<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

Steelheads were banked from the river, but anglers worked for them, said Eric from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. The upper river around Pineville fished best, and the river flowed higher at 1,600 CFS, after rains and warm weather last week. The flow was scheduled to be kept at that level until Tuesday night, and what the level would be afterward or today was unannounced on Tuesday. “It’s day to day,” Eric said. The river’s banks were covered with snow but easily accessible. Mostly egg sacks caught, and nobody really ice fished the lakes and ponds locally since the warmth. Ice anglers headed north to fish. The full supply of steelhead and ice-fishing bait, tackle and gear is stocked.

<b>Adirondack Mountains</b>

A warm spell last week opened ice on Lake George, said Tony from <b>FISH307.com</b> in the village of Lake George. Winds opened the lake further, but cold returned, and bays on the southern lake locked back up by Saturday night. They held 2 to 6 inches, and ice fishing on them was very good for yellow perch and lake trout. A 7.7-pound laker was weighed in from the lake. Customers by now mostly fished Lake George, always the final local lake to hold fishable ice in winter. Little was heard about other lakes, but Schroon Lake probably gave up good lake trout catches. Most customers fished Lake George with fatheads on Northland Buckshot Rattle Spoons. All baits are stocked including fathead minnows, shiners, icicles, hunts, mousies and more.

Ice along shorelines became a little wet, but ice was 14 to 17 inches thick, depending on the lake, said Lou from <b>Fuel-n-Food</b> in Mayville. Ice fishing slowed a little, a typical lull this time of year that’ll probably last a couple of weeks. Still, yellow perch, large, and chain pickerel, decent catches of both, were pulled from Great Sacandaga Lake. Walleye fishing was slow on the lake, but the walleyes caught were large. Not many northern pike came from Great Sacandaga, and not much was heard about trout from the lake. Walleyes, not a lot, but big ones were creamed from Sacandaga Lake – a different lake from Great Sacandaga – and Lake Pleasant, both near Speculator. Perch and pickerel were yanked from Pine Lake and West Lake. Fishing for brown trout and lake trout was alright on Indian Lake. Splake fishing dropped off at Caroga Lake, like usual once ice becomes thicker. But perch and picks were taken from Caroga. Strong winds blew Thursday, pushing around ice shanties, toppling some. Tie them down for caution, Lou suggested. Live baits stocked include shiners, fathead chubs, hunts, spikes and more. Tackle and gear includes a variety of jigs, all the terminal tackle, tip-ups, augurs and more. The shop includes a convenience store, fuel, beer, breakfast and lunch. Great Sacandaga Lake and plenty of other nearby waters can be fished, and the shop can point anglers in the right direction.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Budd Lake and Lake Musconetcong were ice fished, said Brian from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. Mostly yellow perch and a few chain pickerel were caught. Brian saw ice anglers fishing Swartswood Lake, probably landing perch, maybe a few walleyes. Mousies were difficult to obtain for ice-fishing bait this season, and many anglers substituted Power Bait maggots. Anglers trout fished on Pequest River during a couple of warmer days this past week, usually casting small flies including midges, tiny blue-winged olives, San Juan worms and eggs.

 Warm weather, rains and fog took a toll on the lake’s ice fishing last week, but that was temporary, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong in an e-mail. Shorelines opened up, and so did holes along the main lake. But ice anglers got back out on the lake by the weekend, after weather turned cold. They were able to fish off Windlass Restaurant, Northwood near the post office, and the state park. Bernie Yocius ice angled several good-sized largemouth bass to a 5-pound 2-ouncer that grabbed a shiner on a tip-up. Crappies, perch and chain pickerel were reported caught. This week’s lower temps should make good ice for fishing this weekend. Be safe, Laurie said.

Six or seven customers this weekend were headed to Split Rock Reservoir to ice fish, said Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. Reportedly crappies and perch went nuts there, but the ice was crowded with anglers. The anglers fished tip ups with live bait or Rapala ice-fishing jigs or small Kastmasters tipped with spikes or wax worms. Fishing the jigs with a little bait worked. But most ice anglers fished with tip ups and live bait on different lakes, and a few jigged. Lake Waywayanda was ice-fished. So was Lake Hopatcong off the state park for perch. One customer plucked perch and chain pickerel through the ice at Cranberry Lake. Nobody mentioned Greenwood Lake, but ice was probably fished there. Ice as thick as 5 or 6 inches was heard about from different lakes. Ice will probably start to become thinner in New Jersey, and next week is supposed to reach the mid 40s. Pompton Lake was supposedly ice-free, so anglers should be able to fish open water there for northern pike if the lake temp rises a couple of degrees. A few anglers fished for trout on Pequest River, reeling in browns and brooks on pink salmon eggs.

A mix of warmer weather, rains and cold affected trout fishing on streams, said Angelo from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Sometimes streams ran too high from the rains for fishing, and sometimes the cold kept anglers from getting out. But on warmer days with clouds when streams run at better levels, trout fishing should be good, because the fish are hungry, Angelo said.  Warmer days help make the fish active, and cloudy skies help because the fish are often spooky or leader-shy in clear waters in winter. Stoneflies, midges and blue-winged olives are hatching on warmer days. Hendersons will begin to come out soon. Nothing was really reported about ice fishing, and anglers waited for shore edges to thaw to allow fishing on lakes.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Chain pickerel should bite on the Toms River at Trilco, Forge Pond and Lake Riviera, said Jeff from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in the town of Toms River. Trilco is a closed building supply, and no sign identifies the building, but locals know the stretch of river by the name, located near Garden State Parkway. Killies, nightcrawlers and meal worms are now stocked for bait. For saltwater, a couple of customers bought salted clams to fish the surf for striped bass during the weekend. Beaches began to be opened to fishing after the hurricane, including at Island Beach State Park that was partially reopened.

Ice was fished on lakes locally during the weekend, said Tom P. from <b>Sportsmen’s Center<b> in Bordentown. But even some of the northern waters, like Lake Hopatcong, seemed affected by warmth. Ice might rebuild there, but ice-fishing locally might be finished for the year. Good catches of crappies were winged from Delaware and Raritan Canal around Trenton on fathead minnows and Trout Magnets. Crappies will begin to form eggs this time of year, and will spawn in mid-March. They’ll be aggressive, and will gain four ounces of weight, a quarter-pound, from spawning. One customer loaded up on shiners to fish Round Valley Reservoir for lots of brown and rainbow trout and a few lake trout he was landing. Shiners and M&M’s, or a combo of marshmallow and meal worm, are fished for trout at the rez. Another customer and son bought garden worms and nightcrawlers for trout fishing on the final mile of Big Flatbrook before Delaware River. They catch a few trout, not a lot, on the stretch, but enjoy the area to fish together, the customer said. Another angler bought San Juan worms and sucker spawn flies to trout fish on Pequest River. Many customers geared-up for saltwater fishing for sea bass on offshore party boats. One of the captains from Barnegat Light’s Doris Mae reportedly said a trip aboard fished a wreck the boat hadn’t fished in three years, and 38 anglers limited out on sea bass. Many of the fish weighed 4 to 7 ½ pounds, and those are big sea bass. No porgies bit on the trip, and the captain supposedly said he thought porgies had no chance to grab a hook, because of abundant sea bass. But another trip on the boat reportedly limited out on both sea bass and porgies last Wednesday with 20-some anglers.

A fair amount of ice covered lakes, and weather was miserable, with snow showers every other day, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. So not much happened with fishing. But better weather, including a couple of warmer days next week, is coming, and maybe more anglers will fish then.  

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