<b>North Jersey</b>

Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> recently returned from a trip for muskies at Ontario’s Eagle Lake with an outfitter, he wrote in an email. The lake is known for large muskies, and he boated a 43-inch 23-pounder, “due to something in its gut,” he said. He also decked a few northern pike and a walleye, and saw follows from 50-inch muskies every day that slipped away without biting. On his final day, soon before he had to depart, a giant nipped at Dave’s crank bait without committing. Other anglers hauled three muskies in the 50-inch class from the lake during his trip. “This place is no joke!” he said. Fifty-inchers are common, and the angling really hadn’t become good yet this season. The lake, a massive body of water with lots of islands, gave up world records twice. Back at home, Dave yesterday fished Echo Lake with his nephew. They landed three bass, and a few others got off, on weighted, wacky-rigged Bass Pro Tournament Series Stick-O’s. Dave’s email included two photos of a largemouth and a smallmouth from the trip, and the fish looked good-sized. Dave also tried for muskies, ripping a perch crank bait, scoring a follow from a small one on the trip.

Rain added water to trout streams during the weekend, said Brian from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. So long as rain does that, the water could be cool enough to make trout-fishing viable. Once waters warm in summer, many trout anglers avoid the fishing, because the fight could kill the trout in the high temperature. Tricos seemed to hook trout in early mornings and in evenings. Blue-winged olives caught, and Light Cahills or sulfurs could still get walloped on occasion. Largemouth bass fishing was great on lakes. Whatever you fish for them, use weedless, he said. Hybrid striped bass and walleyes were top-water-plugged at Lake Hopatcong in evenings, like on Zara Spooks along docks.

Smallmouth bass bit farther upstream in Passaic River, said Larry from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. Near the shop, northern pike surely haunted the river’s deep holes. The river ran low, and customers catfished on different rivers, heaving in some big. Good largemouth bass fishing seemed to be pounded at Lake Hopatcong. Trout fishing was about finished for the season in the warmth.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Anglers tied into lots of largemouth bass action locally, like at ponds in Middlesex, said Braden from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Photos of good catches on white spinner baits were seen from there. Most customers who trout fish stopped the fishing until waters cool, avoiding stressing the trout during a fight in the heat. Hybrid striped bass were fought from Spruce Run Reservoir on livelined herring. Big crappies and sometimes channel catfish were mixed in. Might sound unusual for the cats to be mixed in, but they swam off bottom and grabbed the live bait. Nothing was heard from Round Valley Reservoir. Delaware River turned out catfish and smallmouth bass. For the smallmouths, weedless crawfish imitations and 4- or 5-inch Senko rubber worms will connect.  

Early mornings and evenings still produced largemouth bass at lakes, said Virginia from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. One customer, fishing killies, laid into good catches of them at, Virginia believed, the lake across from Ocean County College. She calls the lake Stanley’s Pond. Dock anglers and kayakers hung the bass from Manasquan Reservoir. Largemouths were picked from Brick Township Reservoir, and fishing might be restricted to artificials there, she thought, but that was unconfirmed. At the lower lake at Lake Riviera, crappies hit killies under bobbers in evenings. Sunfish nibbled nearly everywhere, including along Riviera’s shoreline. Sunnies even schooled in the Toms River near the Jackson tree farm, where trout are stocked. A pond is located at the back of the tree farm that’s loaded with 3- or 4-pound carp. Her son fishes for them with dough balls, but carp will bite nearly any bait. Her son also caught a few largemouths there. Trout were picked from Lake Shenandoah, a deeper body of water that can be a lower temperature trout prefer, on dough balls along bottom. Catfish there at night will grab nightcrawlers or fresh clams with bunker oil or shedder-crab oil. Plenty of chain pickerel swam many different waters, and will bite in the middle of the day and all different times of day, unlike some fish, like largemouths, that can become most active in low-light hours or at night in summer’s warmth. Murphy’s, located on Route 37, also owns <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Fishing for largemouth bass at lakes was best from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. in the summer heat, said James from <b>Harry’s Army Navy</b> in Robbinsville. Black top-water lures like Jitterbugs, black buzz baits, black Senko worms and black jigs winged them.  Delaware River’s catfishing, for probably 5- to 10-pounders, was superb. Frozen clams or bunker could be dunked for them. Small striped bass mostly stopped biting in the river that did before from Trenton to Bordentown. Surely they were still around, maybe moving to deeper channels, but the angling dropped off. The river ran low, and rain during the weekend caused the river to become too weedy for smallmouth bass fishing from Trenton to the north. An unusual amount of grass beds filled the river this year, and the rain flooded the river, filling the water with the weeds. Previously, the shop reported that the river was too low to boat for smallmouths with prop engines, but jet engines could be used. In the weeds that filled the river because of the rain, jet engines weren’t even recommended, because of all the weeds that would be sucked up. In saltwater, Jeff’s been fluke fishing, departing from Manasquan Inlet, with Jeff from the store at inshore structure like lobster pots.  Catches were great, probably one of the best seasons for the angling in some time.

Water oxygen levels were tough for fishing for largemouth bass and crappies at lakes, said Jason from <b>STC Sports</b> in Gibbstown. If anglers tried for largemouths, rubber frogs were most popular, worked along places like lily pads. Even lily pads were dying in the heat. Snakeheads and bowfins were angled from Delaware River tributaries and some lakes. They were hooked at algae and growth that grew along edges of the waters. Anglers could catfish on Delaware River. Someone yesterday saw a 34-inch striped bass landed from the river at Riverwinds. That was unusual in summer.

At <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> in Blackwood, Joanie hadn’t heard much about fishing, hadn’t been at the store often, she said. But she and family fished Glen Lake in Woodbury Heights, tackling largemouth bass, catfish and a large crappie on minnows, nightcrawlers and nitro worms in mean green. On saltwater, friends mostly jumped on summer flounder, fishing baits like spearing and mackerel.

High temperatures slowed fishing somewhat, <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown’s Facebook page said. Some of the better places to fish this time of year are Iona Lake, the DOD Ponds, Harrisonville Lake and Grenloch Lake, with bait like minnows or tackle like Senko worms and Live Target frogs. One angler buzz-baited three largemouth bass at Iona Lake. Another two anglers totaled one largemouth and a chain pickerel at Iona in a trip.

Back to Top