Ice-fishing conditions in the northern Adirondacks were okay, said Jeff from FISH307.com in Lake George. Rains failed to affect the ice much in the north, but not so much ice was left on Lake George. Harris Bay on Lake George had frozen over enough for considerable ice fishing, but now offered less ice. A few, not many, fished from the hard waters there. But plenty of ice fishing happened in the northern mountains, including at Raquette Lake, Loon Lake, Piseco Lake, the northern end of Schroon Lake and South Bay on Lake Champlain. Panfishing was good for yellow perch and crappies, and a few lake trout caught were heard about. A few landlocked salmon came from Schroon Lake. Sizeable northern pike were sometimes pulled from the northern lakes. Ice baits, currently including mousies that are scarce this year, are fully stocked. That includes grubs, all sizes of shiners, hunts, suckers and icicles. The shop is open 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays and 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

Salmon River

Steelheads, very good catches, were drift-boated from the river with Salmon River Guide from Pulaski, Capt. Shane Thomas said. The river ran high at 1,200 CFS, but lots of steelheads flooded the waters. A bunch of fresh ones from Lake Ontario swam the lower river, and plenty of dark ones getting ready to spawn held throughout the waters. Shane’s trips fished the upper river, because of the high waters, along an 8-mile stretch from Altmar to Pulaski, “just being selective about where,” Shane said. The fishing was best in the deeper holes, because waters were cold. Anglers aboard cast trout beads and egg sacks. Sometimes trips back-trolled plugs. Lots of anglers lined the banks on weekends, but fewer did on weekdays. A foot of snow fell on Monday, but rains were supposed to fall the following days. A couple of feet of snow had covered the ground previously but melted.

Few customers fished the river the past couple of days, making it difficult to say how the steelheading was, said Ben from All Seasons Sports in Pulaski. But the angling hooked decent catches previously. Plenty of steelheads filled the river, and plenty of fresh ones entered from Lake Ontario. The weather now turned warm, and that should help the fishing, after colder, snowier weather. The river’s flow fluctuated a lot. The flow was at 1,200 CFS on Tuesday, and nothing then was yet posted about whether the flow would be changed. Previously the flow was at 1,500. Customers mostly caught the steelheads on trout beads and egg sacks. A few fished flies. Ice fishing was difficult so far this year. Ice would form, then would melt. Currently the ice was questionable, and anglers fell through North Pond’s ice in the past week. Ben ice fished during the weekend, and had to work through 6 to 8 feet of waters on the edges to get to the ice.

A couple of customers braved 2 ½ inches of ice at Pompton Lake, tying themselves to trees, fishing a couple of hours, until becoming nervous and leaving, said Nick from Meltzer’s Sporting Goods in Garfield. But they jigged a load of yellow perch. A friend kept boating the perch on Lake Hopatcong, and no ice formed there. A few customers began to wrangle northern pike from the Passaic River, and some landed a few striped bass, not a lot, from the river at Rutherford. The stripers chomped bloodworms, though bloods are difficult to find at stores this time of year. Nick banked six or seven largemouth bass, small ones 6 or 7 inches, in two days at a local pond in Garfield. He fished with small, 3-inch Keitechs, “just letting it sit there, letting them pick it up,” he said.

A few reports rolled in about anglers beating brown trout at Round Valley Reservoir from shore at the boat launches on shiners, said Josh from
Efinger Sporting Goods in Bound Brook. Winter trout fishing went alright at the Pequest and South Branch of the Raritan rivers when they weren’t “blown out,” Josh said. Nymphs, scuds and eggs caught. Nothing was heard about ice fishing, and the weather was probably much too warm.

Chain pickerel were whaled everywhere, mostly on shiners, said Steve from Sportsmen’s Center in Bordentown. “They seemed to be the hot fish,” he said. Anglers who fished for largemouth bass with artificials caught on suspended baits, fishing over grass bottom in 5- to 7-foot shallows. Once the suspended lures are twitched a little, they stay at the depth where twitched. Walleyes were sometimes nightcrawlered on the Delaware River at the wing dams. Small striped bass were caught and released on the river in the Bordentown area, like at the docks at the yacht club. Small white perch could be located on the river. Good trout fishing was creamed on the streams when water levels were right. Saltwater anglers found that striped bass never left the ocean this season, mostly in the northern state or from Shark River to the north. Both surf anglers and boaters caught. The surf casting was hopping at Deal and Asbury Park. A couple of good days were scored at Long Branch. Some of the best surf angling came from off the ends of the jetties at night. Fishing for blackfish, ling and a few cod was holding up well on the party boats. None of the cod was big.

Anglers actually started to catch, because of the warm weather, said Steve from Blackwater Sports Center in Vineland. A few copped chain pickerel and largemouth bass at South Vineland Park Pond. A few caught both of those and yellow perch at Rainbow Lake. A mix of fish like that came from Malaga Lake. “Not too much from Union (Lake) right now,” Steve said. Minnows worked great for bait. Jerk baits did a number on the picks and bass.

Adirondacks

Harris Bay on Lake George held just 2 to 3 inches of ice, and the weather was warm in the past days, said Amber from FISH307.com. But Lake George is always a last to freeze, and other waters held fishable ice. Those included South Bay on Lake Champlain and northern lakes including Durant, Eaton, Raquette and Brant. Blue Mountain Lake reportedly held 8 inches. Many anglers fished for yellow perch through the holes, but some also landed lake trout and northern pike. The weather was cold last week but reached the 40s on Tuesday. Probably 6 inches of snow fell so far in this warm winter. Mousies ran out for bait for the moment and were scarce this year. They went fast when stocked. But all the other baits are fully stocked, including shiners, hunts, suckers, icicles and spikes. The shop’s owner attended an outdoor show this past week, loading up the shop further with tons of ice gear.

