<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Adirondacks</b>

Nighttime temperatures dipped to the teens, so a good 6 to 15 inches of ice covered the lake, said Ron from <b>Fish307.com</b> in Lake George. Lake trout were smacking Swedish Pimple jigs from top to bottom, and landlocked salmon were grabbed from 2 to 8 feet under the ice on live emerald shiners. Big, fat, female yellow perch took up holding on shallow beds, aggressively attacking Caty jigs tipped with maggots. One angler scored a great day of ice angling, limiting out on perch and reeling in two lakers and two landlockeds to boot. At least 10 days of fishable ice should be left, Ron said.

<b>Salmon River</b>

The river was flowing at 1,150 CFS, said Eric at <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. Clean water was omnipresent, and 2- to 4-steelhead days were average for anglers. Egg sacks fished right off the bottom, twitching them as they drifted downstream, seemed most productive, and be patient to wait out a strike. Most of the steelies weighed 6 to 8 pounds, and trout should begin to move up the river in the next few weeks.

<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

Good news: The first reports of striped bass trickling in to the Delaware River began to roll in at <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Philadelphia, Bruce said. Most of the action went down around the Commodore Barry Bridge, where linesiders to 30 inches ate up bloodworms. One catch also came from Station Avenue over the weekend. The river’s anglers will also look to fish around the Trenton power plant for shad that should swim the waters any day. The river at Dredge Harbor and Tullytown Cove gave up healthy catches of yellow perch on fathead minnows and jigs. If fishing the Big D by boat, be very careful, because the river was running very high, with lots of debris floating. Trout anglers looked forward to opening day on March 29 for the lower end of Pennsy.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

The Passaic River was slowly receding back to a normal water level, said Adrian at <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Montville. It should be primed for pike fishing later this week, so long as no huge downpours come. Try livelining shiners or casting out large spinner baits for the fish.

Trout anglers waited for the opening of the season on April 5, said Dom from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Paramus. They’ll look to the Rockaway and Flatbrook rivers for first-day action, if the rivers settle down to fishable levels, because they were swollen with runoff the past week. Bass and yellow perch fishers were heading to Budd Lake, Split Rock Reservoir, Lake Hopatcong and Culver’s Lake. Those waters were beginning to warm, and the spring feed was starting to gain steam.

Most action on the lake centered around Brady Bridge, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. The 3- to 6-foot shallows were home to yellow perch and pickerel, and use a bobber for the key to hooking up in the thin water. Put either a fathead minnow or Rufus Jr. jig underneath the float, twitching it around. Small Rapala Husky Jerk plugs were also a go-to item.

With trout season on hold on many streams for now, anglers should take the trip to Round Valley Reservoir for the salmonids, said Chris from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport Shop</b>. Lake trout there were taken on shiners in 50 to 80 feet, and rainbows were still cruising along the shoreline. Chris encouraged anglers to take a few lake trout home for the smoker. He said there’s a great recipe in the state’s newly released 2008 Freshwater Fishing Digest.

Check out the state’s Freshwater Fishing Digest, recently released for this year, to find the special regulation streams to fish for trout, said Ron at <b>Ray’s Sport Shop</b> in North Plainfield. Those waters can be targeted with flies, especially sizes-14 to -16 black stoneflies, sizes-10 to -12 Hare’s Ears Nymphs and size-10 Black Ghost Streamers.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Customers over the weekend found decent trout action at Ken Lockwood Gorge, said Chris at <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. They used blue-winged olives to average 4 to 6 fish per trip, mostly average-sized fish. Small, black-and-silver Rapala lures were also working well. The gorge features catch-and-release trout fishing while the season is closed for stocking.

Largemouth bass fishers began to look around for early season action, and the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area lakes were first on the hit list, said Andrew from <b>L&H Woods & Water</b> in Wall. Turkey Swamp Pond held a good show of crappie that punched marabou jigs, and plenty of other small, local farm ponds could be fished for the papermouths. Target the lesser fished waters to find quality action.

Chain pickerel were the focus, said Dennis at <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River, and the Trilco section of the Toms River dished out the picks under the Parkway Bridge. White twister tails and nightcrawlers were best baits, and a good number of yellow perch also swam the area. Presidential Lakes near Route 70 also served up pickerel to 19 inches that chased live shiners. Forge Pond was on a tear for pickerel and yellow perch, and the perch sucked down nightcrawlers in the 3-foot shallows, mainly during the sunniest parts of the day.

Two great happenings came to light at the Delaware River, said Frank from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. A few American shad were caught around the Trenton power plant stretch, and herring began to move up the river. It wasn’t a pull of shad by any means, but anglers tossing out flutter spoons scored a handful of bites. That could be a sign that the run was imminent. Be sure to stop by the shop this weekend for the annual Spring Sale and Seminars.

Carnegie Lake was a top spot, said Carl from the <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Yellow perch, white perch and crappie were all scarfing down grubs and worms near the aqueduct area. Here, too, reports rolled in about a few shad taken in the Delaware River near the Trenton power plant on green and orange shad darts. The Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area lakes all held small to medium pickerel, and Pemberton Lake was a solid bet to land a variety of species, including largemouth bass, crappie and pickerel. Live shiners drew the attention, even through the rains.

<b>South Jersey</b>

The small ponds in Woodstown were happening locales to land largemouth bass, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers</b> in Blackwood. Clementon Lake was the source of confirmed catches of quality largemouth bass to 6 pounds on live shiners fished on floats. Before trout season closed, Grenloch Lake doled out a big, breeder rainbow that weighed 4 pounds 12 ounces for a customer who bagged the momma on a nightcrawler.

Pickerel hounds were hitting Malaga, Franklinville and Wilson lakes, said Lou from <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b>. Crappie fishers were focusing on Parvin Lake and Wilson Lake with fathead minnows on leadheads. Holdover trout to 3 ½ pounds, now out of season, were tricked at Iona Lake over the weekend, and they should still be there thick when opening day comes around in three Saturdays.

Quite large pickerel were on the hunt in Parvin and Union lakes, said Steve at <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Recent rains slowed down bass fishing just a little, but Wilson Lake was a consistent producer during the weekend. Crappie were hungry at Lenape Lake, and small hair jigs and fathead minnows fit the bill. The first reports came in about herring swimming the Maurice River, and striped bass should be on their tails any day.

Striped bass sharpies were geared up to catch the fish in the Maurice River, said Ki from <b>Huck’s Place</b> in Millville. Stripers already began to push up Delaware Bay, so they should reach the river system soon. Try dunking bloodworms or bunker chunks for a tussle. White perch were on the take in the river, and so were catfish along the bottom.

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