<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Adirondacks</b>

Ice in the Adirondacks was melting away, said Luke from <b>FISH307.com</b> in Lake George. A few anglers ice-fished on Brant, Schroon and Paradox lakes, but Luke would suggest not venturing onto the ice now. Lake George was nearly ice free, and quite a few landlocked salmon and lake trout were landed from the waters. Anglers banked lakers from shore on the lake at Million Dollar Beach on shiners and hunts. An 11-pound 30-incher was the biggest heard about. Trout fishing seems like it’ll be worthwhile when trout season opens April 1, because waters weren’t muddy like usual this time of year. The warm winter kept snow from building up, minimizing runoff from melting. The shop was geared up for spring fishing, and will feature a springtime open house on May 5. That will also be the store’s 20th anniversary, and the event will include specials on tackle, seminars and tackle reps. Live bait at the store currently includes icicles, three sizes of shiners and fathead minnows. A few items remain in the shop’s ice-fishing clearance sale, also featured on <a href="http://www.fish307.com/" target="_blank">FISH307.com</a> itself.

<b>Salmon River</b>

Steelhead fishing on the river was decent, a report on <b>Salmon River Guide</b> from Pulaski’s Web site said. The river ran at 1,200 CFS, and was crowded. The good weather “brought out the troops,” the report said. Salmon River Guide’s drift-boat trips caught the steelheads on trout beads or egg sacks under floats. A fly-rodder aboard Monday hooked the fish on a stonefly with a strike indicator, and landed some on beads on conventional tackle. Steelhead trips will remain available through April, before the fish return to Lake Ontario for summer.

The river was raised to 1,200 CFS at 8 p.m. Monday from the previous flow of 900, said Ben from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski.  The flow was 500 last week, and steelhead fishing in the waters was currently “decent,” Ben said. “They’re catching fish, some more than others,” he said. Many of the fish were spawning then dropping back to Lake Ontario. But steelheads fresh from the lake still entered the river. “A lot going on,” Ben said. The fish were hooked from the top of the river to the bottom, and no stretch seemed “fanatically” better than another, he said. Trout beads, egg sacks, flies, pink worms and natural worms caught them. On Lake Ontario a few brown trout were boated, and the season was early for the angling. But browns will become a focus for trollers close to shore this spring like every year.

<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

No great reports were heard about striped bass fishing on the Delaware River, <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Philadelphia’s Facebook page said during the weekend. One keeper larger than 30 inches was reported boated on the river downstream from the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge. A 21-inch throwback, three catfish and a white perch were reported landed downstream from the Turnpike Bridge on another trip. All those fish were bloodwormed during the weekend. The fishing remained slow through Tuesday. One angler lost a small striper that day at Linden Avenue, “and that was it for the day,” the Facebook page said. Many anglers fished the river. “By the end of the week, I would think it will hit the fan,” the page said.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

A few fished local ponds, saying they caught fish, mostly largemouth bass, said Burt from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Ledgewood. But he heard little about fishing, because the shop mostly prepared to exhibit at the Saltwater Fishing Expo in Somerset this weekend. But business was picking up for the season, and many customers bought bait like worms. One talked about catching plenty of yellow perch and crappies on Lake Hopatcong at the state park.

Yellow perch, crappies, chain pickerel and largemouth bass were snatched from the lake’s shallows, like at Brady Bridge and River Styx, said Joe from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. No hybrid striped bass were reported socked, because winds during the weekend kept boaters from fishing the deep. Hybrids 15 to 22 inches were jigged off Chestnut Point the previous Sunday. The shop’s rental boats became available for the season this weekend. Shiners, fathead minnows and worms are stocked, and herring will probably be carried starting the second or third week of April.

Lake Waywayanda turned up lots of crappies on jigheads on a float for one of the staff from the shop on a trip this week, said Mark from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. Yellow perch and crappies were angled the same way for anglers on Lake Hopatcong. Todd Vitale clubbed crappies on the same tackle at Crystal Lake, popping the jigs under the floats at times. Nothing was heard about fishing on the Passaic River, because construction prevented parking along the river locally. Nothing was heard about trout fishing on the streams. The only trout report was that Lou Stru reeled a 4- or 5-pound brown from Lake Waywayanda. His trolling trip also hooked a 6-inch landlocked salmon on the lake.

