<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

The Delaware River still put out plenty of striped bass, said Bill from <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Philadelphia. Bill himself jigged up loads of fresh herring for baits, fished the Trenton area and dusted 22 stripers, the largest 40 inches, 19 catfish and five eels. A customer also fished the Trenton area and reeled up 11 stripers, several catfish and some eels. Large white perch, pushing 14 inches, averaging more than a pound, also appeared in the area, hitting the Sabiki rigs meant for herring.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

A mess of fish of all shapes and sizes prowled about, said Bill from <b>Bill’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Phillipsburg. On the Delaware River Jeremy Lee landed  a 9-pound 8-ounce channel cat, Pete Matarazzo beat a 19-pound striped bass and Steve Pursell bagged a 5-pound 12-ounce channel catfish. Also on the river Russell Picket caught a 5-pound 8-ounce largemouth bass and Ray Poyer creeled a 2-pound 8-ounce brown trout. At Merrill Creek Reservoir Robert Gilmore reeled in an 8-pound 6-ounce lake trout and released a 6-pound brown trout. Other trout catches included Charles Teddy’s 5-pound 10-ounce rainbow from the Pequest, six-year-old Alexia Pierce’s 3-pound 12-ounce brown trout from Grist Mill Pond and Kyle Eldridge’s 3-pound 8-ounce brown trout from the Raritan River.

Streams were very fishable, and trout anglers picked away at the remaining stockers at spots like the Big Flatbrook, said Adrian from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Montville. Pink and rainbow Power Baits and salmon eggs found the mouths of the rainbows. Fishing was relatively slow on the Passaic River, because the waters were cool, but look for the river to put up smallmouth bass once it warms a bit.

The Rockaway River offered decent trout fishing, and streamers and wooly buggers were the hot tickets for a hook-up, said Kevin from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Paramus. Largemouth bass were definitely off the spawning beds, and the bigmouths, up to 18 inches, got wrestled in from Lake Musconetcong, mainly from the 3- to 5-foot shallows. Slug-Gos twitched slowly and jerked enticingly got the bass to strike.

The lake started to warm, so fish started to hit, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. Walleyes to 5 pounds bit herring or night crawlers, and striped bass started to move to deeper waters, where the fish to 7 pounds were caught on herring. Pickerel, yellow perch and crappie doled out decent activity in the coves and shallower spots. Trout could be hooked on the troll, and customers weighed in the salmonids to 3 pounds 9 ounces. Try draggiing Phoebes, little Cleos and Rapalas.

Two customers walloped 21 largemouth bass and three pickerel at Lake Hopatcong on rubber worms and Rapala lures, and the bass chew there was good, said Al from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. Trout fishing on the streams slowed down a bit, as stockers were filtered out. Still, a catch of three to six rainbow trout was an average day on the Ramapo River. White Roostertails and salmon eggs did the job.

The falls at Clinton on the South Branch of the Raritan kept trout anglers content, said Chris from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport Shop</b>. Small flashback hare’s ears and Power Bait dough put fish on the stringer. Sunup hours on Spruce Run dished out crappie for anglers who found the underwater stick and brush piles. Try tossing live shiners underneath a float, hanging the shiner two feet down. If shiners don’t cut it, thread on a small, yellow grub tail and twitch the float.

Fly casters scored respectable catches of rainbow trout at several streams, said Sean from <b>Ray’s Sport Shop</b> in North Plainfield. On the Big Flatbrook sizes 16 to 18 sulfurs seemed best. On the Muskie small, sizes 16 to 22 midges worked, and on the South Branch of the Raritan, sizes 16 to 22 blue winged olives were key.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Trout fishing was top billing, said Nick from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook, and on the Clinton and Califon stretches of the South Branch, trout attacked small Phoebes, small Rapala plugs and Kastmasters. Fly fishers hung the trout on small, size-14 scuds in olive or gray. At Round Valley Reservoir yellow perch really began to feed in the coves in 15 feet, eating up nightcrawlers fished off the bottom.

What whopper largemouths! Two 10-pound bass were caught, said Jeff at <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. One came from Lake Riviera and inhaled a live shiner at high noon, and the other was nailed at a private pond. Both were weighed and released, because the season was still closed. Pickerel attacked at Lake Riviera, as Jeff stuck a half dozen along with seven largemouths, all on live shiners. Lester’s Lake held a mix of bass, sunfish and pickerel. Manasquan Reservoir’s fishing was slow lately, but its bucketmouth fishing should pick up any day.

Largemouth and smallmouth bass fishing was on, said Eric from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. Lake Assunpink and Gropp’s Lake were homes to a bunch of bigmouths that pounced on slowly presented Senkos rigged wacky style. Top-water poppers such as Jitterbugs and Zara Spooks worked better in the evenings. Smallmouth bass began to hit hard on the Delaware River from Trenton to Lambertville, and tube jigs and Rapala Countdowns drew the strikes. On the trout front, the Delaware and Raritan Canal was a consistent producer, especially near Maggie’s Deli.

Early mornings seemed to make largemouth bass most active, said Bob from the <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Lake Assunpink, Stone Tavern Lake and Mercer Lake all gave up bigmouths that swam after crank baits like Rat-L-Traps and Rebels and rubber Power Worms. The Delaware River was the place to locate a sustained smallmouth fishery, and CP Swings and Blue Fox spinners hooked the bronzebacks.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Anglers headed to Tuckerton Lake for a smorgasbord of fish, and on any given day they could get into pickerel, sunnies and perch, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Nightcrawlers or live shiners fished from the banks worked.

The annual catfish tournament took place during the weekend at the shop, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers</b> in Blackwood. Anthony Fisler won first place with a three-fish combo weighing 34.9 pounds, and Bill Desmick claimed second with 34.2 pounds. Josh Trainor took third with 28.5 pounds, and Chris Bown earned fourth with 24.4 pounds. Bill Desmick checked in the heaviest, a 16.7 pounder, and most of the fish were angled up from the Delaware River. Largemouth bass could be found nearly everywhere. Lake Rene, Blackwood Lake and Oak Pond all were spots to target bass that chased down live shiners and bubblegum Senkos, mostly in the afternoons into evenings.

Oak Pond and Malaga Lake were some of the best waters to get on catches of largemouth bass, said Lou at the <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown, and Senkos and Zoom lizards claimed most. Pickerel hunted down baits at Collins Lakes, honing in on bright-colored worms or dark-colored plastics in firetail patterns.

Largemouth bass anglers got a workout at the Salem Canal, said Zack from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Flipping jigs like Sweet Beavers put anglers into 15-fish trips, and mid-day hours, when waters were warmest, were best. Sunset Lake and Maskell’s Mil Pond were also good bets for bucketmouth, and black- and blue-flaked Senkos were better there. Crappie fishing was improving at Giampetro Park, and 1-1/2- to 2-pounders sucked down nightcrawlers floated underneath bobbers. Trout could sometimes still be found on the Maurice River, but they were hanging deeper, in the cooler waters.

Customers were happy with catfishing and white perch angling on the Maurice River, said Ki from <b>Huck’s Place</b> in Millville. The catfish gobbled down cut herring and dead shiners on the bottom. The perch favored bloodworms, but FishBites worms could be used if no bloods were available.

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