, the last time Ben from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna saw the waters, he said. Trout probably gathered in the deep pools. He fished for largemouth bass at a lake during the weekend, finding the angling tough in bluebird skies and winds. A bunch of small bass were hooked, because he fished small soft-plastic lures in the clear skies. Largemouths must be released through June 15. Then he fished for yellow perch, tying on a Trout Magnet, grabbing some for dinner. A friend saw a buddy’s photos of a couple of walleyes, a couple of hybrid striped bass and a musky the buddy boated on Lake Hopatcong at night on livelined bait, including herring, on a trip. One of the crew from the store kept bailing lots of crappies, yellow perch, chain pickerel and largemouths at Butler Reservoir. Another one of the crew smacked good angling for smallmouth bass at Split Rock Reservoir on small soft-plastic lures. Smallmouths must also be released through June 15. Shad fishing had been slow on Delaware River, but customers were saying they were going to give the fishing a try again, seeing if the fishing picked up.

In cold and winds in the last week, “not much (was) going on,” said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong in an e-mail. But a few anglers trolled trout and chain pickerel on the lake. Robson Martins weighed in a 4-pound 5-ounce rainbow trout. Dick Pedati checked in a 4-pound 5-ounce pick that attacked his cast Rapala. Hybrid striped bass to 8 pounds began to pounce on herring in the lake. Walleye season opened Monday, so anglers could begin to keep them from the lake. Walleyes must be at least 18 inches long to keep, and three is the bag limit. Russ Nee fished Pequest River, whaling an 8-pound 12-ounce rainbow on 4-pound line with Power Bait. The Knee Deep Club will hold a trout tournament on the lake on Sunday, May 20.

Trout were creamed at Dahnert’s Lake on fathead minnows, said Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. Lots of trout were tackled at Barbour’s Pond on spinners and salmon eggs. Tremendous trouting was also aced at Ramapo River on fatheads and yellow Power nuggets and paste. A buddy pulled a 9-pound trout, apparently a stocked breeder, from Pequest River. Nick’s son’s friend boated a couple of hybrid striped bass at Lake Hopatcong on slowly trolled Rapala ice-fishing jigs. Largemouth bass began to bite at Hopatcong, nothing great, but better, in waters that finally warmed above 60 degrees. The shallows and coves gave them up. Nick landed 30 largemouths at Dahnert’s on a trip. The fish were small, mostly 7 and 8 inches, two of them 12 inches, but the waters were loaded with the bass. A few northern pike, not a lot, but some, were picked off on the Passaic River on shiners.

One of Round Valley Reservoir’s tagged trout, a 5-pound 21-1/2-inch rainbow, got axed on Michael Golabek’’s trolled Ugly Duckling lure, Jody from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport</b> said in an e-mail. Don Golabek hung a tagged golden trout 5 ¼ pounds on a Rapala Husky Jerk at the rez. At Spruce Run Reservoir, Brian Russo and another angler did a job on hybrid striped bass to 9 pounds and a 16-inch crappie. Kenny Seymour claimed a 3-3/4-pound rainbow at Mountain Farm Pond on an orange Power Bait and marshmallow combo. On the South Branch of Raritan River, Al Roos limited out on rainbows on pink, shrimp-scented salmon eggs, and Mark Kovacs hammered a 5-3/4-pound brown trout on a nightcrawler. A 7-pound 9-ounce brown was reported banked at Ken Lockwood Gorge. On Pequest River Steve Mastrian meal-wormed a 5-pound brown.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

One angler caught and released a 27-inch rainbow and a good catch of other trout on Musconetcong River on size-16 stoneflies, said Burt from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Burt fished the Musky last week in winds that seemed to make the fishing mostly slow, but he had one trout on, and saw another angler land two. Burt fished with Copper Johns and pheasantails, “searching nymphs,” he said. The river’s flow “wasn’t bad,” Burt said, and rains had helped, and rains this week probably made the flow fairly good. One of the staff from the shop, Josh, angled four or five small brook trout on Trout Brook that flows into the Hacklebarney. Burt’s been trying for shad on Raritan River, scoring none, but he heard about a couple caught. Shad were socked from Delaware River, and customers fished for them at Delaware Water Gap. Fish the right spot, and you catch, Burt said.