Six sizeable chain pickerel to 18 inches were tackled by an angler at Round Valley Reservoir at the swimming area on minnows on a trip, Jody from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport</b> said in an e-mail. On the trout front, Art Berkman and two friends banked three good-sized rainbows and a hefty brown on the South Branch of the Raritan River. James Foohey on the North Branch netted three trout and saw an angler grab five smallmouth bass there on minnows in less than an hour. A 20-inch rainbow was rounded up from the Musconetcong River on a Rapala lure. Another angler, Mark Gogal, on the Musky put up a good-sized brown and a larger rainbow on nightcrawler and corn combos. Another angler tugged a 23-inch rainbow from Greenwich Lake. An angler fishing the Delaware River totaled a 3-pound 17-inch smallmouth bass and a walleye, 18 inches but slim, in a trip on jigs tipped with bright-orange twister tails and half a nightcrawler. A 26-pound 48-inch muskellunge was beaten two weekends ago on a Rapala ice-fishing jig on 15-pound line in 50 feet of waters. No location of the catch was mentioned, but the angler was trying for hybrid striped bass with no luck.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Customers were getting ready for trout season that will open April 7, said Josh from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Some fished for trout on the Pequest River and the South Branch of the Raritan River, before trout-stocked waters will be closed from March 19 until the opener, for the stocking. Some trout streams reportedly ran low but not terribly, because of no snow runoff this winter. But the waters could use rains. Crappies and perch were angled in the shallows of bigger lakes like Hopatcong. Josh tried for trout at Round Valley Reservoir from shore, catching none. But he saw bait and swirls.

A few crappies and chain pickerel were copped from all the local lakes on killies, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House<b> in Toms River. “That’s the main thing,” he said. Pickerel and a few yellow perch were kayaked from the Toms River at Trilco, the building supply that closed down, located near the Garden State Parkway. No sign identifies the building, but locals call the stretch Trilco. Pickerel were pounced on Lake Horicon in Lakehurst, a shallow lake that warms fast. A few trout, nothing great, were managed on Lake Shenandoah. Shiners, killies and worms are stocked.

<b>South Jersey</b>

The season’s first striped bass was reported slugged from the local Delaware River, said Carl from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. The fish was bloodwormed at the Burlington-Bristol Bridge, and anglers waited for the migration of spawning stripers to fill the river. Nothing yet was heard about the migration of herring arriving in the waters for spawning. Largemouth bass were cracked at Lake Assunpink on suspending jerk baits, Rat-L-Taps and spinner baits. Yellow and white perch gave up a good bite at Mill Dam in Mount Holly on 2-inch white twister tails.

Throwback striped bass were heard about so far from Delaware River, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b> in Brooklawn. The fish were bloodwormed as far upstream as National Park. Bloods will be preferred bait in the first couple of weeks of the fishing, until the fish become more aggressive in warming waters. Anglers waited for large, migrating stripers to arrive in the river to spawn from the ocean. A few keeper stripers were reported bagged from shore at Fortescue on Delaware Bay and Elsinboro on the river. None was big, measuring up to 30 or 32 inches. A few boaters began to head out for stripers, fishing with clams and bloodworms. “I’ll have more next week, I guarantee,” Rick said. He was apparently talking about news about stripers and about fishing in general that will pick up with spring approaching. But largemouth bass were already hitting in the lakes. Newton Lake and Parvin Lake were some that gave up decent catches. Crank baits, jerk baits, stick baits and Rat-L-Trap-type lures caught largemouths. Hard baits worked, and nothing much was heard about soft-plastic lures catching the bass yet. But sometimes the bucketmouths were hooked on small jigs with trailers. Lots of crappies chewed in the lakes, including at Greenwich Lake, Wilson Lake and Haddon Lake. Some lakes will be closed to fishing for trout stocking from March 19 until opening day of trout season on April 7. On the ocean, good catches of tilefish were pumped in from offshore on South Jersey party boats. Customers sailed for them this weekend. Bloodworms, fresh clams, shiners minnows, eels and all baits are fully stocked at the store. Big Timber stocks bait and tackle for fishing on all waters from lakes to offshore.

Largemouth bass were starting to bite, said Vince from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. About 35 largemouths were nabbed at Wilson Lake in a tournament Saturday. Hard lures like jerk baits and Rat-L-Traps caught them best. Chain pickerel smacked the same lures, and Josh in the tournament landed more of them than bass on the hard baits. Plenty of pickerel and crappies could be clobbered on the different lakes. Minnows on spinners worked well to catch them. But worms also did the job. But, again, those hard baits can also attract the picks. White perch were plucked from the Mullica River. Striped bass began to be landed on Delaware River and Delaware Bay.  

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