<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Adirondacks</b>

The weather was cold, in this warm winter, so not much ice was being lost on the lakes, said Jeff from <b>FISH307.com</b> in the village of Lake George. Harris Bay on Lake George was ice-fished. So were waters including South Bay on Lake Champlain, Brant Lake, Eagle Lake, Paradox Lake, Schroon Lake, Raquette Lake, Loon Lake and Eaton Lake. Mostly yellow perch, sometimes crappies, northern pike and lake trout were pulled from the holes. A 14-pound 35-inch laker was heaved from Harris Bay. A record 25-pound 47-inch pike was angled from the ice. A record landlocked salmon was taken from the hard waters along the Vermont border. Mousies, scarce this year, ran out of stock, but more might be carried this week. Otherwise ice baits are fully loaded at the shop, including grubs, different sizes of shiners, hunts, fatheads, suckers and icicles. Catch the shop’s ice-fishing clearance sale that will start Saturday, featuring the store’s lowest prices in years. The sale will also be featured on <a href="http://www.fish307.com/" target="_blank">FISH307.com</a> itself.

<b>Salmon River</b>

The river ran at 1,200 CFS, the same as during the last report, said Ben from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. The consistent flow was likely good for steelhead fishing, during this year when the river was raised and lowered more than usual. Ben had only just returned to the store, after being away for days, and heard nothing about the fishing. But he was sure plenty of steelheads still swam the waters. Customers mostly fished for them with trout beads and egg sacks this season. They sometimes used flies. Ice fishing was “on and off,” Ben said. “Three inches here, five inches there.” Then the ice would disappear in warm weather, and reappear in cold. But Sandy Pond, mostly giving up yellow perch and northern pike, was ice-fished. So were all the northern lakes and ponds. The shop stocks the full supply of ice gear and live baits, in addition to the full array of steelhead and salmon supplies.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

None of the lakes or ponds held fishable ice, said Kevin from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Ledgewood. But anglers reeled in yellow perch from the open waters on some of the ponds. Small, suspending crank baits, Keitech Fat Swing Impacts and Trout Magnets nabbed them. Early black stoneflies came off the trout streams. So trout could be picked up on small black nymphs that imitated stoneflies. Or, when days were warm, and the stoneflies were actually coming off, trout could be angled toward the surface. On warm days like early this week the streams were probably 44 to 45 degrees. But now forecasts called for colder weather.

Skim ice, not thick enough for ice fishing, but preventing casting and boating, covered the lake most of the time, said Joe from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b>. The lake was practically unfishable. Nobody bothered to hit the waters when ice was gone a moment during midday. The ice was starting to melt by Tuesday afternoon, but forecasts called for cold to come, and skim ice would form again. But the store is open daily from sunup to sundown, and all the ice fishing gear and baits are stocked, including mousies, meal worms and large and medium shiners, and surely ice fishing will be possible by the end of the month, at least. “I hope,” Joe said.

If the weather stays relatively warm, fishing should explode in a month or by mid to late March, said Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. His club will hold largemouth bass tournaments by then. But fish were already grabbed in the warmth. Nick landed a couple of small largemouths at the local pond in Garfield he’s been fishing this winter, with 3-inch Keitechs. A couple of customers yanked northern pike and a largemouth bass from the Pequest River, on large shiners. A few fished the Pequest River, landing a handful of trout. One kept plucking small, native brown trout from the Pequannock River, releasing them. Pink salmon eggs were the trout bait customers kept favoring.

Two customers, Ted and Tim, bailed 10 to 12 lake trout, a great catch, on a trip to Round Valley Reservoir, on trolled flies, Jody from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport</b> said in an e-mail. They missed a large brown trout that got off at the boat. Joe Licardi whaled a 20-inch laker on the reservoir on a large shiner. Dan Pryor, on two trips to the Delaware River, beat a 4-pound 21-inch walleye and a 3-1/2-pound 21-incher.

A hatch of tiny flies, probably size-28 blue-winged olives, came off the South Branch of the Raritan River during a trip that Burt, from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook, took, he said. He raised no trout, but saw one fish break the surface once or twice, and fished with a couple of egg patterns he tied and wanted to try. He fished no dry flies to imitate the hatch. No other anglers were seen on the outing. A couple of customers bought shiners to fish for trout from shore at Round Valley Reservoir, but said the fishing had been slow.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Fishing for crappies, chain pickerel and largemouth bass was very good at the lakes, said Eric from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. The bass were sluggish in the cold, but live bait like shiners or fathead minnows under a bobber drew them to strike. Crappies, active in the cold, began to favor smaller live bait like fatheads over larger ones like shiners. But pickerel, also thriving in cold, attacked shiners or large baits with abandon. Live baits were choice in the winter season. But the winter was mild, and fishing should remain about the same, as long as daytime temperatures mostly hover in the 50s. Rain, sleet and snow were forecasted, though. Walleyes were copped from the rocky stretch of the Delaware River from Trenton to Frenchtown, like all winter. Catfish were active in the Delaware. Lots of carp were cracked this season from certain areas of the Delaware and the lakes that held them.

Walleyes were cranked from the Delaware River at Scudders Falls, said Carl from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. They swiped 1/8-ounce jigheads with Berkley Gulp Leaches. Trout were creeled at Crystal Lake in Burlington on fathead minnows during the weekend. That was mainly what was heard about fishing.

Largemouth bass fishing was slow in the cold, but some were hung from Giampietro Park Pond on Rat-L-Traps and jerk baits, said Vince from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Chain pickerel and crappies, aggressive in low water temps, should be able to be fought at most local lakes. Minnows are a top choice to grab them and are stocked. A buddy pounded pickerel at Wilson Lake.

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