<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Adirondack Mountains</b>

Ice fishing began to “wind down,” said Tony from <b>FISH307.com</b> in Lake George, but lakes, including Lake George itself, were still fished from ice. Ice was softening on lakes, and Lake George was ice-fished along the shoreline, “but it’s getting there,” he said. Most customers fished Lake George, and most targeted yellow perch, catching well. Sometimes lake trout were landed there, and not many northern pike and landlocked salmon were heard about from there. But a couple of 20-pound northerns were heaved from Great Sacandaga Lake. Some of the ice-fishing bait, including suckers, began to run low. No suckers were available at the store and most shops. But bait including hunts, shiners and more are carried. Much of the shop’s ice-fishing tackle is on sale for clearance.

Twenty-two inches of ice covered Great Sacandaga Lake, said Lou from <b>Fuel-n-Food</b> in nearby Mayfield. Weather was cold, about 20 degrees in mornings, and the weekend is supposed to be beautiful. Lou recommends removing shanties from ice this weekend, because conditions should be perfect. Snow, but not deep, covered the ice, and ice-fishing bait will be fully stocked through the weekend. Afterward, it’ll no longer be re-stocked, because northern pike and walleye seasons will be closed in two Saturdays on March 16. The store’s annual ice-fishing tournament was held this weekend on Great Sacandaga, and the fishing went well. A 28-3/4-inch walleye, a 38-1/3-inch northern, a 22-3/4-inch brown trout and 15-1/2-inch yellow perch won. Walleye fishing was good, and so was fishing for trout, all browns. Perching went well, and northern angling was slow. Lou heard little about other lakes, because he was focused on the tournament. But Lake Pleasant served up lots of walleyes and rainbow trout.  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>Salmon River</b>

The river flowed at 1,200 CFS through Tuesday, and was supposed to be dropped to 900 that night, said Eric from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. The flow is higher than before, but not because of rain or snow. Eric guessed the power plant must’ve been running. Fishing for steelheads was about the same as before. Previously Eric said anglers worked for steelheads throughout the river, no stretch fishing better than another. The angling will likely remain like that until weather warms. Then steelheads will begin to drop back to Lake Ontario after spawning in the river, and the river’s fishing for them should become some of the best of the year. Currently, some steelheads lay on spawning beds, and some didn’t.  “It’s a mix,” Eric said. Anglers caught them on trout beads, egg sacks and stoneflies. Ice anglers continued to fish lakes, mostly to the north. But a few reported fishing on Oneida Lake to the south. Not many ice-fished on Sandy Pond, closer to the store. Fishing there was slow this season. That was because of low waters, someone from the shop said in a previous report. The shop stocks a large selection of steelhead and ice-fishing supplies.

Capt. Jim Weiser from <b>Fins and Feathers Outfitters</b> in West Leyden will begin steelhead fishing in late March or the beginning of April on the Salmon River, he said. Right now, he guided snow goose hunting in New York and New Jersey, and will continue until snow goose season ends around then. Steelheads could be banked now, but by late March and early April the fish should get off spawning beds and start swimming the river more actively, migrating toward Lake Ontario to spend summer. Fishing for them should become even better on the river during the migration. Jim’s anglers fish for steelheads from his <a href="http://www.sjlodge.net/" target="_blank">S.J. Lodge</a> in West Leyden. They can fish on their own from the five-bedroom, three-bath lodge, or they can fish with him. He wade-fishes for steelheads, usually fly-fishing with sizes 16 or 18 gold or blue nymphs on 8-pound fluorocarbon leaders on sinking lines. He uses a 9-foot 8-weight rod, and the longer the rod, the better, he said. Some anglers prefer a heavier rod. He fishes the fast water, because the steelheads are usually spooky. Once anglers learn the technique to catch them, they can fish on their own, if they’d like. It isn’t difficult, Jim said. Currently, the lodge’s guests took advantage of snowmobiling the many trails from the place. Jim guides for ducks and geese from New Jersey and New York, runs the lodge and also charters saltwater fishing from Avalon, New Jersey, on the ocean and Delaware Bay. Visit the <a href="http://www.finsandfeather.com/index.php/fishing-trips" target="_blank">Fins and Feathers Outfitters Web site</a>. Call:  612-802-8619.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale began trout fishing rivers including the Paulinskill and Pequest a couple of weeks ago, and took another trip Sunday. He fished that day with friend Paul Catania from Sussex, Dave said in an e-mail, and they clobbered eight large trout 14 and 15 inches on Rapala Countdown lures in black and silver. Fishing with lures for trout on rivers is one of Dave’s specialties, and he hasn’t usually done the fishing in winter. But river conditions were right for the angling this winter. Lure fishing – a fun, effective way to catch – requires a healthy river flow to avoid snagging the plugs on debris like logs and rocks. Rivers are usually low in winter. Lures tend to catch larger trout that forage on baitfish, not just bugs. Dave banked five trout: two rainbows, two brooks and a brown. Paul reeled in three: two rainbows and a brown. The fish were colorful, and the females were full of roe, getting ready to spawn. Trout fishing will be open until closing on March 18 for stocking, and will reopen on April 7. Dave each year launches his new fishing season with just this: Lure fishing for trout on rivers. 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.

