<b>North Jersey</b>

A trip with two clients overnight Saturday bailed nine walleyes to 8 pounds on cast lures on a lake, said Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale. Dave had been concerned walleyes might’ve stopped swimming into shallows in the middle of the night, because of warm waters. But the fish were there, and bait schooled. Live to Fish hunts walleyes this time of year in the middle of the night, when the fish move to shallows, foraging on bait, and can be nailed on cast plugs. The angling is great sport, and a unique experience in the late hours. In the morning on the trip, a walleye was trolled, and a large smallmouth bass hit one of the trolled plugs, throwing the hook. After dropping off the clients, Dave returned to the lake, trolling a 3-1/2-pound smallmouth. When walleyes stop swimming the shallows this season, trips will troll them in the deep during daytime. The fish will hold in the cooler thermoclines. The overnight walleye fishing’s been great this season, but go soon. On a half-day trip Friday with two other clients, fishing was tough in the heat in the middle of the day, but two sizeable smallmouths were socked, one on a cast plug, the other on a drop-shot, and a 3- or 3-1/2-pound largemouth bass smacked a spinner, jumped and got off. Waters were 87 degrees, and though fishing was challenging, the anglers had a great time, Dave said. On Thursday, two anglers climbed aboard who won a trip with Dave from the Garden State Outdoor Sportsman’s Show. They first fished a lake, and nothing was doing. Then they took a break in the middle of the day, and returned to another lake to fish later in the day. They trolled a 2-pound smallmouth bass and a 6- or 6-1/2-pound walleye. Then they creamed a 38-inch musky, probably 13 pounds, releasing the fish. That made four muskies caught in four consecutive trips that targeted them with Live to Fish. For the fish of 10,000 casts, that was success. Dave’s been trying a new technique for muskies, and apparently that was working. Dave also competed in the Gone Fishing Bass Tournament on Greenwood Lake last week on Tuesday with friend Paul Schmidt, a tournament bass angler. They came in seventh place among eleven boats. Their eight-fish total weighed 12 pounds. However, two bass, the largest they caught, died in the heat, and 8 ounces was deducted for each. The winning weight was only about 14 pounds, so they probably would’ve placed fourth or fifth if not for the dead bass. Entrants found that some of the bass expired in the heat, and they had to take the fish home to eat. Dave fished with a 10-inch Power Worm, aiming for big bass. He’s not a tournament angler, and participated for fun. Paul fished with a Senko and a 7-inch Power Worm, aiming to limit out first, then try for bigger bass to cull. That’s common. In the tournament, anglers who fished solo could enter a limit of five bass. Anglers in pairs could enter a total of eight. The next Gone Fishing Bass Tournament will be held Tuesday on Greenwood. 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.

Delaware River’s smallmouth bass fishing was good, wasn’t bad, but anglers had to find the fish, said Greg from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. He tackled probably 20 or 25 in a trip, mostly on rubber worms and Keitechs. He also landed a 25-pound carp on 4-pound test on the outing. Greg fishes the river around Dingman’s Ferry, both upstream and downstream. Trout streams ran low, and Pequest River was the only heard about that gave up trout. That was because of discharged waters. Trouters there fished mostly nymphs, including bead-heads, midges and any type of scud. No dry fly hatches really came off, and when they did, the flies were sparse, not abundant. Not a lot was heard about lake fishing, but night seemed the time to fish the lakes in the heat. Not much was heard about hybrid striped bass caught on the lakes at night locally, though the fishing usually turns on in summer.

“Lots of nice fish again this past week,” said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong in an e-mail. Hybrid striped bass to larger than 8 pounds, including lots in the 7-pound range, were smacked on livelined herring off the points of the main lake. Eddie Mackin and dad won first and second place in the Knee Deep Club’s hybrid tournament with an 8-pound 15-ouncer and an 8-pound 9-ouncer. Tony Farina took third with an 8-pound 6-ouncer. Walleyes, more than hybrids, were whacked on top-water lures at night. The walleye fishing will slow down any moment, because herring were almost finished spawning. Tom Facciola weighed in an 8-pound 6-ounce walleye, and several 7-pound walleyes were known about that were caught. Crappies to 1 ½ pounds were nabbed on small jigs. For fun, anglers could catch lots of panfish on worms under bobbers in shallows.

In a largemouth bass tournament on Greenwood Lake, most anglers landed plenty of the fish, usually along docks, because few weeds grew there, said Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. Jigs and Senkos were popular to fish. Nick fished a private lake in Vernon, beating 30 largemouths, small fish, on Keitech Swing Impacts and Senkos. He always catches quantity, not quality, there, and the lake gets no fishing pressure. Waters were high from rainstorms, though that was unusual at lakes in the heat. A friend scored okay on largemouths in the stream at Pompton Lake very early in mornings on buzz baits and Spit’n Image lures. A friend’s son kept tolling walleyes and muskies at Lake Hopatcong at night on top-water and diving lures. Nick banked a couple of 1-1/2-pound smallmouth bass on Passaic River, and always lands a few when he tries. Another angler on the Passaic much farther downstream reeled in perch, crappies, smallmouth bass and largemouth bass on shiners from 6 p.m. to dark. Northern pike fishing was fairly good on the Passaic at Twin Bridges, though waters were somewhat low, and pike don’t love the heat. One customer was hooking native trout on Pequannock River on small flies. Nick wasn’t sure about the type of flies.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

