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New Jersey Freshwater Fishing Report 8-2-17

<b>Pennsylvania</b>

Even before last weekend’s stormy weather, the upper Delaware River ran much higher than usual, Bill Brinkman from Philadelphia’s <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> wrote in a report on the shop’s website. The lower river near the store was clear with not much debris, or in great shape, though the water was warm at 80 degrees. Bill on a trip Thursday there found that catfishing was even difficult. He and two anglers boated 11 cats 1 to 5 pounds on the outing. But high water farther upstream, though discolored, was good for striped bass fishing. One angler fishing from the New Hope wing dam eeled five stripers 26 to 30 inches. A boater who anchored upstream from the dam eeled 11 stripers 18 to 26 inches. Several anglers who fished the river at the rocks at Lambertville totaled three to 10 stripers apiece on eels, livelined white perch, popper plugs and Daiwa SP Minnow lures. An angler said plenty of stripers, even 36- to 39-inchers, were eeled at Delaware Water Gap on the river. On Schuylkill River from Gladwyne to Norristown, great fishing for carp, some of them 20 to 35 pounds, was tied into. Lots of catfish chomped in the Schuylkill, including occasional flatheads 21 to 24 pounds. The flatheads swiped live bait like white perch and eels. Smaller channel cats grubbed on shrimp, chicken livers and bagels. Farther downstream, small stripers, plenty of cats and white perch hit. Smallmouth bass fishing on the upper Schuylkill slowed last week in high, off-color water. Lots more info and locations were covered in the report.

<b>New Jersey</b>

A trip for a kid’s birthday first trolled for muskies on Greenwood Lake with <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale on Sunday, Capt. Dave Vollenweider said. No muskies bit, and then the trip fished for bass, landing a bunch of smallmouths, small fish. That was on jigs, mostly Cabin Creek jigs, cast along rock breaklines in deep water. Dave also landed a 1-1/2-pounder on a Strike King Bitsy Bug jig with a crawfish trailer. A big perch was also reeled up on the trip, and weather was windy. The lake became crowded with boats, and Dave tries to fish on weekdays this season on lakes like that to avoid the traffic. On Monday he trolled and released a sizable musky, probably 48 to 50 inches or 25 to 30 pounds, on Greenwood on a solo trip. That was in the middle of the afternoon on a Livingston Pounder crank bait in 46 feet of water. Weather was calm and beautiful. That was the third musky about that size landed aboard this season. Smaller were also boated on Dave’s trips this season, and some of the big and smaller were on charters. Greenwood had cooled on Sunday’s trip, and was 73 degrees in the morning. Cooler weather around the weekend was the reason. On Monday’s trip, the water was 80 degrees back at the dock. In Dave’s friend Paul Schmidt’s club Northeast Bassmasters’ most recent tournament on Lake Hopatcong on Thursday, 15 pounds was the winning weight for five largemouths. A couple of 14-pound largemouth bags were also entered. Some healthy-sized to about 4 ½ pounds came in, and only one smallmouth bass was entered. <b>***Update, Wednesday, 8/2:***</b> Dave and buddy Lou Martinez, an outdoor writer, boated 10 largemouth bass Tuesday on Mountain Lake, Dave wrote in an email. The fish were hooked on Culprit worms and jigs.

Fishing for trout was slow on streams, said Kevin from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. The water warmed, he guessed, and the shop previously reported cooler water than usual that kept the fishing going later in the year than normal, because rain kept the streams flowing at healthy levels. Maybe that was finally finished. Many anglers avoid trout fishing in summer anyway in New Jersey’s streams, because the fight can kill the fish in high water temperatures. Smallmouth bass were whacked on Delaware River, including on small popper lures in evenings. During daytime, the fish bit things including small swim baits like Keitechs or Senko worms. At Lake Hopatcong, largemouth bass fishing was tough but picked the fish, and hybrid striped bass fishing seemed off the charts. A buddy saw two blitzes – hybrids crushing herring along the water surface – like in saltwater in the middle of the day one day. But the hybrids were often hooked in early mornings or in evenings on livelined herring or walk-the-dog types of lures. Check out the water off any of the points. Drawing a bite on the lures might be difficult during blitzes when the stripers are keyed-in on herring.

Hybrid striped bass were axed at Spruce Run Reservoir, said Irene from <b>Hi-Way Sports Shop</b> in Washington. Many anglers insist on fishing livelined herring for them. But the herring aren’t always available, and the stripers should be able to be hooked on other things like shiners, top-water lures or other lures. Sometimes suppliers score a blank when trying to net the herring. Then none is available, but one never knows, and the baitfish could be unavailable one morning and available that afternoon. Muskies were angled including at Mountain Lake and Oxford Furnace Lake. Customers still trout fished on streams, buying bait for that including yellow Powerbait and salmon eggs, especially Mike’s Shrimp Salmon Eggs. Those were best. Customers trout fish at places including Pequest and Musconetcong rivers and Pohatcong Creek.

