<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

Pretty much steelheads were angled from the river, said Ben from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. Fishing for them was very good, and this was after the river’s salmon migration. Sometimes brown trout were banked. The river ran at 1,500 CFS for about the past week, and was supposed to be dropped last night, but the projected level wasn’t known. The fish swam throughout the river, but most anglers worked the upper stretches, while the river ran at 1,500. The river ran highest farther downstream, because of runoff.  Tributaries also held the fish, because of plenty of water while the river flowed at 1,500. Quite a few 17- and 18-pound steelheads were eased in, and a handful of 20-pounders, about 37 inches, were brought in to be mounted. Egg sacks, flies including nymphs, blood-sucking leeches and egg patterns, and Berkley pink bubble gum worms caught.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

A few customers trout fished on Big Flatbrook, landing a few, said Joe from <b>Stokes Forest Sport Shop</b> in Sandyston. One customer netted two 16-inchers near Roy Bridge, probably on pink salmon eggs, because he stopped in to replenish his supply of the eggs. Brook and brown trout were spawning. They spawn in fall, and rainbow trout spawn in spring. All local streams and rivers, including the Flatbrook and Delaware River, ran very low. Nobody mentioned fishing on the Delaware or on lakes. Joe in a previous report said ice-fishing and Delaware River’s walleye fishing will gain some of the next attention. The Delaware is usually fished for walleyes in January and February.

An angler and son bailed a bunch of crappies from Greenwood Lake on Saturday with <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b>, Capt. Dave Vollenweider said. They drop-shotted Gulp leeches for them along bottom in 25 to 30 feet. The leeches were fished on a size-7 octopus hook on a leader tied 15 to 18 inches above a weight. One of the crappies was bitten in half, apparently by a musky. Dave on a solo trip trolled and released a 20-pound musky on Greenwood on Monday on a large, gold spoon plug. That made three muskies whipped aboard in the past three weeks, one each week. Two were picked up by clients on trips that Dave guided, and the other was this one on his solo trip. He spoke with an angler at the lake who mentioned catching a 16-pound musky from the waters. One of Dave’s clients boated a 25-pounder from the lake this week. The client had learned about musky fishing while Dave guided him. Musky fishing was good now, and some of the largest are usually caught this time of year. In the afternoon, Dave and a friend cranked-in crappies from Greenwood the same way as on the other trip. The lake was 55 degrees, colder than past weeks. Lakes can turn over when they drop to the 50s in fall, and Dave was unsure whether the waters had already. He saw a report about a trip jigging 10 walleyes and some crappies. Walleye fishing is something trips could also do this season. Electronics are used to find the fish. Then Dave jigs blade baits for them.  The marina that Dave’s been launching the boat from will probably be closed for the season soon. He’ll have to launch from a marina on the far side of the lake that stays open later. Look for an article that Dave wrote about trolling that’s slated to be included in On the Water magazine’s January issue. 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.

Anglers occasionally bought garden worms to trout fish on streams, like with kids, said Don from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. But not a lot of customers fished. Gulp maggots could also be cast for trout, and are stocked. Flies fished for them would probably include midges and small nymphs. The streams probably ran low, because Don saw that Rockaway River was down, not horribly. He’s seen it worse. A couple of customers fished for largemouth bass at ponds in Randolph, catching them on everything from worms to lures like Rapala Countdowns. Lake Hopatcong was lowered for dock repairs, like usual this time of year, preventing boats from being launched.

