<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

Delaware River ran a little high, and believe it or not, shad were still angled there, said Dean from <b>Stokes Forest Sport Shop</b> in Sandyston. That was in evenings when the sun was off the water. Big Flatbrook tossed up plenty of trout and flowed perfectly for the angling. Bead-headed Prince and hares-ear nymphs worked well. Blue-winged olives and sulfurs came off. Hatching of March browns should be ending. Somebody else mentioned yellow stoneflies, and those could be around, Dean agreed.

A husband and wife jumped aboard Lake Hopatcong to learn about fishing with <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale, Capt. Dave Vollenweider wrote in an email. He taught them how to cast, and then they tried for largemouth bass with top-water lures on the 65-degree lake. None bit, and next the trip trolled with leadcore. Chopped up weeds in the water made that and fishing in general difficult. Strong wind also blew on the trip. “… ended the outing with panfish,” he wrote.

Weather was warmer and dryer, but trout streams weren’t really becoming lower, said John from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. “They’re still up there,” he said, and hatches included blue-winged olives at different streams and yellow stoneflies on Big Flatbrook. Not much was heard about other fishing, including about fishing for largemouth bass, hybrid striped bass and walleyes that anglers hunt at lakes this time of year. Thursday will be the final day when largemouth fishing is limited to catch and release for spawning. Anglers target them more frequently afterward. The shop previously reported hybrids and walleyes landed at lakes including Hopatcong. From saltwater, anglers talked about striped bass schooling beyond 3 miles from shore on the ocean, where fishing for them is closed. John surf-fished at Sandy Hook on a trip in past days, but the angling was no good, after he had a productive season of the fishing. Maybe the warm weather was putting the kibosh on much of that angling. Friends reeled in 2- to 5-pound bluefish on the ocean on two party boats from Belmar and Point Pleasant Beach.

Fishing at night, Stan Culp tackled several hybrid striped bass to an 8-pound 5-ouncer and a 7-pound 13-ouncer on the lake, Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong wrote in an email. Roman Pera at night limited out on walleyes to a 7-pound 1-ouncer on cast lures. Lots of good catches of largemouth bass and smallmouth bass were heard about from the lake. Lots of solid catches of yellow perch were seen. Max Hughen, a Knee Deep Club junior member, weighed-in a 1-pound 3-ounce crappie. Several healthy-sized chain pickerel were checked-in, including Jim Welsh’s 3-pound 15-ouncer and Jake Cerami’s 3-pounder. The shop will be open early for Fathers’ Day. What better way to spend the day with Dad than fishing the lake! Laurie said.

If you can’t boat fish at Round Valley Reservoir now, you’re doing something wrong, said James from <b>Behre Bait & Tackle</b> in Lebanon. He and one of the crew from the shop won first place for lake trout and second for rainbow trout at a tournament there last weekend. They trolled 60 fish, half of them lakers and half rainbows, during the angling, all on Warrior spoons. They tried all different spoons, but Warriors were key. For the lakers, fish along bottom in 70 to 100 feet of water. For the rainbows, fish 10 to 20 feet down – don’t hesitate to push as deep as 30, he said – in the same depths. Fishing for trout from shore dropped off at the reservoir, because of heat. A few were nabbed at first light, but the shore anglers did clock fish like bass, crappies and yellow perch.  Spruce Run Reservoir produced hybrid striped bass on trolled Warrior spoons and trolled, naked, live bait down 10 to 15 feet. The hybrids were beaten from shore at night at the boat ramp and Black Brook Cove on chicken liver along bottom and live herring or shiners flat-lined, with no weight.

Largemouth bass were hooked at lakes, if anglers could fish the right place at the right time, said Cheryl from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. No specific tackle that was a must to fish was heard about, but usual things like Senko worms worked. Nothing was mentioned about fishing Passaic River, and the river flowed a little low. Customers fish the river for catches including northern pike, carp, largemouths and smallmouth bass. In saltwater, fluke fishing was hit and miss. Larry from the store won the pool with a 6-pound fluke on a party boat. Lots of throwbacks bit on the trip.

Anglers began to carp fish at Spring and Deal lakes, catching well on corn on a hook like size 4/0 while chumming corn, said Virginia from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Trout still bit at Spring Lake, and Jeff from the store picked up four of the fish to 20 inches on a trip. PowerBait in yellow or light-green in garlic will take the trout. Largemouth bass fishing could be good on tackle like Strike King spinners or the weedless Chum Frog the shop carries. That could be fished along the surface at growth like lily pads at lakes, like at Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area. Virginia and husband kayaked and canoed one of the lakes at Colliers on three evenings last week, pasting a variety of catches including largemouths, crappies, yellow perch and sunnies with nightcrawlers and killies. She nailed a big, 19-inch yellow perch on a flat-lined nightcrawler sunk to bottom. A little of everything hit at Lake Riviera, too. Largemouths were also cracked at Manasquan Reservoir, better on boats than from the dock. Anglers from the dock picked a couple of crappies. Catfish could be found in the corner with the rocks. Chain pickerel fishing was good at lakes on killies and nightcrawlers. White perch were rounded up from Forge Pond. Customers asked for bloodworms for them, but none of the worms are stocked this time of year, because they’re expensive. If anglers could catch grass shrimp, that would attract the perch. Murphy’s, located on Route 37, also owns <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River.   

A 5-pound largemouth bass was hung from Grenloch Lake near the dam on a shiner Saturday, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> in Blackwood. Some big catfish were walloped from Delaware River on chicken liver at River Winds in a kids’ tournament Saturday. Catfish were also chicken-livered at Big Timber Creek. Ed and wife fished Glen Lake in Woodbury Heights, banking a few largemouth bass and crappies. The bass mostly pounced on shiners, and the crappies mostly swiped small minnows.

Fishing was excellent, a report said on <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown’s Facebook page. One angler laid up a 4-pound largemouth bass at Collings Lakes on a Senko worm in green and purple. Another at Oak Pond put the brakes on a 4-pounder on a Live Target sunfish and a 25-inch chain pickerel on a watermelon Senko. A customer at Wilson Lake did-in a 3-pound largemouth on a Zoom curly tail and a 3-pound 24-inch chain pickerel on a Zoom Trick Worm. Largemouthing was good for another at Franklinville Lake, where he waxed the fish to a 3-1/2-pounder on minnows.

Fishing for largemouth bass was a little slow at lakes, and the fish seemed in a goofy, post-spawn phase, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. But some were caught, and hot weather finally arrived, so anglers would begin to throw rubber worms like Senkos. Fishing at night could definitely be seen to be picking up for the bass, because of the heat. The warmth also helps top-water fishing for largemouths, like in evenings and mornings with buzz baits and poppers, especially the Whopper Popper. For largemouths, Elmer Lake fished well, and Union Lake fished decent. Rainbow Lake’s largemouthing holds up week after week. So fishing for largemouths has been okay. Bluegills were just mugged at lakes on nightcrawlers. In saltwater, summer flounder fishing was decent on back bays. Gulp artificial baits Mohawked them. Nothing was heard about flounder from Delaware Bay. The bay’s black drum fishing seemed definitely winding down for the season. White perch fishing went pretty well at creeks along the bay. Good sea bass fishing was pounded at ocean wrecks.

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