<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

Plenty of salmon, mostly kings, sometimes Cohos, flooded the river, said Brian from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. The river ran very low at 185 CFS in the drought, and the fish swam its entire length. But fishing for them was best from mid river to the lower river. The usual egg imitations and egg sacks caught. Steelheads began to enter the river, and Brian neither saw nor heard about brown trout from the waters. Nothing was heard about fishing for salmon on Lake Ontario, because winds prevented boating.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale fished a couple of days on Greenwood Lake, and weather was beautiful, and fishing was tough, he said. The reason couldn’t be known, and the lake was 69 to 70 degrees, and that would seem warm for the lake to be turning over. But all fish were marked down 20 or 25 feet or deep. He trolled for muskies, but none hit. Maybe last week’s storm affected the bite, and musky fishing was great previously this season. A trip with a client is slated for today. Dave’s friend Paul Schmidt, a tournament largemouth bass angler, competed in a largemouth contest on Greenwood during the weekend. The fishing was reportedly slow, producing a low weight for the winner. 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.

Trout stream levels had improved, and what they looked like now was unknown, but Delaware River was flooded and looked like chocolate, said Don from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. But previously customers talked about banking trout on Big Flatbrook. One kid reported fly-rodding quite a few there. Nothing specific was heard about largemouth bass fishing. But customers fished for the bass at small ponds and sand pits in Randolph and Roxbury with success. Throw a Senko, and you’re always catching a bass, Don said.

Lots of different fish were tugged from the lake, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. They included walleyes, hybrid striped bass, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, chain pickerel, perch and crappies. Walleye fishing slowed since last week’s storm, but the Knee Deep Club held a walleye tournament on the lake. Not many walleyes were weighed in from the 48 entrants. But winners were: Anthony DaCosta, 5-pound 4-ounce walleye, 1st place; Gary Bruzaud, 4-pound 9-ounce walleye, 2nd place; and John Hogan, 3-pound 12-ounce walleye, 3rd place. The 4th through 6th place winners checked in 2-pound walleyes. Joe Gavwrachinsky, Kearny, clocked a 3-pound 6-ounce walleye off Chestnut Point on a live herring. Good-sized largemouth bass to 5 pounds came from the lake. Lots of smallmouth bass bit off rocky points. Pickerel crashed Mepps spinners along weed lines. Dow’s will remain open, including for boat rentals and bait sales, until November sometime. Then the shop will be closed for a moment for a break, but will be reopened in winter, including for ice fishing. The shop is already stocked with ice gear, “in hopes of some ice this year,” Laurie said. The store is also stocked “for the fall jigging season,” Laurie said. Tackle stocked includes Gotcha’s, Binsky’s and Rapala ice-fishing jigs, including new colors this year.

Largemouth bass fishing was slow, and maybe lakes were turning over, said Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. But the angling will probably pick up a lot in a week, he hopes. It usually does after the turn over. But other fishing was good, and more on that in a moment. First, largemouths. Nick competed in a largemouth tournament during the weekend at Lake Hopatcong, and most entrants caught. The lake was 64 degrees, and had cooled drastically in a short time. Lakes usually turn over when they dip to 62 or 63 degrees. Winds blew 30 m.p.h., and Nick’s buddy’s trolling motor broke while they fished aboard the buddy’s boat. None of that made fishing easy, and Nick landed two keeper bass at a bridge on his first two casts. He thought he was going to bail them, but then the bassing became slow. Bass during the tournament were mostly caught close to structure. Nick landed about 15 bass total in two days of fishing at a small lake in Garfield on Senkos along the shore. Largemouths began to move shallow. A friend competed in a bass tournament at Greenwood Lake, and the angling was slow. A weight of 9 pounds won, Nick thought. Most of the event’s largemouths were hooked along docks. But some entrants rubber-frogged the catches along weeds.  Smallmouth bass fishing was great on Passaic River just below the falls in Garfield. The fish went crazy on 3-inch Keitechs. A friend’s son continued to score well at Lake Hopatcong, mostly at night, on a bunch of walleyes and sometimes muskies. He fished from midnight to 7 a.m., and nailed the walleyes on size-7 ice-fishing jigs.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Customers competed in a walleye tournament on Lake Hopatcong during the weekend, said Braden from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. He didn’t know how they fared on walleyes, but they pounded hybrid striped bass, lots, on jigs and livelined herring. One angler socked lots of smallmouth bass and crappies on Raritan River at Duke Island on small Rapala lures and Clouser Minnow flies. After last week’s storm, lots of chain pickerel and largemouth bass were crushed in Delaware and Raritan Canal toward Raritan River. After rains, that end always clears first, and the fish were tackled on large shiners and fire-tiger Rapala lures. Trout anglers sometimes caught on Pequest River and Paulinskill River. Holdovers were netted on the Paulinskill on free-weighted nightcrawlers.