Largemouth bass bit in lakes including on Senko and Z-Man TRD worms, said Cheryl from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. A bunch of new TRD’s were just stocked, and TRD’s fish great when ned-rigged. Nothing was heard about northern pike fishing on Passaic River, Cheryl hated to say, she said. Nothing was heard about any fishing on the Passaic. Weather had been hot, and then cool and stormy. Cheryl saw a temperature of 60 degrees Sunday. Now weather was hot again, though not as much as before. Fish seemed confused, and so did anglers! From saltwater, some positive reports about fluke fishing rolled in for the first time in a while. Gulps in chartreuse, Nuclear Chicken and Pink Shine were popular for fluking on bucktails or other jigs. Spro jigs were probably most popular.

No hybrid striped bass were heard about from Manasquan Reservoir, said Virginia from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. The peak heat of summer can be a time for fishing for them. But anglers scored well on largemouth bass at the reservoir on shiners, rubber frogs and nightcrawlers. Shiners had run out of stock yesterday when she gave this report. But the baitfish will be re-stocked and are being carried at the shop now, after none was previously for a moment. At Lester’s Lake near Ocean County College Mall, panfishing was great, and some good catches of chain pickerel were made. Pickerel were clocked on the Toms River at Trilco on shiners, killies or nightcrawlers under bobbers fished along the edges. Trilco is a closed building supply, and no sign identifies the building, but people know the stretch by the name, located near Garden State Parkway. Crappies were picked at Ocean County College Pond on bits of nightcrawlers or small killies. Largemouth fishing could be pretty good at the pond. Carp were heaved from Spring Lake. A couple of customers brought large amounts of corn to chum for them, and some of the carp weighed 30 pounds. Customers yesterday headed for white perch fishing at lagoons a little south of the store. Other anglers reported productive fishing for the perch at Forge Pond. Murphy’s, located on Route 37, also owns <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Route 37 in Toms River.

Fishing for Delaware River’s schoolie striped bass was all the talk, said Bryan from <b>STC Sports</b> in Gibbstown. Catch-and-release boating for the undersized bass, up to 26 inches, was excellent the past three days, since the weekend’s storm, up and down the local river. What triggered them to bite so much was unknown. Maybe the heat since the storm did. Some trips landed 40 to 50, and the fish, foraging on peanut bunker, bit day and night. Look for birds dive-bombing the baitfish. Where the birds were found, so were the stripers. Many different lures hooked the stripers, including Rat-L-Traps, crank baits, swim shads and spinner baits. Largemouth bass catches seemed to hold strong since the storm. Matt Gigz pulled in more than 25, had great fishing for the bass, at different lakes. Jim R. tugged a 3-pounder from Daretown Lake. Jigs were often fished for largemouths. Wacky-rigged Senko worms were frequently dunked for them.  Snakeheads, the invasive species, gave up catches at tributaries and ditches off Delaware River, like along Crown Point Road. Top-water lures attracted strikes, especially rubber frogs in dark colors like dark green or black.

Fishing was very good at many lakes, ponds and rivers, a report said on <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown’s Facebook page. One angler drilled a 6-pound largemouth bass at Wilson Lake on a minnow. Another yanked four catfish from Wilson on nightcrawlers. Another caught largemouths to 4 pounds at Franklinville Lake on black Senko worms. A 6-year-old kayaked three largemouths to 4 pounds at Oak Pond on chatter baits. At Lake Kandle in Sewell, a customer plugged five largemouths to 4 pounds on a KVD jerk bait and nightcrawlered six yellow perch. A 6-pound chain pickerel was wrestled from Grenloch Lake on a spinner bait. At Mantua Creek, a customer zapped a 6-1/2-pound largemouth on a Senko Baby Bass Worm. Another at the creek beat largemouths to 4 pounds on a Booyah Boo Jig in black-and-blue. In saltwater, summer flounder fishing turned on at reefs last week because the water warmed. Flounder were grabbed from back bays, but the larger began to migrate to inlets, heading for the ocean’s cooler water. Kingfish were banked from the surf up and down the coast. Triggerfish were angled along surf jetties. Large sharks, usually protected species required to be released, were sometimes fought from the surf on bunker or mackerel. Circle hooks were recommended for an easy release. Yellowfin tuna were chunked and jigged at inshore lumps. Yellowfins, mahi mahi and occasional marlin were boated at offshore canyons. Crabbing was excellent.

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