<b>North Jersey</b>

Local ponds tossed up largemouth bass, said Kevin from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. The water was warm, but the fish bit. Largemouth catches were heard about from Tilcon Lake. A few smallmouth bass were picked up from Splitrock Reservoir. But not much was heard about reservoirs, like at the Newark Watershed. Walleyes and hybrid striped bass were socked from Lake Hopatcong, the walleyes mostly at night, the hybrids mostly in early mornings, mostly on top-water lures like Zara Spooks. Though no customers mentioned Delaware River, Kevin, who fishes the river for smallmouth bass, will probably fish the water soon. The river probably ran low in the summer heat, but the Delaware always fishes great for him, and is “underused.” Few anglers are seen on a trip. Trout fishing was pretty much finished until weather cools. Trout streams were warm for the cold-water fish, and Kevin would lay off from the angling for now. Some anglers avoid trout fishing this season, because the fight could kill the fish in the warmth.

Hybrid striped bass were still boated at Spruce Run Reservoir, on slow-trolled, live herring or live herring fished from a rod in hand, said James from <b>Behre Bait & Tackle</b> in Lebanon. Nothing was heard about lures catching them well, and only catches on the live bait were known about. Round Valley Reservoir’s fishing began to improve. Boaters there trolled lake trout averaging 4 or 4 ½ pounds on Spin-N-Glows and Warrior spoons. But the anglers also began to fish small bucktails or Crippled Herrings jigged along bottom. The shop will hold the 3rd Annual Howie Behre Memorial Lake Trout Tournament on Round Valley on Sunday, August 21. First prize is $1,000.

Anglers on Passaic River reeled in catfish and carp, said Cheryl from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. None of the river’s northern pike were heard about. Largemouth bass were hit at Lake Hopatcong. Lots of Senko rubber worms were sold for largemouthing. These were the Dog Days of summer, and not a ton of fishing was reported. In saltwater, fluke catches seemed hit or miss or anglers seemed either to catch the flatfish or not. Maybe that depended on the anglers or the crew or captains they fished with.

Several hybrid striped bass to 7 pounds and walleyes to 3 pounds were weighed-in, Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong wrote in an email. Chain pickerel, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and plenty of panfish were sacked from the lake. Jim Welsh stopped in with a 2-pound white catfish, and the Knee Deep Club will hold a catfish tournament from 6 p.m. Saturday until 12 noon Sunday on the lake, featuring cash prizes for the first three places and gift certificates for fourth through sixth places. Grab friends and compete, and the tournament is always a good time, she said. 

On Raritan River, on both branches and the main river, smallmouth bass and largemouth bass turned out decent fishing, said Scott from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Rain in the past week improved the water flow and the angling. Senkos and Z-Man TRD’s caught. Top-water lures like Zara Spooks and buzz baits also hooked the fish before dark. Scott landed a 4-pound largemouth on the river on a TRD on Sunday. The bite couldn’t be felt, really, and he just “had a feeling.” Though rain improved the river’s flow, this was the height of summer, and waters were mostly low everywhere. Wading up to your waste in the Raritan could feel good. Braden from the shop banked catfish from the Raritan the other night. Trout could be angled at Musconetcong River and Ken Lockwood Gorge when water cool enough was found. Isonychias and different terrestrials were the hot flies. Some anglers are careful about trout fishing in summer that can kill the fish during the fight in the warmth. Or they avoid the fishing when that seems likely. Farther north, good trouting was reported from the West Branch of the Raritan River on Cahill nymphs and dries. At Spruce Run Reservoir, hybrid striped bass were boated, mostly at night. At Round Valley Reservoir, shore angling mostly clocked rock bass and smallmouth bass. The rock bass could be fought all day, and the smallmouths were mixed in. Look for the smallmouths at deeper water like steep drop-offs.  Spruce and Round Valley were low, and raising the water to normal will probably take something like a winter of major snow. Many customers traveled north to fish places like Lake George and Lake Champlain for catches that could include smallmouth bass and northern pike.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Good largemouth bass fishing was scored this week, said Virginia form <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. That included at Lake Assunpink and Manasquan Reservoir in evenings on nightcrawlers. But largemouth tournaments were held there lately, and the tournaments only allow artificials to be fished, and that angling was alright, including on spinner baits and rubber frogs. One customer said he was landing his five-fish bags in the tournaments. Good catches of catfish were plumbed at night on any smelly bait along bottom in waters that held cats. One of the crew from the shop scored well at Lake Riviera on chain pickerel, sunnies, yellow perch and an occasional largemouth, a variety. The Toms River at Trilco fished well for pickerel, yellow perch and some striped bass. Trilco is a closed building supply, and no sign identifies the building, but locals know the stretch by the name, located near Garden State Parkway.  Murphy’s, located on Route 37, also owns <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River.

From <b>Harry’s Army Navy</b> in Robbinsville, Matt’s been whipping smallmouth bass, many small, but decent catches, from Delaware River, he said. Anglers could fish for them in the Trenton and Yardley areas. A few small striped bass, 10 inches, bit in the river from Trenton to farther upstream. Stripers always swim the river, fewer of them this season than in spring. The migration of big, breeding stripers heads up the river in spring to spawn, of course. Matt targets the smallmouths in the river, but the stripers can be mixed in. The two fish often swim the same places. To catch, anglers could toss top-water lures in mornings and plastics during sunnier parts of the day. Decent catfishing could be pulled from the river south of Trenton. Largemouth bass fishing was pretty good at many lakes like Assunpink Lake and Stone Tavern Lake, both in the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area. Rubber worms or frogs could be fished for them. Decent crappie fishing was talked about from some lakes, including Stone Tavern and Mercer Lake, on jigs.

Despite summer’s heat, good fishing was reported, <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown’s Facebook page said. That included good largemouth bass fishing, and early mornings and dusk fished best. One angler cranked five sizable largemouths to 5 pounds from Mary Elmer Lake on Yamamoto spinner baits. Two anglers totaled nine largemouths at Shaw’s Mill Pond at night on chatter baits and small rubber frogs on a trip. Another angler and sons walloped catfish 2 to 9 pounds from Delaware River on neon-green nightcrawlers.

“Hot, nasty and slow,” said Jeff from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland! Some of the only catches were white perch and small striped bass at Maurice River near the dam on live bait. But good largemouth bass fishing was pasted at Lake Audrey. The lake is clear, so anglers consider that when deciding what to fish with. They might fish Senkos or, in evenings, top-water lures. That was about all the news in the heat.

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