<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

The river ran at 335 CFS, normal for the time of year, said Eric from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. That was after exceptionally low waters this fall, because of drought. The river now was mostly full of steelheads. A few brown trout were in the mix, and fishing was best at Douglaston and the upper river. But the fish swam the lower river or the entire length of the stream. A mix of usual tackle caught, including egg sacks, trout beads, egg flies and stone flies. Steelhead fishing, world class, will last through winter on Salmon River. Steelheads enter the river in fall from Lake Ontario, spend the winter, spawn there in spring, and return to the lake for summer.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale was dealing with the hurricane, didn’t fish, he said. Electricity was turned back on at his home Monday. He now looks forward to resuming fishing, and November can be a great month for catching muskies, walleyes and crappies, on lakes like Greenwood. On his last trip, covered in the last report, all three were landed there. The fish seemed active, after slower angling when lakes turned over for the season. Greenwood then was 59 to 60 degrees, and lakes now were surely in the 50s. That’s a good temperature for fall fishing. Dave last year fished into the first week of December, nailing a musky then. Check out Dave’s musky photos in the November issue of On the Water magazine.  One is featured on the cover, and more are included in the magazine’s article about musky fishing by Tom Pagliaroli. Dave this weekend will fish the Saint Lawrence River, a trophy musky fishery.  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.

Customers usually looked for emergency supplies like batteries, not fishing gear, said Don from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. Many had no electricity at home, after the hurricane, mostly because of downed trees or damaged utility poles. The shop never lost electricity, but many surrounding places did. Two-thirds of the store’s employees remained without electricity. So, little was heard about fishing. A couple of customers claimed they caught trout in streams, but nothing specific was reported. Streams ran high but not flooded.

Major lakes were lowered to prevent flooding in the hurricane, said Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. Greenwood Lake and Lake Hopatcong were probably fishable, he thought, and walleye catches should be hopping this time of season. But nobody mentioned fishing lakes, and few fished since the storm. Electricity was lost at the shop a couple of days but is back on. Northern pike were punched on Passaic River on shiners. A few customers trout fished on Ramapo River, catching on Power Bait. Before the storm, one angler plowed striped bass, 2 to 6 pounds, loads, on Hackensack River. A boat was necessary.

<b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook was reopened Monday, Darrel said. That was a week after the hurricane, but the shop was closed early that day, because of no customers. The store was opened again Tuesday, and is now open full time. The store lost electricity a couple of days, and the town from the storm had been “shut down,” Darrel said. Lots of areas were flooded. No customers mentioned fishing. Customers had been mostly trout fishing on streams before the storm, targeting the fall stocking.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Trout fishing was good, said Chris from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. A catch of trout was heard about from Sylvan Lake. One of the shop’s employees plucked trout from Rosedale Lake. Cooler weather picked up largemouth bass fishing. No details were heard, but places like farm ponds doled them out. Nobody reported fishing Delaware River, but the river wasn’t dirty.

Trout stream levels were great for fishing in the northern state, said Tom P. from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Musconetcong River especially ran well, but streams including Big Flatbrook and Pequest River were also good. Tom heard from Dow’s Boat Rentals in Lake Hopatcong that walleye fishing was super at the lake. The fish chased 5- to 10-inch yellow perch, and anglers banged out the walleyes on the livelined perch but also herring or shiners. Dow’s was reportedly stocking herring and shiners. One angler did a job on crappies and chain pickerel at Delaware and Raritan Canal. He bought the shop’s shiners for bait. Nothing was heard about Delaware River. Anglers were scarce after the hurricane.

Sizeable catfish and a few largemouth bass were yanked from Delaware River, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b> in Brooklawn. The river ran somewhat dirty, and all waters were “a mess” after the hurricane. But largemouth bass bit at usual lakes. A few trout were reported banked at Greenwich Lake and Haddon Lake. Chain pickerel were wrestled from the Pine Barrens ponds. Lots of minnows and shiners were sold for bait. Few fished since the storm.

A few trout tugged from Oak Pond were reported, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> in Blackwood. Customers bought all different baits for trout, including meal worms, minnows and Power Bait. That was about all that happened in the weather. But Grenloch Lake was also stocked with trout this fall.

With the hurricane, and now a nor’easter, few fished, said Jeff from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. But largemouth bass and chain pickerel should bite in lakes. So should trout stocked before the hurricane. Waters stocked included Giampetro Park Pond, Maurice River and Iona Lake.

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