New Jersey Fishing Reports

Fishing for northern pike pounded out fairly productive catches through the ice on Great Sacandaga Lake, said Hank from Fuel-n-Food in Mayfield. No big ones were heard about in the past days, but a 46-incher, a 43-incher and a 42-1/2-incher were wrestled up in the last week and a half. Walleye fishing was slow on the lake, for some reason. Mayfield Lake, always a place to keep ice anglers busy, was good for catches of yellow perch, pickerel, a few crappies and a few northern. Shiners, usually medium-sized, on tip ups are usually the popular choice on all these waters. Splake fishing had been plenty active at Caroga Lake through the past weeks but seemed to taper off. Many anglers fish icicles for them, but they drop down smelts when they can jig the baitfish from the lake. Anglers looking for lake trout honed in on Piseco Lake, and many of the lakers were small, but the fishing was apparently all right. A few lakers were probably landed at Ostego Lake at Cooperstown. The weather had warmed to 50 degrees early in the week but was 27 degrees by Wednesday, and the weekend is supposed to be cold. No snow except a few flurries fell, and the lakes were clear of snow. The Walleye Challenge, the region’s biggest ice tourney, takes place Saturday. Hank’s dad’s shop, Ross’s Bait and Tackle, will hold a contest February 20. Fuel-n-Food’s 11th Annual Weekend Long Ice Fishing Tournament is set for March 5 to 7. Baits stocked at Fuel-n-Food include shiners, suckers, fatheads and icicles, and the store carries a full supply of ice-fishing tackle and gear, probably the largest selection in stock in the area. Plus the shop is a convenience store, serves breakfast and lunch and sells all types of fuel, and is located near plenty of accommodations, not to mention fishing.

Salmon River

Heavy rains pushed the river’s flow up to 1,800 CFS, said Don from All Seasons Sports in Pulaski, but steelhead fishing remained good both before and after the rains. Two to four fish per angler was an average catch, and the 6- to 10-pounders were willing to inhale stoneflies. Ice fishing at Sandy Pond held steady for bluegills, yellow perch and northern pike, and the 8 to 12 inches of cover should build in colder weather predicted by the weekend. The pond toward the Elms golf course and Green Point gave up the catches on shiners or on jigged spikes and mousies.

PENNSYLVANIA

Ice anglers were still able to get out on Lake Luxembourg at Core Creek Park, said Bill from Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle in Philadelphia. But this week’s warm weather could’ve made the ice unsafe. Anglers had been reeling up bluegills, crappies and perch on wax worms around the dam. The lower part of the Delaware River churned out action on catfish and white perch, and nightcrawlers, cut herring, chicken livers and bagels worked well, especially toward the 4th Street jetty, Camac Street, Station Avenue and Princeton Avenue. Crappies and yellow perch should hit in the lower river’s harbors, and the upper river areas held walleyes starting to come alive around the bridges and wing dams. A good show of walleyes to 5 pounds hung around the Stockton Bridge, chasing down twister tails and crank baits. One customer fished at the Point Pleasant Bridge abutments, tackling a 4-pound walleye and two smallmouth bass, small fish, on Rapala plugs.

NEW JERSEY

North Jersey

Lake Musconetcong was a productive spot for ice angling, said Greg from Ramsey Outdoor in Succasunna. Six to 8 inches covered the lake, and anglers pulled in bluegills and yellow perch while working glow-jigs tipped with mousies. Budd Lake offered up a few large northern pike through the ice, and large shiners enticed them to strike.

The lake was smoking with ice-fishing activity, and from 7 to 10 inches covered the top, said Laurie from Dow’s Boat Rentals in Lake Hopatcong. Lots of fish were walloped in the state park area. Some of the anglers and their catches included: Yon Bostedo, 1-pound 12-ounce crappie and some nice yellow perch; Vic Bador Jr., 1.9-pound perch; Greg White, 1.6-pound perch; Yuri Nowicki, 1.4-pound perch; and Lou Marcucci, 1.2-pound perch. Quality pickerel, like these, also hit the scale: John Fernandez’s 4.1-pounder; Amy Fernandez’s 3-pound 13-ouncer; Roma Pera’s 4-pounder; Vic Bador Sr.’s 3-pound 12-ouncer; Vic Bador Jr.’s 3.9-pounder; and Phil Cenicola’s 3.5-pounder. Several respectable largemouth bass and some walleyes were also checked in. Most catches came on shiners on tip ups or were jigged with Rapalas, puppet minnows or small polish jigs tipped with a grub. The winners of the Knee Deep Club’s ice-fishing contest during the weekend were as follows. Perch division: Mike Dargel 1-pound 12-ouncer; Yon Bostedo, 1-pound 10-ouncer; and Gary Sherman, 1-pound 10 ouncer. Pickerel division: Chris Partika, 4-pounds 12-ouncer; Mike Pellegrion, 4-pound 7-ouncer; and Jeff Kullmann, 4-pound 7-ouncer. And the “all other” division: Doug McGowan, 3-pound 14-ounce largemouth bass; Gary Sherman, 3.8-pound largemouth; and Yuri Nowicki, 3.5-pound walleye.

