<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Trout streams ran low, said Brian from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. The water was surely warm, too, though he wasn’t asked. Still, customers fished for the trout, with blue-winged olives and other flies, mostly small flies. One angler said yellow sally stoneflies hatched on South Branch of the Raritan River during a trip a week ago. Whether that was unusual was unknown, Brian said. Anglers begin to avoid trout fishing when the water warms too much in summer, because the fish can die from the fight then. Largemouth bass fishing was improving on lakes, mostly on Keitech soft-plastic baits and Yamamoto rubber worms. Hybrid striped bass were fought at Lake Hopatcong in evenings on top-water lures “around docks and stuff,” he said. Smallmouth bass should bite in Delaware River this time of year, though nothing was heard about the angling.

Pete Rathjens won first place, $392, for a 4-pound 9-ounce largemouth bass in the Knee Deep Club’s Stu Lant Challenge on the lake Sunday, Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong wrote in an email. That’s an annual tournament for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. Eddie Mackin took second, $294, for a 4-pound 3-ounce largemouth, and Hunter Good won third, $196, for a 3-pound 14-ounce largemouth. The top six anglers also won a rod-and-reel combo apiece that Ramsey Outdoor donated. Lots of good catches were seen from the lake this past week. They included Dominic Sarinelli’s 3-pound 10-ounce smallmouth bass and his largemouth that weighed the same. The catches also included Owen Moher’s 4-pound 9-ounce rainbow trout and Mike Truglio’s 2-pound 5-ounce brown trout. Eddie Mackin also weighed-in a 7-pound 15-ounce channel catfish. Rob Piotrowski, a Junior Member of the Knee Deep Club, hung a 3-pound 4-ounce channel cat, and Brandon Wood, also a Junior Member, picked up a 1-pound 2-ounce crappie and a 2-pound 7-ounce chain pickerel.  Several muskies 40 inches and larger were caught and released. The Knee Deep Club’s next tournament will be for hybrid striped bass on the weekend of July 16 and 17 on the lake. Happy Fourth of July, and have a great holiday weekend! Laurie said.

Hybrid striped bass began to be boated at Spruce Run Reservoir, said James from <b>Behre Bait & Tackle</b> in Lebanon. The fishing was “finally turning on,” and the stripers were mostly targeted with shiners slow-trolled 10 to 15 feet down, because herring became difficult to obtain this time of season. Fishing for lake trout and rainbow trout began to score well at Merrill Creek Reservoir. Not many brown trout hooked there were heard about this year. The lakers and rainbows were trolled 30 to 60 feet down the past few days. That was on anything from shiners or herring to Warrior spoons and Challenger lures. At Round Valley Reservoir, scattered lake trout were hooked. Boaters anchored and fished for them with shiners or herring along bottom. Boaters at Round Valley still trolled a bunch of stocked rainbow trout and sometimes 4- or 5-pounders that the Round Valley Trout Association stocked and tagged. That was on planer boards with Warrior spoons, Challenger lures, Sutton spoons, if anglers could obtain Suttons, and Meatheads.  

Passaic River ran low, but the river’s northern pike were still angled, at holes, said Cheryl from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. The fish held in deep pools, didn’t really move from them, in the low water. So fishing from a kayak or being mobile like that helped. Still, the pike were fought behind Home Depot in town, near the shop. Largemouth bass were active in the different small lakes. Senko worms seemed popular for them, because tons were sold. In saltwater, fluke fishing was hit and miss. One trip would nail a 10-pounder, and another would land throwbacks. A few anglers still reeled striped bass from New York Harbor. On the ocean, the best striper fishing seemed to move north. Even boats from Belmar sailed north toward Sandy Hook for stripers.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Fishing for largemouth bass was kind of kicking into gear on lakes in warm weather, said Scott from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. The fish sometimes smashed top-water lures in the warmth. They were getting into a “summer pattern.” For trout anglers on streams, low, clear, warm water hindered fishing, especially at popular spots like Ken Lockwood Gorge. Trout anglers either fished in early mornings or during evenings or caught none. Most trout anglers avoid the fishing when the water becomes too warm, so the warmth doesn’t kill the fish during the fight. Hybrid striped bass were whacked at Spruce Run Reservoir at night on chicken livers, top-water plugs or livelined herring, “if you can get it,” he said about the herring. Catfishing was sometimes heard about from Delaware River, downstream from Lambertville, at night. Smallmouth bass should hit in the Delaware this time of year. Good walleye fishing was claimed at Raritan River at night. Tiny striped bass 8 inches schooled the Raritan. Scott fished on a trip that Shimano hosted off Nantucket two days, for sea bass one day and fluke the other. The sea bass fishing was off the hook, bailing 3-1/2- to 5-pounders on almost every cast. On the fluke trip, Scott decked an 8-pounder, and a 9-1/2-pounder won the pool.

Largemouth bass, good catches, were slugged at different small lakes in Whiting, said Virginia from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Bamber Lake fished well for largemouths and chain pickerel. Largemouth fishing could be good at Manasquan River. Deep water needed to be fished for them, and good crappie fishing could be found there, too. Anglers tried for hybrid striped bass at the reservoir, but none of the fish was reported caught yet. The Toms River at Trilco harbored picks and crappies. Killies could be fished for them, but shiners worked better. Shiners, though, needed to be aerated and kept in cool water. Shiners are stocked, 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. Ocean County College Pond was loaded with sunfish. Catfish were cranked from the pond and Lake Shenandoah in evenings on nightcrawlers. Murphy’s, located on Route 37, also owns <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Largemouth bass seemed schooled, maybe because they just came off the spawn, said Brian at <b>STC Sports</b> in Gibbstown. When one was reeled in, others followed. The bass seemed to be on a reaction bite, similar to when they spawn and don’t’ feed. But they were surely feeding, and were often tucked under bulkheads or other places for shade. A jig tossed under shade like that could get attacked. But angling for the bass was good, and customers fish for them at places including the DOD ponds, Greenwich Lake and cedar lakes like Malaga, Rainbow and Harrison. Not a lot of the fish were large, and they usually weighed up to 3 or 4 pounds. Anglers might not talk about snakeheads, the invasive species, and bowfins much, but fishing for them really picked up in Delaware River’s tributaries. Those fish hovered in shade, too, seeking cover from summer sun and heat. A few big carp were angled from different waters that held them. They sort of ran up to edges of the waters in schools of three or four. No schoolie striped bass were heard about locally that can swim Delaware River and tributaries this season, except they were heard about from the Pennsylvania side of the river.

Customers at <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown reported good largemouth fishing, according to the shop’s Facebook page. Oak Pond produced the catches for one angler on Senko worms. Malaga Lake put out the bigmouths to 4 pounds along weed beds on black Zoom Trick Worms for another angler. Iona Lake served up largemouths to 3 ½ pounds on watermelon Senkos for three anglers. Kirkwood Lake tossed up the bass to 3 ½ on Yamamoto spinner baits for another. In saltwater, summer flounder were sacked from back bays and ocean reefs.

Though largemouth fishing was kind of slow, when the bass were caught, they jumped on Senko worms, rubber frogs and other top-water lures, one of the crew from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland said. Find cover, where the fish can escape in a little shade. Or fish deep, like at Union Lake, like with a shaky head. Rainbow Lake and Parvin Lake offered good largemouthing. This time of year is always productive for fishing for bluegills and sunnies. Bluegills recently finished spawning. Crappie fishing could also be good in lakes on live bait or artificials like rubber grubs. In saltwater, summer flounder fishing was improving in back bays. A few flounder just began to be boated on Delaware Bay.

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