<b>North Jersey</b>

Rivers and streams ran low, said Joe from <b>Stokes Forest Sport Shop</b> in Sandyston. That was despite rains this season, and a few catfish and smallmouth bass were angled from Delaware River, running low and clear. Catches were made, but anglers didn’t hammer them. Not many striped bass, and none of size to talk about, came from the river. Bow-fishing, mostly for carp, was some of the best sport on the river, even if few people do that. Coming up, the river will be fished mostly for smallmouth bass, not a lot, but some, into November or December. Then walleyes will become a target from the waters. Some probably fished for trout on streams, but no customers mentioned that. Rains this season kept pushing trout farther and farther downstream, forcing some into Delaware River. Streams now ran low and clear, and trout swam them, but hardly remained in the upper streams, because of rains earlier in the season. Usually, during this time of year, plenty of trout fill the entire streams, but the fish become spooky, difficult to catch, in low, clear waters.  Customers who trout fish mostly hit Big Flatbrook and sometimes Paulinskill River. Lake fishing was steady, mostly for largemouth bass, a few walleyes and some catfish. Most customers, when they fish lakes, work Swartswood Lake and Little Swartswood, and sometimes Lake Hopatcong and lakes toward Walpack. Swartswood holds largemouths, walleyes and cats. For largemouths this time of year, mostly rubber worms like Senkos in dark colors are fished, slowly. When waters cool, crank baits and spinner baits and bright colors are fished for them. For the walleyes currently, mostly nightcrawlers are fished, either on a hook with a split shot or on a jig. Sometimes boaters troll for them, but they mostly vertical-jig. For the cats, chicken livers or dead herring are fished.

Cooler waters seemed to really turn fishing around on lakes, said Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale. The waters were 75 degrees, perfect for angling, and nights were cool, and catches really stepped up on his trips. Walleyes started to be caught again, in shallows in evenings, though Dave hasn’t usually fished for walleyes this late in summer. Typically, walleyes move to shallows at night when herring spawn. But herring finished spawning. Previously this summer, angling was difficult in higher water temperatures from hot weather. A trip Friday aboard with Drew Kastner and son put up a good number of smallmouth bass and yellow perch, a couple of large crappies, and a 6-pound walleye on a lake. On a trip Sunday, Dave and his wife pulled in crappies from a lake. Aboard Monday on a lake, Bernie Dorning and wife Liz tangled with crappies, including three especially large. They fished for walleyes when dark came, whacking a 4-pounder apiece on Rapala Original Floating Lures in size F18, a 7-incher. Anglers are supposed to fish for muskies today and Saturday with Dave on lakes. Lots of anglers kept telephoning for trips during this end of summer. Dave’s friend, a tournament largemouth bass angler, talked about 17 pounds winning a recent contest. Largemouthing seemed to go well, too. 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.

From <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna, Brian and friend cranked in largemouth bass from Lake Hopatcong on a trip, Brian said. They fished black and brown Gary Yamamoto soft-plastic baits on ½-ounce Keitech jigs along submerged weed beds in 10 to 15 feet of water. Fishing at docks seemed slow for the largemouths on the outing. A few crappies and other panfish were plucked from the same weeds on smaller jigs on the trip. Customers who fished for trout on streams talked about slow catches, though waters were cool enough, or stream conditions were good for the fishing. Good fall trout fishing should kick in after some weeks. If anglers trout now, midges cast in mornings or evenings could catch okay. Plenty of smallmouth bass and striped bass angled from Delaware River. Three-inch Mister Twisters in brown on ¼-ounce black jigs will take the smallmouths. Silver Rapalas or suspending crank baits will sock the stripers.

Lots of crappies, good-sized, were clobbered from the lake on small jigs, small herring and minnows, Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong wrote in an e-mail. A 1-pound 12-ouncer was the largest known about. Smallmouth bass hit herring off points, and Nolan’s Point is always a good spot. A few walleyes were wrangled off Pickerel and Chestnut points on herring and nightcrawlers. Hybrid striped bass were sometimes honked in shallow waters on worms under bobbers. A bunch of panfish were also hooked on the worms there. The Knee Deep Club will hold a walleye tournament on the weekend of September 21 and 22.

