<b>North Jersey</b>

Rains raised Delaware River, said Joe from <b>Stokes Forest Sport Shop</b> in Sandyston, and he wasn’t saying nothing could be caught, but he wouldn’t fish the river like that. A lot of rains fell, not just some. Previously, the Delaware’s smallmouth fishing was okay, and a few catfish and striped bass were angled from the waters. Wasn’t a “hammer” week of fishing anywhere, because of rains. But lake fishing was pretty steady for largemouth bass and walleyes. Dark-colored Senko worms or Keitech soft-plastic lures were commonly fished for largemouths this time of year. Top-water lures caught in mornings and evenings. Fishing was good at Lake Aeroflex for trout and landlocked salmon on livelined herring. Trout catches on streams slowed, mostly because rains this season pushed trout downstream, causing many of the fish to enter Delaware River. The angling was especially slow on the upper rivers. Trout by this time of year were “educated” or wary. But trout could be landed. Customers who trout fish mostly work Big Flatbrook and sometimes Paulinskill River.

Many anglers telephoned about fishing during the second half of the month, said Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale. During the past week, he fished Lake Hopatcong once, and mostly broke in a new, 9.9-horsepower “kick” motor, a second, smaller motor, on the boat, on another trip to Greenwood Lake, fishing a little afterward. A couple of catches like smallmouth bass and panfish were made. But previously musky fishing was turning on in lakes for Dave’s trips, apparently because of cooler waters than before, covered in previous reports. He’ll keep after that fishing, and Greenwood was 78 degrees in the evening on the trip that broke in the motor. In other news, a five-fish bag that weighed almost 11 pounds won Dave’s friend Paul Schmidt’s club Northeaster Bassmasters’ largemouth bass tournament on Hopatcong on Saturday. A 4-1/4-pounder was the lunker, and the club’s next tournament will be held this Saturday on Hopatcong, and entrants are welcome. Dave’s friend Pete Planer’s club Gone Fishing Bass’s most recent tournament was supposed to be held Tuesday this week on Greenwood. Dave gave a talk at the Knee Deep Club on Friday that went fantastic, he said. 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.

Nothing major was reported during these dog days of summer, said Brian from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. But trout catches on midges were heard about from streams, and slate drakes supposedly came off South Branch of Raritan River and the lower Musconetcong River in evenings. At lakes, largemouth bass were chased with Senkos and Keitechs or, during evenings, top-water lures like Jitterbugs and Zara Spooks.

In the Knee Deep Club’s catfish tournament, catfish ranged from 1 pound 4 ounces to 3 pounds 8 ounces during the weekend on the lake, Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong wrote in an e-mail. John O’Neill won more than $400 for first place, among 56 entrants. The club will next hold a walleye tournament Saturday and Sunday, September 21 and 22, on the lake. During this past weekend, hybrid striped bass to almost 8 pounds were beaten off Elba Point on livelined herring. Around Sharps Rock was another place for good hybrid fishing. Walleyes to 4 pounds were sometimes landed off Elba. Several chain pickerel 3 to 4 pounds were heard about from the lake. Cast Mepps spinners along weed lines for them. For crappies in the lake, fish small jigs or small shiners.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Trout stream water levels fluctuated up and down, and rains made the levels high this week, but that changes quickly, and the waters were relatively cool, said Darrel from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. That made the streams very fishable, and anglers reported very good catches at Ken Lockwood Gorge on tiny pheasant-tail nymphs and gray emergers. Round Valley Reservoir gave up good angling for sizeable rainbow trout at night on shrimp fished 45 feet down while boaters chummed with corn. The reservoir’s shore anglers tackled the trout in the dark in early mornings.

Kids kept angling bluegills at Ocean County College Pond, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. But largemouth bass fishing improved a little, because waters somewhat cooled. The kids at the pond latched into some on killies. On the Toms River near Trilco, the closed building supply, chain pickerel, a few crappies and some 12- to 18-inch largemouths were fought, mostly west of Garden State Parkway. No sign identifies Trilco, but locals know the stretch of river by the name, located surrounding the Parkway. The bass were caught on any small swimming lures. A couple of customers fished Manasquan Reservoir from the docks, yanking in crappies, small largemouth bass and, once in a while, hybrid striped bass, on shiners flat-lined or with no bobber. Plenty of fish hover around the docks. A customer heaved in an 8-pound catfish at Seacourt Pavilion Pond. Weeds can make the pond difficult to fish in summer, but the state stocks channel cats there. Anglers can park a vehicle at Ocean County Mall to fish there. Shiners, killies and nightcrawlers are stocked.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Anglers said Mercer Lake’s largemouth bass fishing was on fire, said Tom P. from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Spinner baits and shiners were fished for them, and channel catfish were swiped from the lake on hot dogs. A couple of anglers began to chase muskies seriously at the lake in mornings, as soon as the lake was opened, and in evenings, until the lake was closed. Whether they caught was yet to be known, but they saw the fish. One kid fished Lake Assunpink at night, showing incredible photos of largemouths to 5 pounds whacked on Jitterbugs and Tiny Torpedoes. Largemouthing went well at the two Crystal Lakes in Willingboro and Bordentown. An angler bombed largemouths and catfish, good catches, at Sylvan Lake. Fishing for hybrid striped bass to 7 pounds began to pick up at Manasquan Reservoir on shiners fished under a bobber, like 20 feet down or something. Little was heard about Delaware and Raritan Canal, except someone who fished in a canoe talked about landing a 24- or 25-inch chain pickerel that grabbed a bluegill he reeled in. An angler who bought $30 or $40 of flies every other week scored good trout fishing at South Branch of Raritan River, at Claremont Trout Conservation Area and Ken Lockwood Gorge Wildlife Management Area, and at Musconetcong River, at Point Mount Trout Conservation Area. A 20-incher was his biggest last week.

Snakeheads were wrestled from Camden County ponds and any tributaries from Delaware River, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b> in Westville. Catfish were clubbed from the Delaware, like always in summer. Not much was heard about striped bass from the river, except maybe about a few small ones. The DOD Ponds tossed up good largemouth bass fishing. A few of the bucketmouths were claimed from Stewart Lake. Anglers often fished weedless for largemouths, like with rubber worms, soft-plastic lures and top-water lures, because of weeds. If anglers could fish from a boat, they nailed quality largemouthing on top-waters at Greenwich Lake in mornings and evenings, casting toward shore. Big Timber stocks bait and tackle for fishing on all waters from fresh to offshore.

Lakeland Lake and Alcyon Lake served up largemouth bass on nightcrawlers and Senkos, said Joan from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> in Blackwood. That was mostly what she heard about, except one angler talked about a good catch of summer flounder from Cape May on speck rigs. The waters he fished were unknown. Ed from the shop for last week’s report talked about largemouths lifted from Puppyland Lake and Medford Lakes and snakeheads and catfish eased in from the spillway across the road from Blackwood Lake. He said largemouths were caught on nearly any bait, including shiners, minnows, nightcrawlers and even hot dogs.

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