<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

A few salmon were banked on the lower river Monday, and nothing was heard about catches afterward, said Johnny from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. But the river was very low, running at 185 CFS, the required minimum, and was warm in the drought. The reservoir was very low and losing an inch or two per day. A decision is supposed to be made September 15 about whether to raise the river. But unless rains begin to fall, the outlook didn’t seem promising that the waters would be raised. If the river isn’t raised, salmon will still migrate up the waters from Lake Ontario to spawn sometime. But the low waters would be stressful on them. Salmon were currently boated on the lake 4 or 5 miles from shore in 90 feet or deeper. They were mostly trolled on flashers and flies, sometimes on spoons. A few were caught on cut baits: strips of herring.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

A couple of walleyes 3 and 5 pounds and a perch were trolled on a trip Monday evening on Greenwood Lake with <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale, Capt. Dave Vollenweider said. The lake was 77 degrees during the overcast day, and leaves were beginning to change color. Largemouth bass fishing on the lake sounded tough, and many of the bass reportedly seemed to have a virus, looked unhealthy and had sores. Apparently that also happened previously but cleared up on its own. On Wednesday a trip aboard with Dave’s nephew and his friend trolled two or three smallmouth bass and a perch on Greenwood. Bilynda Molish and brother jumped on the boat at Lake Hopatcong last Wednesday to fish for largemouth bass, but the angling was tough. High pressure around the time seemed to make fishing difficult. Four largemouths, a 2-1/2-pounder and the rest small, were landed on 4-inch Charlie Brewer Slider Worms. No bass bit larger worms, so Dave down-sized. Dave, a teacher, was headed back to school this week, but will still guide trips. He had a phenomenal summer of fishing. Trips landed 10 or 13 muskies. Walleye fishing was awesome on trips that fish for them in the middle of the night earlier in the season, when the fish move to shallows, and can be top-water plugged Walleyes currently could be caught deeper during daytime. He’ll keep fishing for both, and especially looks forward to musky fishing getting better as the season cools. Dave used a new trolling technique for muskies this season that really caught. 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 began to gear up to fish for salmon on upstate New York’s rivers, said Don from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. Greg from the shop canoed smallmouth bass from Delaware River. But Don hadn’t heard whether the angling was good. Trout streams probably ran low, because Don lives near Rockaway River, and the Rockaway ran low. The flow was higher than earlier this season, but still needed to come up for the best trout fishing. It was “pocket fishing,” Don said. Waters were warm for trouting.

In a largemouth bass tournament at Greenwood Lake during the weekend, anglers who caught best fished the northern arm with rubber frogs “in the slop,” said Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield.  Others hooked bass on the main lake at the docks, though. In a bigmouth tournament on Lake Hopatcong recently, most catches were yanked from the edges of weeds in 8 to 10 feet on jigs or MegaStrike Shakey Heads with Senkos or 4-inch Keitechs. But the anglers also “pounded the docks a little,” Nick said. No huge bass, “and no big bags,” Nick said, were entered. Anglers said lake temperatures were sometimes in the low 70s. So fishing should begin to pick up.

Fishing Mountain Lake, Rich Blanchard landed 20 largemouth bass on a variety of plastics including worms and craws, said Jody from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport</b> in an e-mail. The plastics were dark-colored or black, blue and green, but the specific color didn’t seem to matter. The lake was 79 degrees, and the day was in the low 80s. Bill Griffett won first place in a Big Bass Club Tournament at Merrill Creek Reservoir with a total weight of 21.07 pounds. His catch included a 5.7-pound largemouth.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Smallmouth bass, small, were angled from Raritan River at Duke Island during the weekend, said Darrel from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook.  Madam X flies nabbed them well. Big carp to 20 pounds were heaved from the river. Nothing was heard about tiny striped bass that swam the river at New Brunswick earlier this season. Chain pickerel, largemouth bass and catfish, good catches, were tugged from Delaware and Raritan Canal on shiners. Fishing in general was picking up as waters cooled.

Lake Horicon put up small chain pickerel 12 or 14 inches on killies, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Pickerel were kayaked at Forge Pond in the back, away from Route 70, on Johnson minnows or other spoons. One customer fished the lakes at Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area, jon-boating crappies and pickerel on killies. He also scooped up catfish from a hole. Kids had a ball playing bluegills at Ocean County College Pond. One angler was headed there to fly rod the fish. Killies and nightcrawlers are stocked, and shiners will begin to be carried Friday for the season.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Delaware River’s smallmouth bass fishing was hit or miss, said Eric from <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. One day they would eat, and on another they wouldn’t. The fishing was better to the north, like at Bull’s Island or Frenchtown, than at Trenton. Lots of small striped bass 6 or 8 inches swam the river. Catfish were clocked from the river. Largemouth bass fishing remained the same as previously on the lakes: The bass were buzz-baited in evenings.

Catfishing was strong on Delaware River at Bordentown and Burlington, said Tom P. from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Dunk bunker or chicken livers for bait. Crappies were smashed at Gropp’s Lake and Lake Assunpink on small shiners or 2-inch Skippy Fish. Chain pickerel and largemouth bass were pelted at Delaware and Raritan Canal on top-water plugs or shiners under bobbers. Lake trout 3 to 12 pounds were snatched from Merrill Creek Reservoir on herring and from Round Valley Reservoir on Meat Heads with herring bounced along bottom. Hybrid striped bass fishing was excellent at Lake Hopatcong. Walleyes were hooked at Hopatcong and Greenwood Lake on Rapala ice-fishing jigs in 35 to 45 feet. “The jig bite has started!” Tom said. Trout streams ran low, but Tom plucked 13 trout – a variety of brooks, browns and rainbows – small or 13 inches, cookie-cutter-sized, from Big Flatbrook on Friday on worms and Gulp maggots. Maybe this week’s rains would raise stream levels.  

Fishing for largemouth bass was good, and crappies were claimed here and there, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b> in Brooklawn. Alloway Lake’s fishing for largemouths was very good. Fishing for them was good at the DOD Ponds. Wilson Lake’s bigmouth catches were fairly productive. The bass were caught at Newton Lake. All those lakes served up both largemouths and crappies. Most largemouths were whacked on plastics and jigs. But they began to be tackled on hard lures or jerk and crank baits. Plenty of catfish and sometimes small striped bass were winged on Delaware River. The stripers were top-water plugged in early mornings or evenings including at the island off National Park and just upstream from the mouth of Big Timber Creek. The store stocks bait and tackle for fishing on all waters from ponds to offshore.

Lots of largemouth bass were entered in a tournament at Salem Canal on Sunday, and 10 pounds was the winning weight, said Rick from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Many were slugged on Sweet Beavers. Largemouths currently were mostly caught on plastics at the different lakes. More largemouths than smallmouth bass were reported fought at Lake Audrey, though Audrey is known as one of two lakes that harbor smallmouths in South Jersey. Union Lake is the other. In saltwater, lots of weakfish and small croakers schooled Delaware Bay, though one is the bag limit for weaks. That was about all that was heard about fishing during rains and weather that kept many from angling in past days.

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