<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

The river’s steelhead fishing was good, and quite a few brown trout were snatched from the waters, said Ben from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. Fresh steelheads swam the lower river, so fishing for steelheads produced there. But steelheading was good on the upper river, too. The fish were hooked mostly on trout beads, but also on egg sacks. The river ran at 900 CFS on Wednesday, up from 750 previously. Snow began to fall Wednesday, and forecasts called for 3 to 6 inches. Weather was cold lately, dipping to 15 degrees at night. Most lakes were frozen, and if the cold continues, ice fishing might begin on lakes next week.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

A few anglers boated Delaware River for walleyes two Mondays ago, caught none and read none on the fish finder, said Joe from <b>Stokes Forest Sport Shop</b> in Sandyston. They planned to give the angling another shot a couple of weeks later. Winter trout stocking was slated for this week. Lakes are stocked then, and mostly streams are stocked in the fall trout stocking. Nobody mentioned fishing the lakes for trout, but customers usually fish the waters around Thanksgiving weekend. So news will probably be heard about the trouting this holiday weekend. Nothing was heard about fishing for any species on lakes. Trout streams ran low. So did Delaware River, for that matter. This week’s nor’easter will probably raise the Delaware, if precipitation from the storm dumps on New York. The trout streams will probably be raised a moment, but the Delaware should rise more substantially.

Fishing was weathered out because of winds Saturday and Sunday for Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> in Montvale, he said. That included a guided trip on Greenwood Lake that was rescheduled for this weekend. Dave’s been fishing Greenwood for crappies and muskies, and walleye fishing is an option there, too. Dave saw a report from a kayaker who landed one walleye and dropped another on Greenwood on a trip. The lake was probably in the mid to upper 40 degrees, Dave thought.  Live to Fish Guide Service guides trips for muskies, walleyes, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, panfish, trout, carp and more. Lakes fished include Greenwood, Lake Hopatcong, Monksville Reservoir, Echo, Mountain and Furnace. Rivers fished include the Flatbrook, Pequest, Paulinskill and Ramapo.

If anglers could fish Lake Hopatcong, hybrid striped bass and walleyes bit there, said Mike from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. The lake was lowered for dock repairs like annually, so boats couldn’t be launched at the boat ramps. But anglers could fish the waters in other ways, like if they lived on the lake, and could drag a boat to the waters. Trout streams flowed low, and the current storm will probably wash them out a moment. Nothing was heard about anybody fishing for trout.

One angler plucked yellow perch from Passaic River on nightcrawlers, said Cheryl from  <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. If anglers were patient, they could fight northern pike from the river. Blue Fox in-line spinners and Zoom fluke could catch them. Nobody mentioned smallmouth bass from the river. Weather was frigid, then the current nor’easter rolled in, so not many customers fished.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

The cold front Saturday night into Sunday sort of shut down trout fishing Sunday and Monday, said Angelo from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. He did no fishing for them in the past few days. Rain and warmth now settled in, and that will do the opposite: turn on trouting. By Friday, the fishing should be good. Three inches of rain was supposed to fall, so fish streamers in the high water. Otherwise, patterns that will work include eggs and midges. The winter trout stocking was taking place this week. Lakes are stocked then, though mostly streams are stocked in the fall trout stocking. So anglers can fish lakes stocked like Lower Echo, including if they’d rather fish from shore than wade trout streams. Trout were banked from shore at Round Valley and Merrill Creek reservoirs, and that had nothing to do with the stocking. Angelo talked about the fishing for last week’s report, and heard nothing new about it this week, but was sure the fish were still caught. They can be hooked on baits like M&M combos – marshmallows and meal worms – corn and shiners.

The winter trout stocking this week was slated to include Lake Shenandoah, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Big stockers are placed in the waters in this stocking. A couple of anglers picked up shiners to fish for chain pickerel and largemouth bass, landing one pick and no bass. Waters became cold for bass to bite much. Dennis hunted in New Egypt, seeing a pond with ice around the edges. A few shiners are stocked, and Jeff from the shop, for last week’s report, said that no more will be carried after they run out, until demand picks back up for the season. Nightcrawlers and garden worms are on hand.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Crappies were tugged-in that schooled above Christmas trees sunk in Rising Sun Lake, said Karl from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. That’s in the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area, and the fish swiped small hair jigs or fathead minnows on small jigs. Some good catches of walleyes and occasional smallmouth bass were latched into at Delaware River’s wing dams. Fish whole nightcrawlers bounced along bottom for the walleyes. The Pine Barrens ponds gave up good chain pickerel fishing on shiners. Fly-rodders axed them well on rabbit-strip flies in colors like chartreuse, white or white and red. The northern state’s trout streams ran low, anglers kept complaining.

Skim ice covered lakes in mornings in the beginning of the week, and now the rainstorm arrived, so fishing was mostly at a standstill, said Jeff from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Better weather will be needed for some days in a row for news to pick back up. But if anglers wanted to fish, they could cast for chain pickerel that should bite in lakes on minnows or spinners. Fish them slowly.  

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