Customers trout fished on Manasquan River, Metedeconk River and Toms River, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in the town of Toms River. Waters were clear and were flowing at about a normal level. One of the anglers plugged a couple of the fish on the Toms on a Rapala. Bluegills began to bite at Ocean County Pond on nightcrawlers under bobbers. A few largemouth bass were released on the pond at night. Largemouths must be let go through June 15. Chain pickerel and yellow and white perch were slugged on Toms River at Trilco, the closed-down building supply, located near the Garden State Parkway. White perch were spawning, so fishing for them somewhat slowed at Forge Pond. Shiners, killies and all the worms are stocked.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Many largemouth bass finished spawning, and fishing for them was good at places like the lakes at the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area, said Chris from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. But some of the bass still spawned, and some were getting ready to spawn. Fishing for them is restricted to catch and release through June 15. Striped bass fishing slowed on the local Delaware River. But healthy numbers of largemouth bass chomped in the river, both in the tidal river downstream from Trenton, and the river upstream from the city. Trout fishing continued to go well after the stockings continued each week.

Delaware River anglers picked at striped bass on bloodworms and frozen Atlantic herring, said Tom Pagliaroli from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. They yanked in shad from the river farther upstream. Trout, rainbows, were smoked on Delaware and Raritan Canal on shrimp-scented salmon eggs. Trouting was on at Assunpink Creek near Route 130. Use gold-headed Trout Magnets in chartreuse-and-white or pink-and-white. Crappies were copped in the upper D&R Canal around Griggstown. Catch-and-release fishing for largemouth bass was very good at Carnegie Lake. Largemouths must be tossed back through June 15. Lots of channel catfish and largemouths were pasted at Sylvan Lake. Access was difficult at Crosswicks Creek, but that was a place for channel cats, too. Northern pike, big ones to 32 or 33 inches, were punched from the Millstone River on large, ¾-ounce or 1-ounce spinner baits, or the largest shiners anglers could get.

Largemouth bass were spawning, but fishing for them picked up, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b> in Brooklawn. Newton Lake produced them and crappies. Stewart Lake gave up the bass, and so did Greenwich Lake. Soft-plastic lures on jigheads were used to cause a reaction strike from the bedding bass. The bass could be coaxed to try to remove the jigs from the beds, getting hooked. A few trout swam Greenwich, and bowfins roamed there. Trout and crappies were nabbed from Audubon Lake. Big snakeheads to 12 pounds were snatched from Mantua Creek. Snakeheads are an invasive species that the state encourages anglers to kill, but people started fishing for them. A new body of striped bass seemed to push up Delaware River. The fish were reported caught at places like Elsinboro. Plenty of stripers remained in the river from Camden to upstream, continuing the spawning run, before they will drop back down to Delaware Bay then the ocean. White perch and big catfish were cornered from the river. Big Timber stocks bait and tackle for fishing on all waters from fresh to offshore.

Trout were toggled from Rowan’s Pond, mostly on minnows, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> in Blackwood. At Oak Pond, trout munched on nearly anything, including nightcrawlers to meal worms. Chain pickerel pummeled minnows at New Brooklyn Lake. Kids played with sunnies at Puppyland Pond and the spillway across the road from Blackwood Lake on meal worms. Largemouth bass were caught and released at Timber Lakes. Shiners and minnows would probably work on them, and largemouths must be released through June 15.

The cool, sometimes rainy weather kept anglers from fishing a lot in the past week, but now the weather was warming, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Largemouth bass fishing was sporadic, and the bass weren’t really spawning in the coolness. But another shot of them will probably get on the beds, in warmer weather and the full moon coming in the next days. A good run of chatter baits were sold for largemouthing, and they did the job. Soft-plastic lures on jigheads and Senko worms were also popular for the fishing. The bigmouths must be let go through June 15. Trout anglers scored well in stocked waters including Iona Lake and South Vineland Park ponds. Chain pickerel were crushed at Union Lake on spinner baits, small crank baits and jerk baits. Nothing much was heard about Lake Audrey. Fishing for striped bass was spotty on Maurice River. White perch were plucked from the river, not great fishing, but catching.  

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