<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

The river’s salmon fishing will probably begin late, because waters are very low, said Eric from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. The river ran at 185 CFS, but that was the state’s required minimum. The flow probably would’ve been lower otherwise, because the reservoir was exceptionally low. All salmon fishing was currently on Lake Ontario, and had been good, but was slower at the moment. That’s typical for the time of year. But king salmon and a few Cohos swam 100 feet down in 140 to 180 feet of waters in the lake off the river. Eventually the fish will stack up in the lake near the river, staging to push up the Salmon for spawning. Then the river’s fishing will take off this fall.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

A trip set out to catch a musky Wednesday on a lake with <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale with outdoor writer Lou Martinez aboard, Capt. Dave Vollenweider said. If Lou caught a musky, a photo of the catch was reportedly going to be published on the cover of The Fisherman magazine. He caught one! The fishing began slowly, only landing a smallmouth bass, a small one. Then disappointment: A large musky was hooked but got off. But then Lou hooked and landed a 36- or 38-inch tiger musky, a cross between a musky and a northern pike, probably weighing 12 or 13 pounds. Success! The fish hit at sunset and was released. Afterward, Lou hoped to catch a walleye, and did. He reeled in a 5- or 6-pounder, bagging the walleye to eat. Dave was supposed to take out a client for similar fishing today. A trip with him Thursday landed a 44-inch 21-pound musky and a 5- or 6-pound walleye on a lake. The musky jumped on a Musky Innovations Shallow Invader, a lure with a plastic head and rubber tail. Dave’s been scoring well on muskies, and will keep fishing for them and walleyes. His trips caught a musky as late as the first days of December last year. For walleyes, Live to Fish had been fishing mostly in the middle of the night. But Dave will probably do more trolling for them during daytime now. Walleyes can stop moving into the shallows at night by this time of year, lingering in cooler waters deeper instead. But Dave will also return to his job as a biology teacher after Labor Day, making the middle-of-the-night schedule difficult! Dave heard from friend Paul Schmidt, a tournament largemouth bass angler, about the Gone Fishing Tournament on Greenwood Lake on Wednesday. The fishing was tough, and only four limits of largemouths were made, and Paul only nabbed one legal-sized bucketmouth. 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.

Ben from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna bailed a bunch of smallmouth bass on Delaware River on small Senkos and Keitechs on a trip, he said. He fished from the Water Gap to Milford, finding smallies at every stop. Waters were somewhat low but perfect for the fishing, running clear. Ben was landing largemouth bass, “nothing crazy,” he said, but catching, on the lake he lives on near Hopatcong, working top-water lures late in the day or grubs on jigheads during the middle of the day. A few customers fished for trout on Pequest River, but waters were warm for most trouting. Nothing was heard about hybrid striped bass or walleyes. But buddies catfished at Lake Hopatcong at night from one of the piers.

Smallmouth bass, excellent catches, were smacked from Passaic River in mornings on Senkos or top-waters, said Mark from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. Great fishing for largemouth bass and chain pickerel was beaten at Shepherd Lake the other day. Lake Hopatcong turned out walleyes and hybrid striped bass, fairly steady catches, at  night.

Round Valley Reservoir gave up brown and rainbow trout, a good catch, 50 feet down for Joe Satkawski and Steve Herasymchuck, said Jody from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport</b> in an e-mail. George Pylar and Walt Hassigner, fishing at Spruce Run Reservoir, winged a sizeable hybrid striped bass, and saw others reeling them in. At Merrill Creek Reservoir, one angler tackled lake trout to 4 pounds and browns to 6, and Richard Holler cracked a healthy-sized rainbow on a large shiner.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

From <b>Efinger’s Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook, Josh kayaked lots of largemouth bass at Delaware and Raritan Canal, he said. He top-water-poppered the fish from Rutgers University to the convergence of the canal and Raritan River. A few tiny striped bass seemed to remain in the river in that area or at New Brunswick. Burt from the shop had caught and released the 8-inchers two Fridays ago. But waters were currently low, and more of the stripers probably moved farther downstream. Josh tied into plenty of largemouth bass at different lakes on top-waters. A few customers fished for trout on Pequest River and Ken Lockwood Gorge. But trout streams were warm and probably low.

Parents with kids played bluegills and panfish at Ocean County College Pond on nightcrawlers under bobbers, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Chain pickerel and small striped bass were socked on the Toms River at Trilco on killies or shiners, sometimes on small Rapala lures. Trilco is a closed building supply. No sign identifies the building, but it’s located near the Parkway, and locals call the stretch by the name. Nothing was heard about Manasquan Reservoir, but the shop stopped carrying shiners during this height of summer. A few had been fishing the reservoir with shiners for hybrid stripers and largemouth bass. Shiners will probably be stocked again starting next week or the first week of September. Killies and nightcrawlers are on hand. Lake temperatures probably dropped, because weather turned somewhat cooler, and that could help fishing. Barnegat Bay dropped 5 degrees.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Smallmouth bass and walleyes were wrenched from Delaware River, said David from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. Fishing was good for both, and the smallies were spinner-baited, top-water-plugged or wormed in mornings. The walleyes were wormed at structure like bridges at dusk. Largemouth bass smashed top-water lures or popper plugs in mornings and evenings at waters like Mercer County Lake and the lakes at Assunpink Wildlife Management Area. Or they were rubber-wormed.

On Delaware River smallmouth bass pounced at Trenton on the Pennsylvania side on small Rebel poppers in black-and-chrome or blue-and-chrome, said Carl from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Big catfish were cranked from the river, and chicken livers caught best. But Gulp catfish bait in liver or blood worked. Largemouth bass put up good angling at Manasquan Reservoir on the edge of the wood in the deepest spots. Jigs-and-pigs hooked them best, but buzz-baits connected in mornings and evenings. Crappies swarmed at Stone Tavern Lake at submerged brush piles, punching white Mister Twisters on 3/8-ounce jigheads.

Sunnies were yanked in from the spillway across the road from Blackwood Lake or Grenloch Lake, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b>. Kids had fun with them, and that was the bulk of the fishing this time of year. But one angler walloped probably a 4-1/2-pound largemouth bass at Blackwood Lake on a Senko. Ed estimated the weight from a photo. Ed sent customers to fish for chain pickerel at New Brooklyn Lake with minnows. New Brooklyn is usually reliable for the fishing.

Mornings and dusk were the times to fish for largemouth bass on lakes, because of warmth, said Laurie from <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown. Top-water lures or frogs could be worked for them. Or worms like Senkos could be. Alloway Lake was a place heard about for the catches. Sunnies and bluegills like the warmth and will bite. Dunk worms for a chew. Chain pickerel will always attack, no matter the temp or time of year.

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