Thu., March 28, 2024
Moon Phase:
Waning Gibbous
More Info
Inshore Charters
Offshore Charters
Party Boats
Saltwater
Tackle Shops &
Marinas
Saltwater
Boat Rentals
Freshwater
Guides
Freshwater
Tackle Shops
Brrr ...
It's Cold:
Upstate N.Y.
Ice Fishing
Upstate N.Y.
Winter Steelhead &
Trout Fishing
Long Island, N.Y.
Winter
Cod &
Wreck Fishing

New Jersey Freshwater Fishing Report 7-19-17

Four walleyes were banged out on a lake on a trip aboard a few nights ago, said Capt. Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale. The fish were plugged on Rapala Original Floating Lures in the largest size, 18, a 7-incher. The fishing was slow, and weather was windy and cool, but at least the anglers plugged four. The sky was cloudy, and a couple of more of the trips are slated in the next days. A trip Monday aboard trolled for muskies on a lake but hooked none. This was after a trip on the last full moon trolled a whopping four muskies aboard, and a trip three days afterward trolled another on the boat. Dave wondered whether the moon made the fish of 10,000 casts bite. A couple of other trips slated on the boat in the next days will fish Lake Hopactong, probably for bass and pickerel or catches like that. The winning five-fish stringers of largemouth bass lately weighed 11 to 13 pounds in Dave’s friend Paul Schmidt’s club, the Northeast Bassmasters’, tournaments. The tournament anglers are hooking fish but mostly all the same size, 1 ½ or 2 pounds. Anglers who catch a bigger in the mix are winning. The largemouth fishing seems to produce lighter bags and slower fishing in the height of summer. Dave’s been seeing lake temperatures of 80 degrees, and that’s warm. The tournament anglers are mostly fishing Senkos worms, but Schmidt’s been using jigs.

Fishing’s been picking up, said Brian from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. Trout fishing went well, and trout streams stayed high and cool. Hatches were off schedule, and light Cahills came off. Isonychias began to show, and they’d usually be gone by now. Hybrid striped bass were wrestled at Lake Hopatcong at night. Largemouth bass were angled at the lake during daytime. Surface lures, like a Whopper Plopper in the evening, were often fished for either. Nothing was heard about Delaware River’s smallmouth bass fishing. But that action should be picking up.

Wasn’t a lot to report in the heat, said Andy from <b>Hi-Way Sports Shop</b> in Washington. But Spruce Run Reservoir turned out good hybrid striped bass fishing, and Merrill Creek Reservoir gave up good trouting for rainbows 40 feet down, mostly on shiners or herring. Herring were difficult to obtain, but big, healthy ones were supposed to be stocked tomorrow at the shop. Someone smashed a 51-inch musky at Oxford Furnace Lake. On Delaware River, striped bass and smallmouth bass were landed. The stripers were mostly hooked on herring or trout. Andy will compete in a largemouth bass tournament tomorrow at Lake Hopatcong. In his last few tournaments, lots of the bass were eased in but were small. Many weighed 2 pounds and were lit up at docks and weeds at deep water. Competitors fished Senko worms and different plastics including beavers on jigs. Customers still trout fished, mostly with PowerBait and worms. If water is too warm, some anglers prefer to avoid the fishing so the trout won’t die during the fight. Plenty of the fish swam.

Dominic Sarinelli’s 8-pound 4-ounce hybrid striped bass won the Knee Deep Club’s hybrid striped bass tournament on the lake Saturday and Sunday, Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong wrote in an email. Second and third places were Jake DeSombre’s 7-pound 8-ouncer and Tyler Lambert’s 7-pound 5-ouncer. The three anglers won $360, $216 and $144, respectively, and fourth through sixth places won a $20 gift certificate apiece to Ramsey Outdoor. Fourth through sixth were Ed Mackin with a 7-pound 3-ouncer, Gary Bruzaud with a 7-pound 2-ouncer and Don Gardner with a 7-pounder. Forty-five anglers entered, and several sizable walleyes also showed up in catches, including Bob Smith’s 6-pound 5-ouncer. Lots of smallmouth bass and perch bit. The club will next hold a catfish tournament Saturday, Aug. 12, on the lake.

Was definitely some action on Passaic River with northern pike and carp, said Cheryl from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. She likes to recommend Blue Fox spinners for the pike. The spinners catch, but a single hook, instead of a treble, can be attached. That helps when dealing with the toothy pike. But different lures can be fished. Pike will hit almost any lure that a largemouth bass will. For the carp, anglers can fish dough bait, like from Magic in corn or strawberry flavor. Largemouths certainly bit at small lakes. Fishing for them at Lake Hopatcong “worked.” The Neko Fat Worm and Neko Straight Worm from Daiwa and Yamamoto – the companies combined to make them – clocked largemouths, including at Hopatcong. Customers were excited.

Largemouth bass shoved deeper for cooler water in the heat, said Jason from <b>STC Sports</b> in Gibbstown. Many anglers drop-shotted for them in 10 to 12 feet of water. Greenwich and Swedesboro lakes are popular among largemouth anglers locally. But Swedesboro’s not that deep. Greenwich is about 2 miles from the store. Customers often targeted snakeheads and bowfins in tributaries or ditches off Delaware River, because the heat fails to affect them so much. Rubber frogs, rubber rats and spinner baits are popular for them. Some anglers use a wire leader for bowfins, because of teeth. But Jason uses 30-pound braid. Small striped bass 12 to 14 inches were fished for on Delaware River at night. That’s usually a fishery this time of year, and Sassy Shads in Limetreuse are a bait to throw to them. The store is loaded with the shads, and anglers will buy them up. They do in late July and August.

Back to Top