Some of the lakes began to warm, and one customer, a youngster, tackled three largemouth bass on a private lake on small, soft-plastic swim baits, said Kevin from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. The fish came from shallow waters, and that’s where largemouths will probably be, for warmth. Try the shallowest waters on lakes, like a foot or two deep, where the sun reaches. Fish with small, ¼- or 1/8-ounce, black hair jigs. This week’s storm will probably slow the angling, but Saturday through Monday is supposed to reach the 50s. Yellow perch should be spawning or getting ready to spawn, and fishing for them is good then. Again, fish for them with small hair jigs or plastics like Keitechs or twister tails. For trout on streams, if weather warms a couple of days, like on Tuesday this week, early black stoneflies could hatch during mid-afternoon,  like 1 to 3 p.m. Sizes 16 and 18, black or dun elk hair caddis will imitate them.

One customer was fishing Round Valley Reservoir from shore, beaching large trout on shiners, said Darrel from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Darrel fly-rodded the South Branch of the Raritan River on Monday, landing a 16-inch brook trout on a Rainbow Warrior nymph. That was his only fish caught, and he didn’t have many hits, but he doesn’t fish waters heavily stocked, so they probably held fewer trout leftover from the last stocking this past season. He fished the same stretch the past three weekends, and the river was lower now than before, and was clear. Trout were probably spooky in the conditions. However, he didn’t fish this weekend, and weather was cold and nasty on Sunday. By Tuesday, weather reached the 50s and was sunny, and Darrel would’ve loved to fish then, but worked at the shop. The snowstorm forecast for today was surprising. On the South Branch, Darrel kept seeing flashes from Palomino trout, including on Monday, but none bit. No customers mentioned ice-fishing, so maybe that was finished for the year.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Largemouth bass and chain pickerel were tugged from Lake Riviera on spinners and shiners, said Jeff from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. He caught largemouths and picks from Winding River. The bass were grabbed on Senko worms, and the chains were taken on killies. He worked the Senkos slowly, “kind of drop-shotted them,” Jeff said. The bass weren’t aggressive in the cool waters. “Trust me,” he said, “they weren’t tearing up anything.” But anglers hooked them. Pickerel, “one or two,” Jeff said, were plucked from the Toms River at Trilco. That’s a closed building supply, and no sign identifies it, but locals call the stretch that name, located near Garden State Parkway. Nothing was heard about trout. Baits stocked include shiners, killies, nightcrawlers, garden worms and meal worms. The store is open Wednesdays through Sundays.

Good fishing for crappies to 14 or 15 inches was axed from Lake Assunpink and Gropp’s Lake on hair jigs under floats, said Tom P. from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Largemouth bass were now caught, as winter ended. A bunch of largemouths and picks were shoveled from Sylvan Lake. Plenty of largemouths to 3 pounds, none big, anglers said, were squeezed from Pemberton Lake on Rat-L-Traps. Oakford Lake in New Egypt was another place for the bass. Private farm ponds fished well for largemouths on shiners. Lipless crank baits smacked the bigmouths on larger lakes.  Nobody talked about fishing Delaware River at the Trenton power plant, so the warm-water discharge was probably turned off. For trout, customers mentioned Pequest River near the hatchery. In saltwater, great catches of striped bass to 30 pounds were smashed at Oyster Creek the other night. That’s the warm-water discharge from Forked River power plant.

Anglers in a tournament yanked largemouth bass from Parvin Lake during the weekend, said Vince from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland, and Rat-L-Traps and jerk baits caught them. So largemouths began to bite again. This was a good time for chain pickerel fishing on lakes, and many customers started fishing for crappies and yellow perch that become active this time of year. Minnows, a bait for them, are stocked.      

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