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New Jersey Fishing Reports Archives 1-11-17

<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Adirondack Mountains</b>

Weather had become colder than before, “pretty chilly,” said Tony from <b>FISH307.com</b> in Lake George, though was supposed be warmer the next couple of days. Forecasts said temperatures were supposed to reach 48 degrees today, 52 tomorrow and dip mostly into the 30s in the next days at Lake George. “It’s been a yo-yo year,” he said, but ice was fished everywhere in the Adirondacks, except on Lake George. That’s a big lake and always the final to freeze. Smaller lakes held from 4 inches of ice to a foot. Skim ice formed on George during the cold, but boaters also fished the lake. Bigger boats might not have been able to be launched, because of ice, but car-toppers were. Anglers in car-toppers reeled in lake trout, landlocked salmon and yellow perch from George. Lakes fished on the ice included Schroon, Indian, Blue Mountain, Tupper, Paradox, Brant, Loon and Saratoga. Mostly perch, crappies, walleyes, pike and pickerel were tugged through the ice. Sometimes trout were, including at Schroon, Indian, Blue Mountain and Raquette lakes that all hold lakers. All ice-fishing baits are stocked except icicles. The baits include all different sizes of shiners, golden shiners and hunts. FISH307.com is both an online store and a brick-and-mortar one.

<b>Salmon River and Western N.Y. Rivers</b>

Weather was cold, including 9 degrees Sunday night, but was supposed to be warmer this week, said Jay Peck from <b>Jay Peck Guide Service</b>. Salmon River flowed at 750 cubic feet per second, higher than before and a healthy level for steelhead fishing, and the flow was supposed to remain at the level for now. The higher water drew more steelheads to migrate into the river from Lake Ontario. The trickle of the fish was more than before, and trips had to cover water and work to catch them on the river, but landed two to six per day. The fishing was good and typical for winter. If anglers were good at technic, they scored well. Jay guided a group on Sunday that caught well. Warmer weather now would probably melt snow that would chill the river, slowing the fishing a moment. But the angling should be good afterward, probably by Friday and Saturday. Plenty of snow, 2 to 3 feet, depending on location, covered the river’s banks. The river at Pulaski was pounded with snow the other day. A healthy snow pack in winter is good for spring steelheading on the river, ensuring a good water flow as the snow melts. Stoneflies, mostly in size 8, sometimes 10, hooked steelheads well on Jay’s trips. That was bigger than last year, when 10s and 12s worked. Egg flies also hung a few steelheads, more often than last year, because more salmon spawned in the river last autumn than during the previous fall. Mornings fished well on the Salmon, though that was unusual. Jay usually wouldn’t fish the river before 9 a.m. this season, but the fish hit earlier in the morning currently. Jay this season also fishes for large trout that winter in rivers and creeks a couple of hours farther west in New York, around Rochester. Those waters were affected by a drought this past season, but had somewhat of a bump of precipitation lately, pulling in a little more of the trout from Lake Ontario. Then slush and ice affected the waters during the cold. Oak Orchard River, a bigger river in the area, held open water, and Jay did no fishing there recently, but wouldn’t doubt a few trout bit there. Trout, like steelheads, winter in the creeks and rivers and return to the lake for summer. That’s because in winter, forage is more abundant in the rivers and creeks than in the lake. The trout grow huge because they summer in the lake. Jay specializes in fly-fishing and catch-and-release, and books trips that fish with conventional tackle with his other guides. In other news, Jay doesn’t guide ice-fishing, but ice-anglers began to fish lakes in the area. Good panfishing and a few northern pike seemed to be clocked. The early ice season usually fishes well. Not much ice-fishing was possible last winter, because of warmth. But a couple of cold spells happened this winter so far.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

Despite a snowstorm, Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale trolled four rainbow trout and a small lake trout on Round Valley Reservoir on Saturday, he wrote in an email. A couple also got off, and he hooked them all when he boated one and then kept trolling back and forth at that spot. The water was 38 degrees, and snow fell hard and the day was foggy on the water. White-out conditions, he said, and the drive home was fine until near his house. “Then it got a bit dicey!” he said.

A few customers were ice-fishing at Budd Lake, at least until yesterday, said Don from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. Weather was warmer now, after the cold in past days. Substantial snow fell in some places in the state on Saturday, but only a dusting did at the store. Trout streams were rising, after the drought last season. He’d assume they fished “adequate,” and customers this time of year buy PowerBait, Gulp maggots and “anything small” for the fishing. Brown trout caught were reported lately, including from Big Flatbrook. They seemed sizable, according to reports, and whether they were stocked in the fall or winter stockings in past months was unknown. The state had been stocking only rainbows in recent years, because rainbows were less susceptible to the virus in trout at the hatchery several years ago. Whether recently they also stocked browns was a question. Nobody mentioned saltwater fishing.

A handful of anglers fished ice on the lake, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. They found a little ice they were willing to fish, and whether that ice would “hold” would be seen, now that weather was warming. The anglers pulled in a few perch, bass and pickerel.

Not many anglers stopped in during the cold snap that just ended, said Joe from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. But some bought ice-fishing supplies, including the Johnson ThinFisher blade bait that was recently stocked. Small lakes and ponds were fished on the hard water. Some customers boated Passaic River, flowing at about an average level currently, for northern pike the other day. During the snowstorm Saturday, 3 or 4 inches fell in some areas, and 1 inch did in others, near the shop.

Delaware River was full of ice, and lakes all held ice that was too thin to fish on but prevented casting a line from shore or boating in past days, said Matt from <b>Harry’s Army Navy</b> in Robbinsville. Ice was fished farther north in New Jersey and Pennsylvania on lakes. The store stocks ice-fishing tackle including tip-ups; a few rods; all the jigs, hooks and lines; and augurs, but no shelters. Weather was warming now, and when lakes were last open water, largemouth bass and chain pickerel were sometimes reeled in. Fishing can be decent in winter, but weather either needs to be warm enough for open water or cold enough for ice-fishing. In saltwater, a few small striped bass were still beached from the surf. The fish were scarce, and there was no bite, but anglers might bank one or two, here or there. Small hard lures and small soft-plastic lures hooked them. Boating for blackfish was decent on the ocean. Anglers he spoke with said blackfishing was nothing special, giving up no big, but they limited out on four.

Lakes held ice, not thick enough to fish, but preventing casting a line, said Bryan from <b>STC Sports</b> in Gibbstown. The store was closed during the severe cold recently. But weather was warming now, and was supposed to reach 60 degrees Thursday. He expected plenty of anglers to stir around.

Fishing was “iced out,” said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Lakes were frozen in past days, but not thick enough to walk on. Maybe a line could be cast at spillways with open water, but they seemed frozen, too. Nothing was heard about saltwater fishing during the cold spell, either. But weather was warming now, so fishing should happen.

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