Muddy waters that last week’s nor’easter caused had to be fought
on largemouth bass trips on the lakes that Don from Ledgewood’s
Ramsey Outdoor took, he said. The bass he caught looked white or bland because of the dirtied waters. The hurricane remnants predicted to arrive toward the end of this week might dirty the waters again. But besides waiting for waters to clear, Don was looking for more rains to raise water levels after the heat of summer made all waters exceptionally low. The Rockaway River was a lot lower than usual, and being able to walk across the river was simple, unlike in the high waters last summer. Don usually fishes for largemouths on the lakes with Senko worms or Keitech soft-plastic lures. A few customers bought nightcrawlers and other live bait for largemouth fishing on the ponds, and they seemed to land no big numbers but enough to keep them coming back for more bait. Don stopped at Lake Hopatcong one weekday this week, seeing few boats on the waters, like not much was happening with the angling. But he didn’t know how the fishing might be going at night. Greg from the shop hammered smallmouth bass on the Delaware River on a trip that began at first light and continued fishing in fog that morning with Keitechs and some other lure on jigheads. Once the fog lifted and the sun came out, the fish stopped biting. Don didn’t know exactly where Greg fished, but Greg always kayaks the river someplace between the Delaware Water Gap and Dingman’s Ferry.

Rains somewhat cooled the lake last week, and that seemed to help
fishing, so a little more was available to report this week, said Laurie from Dow’s Boat Rentals in Lake Hopatcong. The angling was slow in the heat previously. Stan and Kenny Stelack drilled hybrid striped bass to 8 pounds. Several walleyes were caught, including Lou Marcucci’s 6-pounder and 3-pounder. A few chain pickerel, yellow perch, crappies and smallmouth bass were wrangled up. The Knee Deep Club’s walleye tournament will be held Saturday and Sunday, September 11 and 12. Anglers can call the shop for info: 973-663-3826.

Fishing for hybrid striped bass broke wide open at Spruce Run Reservoir the past 1 ½ weeks, since cooler nights began, said Chris at Lebanon Bait & Sport Shop. He knew a couple of anglers who landed 9, 10 or 11, losing as many, too. On Sunday morning the shop was as busy as all season with hybrid anglers, including big names and charter captains. A line formed on Route 22. Anglers used mostly live herring or shiners to hook up. But Rapala jointed stick baits worked well. Live herring ran out at the shop, because last week’s full moon triggered spawning or made the fish swim deep, out of netting range. But the shop hopes to carry them by the weekend, and medium and large shiners are stocked. Lake trout fishing really picked up at Round Valley Reservoir, just off the bottom in 60 to 80 feet, mostly on live herring, but also on live shiners, though cut herring also worked. Chris tells anglers not to throw out live herring that die, because cut herring, mainly the part with the head, also draws strikes. Rainbow and brown trout began swimming a bit closer to shore at Round Valley. The rainbow fishing’s been phenomenal all summer at night, and continued to go well. Nightcrawlers were mostly used for bait. But actually fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass was a real highlight at Round Valley. A youngster and his uncle stopped by Tuesday with three lunker largemouths to weigh in, and they kept the fish in a livewell, weighed them, and released them back into the reservoir. The youngster checked in a 7-1/4-pound whopper and a 6-1/4-pounder, and the uncle brought in one that weighed around 6 pounds. They caught the fish from shore. Another youngster weighed in a huge, 19- or 20-inch smallmouth from the valley. .

Smallmouth bass fishing produced on the South Branch of the Raritan River, said Ron from Efinger Sporting Goods in Bound Brook. The shop’s reports about the fishing usually roll in from around Neshanic. Many customers fly rod for the fish with Wooly Buggers, Wooly Worms, crawfish patterns or a small Clouser Minnow the shop sells. An employee at the shop scored several lake trout to 22 or 23 inches, an okay catch, at Round Valley Reservoir. Fishing for rainbow trout was another good option at Round Valley, and the fish probably held deep in the thermocline in the heat. The trout streams ran too low and warm for fishing. Maybe the summer weather will begin to break next week. Heads up anglers: Be sure to catch the shop’s 30-percent sale on waders and wading shoes and 40-percent sale on Orvis waders and wading shoes through the month.

Waters slightly cooled, and anglers fought chain pickerel, and a few more largemouth bass than before, at Lake Riviera, mostly on killies, said Dennis from Murphy’s Hook House in Toms River. One customer took a shot at trout, casting spinners while wading the Toms River, and actually landed a rainbow. Catfish were claimed at the dam at the pond at Pine Lake Park on nightcrawlers or chicken livers fished on the bottom. Anglers fishing there in car-topper boats fared decent catches of largemouth bass, usually on shiners or Senko worms. Only one customer mentioned fishing at Manasquan Reservoir. He caught largemouth bass in the deep along the rocks at the dam on jig-and-pigs. The Ocean County College pond remained the place for kids to play with bluegills on worms under a bobber.