On Raritan River at Duke Island, Braden from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook scored a fun evening on smallmouth bass, small ones, but a bunch, he said. White perch were mixed in, and he fished with crawfish on a size-4, short-shanked hook with no weight. Catfish, good catches, were clubbed on the Raritan, Raritan and Delaware Canal and Spruce Run Reservoir at night. A northern pike bite was on at Millstone and Passaic rivers on spinner baits and shiners, but at the spring holes. If anglers found the springs, pike were stacked up. One angler caught nine without ever moving. Hybrid striped bass were slugged at Lake Hopatcong and Spruce Run Reservoir at night on livelined herring and top-water lures. But anglers were known about who caught hybrids during daytime on live sunnies trolled on downriggers.

One customer chicken-livered hybrid striped bass at Manasquan Reservoir, saying the fishing slowed, but produced a few, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. The angler found that more largemouth bass bit in the rez than anything. He grabbed the bass, good-sized ones, in wide-open, deep waters on shiners. Carp were super-active on Toms River at Trilco, the closed down building supply. Baits like raisins or dough balls caught them, and no sign identifies the building as Trilco, but locals call the stretch that name, and it’s located near the Garden State Parkway. Also at Trilco, chain pickerel bit, mostly along the channels upstream from the Parkway, and small largemouth bass were plugged, and 10- or 12-inch striped bass were hooked. Bluegills tore up most ponds, and catfish were on the feed at any of the waters that held them. A few white perch began to be plucked at Forge Pond during the weekend. Pickerel chewed along the back of the pond. Shiners, killies and nightcrawlers are stocked.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Largemouth bass were top-water plugged in evenings at lakes including Assunpink and Gropp’s, said Eric from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. Good smallmouth bass fishing was crunched on Delaware River in mornings and evenings on popper lures and swimming plugs. Fast waters had to be fished, and mid day was slow for the angling. The river was warm for walleyes fishing. A few catfish were probably claimed from the Delaware.

Delaware River’s smallmouth bass fishing was surprisingly good from late in the day to dark, because of low, warm waters, from Frenchtown to upstream, said Tom P. from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. The fish were 14 or 15 inches, not big, and small Rapala lures in rainbow or black with gold socked them. Fly-rodding for rock bass was great in the same area on any bushy wet fly. Walleyes were cracked on the river at night all the way upstream to above Dingman’s Ferry on rubber grubs on football jigs or live leeches. Catfish swarmed all over Delaware River, and chicken livers or Oscar Meyer cheese dogs – the secret bait! Tom said – will snatch them. Very good fishing for carp and channel catfish was under way at Delaware and Raritan Canal.  Raritan River’s smallmouth bass fishing dished up catches like 50 per trip, not big fish, on Mister Twisters and 2-inch Skippy Fish. Excellent hybrid striped bass fishing was pancaked at Lake Hopatcong at night on live herring or size 7 or 9 Original Floating Rapalas or bronze Yozuri Crystal Minnows. Largemouth bass fishing was so-so on lakes in early mornings or in evenings on lures like Hula Poppers or Jitterbugs. Some of the best places included Assunpink Lake – a “dynamic” lake, Tom said – Lake Lenape, Union Lake, the Salem Canal and Parvin’s Lake. Though Parvin’s is a relatively shallow lake, like 6 feet, it’s a trophy bass fishery, serving up 6- and 7-pounders. Trout fishing’s “been zip,” Tom said, on the low, warm streams. He’s not going anymore.  

At <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> in Blackwood, Ed was away a few days, hearing no news, he said. But fishing likely remained the same as before. In the previous report here, he said largemouth bass were minnowed at Grenloch Lake, and sunnies were played at the spillway across the road from Blackwood Lake and Puppyland Pond. Nothing was heard about chain pickerel fishing at New Brooklyn Lake then. But the lake is usually a place for picks.

Fishing for largemouth bass on the lakes was mostly about plastic baits, fishing smaller-sized ones, slowly, in mornings and evenings, in the heat, said Vince from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Plastics 4 or 5 inches were tossed, and Vince found that the bass practically had to be bonked on the head to catch. The fish weren’t moving in the warmth. If rains and lower temps in the 80s come like forecast this week, that could help the fishing. Nothing special was heard about fishing for bass on any particular lakes, including Union Lake and Lake Audrey. Anglers seemed to catch two or three in a trip at different waters. But waters around feeder creeks, like at Union, were probably a place to hit, because of moving waters, oxygenated. Chain pickerel always keep biting no matter warmth or cold. Bluegills and sunnies are aggressive in the heat. From saltwater, not much was heard about summer flounder in Delaware Bay. The ocean at spots like the Old Grounds was the place to be. Decent catches of flounder including limits were heard about from there. 

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