<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

A few salmon remained in the river, but steelhead fishing became excellent in the waters, said Sam from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. The lower river flowed at 1,200 CFS, “plus runoff,” he said, compared with 335 CFS previously, because of Great Lakes-effect rains. That helped draw the steelhead migration up the river, and so did the river’s dropping water temperatures, to the low 50s, from 60 before. The river’s steelhead population began to increase considerably in these last two weeks of the month. Egg sacks, trout beads and estaz flies caught them. The salmon migration was mostly finished, or most of the salmon spawned in the river then died there. Steelheads migrate up the river in fall, spend winter there, spawn in the waters in spring, and return to Lake Ontario for summer. They don’t die after spawning, like salmon do. Steelhead fishing is world-class through winter on the river, and was already good.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

Big Flatbrook ran low, but trout were probably fly-rodded there, said Dean from <b>Stokes Forest Sport Shop</b> in Sandyston. Nymphs including bead-heads and hares ears hackles probably caught. Not a lot of customers fished, but when customers trout fish, they mostly work the Flatbrook, sometimes Paulinskill River. Walleyes should bite in Delaware River this time of year. But no customers reported about the fishing.

Tom Maffucci and two grandsons cleaned up on crappies, including large, on Greenwood Lake on a trip aboard during the weekend, said Capt. Dave from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale. They seemed pleased with that, and ready to head in. But Dave suggested they try for a musky first, and they agreed to troll for muskies a half-hour on the way in. They nailed one! The fish, released, wasn’t big, probably 30-some inches or 7 to 9 pounds. But that was the second musky caught and released from the lake aboard in two consecutive weekends. Those are good results for the fish of 10,000 casts. The crappies were drop-shotted in 25 feet of water on Gulp leeches, and the musky was trolled on a John Bales JB1 spoon plug. Fall can be a good time for musky fishing, and a friend landed four in a trip in November. Dave has also bailed giant crappies and vertical-jigged good fishing for walleyes in November on lakes. A kayaker on the lake during the trip jigged six walleyes along bottom and a bunch of crappies. The walleyes smacked a large rubber minnow on a jig. The lake was 58 degrees, and not many boats were around. Boat access will be limited soon, because of marinas closing for the season. Dave will have to splash the boat at a launch farther away than before, but will keep fishing late into the year. Lakes should turn over soon, now that they were dropping to the 50s. Fall foliage was past peak, and leaves remained on trees at Greenwood, but many fell. Live to Fish Guide Service guides trips for muskies, walleyes, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, panfish, trout, carp and more. Lakes fished include Greenwood, Lake Hopatcong, Monksville Reservoir, Echo, Mountain and Furnace. Rivers fished include the Flatbrook, Pequest, Paulinskill and Ramapo.

Trout were banked from Musconetcong and Pequest rivers, said Mike from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. Trout streams probably ran low, and ones that Mike saw did. Smallmouth bass hit in rivers like the Passaic. Northern pike also pounced in the Passaic. Low waters at Lake Hopatcong, drawn down 5 feet for dock repairs like each year, probably made fishing challenging. But largemouth bass caught at some of the quarry lakes on herring were heard about.

Passaic River’s fishing was active, said Joe from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. Northern pike fishing was very good there. Moving baits caught them, he said, like Blue Fox spinner baits and Zoom fluke. Smallmouth bass fishing went well on the upper Passaic. Senko worms, nightcrawlers and small crank baits will crack them. Catfishing can always be good throughout the Passaic. Most are small, but some are real lunkers to 15 pounds.  The cats will chew baits like commercial catfish chunks or chicken livers or kidneys. In a tournament at Greenwood Lake during the weekend, more smallmouth bass were cranked in than largemouth bass were.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

From <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook, Darrel landed eight trout 14 to 20 inches, a pretty good catch, at Ken Lockwood Gorge on zebra and tan midges on Friday, he said. Angelo from the shop said trout fishing was hit or miss on rivers. Trout stack up this time of year, or if one is found, a dozen are, and anglers need to find them. That’s especially true when trout are in pre-spawn, like they were now. Anglers should be careful not to disturb trout that are spawning or to disturb spawning beds that could harbor eggs. “We need all the wild trout we can get,” Angelo said. He expects trout to spawn in a week or so. Trout currently swiped midges in sizes 18 to 24 and egg flies, especially light-colored. They also fed on sizes 16 and 18, olive caddis. October caddis started to be seen, and were big this year, at least size 6. Streams ran low, typical in fall. Rain forecast for Thursday into Friday could replenish them a moment, but Angelo doesn’t expect rains to raise the waters more than a moment this season. Snow will probably be the next precipitation to raise them consistently. In other news, smallmouth bass fishing was “hanging on,” Angelo said. He talked about fishing for them at places including Raritan River in past reports. Musky fishing was good on lakes, and autumn’s cool weather is a time for that. Muskies landed were heard about from Mountain Lake and Oxford Furnace Lake. One angler mentioned muskies from Greenwood Lake, Angelo thought.

Trout streams were in great condition for fishing, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. No customers talked about the angling, though the fall trout stocking took place weeks ago. But Dennis saw the streams from the road, and saw a token angler fishing them. Customers trout fish on the Toms, Metedeconk and Manasquan rivers. A couple of customers bought shiners a couple of times, showing photos of largemouth bass, good catches, made at a pond on the bait. Now was a prime time for largemouth fishing on Manasquan Reservoir. Jigs and pigs should clock them in the trees. Crappie fishing should be awesome at the rez in the trees on jigs under bobbers. Chain pickerel can always be played on the Toms River at Trilco. A few yellow perch were heard about from there, and Trilco is a closed building supply. No sign identifies the building, but locals know the stretch by the name, located near Garden State Parkway. Killies, shiners, nightcrawlers and garden worms are stocked.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Fishing for largemouth bass was good on Delaware River at coves, including Tullytown Cove and Dredge Harbor, said Karl from <b>Sportsmen’s Center<b> in Bordentown. Small hair jigs pasted them with either pork rind or rubber bait. Walleyes gave up good catches on the Delaware around Trenton and Yardley on purple, 3-inch grubs on 3/16-ounce jigheads or nightcrawlers fished on bottom. Crappie fishing was picking up at Carnegie Lake on small marabou jigs under a float or fathead minnows or shiners. Trout fishing was slow at some of the lakes stocked in the fall trout stocking, for some reason. Trout that were caught were taken on yellow Power Baits on bottom.

Largemouth bass were the news, said Joan from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> in Blackwood. The fish jumped on shiners at Puppyland and Lakeland lakes, and customers talked about the shop’s shiners doing a job on the fish. Nobody mentioned trout fishing, though waters including Grenloch Lake and Oak Pond were included in the fall trout stocking.

Some fishing picked up, said Andrew from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. That included some largemouth bassing. Those catches turned on at Rainbow Lake on Rat-L-Traps. A 5-1/2-pounder was plowed there on Monday. The angling took off at Mary Elmer Lake on Traps, too. A few trout could be lifted from Mary Elmer, from the fall stocking. Fishing for small striped bass picked up in Maurice River at Union Lake dam. The fish were throwbacks but fun. White perch were nabbed in brackish creeks.  

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