<b>North Jersey</b>

Three muskies, including two in one day, were among catches in the last trips aboard, and fishing’s been outstanding, said Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale. Though no musky bit on a trip Friday on a lake with friend Lou Martinez, the outdoors writer, four walleyes, three yellow perch and three white perch were nailed. If a musky had been caught on the trip, Lou was reportedly going to be able to get a shot of the fish on The Fisherman magazine’s cover. However, after dropping off Lou at 3 p.m., Dave headed back out on the lake, drilling a 38-inch musky within 5 minutes, letting go the fish. That’s musky fishing! A catch is never a guarantee, but anglers target muskies, because a catch can be the biggest in a lifetime. On a trip Saturday morning with Yuri Elxon, another musky probably 38 inches was whacked and released. That was Yuri’s first-ever musky, and he seemed thrilled. After dropping off Yuri at 12 noon from the 4-hour trip, Dave motored back out on the lake, slamming another musky, probably 36 inches, releasing the fish. That made two muskies caught in one day. All the fish on the trips were trolled on lures, and Dave’s been using a new technique for muskies that was apparently working well. In other news, he planned to fish this coming week on Canada’s Ottawa River, a trophy musky fishery. 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.

With stormy weather during the weekend, not a lot was reported about fishing at <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna, Ben said. Because of the weather, he did no fishing on Delaware River for smallmouth bass. The river was dirtied from rains, and ran higher than before, but the flow was low during this summer season. But Ben fished his local lake, catching largemouth bass that bit in mornings on rubber lizards. Walleyes chomped at Lake Hopatcong at night, the last Ben heard. The fish were hooked from the Mount Arlington Pier.

Hybrid striped bass to 7 pounds and lots of smallmouth bass, sometimes 2 ½ to 3 pounds, were socked from the lake, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. Fish live herring off the points like Elba, Pickerel and Bonaparte or Cow Tongue or Pine Tree points in Byram Cove. Stan Stemack winged a 5-pound walleye on a livelined herring. Crappies clamped down on fathead minnows and jigs, and panfish munched on worms, in shallow waters.

In a largemouth bass tournament at Lake Hopatcong on Saturday, 13 pounds won first place, and all entrants caught, said Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. He and Al from the shop lost four bass, each larger than 3 pounds, in the event, disappointing. Anglers in the contest fished top-water lures, Spin’n Images, jigs, Senko worms and, “believe  it or not,” Nick said, spinner baits. Waters were 81 degrees, and a storm rolled in, putting an end to the day’s fishing. Nick will compete in another bass tournament on Hopatcong this weekend. The Passaic River’s northern pike fishing was some of the best angling. The catches were tremendous at Twin Bridges, and were getting better every year. The river’s fishing really improved in the last 10 years. Smallmouth bass were also swiped on the river, and Nick from the shop landed a sizeable chain pickerel on the river at Elmwood Park. Lots of pickerel were pasted at Cranberry Lake. Good catches of largemouth bass were jigged at Assunpink Lake. A buddy was wrangling healthy catches of smallmouth bass from Ramapo Lake on Spit’n Images. At Greenwood Lake walleyes were wrestled at night, and good-sized muskies were trolled in mornings and evenings.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Many anglers honed in on smallmouth bass on Raritan River at places including Duke Island and the confluence of the north and south branches, said Josh from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Hybrid striped bass and walleyes were slugged at Lake Hopatcong, and hybrids were honked at Spruce Run Reservoir. Waters were probably low at Spruce, and they were two weeks ago, when Josh saw them last. Spruce Run Creek was about dried up then. Catfish were some of the other fish chased  in the summer heat. Anglers tugged them from the reservoirs and sometimes from Raritan River.

Chain pickerel bit in the Toms River at Trilco, said Dennis 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 it’s located near the Garden State Parkway. Small striped bass 10 to 14 inches were played in the river upstream from the Parkway. Small pickerel were punched from Lake Horicon on small, 1/8-ounce Roostertails. An angler fishing Lake Carasaljo actually reeled in a few trout on nightcrawlers while fishing for perch along the swampy reeds toward the back. Catfish were clubbed at Pineland Park Pond in Manchester at the waterfall. No customers seemed to fish Manasquan Reservoir, but hybrid striped bass that were nabbed there previously could probably still be hooked. Drift shiners halfway down the deep waters. Shiners, killies and nightcrawlers are stocked.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Fishing was in the basic summer pattern, said Chris from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. Ponds and lakes gave up largemouth bass, and the fish became a little more active in the somewhat cooler weather. Rubber worms, shiners, different lures or nearly anything caught them. Smallmouth bass fishing was very good on some of the rivers like the South Branch of the Raritan and the Musconetcong. Delaware River was somewhat “blown out,” Chris said, from rains, though the river ran low this season. Previously smallmouth bass, good catches, were banked from the river.

Walleyes were rustled from Delaware River at night at Scudders Falls on black and silver Rapala Countdown Lures or black, 3-inch twister tails on 3/16-ounce jigheads, said Carl from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Smallmouth bass fishing was slow on the river. At Assunpink Lake largemouth bass were bombed in the heat of day on 10-inch Power Worms in black or red shad along the old road bed. In early mornings or evenings, the bass were Jitterbugged or buzz-baited. Again, fish black. For chain pickerel, hit the lakes at Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area with a shiner under a float or a small, black-and-white Daredevil.

Largemouth bass, 1 pound or small, but lots, were heard about that were caught from Penbryn Lake, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> in Blackwood. A few quality catches of catfish were reported from Lake Rene. Nothing was heard about New Brooklyn Lake, but chain pickerel fishing is usually on there. Kids had fun with sunnies at the spillway across the road from Blackwood Lake, Puppyland Lake and Grenloch Lake.

Stick with the usual drill to land largemouth bass in summer: fish slowly with rubber worms on the lakes, aid Vince from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. In a largemouth tournament at Wilson Lake on Saturday, entrants caught limits, but 1- or 1-1/2-pound bass, “carbon copies,” Vince said. Most anglers fished with worms like Senkos. Then Vince’s kid on Sunday walloped a bass larger than 5 pounds at Wilson. Chain pickerel will bite in the lakes, like all year. Catches of them were heard about from South Vineland Park Pond. Sunnies, bluegills and panfish remained active in the summer heat like they will. In saltwater, summer flounder were decked from the ocean, and nothing was heard about fishing from Delaware Bay. Crabbing was good, probably one of the best years for crabbing that Vince remembers.   

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