Small northern pike, lots, and some smallmouth bass were top-water plugged on Passaic River at Twin Bridges in early mornings, said Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. One customer kept buying extra-large shiners from the shop for good catches of decent-sized pike on the river upstream from the falls. Downstream from the falls, smallmouth bass were jigged on 3- or 3-1/2-inch Keitechs. Smallmouths a pound or so, not big, were caught on Saddle River the same way at Lodi and Rochelle Park. Largemouth bass were small-ratted and -frogged at Pompton Lake at heavy weeds along shoreline. Lots of weeds filled the lake. Kids wormed small largemouths and loads of sunnies at Barbour’s Pond. Sunnies and bluegills were played like crazy at Dahnert’s Pond. A friend yanked walleyes from Lake Hopatcong off the major points on top-water lures and crank baits. Not much was heard from Greenwood Lake.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Rivers including the Raritan, Lamington and nearly any of the local streams turned out smallmouth bass on soft-plastic lures or flies, said Chris from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Largemouth bass fishing picked up at the same rivers on plastics, spinner baits and top-water lures. Customers sometimes trout fished, including at Ken Lockwood Gorge and Musconetcong and Pequest rivers. Midges, blue-winged olives, caddis, Cahills and the standard nymphs caught.

A couple of anglers livelined shiners at Ocean County College pond for catfish at night, banking two, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Kids had fun with bluegills and sunnies at the pond. Lots of turtles grabbed bait there because of warm waters. Largemouth bass could be picked up at Seacourt Pavilion pond or Ocean County Mall pond. Shiners or any weedless-rigged rubber worms caught best, and the pond was weed-choked, so fish the deeper end near the houses to help avoid them. A few largemouths came from Pineland Park pond. That’s also a place for catfish, though whether any were hooked recently was unknown. At the three lakes in Lacey Township, or Lacey Lakes, chain pickerel fishing is always good. None of the fish is large, but there’s lots, and spinners, shiners or killies will pound them. The third lake with the stumps, Dennis said, is best, though tackle will be lost to the stumps. Dennis wasn’t asked whether the third lake was nearest or farthest from the road. But catfish could be dragged from the lake nearest the road on chicken livers or nightcrawlers. Customers fished the Toms River at Riverwood Park, landing no trout, only a pickerel, on a spinner. Waters were very clear. Nobody mentioned Manasquan Reservoir, but hybrid striped bass usually bite in the rez this time of year. So do tiger muskies this month and in September that the state stocks at the impoundment.

<b>South Jersey</b>

The most interesting fishing was smallmouth bass catches that turned on at Delaware and Raritan Canal at Frenchtown and Lambertville, where the creeks flow in, said Tom P. from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. The fish weighed up to 2 and 3 pounds, and shiners and 4- and 5-inch soft-plastic worms hooked them. Delaware River’s smallmouthing went fairly well, upstream like at Belvidere and Columbia. On the local Delaware, and at Crosswicks Creek, catfishing was excellent. One kid chicken-livered a 10-pound channel cat at Crosswicks. Walleyes to 22 inches got wrestled from Millstone River, downstream from Wilhousky Street, on shiners and twin-tailed, rubber grubs. For largemouth bass, lakes that produced included Strawberry, Assunpink, Rising Sun and Stone Tavern. A customer did a number on them at Assunpink. Another heaved in a 6-pounder, at Rosedale Lake, Tom thought, on a ribbon-tailed worm in red shad, an unusual color for largemouths this time of year, Tom said. Farther north, plenty of trout were tugged from Pequest River and Ken Lockwood Gorge. Most trouters fished Trout Conservation Areas with artificials, thinking the bait stretches were fished out. But Tom still plows trout in the bait areas. 

Fishing was about the same, Ed from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> in Blackwood told Joan, she said. Largemouth bass and crappies chewed in Grenloch Lake. Ed in a previous report said largemouths jumped on nearly any bait, including minnows, shiners, worms and even hot dogs. They swiped shiners at Puppyland Pond recently, he said this week. Snakeheads were snatched from the spillway across the road from Blackwood Lake.

Mostly catfish cranked from rivers including the Maurice and the Delaware were heard about, said Rick from <b>Blackwater Sports Center </b> in Vineland. But white perch fishing on the Maurice was the best angling. Lots of nightcrawlers were sold for them. Largemouth bass fishing was “off” this month, a transition between seasons for them. But if anglers fished for largemouths, they probably “finessed” them, with rubber worms on shaky-head jigs.

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