<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

Steelheads filled mid river more than anywhere on the Salmon, said Andy from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. But the fish swam the entire length, including the upper river. Little was heard about trout from the waters. Practically all the river’s fish were steelheads. Artificial eggs, egg sacks and flies like egg-sucking leeches caught.  The river ran at 375 CFS, compared with 335 previously. Rains caused the river to be raised somewhat. A little snow, not much, fell so far this season.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

One musky was caught and released on the Saint Lawrence River on a trip that Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale took with a guide he hired, Dave said. The fish, a 45-incher, probably 22- to 25-pounds, smacked a Believer crank bait. Dave fished the trophy musky river for three days this past week with the guide, Capt. Bob Walters from Water Wolf Charters. Though only one fish was landed, that’s musky fishing, and the trip was awesome, Dave said. He’d like to go again. During the three days, Dave and the guide trolled depths from 30 feet to 130 feet in crystal-clear waters, because of zebra mussels, in the Thousand Island area of the river. That’s a wide, expansive area, filled with islands, near where the river meets Lake Ontario. The waters are known for trophy muskies, and the fishing was like looking for a needle in a haystack. The guide showed a mounted musky he caught last year that weighed 57 pounds 8 ounces from the river. The government reportedly netted a 100-pounder from the waters. The world-record musky caught on rod and reel weighed in the upper 60 pounds, Dave believed. The guide said the river’s muskies eat 10- and 12-pounders. The river was 48 degrees, and the guide said its musky fishing is even better, is good, when waters are in the upper 30s to 41 degrees or so. Check out a <a href=" http://www.stlawrencemuskiefishing.com/2012/11/dave-vollenweiders-musky/" target="_blank">Dave’s Saint Lawrence River musky</a>.  Back in New Jersey, Dave will resume musky fishing on lakes like Greenwood, and the rest of this month could be great for the angling. A friend, Johnny Shilstra from Hawthorne, nailed a 50-inch musky, about 35 pounds, on Monksville Reservoir on Sunday. Monksville was about 50 degrees. Dave will also fish for walleyes on lakes. He’ll also guide for crappies, if anglers want. Last year he was on a super crappie bite in late November on live bait on drop-shots on lakes. Dave last year fished through the first week of December, landing his final musky of the year then. Live to Fish Guide Service guides trips for trout, muskies, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleyes, crappies, chain pickerel, panfish, yellow perch, white perch, carp and more. Lakes fished include Greenwood Lake, Lake Hopatcong, Monksville Reservoir, Echo Lake, Mountain Lake and Furnace Lake. Rivers fished include the Flatbrook, Pequest, Paulinskill and Ramapo.

Fishing for trout was good that were stocked earlier this fall in streams, Kevin from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna said. That included in Musconetcong River, and few bugs hatched this time of year. So anglers fished bottom, like with salmon eggs. Stream levels could be somewhat low but were all right, and waters were cooling. Rains like during the hurricane sometimes fell, but not a lot fell this season. Nothing was heard about lakes since the hurricane. Before the hurricane, Lake Hopatcong turned out good fishing for hybrid striped bass and walleyes on size-7 Rapala ice-fishing jigs. Walleye fishing on lakes usually lasts to Christmas, sometimes later, if the season is mild.

Things were slowly returning to normal after the hurricane, Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong said in an e-mail. The shop was fortunate, sustaining no real damage. Only power was lost for 10 days. Other areas on the lake looked like a “war zone,” Laurie said, and still had no power early this week. Anglers returned to fishing the lake during the weekend’s good weather. Several sizeable walleyes were weighed in, including Adam Piskorowski’s 8-pound 5-ouncer. Roman Pera and friend Kris limited out on walleyes to 8 pounds 7 ounces. Hybrid striped bass were sometimes whacked from deep waters, “still taking bait,” Laurie said.  The shop was stocking herring, but will no longer net the baitfish this season. Lots of yellow perch were creamed in shallower waters. Small Fin-S Fish, Fin Shads, Mister Twisters and Mini Mites nabbed them.

Northern pike and small striped bass were beaten on Passaic River below the falls, said Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. Weighted 4-inch soft-plastic swim baits or weightless rubber fluke will sock the stripers. Livelined shiners will club the pike. Lots of stripers, mostly small, but some to 10 and 12 pounds, swarmed Hackensack River. A boat was needed for that fishing. Trout were banked on Ramapo River on salmon eggs and meal worms. Walleyes were jigged on Greenwood Lake down 30 feet off the points. Lake Hopatcong also gave up good walleye jigging.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Darrel from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook fished for trout on South Branch of the Raritan River on a trip this weekend, he said. He saw no other anglers for 3 hours, until a couple showed up toward dusk. Few seemed to fish since the hurricane. He caught no trout, fishing with wooly buggers, and saw none of the other anglers catch any. Waters were beautiful, and the day was clear and calm, maybe too nice for the trout. He landed one or two there on a trip a couple of weeks previously. He heard no customers mention fishing, and participation seemed yet to pick up after the storm.

Power and the phone were back on at <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River, Jeff said. Some bait was lost in the hurricane, including shiners. But killies and worms are carried, and other bait will be restocked as soon as possible. Chain pickerel and largemouth bass were snatched from Lake Riviera on spinners. Both fish were honked on Winding River on killies. That was everything heard about fishing since the storm, but the shop was getting back to business.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Largemouth bass fishing was good on ponds, mostly on live bait, said Chris from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. Trout fishing was productive on stocked waters. One of the crew from the shop kept scoring trout at Rosedale Lake. Smallmouth bass were hair-jigged on Delaware River far upstream, beyond Washington’s Crossing.

Northern pike catches were on at Spruce Run Reservoir, Budd Lake, Millstone River and Farrington Lake, on spinner baits and shiners, said Tom P. from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Sizeable crappies, lots, pounced at Mercer Lake on hair jigs. Trout anglers looked forward to winter stocking set to begin Monday. One angler and girlfriend caught and released plenty of trout, probably limits, on Big Flatbrook at places like the fly stretch and along Route 206 on small, gray nymphs. Nothing was heard about Delaware River.

Anglers during the weekend geared up to fish for largemouth bass at Grenloch Lake and trout stocked earlier this fall there and at Oak Pond, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b>. The weather was clear and calm, after rougher weather. That seemed to inspire them to fish. The customers bought minnows and nightcrawlers for the fishing.

Fishing for largemouth bass was slow, because of changing water temperatures, dropping for the season, said Vince from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. “They’ve got to adjust,” he said. So the largemouths were reluctant to feed. To catch them, anglers tried for a reaction bite, or tried to annoy the fish to chomp, with jigs-and-pigs, Rat-L-Traps or crank baits. But chain pickerel and crappies bit, no matter the changing waters. They thrive in cooler waters, too. Minnows or worms drew them to strike. In saltwater, striped bass fishing took off, was good, in Delaware Bat. Most were boated on the southern bay, but the catches were made throughout the bay.

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