Walleyes and largemouth bass were jigged from Monksville Reservoir, said Joe from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. Rapala ice-fishing jigs, blade baits and Silver Buddy lures worked on them. Those were probably jigged right along bottom, because no customers mentioned fishing someplace in the water column or along structure. Northern pike hit well in Passaic River. Blue Fox inline Vibrax spinners and spinner baits will clunk them. Zoom fluke will nail them this time of season. Nobody mentioned smallmouth bass from the river, but smallmouths are usually a given. They feed this time of season in the river.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

The trout spawn was in full swing, said Angelo from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Browns and brooks spawn in fall, and rainbows spawn in spring. Mostly rainbows are usually angled now. They’re aggressive, but even the spawning fish will bite. For fly anglers, egg patterns will likely catch them best, but more about flies in a moment. First, some fish, including salmon and largemouth bass, won’t feed while spawning. Others, including trout and steelheads, will. Trout, in fact, can feed aggressively, because of the spawn. Anglers might hook a male swimming with a female on a spawning bed, for instance. Or two males might be seen lingering together near a bed, hoping to replace the other male. One of the two might pick up an egg fly, and the theory is that the trout are feeding to be strong for the spawn, and are also eliminating an egg that could be competition or might be fertilized by the other male. Other flies that are catching include midges in sizes 20 to 24, large stoneflies in sizes 4 to 8, and olive caddis, probably in size 18, maybe 20. Depending on the river, trout could be spawning in the main river, or in tributaries. In other news, smallmouth bass were probably latched into from waters like Raritan River. Crawfish and streamers stripped slowly should grab them. Crappies and perch were reported tugged from lakes. In saltwater, more striped bass than before began to be socked, including on sand eel imitations, eels, bunker and clams. The striper migration was pitching up toward peaking. Nothing insane, Angelo said, was talked about them. But the catches were consistently reported now.

A few people trout fished on Toms River at the Trout Conservation Area, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in the town of Toms River. They nabbed a few on spinners, and local trout streams flowed beautifully, and flowed a little low in some places. The Toms always flows well, and the Metedeconk River ran a little low. Customers mostly trout fish on the Toms, Metedeconk and Manasquan rivers. Leaves fell in the streams, somewhat difficult to fish around. But trout fishing should go well now. Largemouth bass fishing was slowing down in ponds, because waters dipped into the 50s. But the bucketmouths should be active in Manasquan Reservoir. The waters take longer to cool there, and fish there can move deeper for ideal temperatures. Crappie fishing should be super at the reservoir, because this is prime time. Jigs under bobbers are fished for them in the trees. Shiners are stocked but won’t be re-stocked for a time afterward, because demand will drop. Killies, nightcrawlers and garden worms are on hand.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Largemouth bass were moving deeper in lakes, from what Karl from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown heard, he said. So 5-inch Senko worms with a little extra weight than usual, a small slip sinker, did a job on them. But largemouths were beaten fairly well at Manasquan Reservoir on ¼-ounce or 3/8-ounce jigs, with some sort of trailer like pork rind or a rubber tail, outside the wood on the deeper side. Hybrid striped bass were honked on the reservoir on Rat-L-Traps when the fish broke the water surface. Crappies put up decent catches at Rosedale Lake on marabou jigs, shiners and fathead minnows.  Little was heard about Delaware River, except about a few catfish that always mill around the waters. Schoolie, resident striped bass, 18- to 25-inchers, had been slugged from the Delaware at the bridges before dark on Bomber lures in black and silver or school bus. Not a lot were, but the fishing wasn’t bad, because shad and herring were migrating down the river. Nothing was really reported about trout. The last that was heard was about trout taken on Lake of the Woods on brown PowerBait Hatchery Formula.

Lake temperatures plummeted, so lures like suspending jerk baits started to come into play for largemouth bass fishing, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Rat-L-Traps worked well, and catches were known about on jigs. Quite a few largemouths were smoked in a tournament on Salem Canal, or the bite sounded steady. What was used to catch them wasn’t known, but good bags were totaled. Steve talked with someone who scored good largemouthing at Parvin Lake during the weekend. Fewer trout were weighed in than usual from the fall stocking. Impressive trout are normally checked in. A few customers talked about trouting, and caught fair. Fewer anglers typically fish the stockings in fall than in spring. In saltwater news, anglers waited for the migration of striped bass. A few large, migrating stripers, not many, were caught.

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