Salmon River

Lots of steelheads were hooked, the fishing was good on the river, with Salmon River Guide from Pulaski, Capt. Shane Thomas said. “And the Giants are going to win the Super Bowl,” he said! Many steelheads swam the river this season: fresh ones, dark ones and big ones, he said. The fish swam throughout the river, currently flowing at 900 CFS, a healthy level for angling. Fresh steelheads entered the lower river from Lake Ontario every day, when waters weren’t too slushy and cold. Last week was cold, but this week the weather reached the 40s. Fishing pressure wasn’t bad, because the cold kept crowds from fishing. The waters became somewhat crowded on Saturday, but fishing with Shane still scored well. His trips caught on trout beads and egg sacks. Other drift-boaters sometimes caught well on back-trolled plugs. Steelheads each year begin migrating to the Salmon River from the lake in fall, remain all winter, spawn in spring, and return to the lake afterward.

A couple of anglers stopped in who had just cleaned up on plenty of steelheads on the river, Ben from All Seasons Sports in Pulaski said in a phone call on Tuesday. The river ran at 900 CFS, a good level for the fishing, but fluctuated between 450 and 900 through the past week. The weather also fluctuated. It was 28 degrees on Tuesday afternoon during Ben’s phone call, and had rained that morning, but was snowing during the call. The weather had been 43 degrees on Monday. Trout beads and egg sacks seemed most effective on the steelheads. But some anglers fished for them with flies. Anglers sometimes ice fished on the lakes, but the weather made ice keep appearing and disappearing, and the catches also seemed slow. Maybe that was because the fish weren’t as hungry as they’d be if the waters were always iced over. Most ice anglers only managed catches like 10 yellow perch a day. Some anglers braved the ice on Oneida Lake, and some fished the ice on Sandy Pond and the northern bays of Lake Ontario. Not many northern pike were heard about through the ice.

NEW JERSEY

North Jersey

A few anglers ice fished, and nothing was heard about open-water fishing on the lakes, said Kevin from Ramsey Outdoor in Ledgewood. But rain Monday night and current warm weather probably melted the ice. Some of the small ponds had held fishable ice, and maybe some of the coves on larger lakes had. But none of the big lakes really held ice that could be fished. Anglers tugged crappies through the ice on the ponds. A couple of customers trout fished on the Pequest River, nailing good catches. A few midges hatched in the afternoons on the streams, and early black stoneflies came off during warm weather. The weather this week should promote hatches.

Skim ice, that’s all, had formed on the lake, said Lou from Dow’s Boat Rentals in Lake Hoptacong. No safe ice had formed there, and 3 inches of snow had been around by Monday, but that melted that night, “if that indicates the warmth,” Lou said. But a few customers ice fished on small lakes in the past week. Some fished Lake Shawnee on 3 inches, not much. Fish there include largemouth and smallmouth bass, chain pickerel and yellow perch. Mousies, shiners and fathead minnows are stocked, and the shop is open in the mornings. Sometimes in the afternoons a sign will be hung on the door, saying ring the bell, and someone will come to open up, if anyone from the shop is around.

A little fishable ice had formed, but now the weather had warmed, said Mark from Meltzer’s Sporting Goods in Garfield. A few yellow perch were pulled through the ice at Lake Waywayanda, all on jigs. Ice, only 3 inches, had covered Cranberry Lake, but the fishing was good. With 3 inches on a lake, “you won’t get (me) out there,” Mark said. Trouting was reported to be great on the Pequest River. The Passaic River ran too high and dirty for northern pike fishing.

At Lebanon Bait & Sport customer Dave Allen said he banked two 20-inch brown trout and two 16-inch browns at Round Valley Reservoir from shore near the dirt boat launch, Jody from the shop said. He fished with large shiners and was headed back to fish there again. Dan Pryor walloped a 33-7/8-inch 8-1/2-pound northern pike at Spruce Run Reservoir on an extra large shiner two weekends ago. He axed a 9-1/2-pound 33-1/2-incher there the previous weekend.

South Jersey

Now that the warm weather melted the skim ice, crappie fishing was good again in the open waters of the lakes, said Eric from Harry’s Army and Navy in Robbinsville. In past reports he mentioned locations like the lakes at the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area and Lake Mercer. The Delaware River turned out catfish and a few walleyes. Live bait or shiners will work well on the crappies and walleyes.

Trout, good catches, were angled on the Pequest River and at Ken Lockwood Gorge, said Carl from Sportsmen’s Center in Bordentown. That was the only angling heard about in the past week’s cold weather and snow, though the weather since warmed. Small flies hung the trout including a few large ones to 5 pounds. Flies that worked included sizes 16 and 18 eggs, 20 and 22 midges and 16 and 18 stoneflies.

Cold, rough weather kept anglers indoors most of the past week, but they began to fish again Tuesday, said Steve from Blackwater Sports Center in Vineland. Minnows were sold to anglers looking for chain pickerel or crappies on the lakes that day. They hoped to manage a largemouth bass, too. Skim ice covered the lakes a couple of days, but probably not now.