Hybrid striped bass began to be picked at Manasquan Reservoir on shiners, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House<b> in Toms River. A couple of customers angled them midway across the reservoir from the boat launch, drifting in a boat. They also clubbed crappies in the trees on killies. Chain pickerel and a few white perch chewed in the Toms River at Trilco. A few small striped bass remained there, but mostly left, following bait sliding downriver toward Barnegat Bay for the season. Trilco is a closed building supply. No sign identifies the building, but it’s located near Garden State Parkway. Catfish were chicken-livered and nightcrawlered at Pine Lake Park on bottom. Cats were hung from Seacourt Pavilion Pond along weed edges. Anglers fishing Lake Riviera from the dock pulled in largemouth bass, crappies and bluegills. Mainly bluegills bit at Ocean County College Pond. The shop is loaded with gear for fall trout stocking in October. Power Baits and all the artificial baits for trout are on hand. Natural baits like meal worms and garden worms for trout will be carried before the stocking. Shiners, killies and nightcrawlers are currently stocked.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Delaware River became very high and muddied, said Eric from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. But previously walleyes were drilled from the river at Lambertville in evenings. Kayakers often trolled them and a bunch of small striped bass mixed in on Rapalas. A few walleyes were toggled in from the river along the Trenton bridges. Not much was heard about smallmouth bass from the river. Little was heard about largemouth bass in a week. But a few were reported caught on lures like poppers.

Customers geared up for salmon and steelhead fishing going nuts on upstate New York’s rivers, said Tom P. from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Closer to the shop, crappies, big ones to 15 inches, were on a tear at Carnegie Lake, on Skippy Fish or Mister Twisters, in chartreuse or chartreuse sparkle. Fishing was good for northern pike and largemouth bass at Millstone River from Kingston to Griggstown.  Channel catfish to 12 pounds, very good catches, were smashed at Rancocas Creek and the South Branch of the Rancocas. Smallmouth bass fishing was turning hot at Union Lake in Millville. Smallies also swam Maurice River a quarter-mile downstream from Union Lake’s dam. Anglers at the store began to shop for trout stocking in October. One customer whaled eight trout to 8 ½ pounds at Pequest River on bead-headed Prince nymphs. Lots of people trout fished there, he said.

Kids playing sunnies was the main news, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> in Blackwood. They always meal-worm them at the spillway across the road from Blackwood Lake and Grenloch Lake. Nothing was heard about other fish like largemouth bass or chain pickerel. But weather was rough, and fishing will pick up at least for fall trout stocking. Grenloch and Oak Pond are slated to be stocked in mid October.

Largemouth bass in the lakes still pounced on baits like rubber worms, but started to “move into a mode of moving baits,” said Vince from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. He’d try fishing with crank baits, and some of the bass began to swipe lures like that, and some were yet to. Largemouths were heard about from South Vineland Park Pond and Malaga Lake. Some good fishing for them was reported from the DOD Ponds during the weekend. Salem Canal gave up the catches during the weekend. Plenty of largemouths were pasted from Delaware River. Spinner baits, crank baits and rubber worms should work there. Vince bailed largemouths to 5.4 pounds at the Susquehanna River flats in Maryland on drop-shots and pitched jigs. Not a lot was heard about smallmouth bass, except occasional smallies from Union Lake. But smallmouthing should pick up as waters cool. In saltwater, summer flounder supposedly began to be boated from Delaware Bay, after the fish had seemed to depart previously. A mix of fish including weakfish, croakers, spots and kingfish nipped in the bay.

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