<b>North Jersey</b>

Four largemouth bass to 2 ½ pounds were reeled aboard from Greenwood Lake on a trip yesterday that Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale took with buddy Paul Schmidt, Dave wrote in an email. Schmidt is a tournament bass angler, and the fishing was slow, but caught. The fish were hooked on Senko worms, white PowerBait minnows and Z-Man TRD worms fished in various ways. Dave and Paul also fished rubber frogs on North Creek off Greenwood. The creek looked great for fishing, but nothing bit. Surface water temperatures have been 81 to 84 degrees.

Don from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna walked trout streams, and they were probably as low as he ever saw, he said. Big Flatbrook was 6 inches deep at some places, and Rockaway River was ankle deep. Rains will likely deluge or washout a coming season like fall. Nature usually balances out like that. Anglers usually avoid trout fishing in summer’s heat that can kill the cold-water fish during the fight. Some return to the angling after waters cool and rise in fall. Many customers who reported fishing targeted hybrid striped bass in evenings and at night on Lake Hopatcong on top-water lures. Not a lot was heard about walleyes from the lake, but a handful of locals reported catching walleyes from the water in the middle of the night, like 10 p.m. to 12 midnight. Don’s been fishing Newark Watershed lakes for largemouth bass. The angling was nothing spectacular but clocked a bass here and there on top-water lures. A customer’s been catching largemouths at a small pond in Mine Hill on Senko worms. Fishing’s been better this summer than last year at this time in general.

Great week of fishing, Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong wrote about the lake in an email. Lots of hybrid striped bass smashed livelined herring at Byram Cove that boaters fished while anchored or drifting. Bob Smith released 15 of the stripers to 7 pounds. A good-sized walleye and some crappies were mixed in. Lots of crappies could be hooked along the lake’s shoreline on small bait or jigs. Richard Hilton weighed-in a 3-pound smallmouth bass and a 3-pound largemouth bass from the lake. Brandon Wood, a junior member of the Knee Deep Club, weighed-in a 2-pound 10-ounce smallmouth, a 2-pound 1-ounce largemouth and a 3-pound 7-ounce chain pickerel. His friend, Conner Douglas, pulled in a 4-pound 5-ounce channel catfish.

Passaic River is “up – it’s got water,” said Joe from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. Good catches of carp, catfish and chain pickerel were plumbed from the river. Largemouth bass fishing seemed a little slow on Lake Hopatcong, but some good bags were still landed. He’d say fish for the bass with swim baits like Keitechs or Z-Mans, flipped to places like grass. Or maybe use spinner baits or other “moving” lures like that. Fishing was good at the Newark Watershed lakes. Canistear Reservoir turned out smallmouth bass, good catches.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Smallmouth bass bit in Raritan River like before, said Bill from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. He fished for largemouth bass at lakes from 7 p.m. until a half-hour after dark the past couple of weeks, catching on Senkos in all different colors. Anglers scored well on largemouths at Raritan and Delaware Canal. Lots of chain pickerel chomped there. Many anglers fished for largemouths with shiners, including at Echo Lake Park and Colonial Park. One customer whacked a 6-1/2-pound largemouth and a 5-1/2-pounder at Echo Lake on shiners. Hybrid striped bass bit in Lake Hopatcong, and customers showed photos of the fish. Crappies were known angled from Farrington Lake. Nobody trout fished in the heat, really.

Many fished Ocean County College Pond with kids for catches like bluegills and crappies, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. One customer’s been fishing Assunpink Lake and Stone Tavern Lake, landing largemouth bass well, mostly on Rat-L-Traps. Both are located in Assunpink Wildlife Management Area. A couple of anglers fished Manasquan Reservoir yesterday from a small boat, mostly for crappies that bit in the trees. Nothing was reported about hybrid striped bass from the reservoir, but this should be prime time for the stripers. They like heat, and should be feeding along the water surface in early mornings. Worms and the different baits including killies are stocked. Shiners will probably be carried beginning in the second week of September. Murphy’s, located on Route 37, also owns <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River.

A couple of trips were heard about that trolled walleyes from Delaware River at Trenton on Rapalas, said James from <b>Harry’s Army Navy</b> in Robbinsville. Smallmouth bass could surely be angled from the river. The Delaware was choked with weeds this season, because of heat and not enough rain. James and friend decided against fishing the river on a boat trip recently because of the weeds, covered in the last report here. But anglers have hooked fish from the river. Cooler weather this week, the first in some time, should make largemouth bass bite in lakes. He’s been fishing for them with jigs a half-ounce or heavier in past weeks to imitate crawfish.

Largemouth bass fishing improved somewhat, now that weather cooled a little, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. A customer caught them okay at Salem Canal during the weekend. Decent largemouthing was reported from Union Lake. Smallmouth bass catches were talked about from there, too. For largemouths, lots of finesse worms were sold including Senkos and Roboworms. In saltwater, good summer flounder fishing kicked in at ocean reefs, mostly on bucktails.

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