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No fishable ice was reported, and customers began looking to hit the open waters for yellow perch fishing on the lakes, said Kevin from Ramsey Outdoor in Ledgewood. Perch usually move to the shallows by the first or second week of March. But with the warm weather, they might move early. A few customers trout fished on the streams. One of the staff from the shop banked trout on the Pequest River on small copper midges. San Juan worms and micro egg patterns should also work on the streams this time of year.
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.
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