<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

Three feet of snow covered the ground, making access to the river difficult on foot, said Johnny from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. More than 2 feet of snow fell Tuesday night and Wednesday, and weather was cold, below zero at night, in the teens during daytime. But weather is supposed to warm somewhat at the beginning of next week. Before the weather, steelhead fishing was best from mid to upper river. Catches were fairly good at Altmar and the fly-fishing zone. Steelhead migrate to the river in autumn from Lake Ontario. They spend winter in the river, spawn there in spring, then return to Lake Ontario for summer. Fishing for steelheads is world-class in the river though winter until about May, when they spawn. On lakes, fishable ice only formed farther north, like at Black Lake and Hyde Lake. Closer to the store, and a few anglers ice-fished on Sandy Pond, but that wasn’t really safe, and ice was thin. All ice-fishing tackle is stocked.

<b>Adirondack Mountains</b>

Anglers ice fished every place in the mountains except Lake George, said Amber from <b>FISH307.com</b> in the village of Lake George. But Lake George is always the final to freeze, and is expected to set-up soon. The morning temperature was 9 degrees, and this week was supposed to remain cold. Other lakes held 3 to 7 inches, and were fished. Catches included lake trout on PK Spoons and Swedish Pimples. Caty Jigs did a job on panfish. Lakes fished included Brant, Eaton, Minerva, Loon, Harris and Abenaki. Lake Champlain’s bays were ice-fished. The full supply of ice baits, a large variety, is stocked. So is all the ice tackle and gear, including flasher batteries, difficult to find.

Temperatures were only supposed to reach the teens this week, and that should build another 6 inches of ice on lakes by the weekend, so by now, ice fishing was in good shape, said Lou at <b>Fuel-n-Food</b> in Mayfield. Most ice shanties were dragged onto the lakes. Great Sacandaga Lake held 8 inches minimum, and mostly walleyes and yellow perch were yanked in from there. Fishing for both went well in 12-foot depths. Some of the shallower areas 6 feet deep gave up northern pike and quite a few brown trout. Rainbow trout were yet to turn on. Out-of-season smallmouth bass were caught and released at Great Sacandaga. Big walleyes 25 or 27 inches sometimes came from farther north at Sacandaga Lake – a different lake from Great Sacandaga – and Lake Pleasant, both near Speculator. Fishing was good at Indian Lake and Piseco Lake, and they held 9 inches. A few lake trout were tugged from Candle Lake, but not a lot of action happened there. Good angling for crappies and chain pickerel was punched at West Lake and Pine Lake. Splake kept biting at Caroga Lake, but that will slow down, now that ice was thickening. This week’s cold should be good for Saturday’s Fifth Annual Walleye Challenge Ice Fishing Derby on Great Sacandaga. Live baits stocked include shiners, fathead chubs, hunts, spikes and more. Tackle and gear includes a variety of jigs, all the terminal tackle, tip-ups, augurs and more. The shop includes a convenience store, fuel, beer, breakfast and lunch. Great Sacandaga Lake and plenty of other nearby waters can be fished, and the shop can point anglers in the right direction.

<b>PENNYLVANIA</b>

Sad news: Bill Brinkman Sr. from <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Philadelphia passed away on Saturday, his children posted on his Facebook page. He was 88, and founded the shop, working on the business through his final day. Services will be held 7 to 9 p.m. today and 9 to 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Burns Funeral Home in Philadelphia, and all are welcome.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Ice on lakes opened up in warmer weather last week, and now the weather turned cold, said Brian from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. Fishable ice might form in the next days. Trout streams might’ve been fished in warmer weather during the weekend. But the cold this week “put the kibosh on that,” Brian said. Anglers became scarce.

None of the lake’s ice was safe to fish in a couple of weeks, but the coves on both ends will probably be fished starting today or Thursday, said Joe from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. An ice-fishing contest, open to the public, will be held at the smaller, nearby Lake Shawnee this weekend. Dow’s is open 6:30 a.m. till dark daily, and shiners, worms, jigs and ice tackle are stocked.

Customers kept talking about ice fishing on Sterling Lake in Sussex, said Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. They reeled in yellow perch, saying 3 inches covered the lake. The shop ordered lots of ice bait, and anglers hoped a few inches would be around this weekend. Others fished Passaic River each evening, banking northern pike. One customer kept clobbering trout on Paulinskill River, saying he was the only angler on the river. The shop ordered a case of pink salmon eggs for him. Trout catches were heard about from Ramapo River on trout worms. Trout were angled from shore at Round Valley Reservoir on live bait or spoons including Phoebes. Anglers also boated the reservoir, but nobody who boated there reported about fishing. Nick tried for largemouth bass, small ones, at the creek at the lake he fishes in Garfield, saw the fish, but could get none to bite. He only fished 20 minutes, but can usually catch some within that time. He saw lots of sunnies, and will return to the waters when weather warms. Today was supposed to be the coldest of the week. Nick in a previous report explained that the bass swam creeks this time of year.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Occasional reports rolled in about trout caught on Pequest River on midges, small nymphs or egg flies, said Angelo from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. But the cold kept most anglers from fishing. Nothing was heard about ice, except about ice too thin to fish. Customers sometimes bought bait to fish for trout at Round Valley Reservoir. Before this week’s cold, brown, rainbow and lake trout were caught from shore at the reservoir. Lakers had moved to the shallows.

Chain pickerel and a few largemouth bass were rustled from Lake Riviera, said Jeff from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. That was before this week’s cold, and Jeff landed two picks from Winding River on spinners. Trout were nabbed from Lake Carasaljo, the Toms River and the Manasquan River at Hospital Road before the cold. White perch were plucked from the Toms at Island Heights and farther upstream. Small striped bass were caught and released from the river at Island Heights. Striper season is closed on rivers and bays through February.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Crappies, good-sized, were shellacked at Carnegie Lake’s aqueduct through the weekend, before the cold, said Tom P. at <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. A few sizeable yellow perch nipped there. Trout, not big, but up to 18 inches, good catches, were winged from Pequest River’s Trout Conservation Area on flies like sizes 18 to 22 sparkle caddis nymphs and bead-headed Princes on dropper rigs. The shop carries a limited supply of ice-fishing tackle, but customers slammed the store for ice gear to fish during the weekend. “Oh, there will be ice,” Tom said. In saltwater, offshore sea bass fishing was criminal. “In a good way,” he said.

Skim ice covered lakes, limiting fishing, said Vince from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Lines could hardly be cast to open waters, and boats couldn’t be launched. But if anglers wanted to fish, they could try spillways or other moving waters that will be ice-free. Try dunking minnows or worms for chain pickerel or panfish, and minnows are stocked.

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