Eight to 10 inches of ice formed on Split Rock Reservoir, and yellow perch and crappies were on tap, said Al from Meltzer’s Sporting Goods in Garfield. Lake Hopatcong’s deeper waters off Chestnut Point held hybrid striped bass and walleyes taken on ice-fishing Rapala jigs fished near the bottom. Waters through the ice at the Highland Lakes were a perch haven. Catches of 40-plus a day were common for anglers jigging with blue and silver Kastmasters tipped with meal worms. Largemouth bass to 3 pounds were sometimes caught there. Trout anglers headed to the Pequest River for sizeable rainbows 16 to 18 inches that swiped nymphs.

Customers ran to Lake Hopatcong to pull on a variety of fish through the ice, said Steve from Lebanon Bait & Sport Shop. Chris Lido, Nick Niles and Nick Honachefsky fished the River Styx area, totaling 17 yellow perch, some bluegills and three pickerel to 3 pounds on shiners and Rat Finkie jigs tipped with mousies. Round Valley Reservoir’s shoreline anglers scored success on brown and rainbow trout at Rangers Cove. The browns ate up shiners, and the rainbows gobbled meal worm and marshmallow combos.

Bill Hoffman from Skylands Angler from Clinton got out to fish a couple of times, he said. On one trip he fly-rodded the trout streams, and the fishing was slow in somewhat dirty waters, but he clobbered a big brown trout on a streamer. Water levels were healthy but low, and streamers are one of his favorite choices in winter and worked. He wasn’t asked why streamers get the nod, but probably simply because they can catch while bugs are relatively scarce. Nymphs, generic patterns like a hare’s ear, will also gain a bite, and fish them slow in the cold waters. A few blue-winged olives hatched, but not enough for the fish to focus on. Midges will always be a choice to fish in winter, too. The tiny flies are always around on the streams through the year, but the absence of substantial hatches of other bugs in the cold months turns attention to midges. Blue-winged olives will be the first flies to kick off other hatches during the year, beginning to appear quantity in March. Bill’s other trip was an attempt to locate sea run brown trout on the Manasquan River for a short time. He copped no success on the elusive fish, but the effort was interesting. He also attended The Fly Fishing Show in Somerset during the weekend. That was a great opportunity to try the latest fly tackle, including rods and lines, buy fly-tying material, including items that are harder to find, and attend seminars from the best fly rodders in the world. The Sage XI3 rod and Scott S4S were impressive new models, especially the Scott, a softer rod. The Redington CPX was a first-rate mid-priced rod, able to cast a variety of lines more than many. Skylands Angler guides fly-fishing trips for trout on the Musconetcong and Pequest rivers and Ken Lockwood Gorge. Bill aims to teach anglers, whether beginners or advanced, how to fish the rivers, even so they can come back and catch on their own. That includes fly selection, how to fish the flies, casting lessons and all aspects. He also offers fly trips for other freshwater fish, like pike, hybrid striped bass, carp and largemouth bass. Plus he guides trips in the ocean and bay surf during the spring and fall migrations at Sandy Hook and Island Beach State Park with both conventional and fly tackle.

Round Valley Reservoir dished out good numbers of rainbow and brown trout, said Bert from Efinger Sporting Goods in Bound Brook. A key was to troll tandem flies 15 to 20 feet down by using an egg sinker or a drail weight. Stop by the shop for the ongoing, 20-percent discount sale on fly -tying material. Members of Trout Unlimited get an additional 10 percent off.

South Jersey

The Trenton power plant area on the Delaware River served up the most fishing activity, said Frank from Harry’s Army and Navy in Robbinsville. As long as the plant pumped out warm waters, flathead catfish, walleyes and striped bass were hung on crank baits or shiners.

Chain pickerel really got on the chew at the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area ponds, said Bob from the Sportsmen’s Center in Bordentown. Crank baits and Mepps spinners worked to get strikes. Trouters took the trip to the Pequest and Musconetcong rivers for catches, though a few days might still be needed for the streams to clean up from rains. But the anglers cast bead-headed nymphs to connect.

Largemouth bass fishing picked up at Parvin Lake and Sunset Lake, said Steve from Blackwater Sports Center in Vineland. The bucketmouths banged up Rat-L-Traps and shiners, and monster pickerel 3 to 5 pounds could sometimes be whacked in those lakes. Try a ½-ounce, silver Rat-L-Trap that’ll get knocked around. Lake Audrey should be a solid spot to sock a smallmouth bass, and try drop-shotting white tubes or grubs. The 120-acre lake, a former soil excavation pit located between Millville and Mauricetown near the Mauricetown Bridge over the Maurice River, was recently rehabilitated and opened to fishing. No fish could previously survive in the waters. But measures were taken including dropping limestone in the waters to adjust the pH level of the lake that was previously too acidic. The lake had contained no fish habitat, so structures such as wooden pallets and weighted evergreen trees were added. Fish were stocked, especially smallmouth bass, but also yellow perch, bluegills, pumpkinseeds, brown bullheads, creek chub suckers and golden shiners. The lake is only one of two in South Jersey that are home to smallies, and the other is Union Lake. Lake Audrey is intended to feature the bronzebacks, and the fish must be released at least for now to build up the population. Check out the unique lake.