<b>North Jersey</b>

Delaware River ran a little high, but clear, and catfish, good catches, were slid from the waters, said Joe from <b>Stokes Forest Sport Shop</b> in Sandyston. A few striped bass now came from the river, and the Delaware’s smallmouth bass fishing was phenomenal. Small rubber grubs and small jerk baits hooked the smallmouths. Trout streams ran at a healthy level, and trout were banked, but were wary, because of clear waters, and because the fish were fished for a lot by this time of season. They saw lots of lures, and even fly anglers used delicate presentations, like with small, size-18 blue-winged olives and size-22 midges. Customers mostly trout fish on Big Flatbrook, but sometimes on Paulinskill River. Lake fishing produced lots of largemouth bass and a few walleyes, and never really became outstanding this season, but was decent. Crappie fishing slowed on lakes. Some of the larger lakes “flipped” after enough rains fell, so they became cloudy or murky.

A musky in the 40 inches followed a Wolly Pog lure from Nimmer Swimmer immediately after a client began fishing Echo Lake on Wednesday morning aboard, said Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale. In fishing for muskies, the fish of 10,000 casts, a follow is half the success. A little while later, the client raised another musky, even bigger, on the same lure. The fishing scored no takers, and the trip moved to Greenwood Lake, like Dave planned before the trip. No muskies appeared at Greenwood, and the angling was tough, but that’s musky fishing. Anglers fish for them because a catch can be one of the biggest in a lifetime. The angling was a good time, Dave said. The day was extremely hot and humid, and that’s why the trip began in the morning. Waters were in the low 80s, and some anglers won’t fish for muskies when waters reach 70 degrees. When waters are warm like this, the fish need to be treated very carefully, including releasing them quickly, or they’ll die. Dave racked up some great musky catches this time last year, even on some of the hottest days. Dave is supposed to guide another trip for walleyes tonight on a lake. The trips, in the dark, top-water plug for walleyes, when the fish move to shallows at night. The season might be late for the angling, but a trip aboard landed 10 this time last year. Walleyes forage on spawning herring in shallows at night, but when the spawn is finished, and waters warm, walleyes retreat back to the deep. The heat’s been brutal, and Dave fished with his young nephew and his nephew’s friend on Lake Hopatcong on Friday. They caught chain pickerel, yellow perch and crappie on Cabin Creek Salty Spider Jigs that look like crawfish. Dave fished solo on Greenwood Lake on Thursday, trolling a 2-1/2-pound smallmouth bass, seven yellow perch and a couple of white perch at submerged timber on Spoon Plugs. Trolling near the timber risked losing the plugs, but the fish kept hitting when the plugs nudged the timber. No muskies showed up on the trip, but the other fish hit the lures aggressively. The smallmouth jumped a couple of times. “It was nice,” Dave said. 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 mostly picked up top-waters, spinner baits and lures like that for largemouth bass fishing in evenings on lakes, said Brian from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. They also grabbed Senko worms and Keitech soft-plastic lures for largemouths. But the surface lures really clobbered catches. Little was heard about trout in the weather, but streams were cool enough for trouting, and customers bought flies for the fishing. Any news that anyone trout fished came from Ken Lockwood Gorge. Smallmouth bass fishing should be on at Delaware River this time of season, and the river probably dropped to a normal level, after high waters from rains.

The lake’s fishing was a little on the slower side, probably because of heat, Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong wrote in an e-mail.  The few anglers who fished still picked away at catches. Forty-six anglers entered Knee Deep Club’s hybrid striped bass tournament during the weekend, catching hybrids from 4 pounds to 7 pounds 14 ounces. Knee Deep will next hold a catfish tournament on the weekend of August 10 and 11 on the lake. Abbey Murphy, 10, and cousin Scott Walgren on a trip landed a 5-pound 11-ounce hybrid, crappies, bass and a 3-pound 8-ounce chain pickerel. A few muskies and some smallmouth and largemouth bass were reported caught.

Mark from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield whaled largemouth bass to 5 pounds and smallmouth bass at a private lake on Keitechs and Senkos, Nick from the shop said. Mark also fished Canistear Reservoir, but the angling was tough. Nick fished for largemouths at Pompton Lake during the weekend, and the trolling motor broke during the trip, but three good-sized bucketmouths were landed. Places where he axed the fish the previous week were covered in weeds that sort of float. The current trip’s bass came from the creek. A buddy competed in a largemouth tournament at Lake Hopatcong, and no great weights were entered, but the competitors caught. Docks and along the shoreline produced, mostly on jigs and Senkos, and the fish were stacked under docked boats, because of heat. Nothing was heard about Greenwood Lake. A buddy plucked three or four largemouths, maybe 1 to 1 ½ pounds, from Barbour’s Pond on rubber frogs at weeds. Northern pike and smallmouth bass were wrestled from Passaic River. The pike were cracked at deeper holes all up and down the river, including at Fairfield and Twin Lights, while anglers walked along. The smallies were zonked on Keitechs with no weight while anglers walked the banks.  The river’s flow slowed a lot.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Trout anglers needed to be conscious about stressing and killing the fish in the heat, said Angelo from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Fish early in mornings and evenings, for cooler conditions. Use barbless hooks, keep the fish in the waters, and the whole nine yards, he said. But trout, plenty, were reeled in, and Musconetcong and Pequest rivers, limestone waters, with good flows, will probably fish well. The Pequest near the outflow, where waters are always 65 degrees, was a place to fish. Trout will hold around springs for cool waters. Flies fished included Green Weenies, an inch-worm pattern, Walt’s Worm, ants, hoppers and usual mayflies and scuds. Midges work especially in summer. Smallmouth bass fishing thrives in the heat in rivers like the Raritan. Streamers, Wooly Buggers, Muddler Minnows and crawfish flies will claim them. Angelo saw loads of crawfish skittering around the Raritan on Sunday. Largemouth bass fishing also produces in the heat. The fish hit along the water surface in evenings. But they also feed subsurface, like on Senkos. 

From <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River, Jeff pulled in chain pickerel and largemouth bass from Lake Riviera on shiners, he said. He saw kids there tugging in yellow perch on worms and catfish on hot dogs. Pickerel and largemouths swiped shiners at Lester’s Lake. A few pickerel and crappies were heard about from Ocean County College Pond. Nobody mentioned Manasquan Reservoir in a week. But one angler talked about cranking in a hybrid striped bass on chicken liver and some catfish from the impoundment last week. Jeff catches largemouth bass at the reservoir along the stumps or trees on rubber worms. Lots of pickerel can usually be played at Toms River at Trilco. Jeff throws spinners, killies or shiners to them, and they’ll eat anything, he said. Trilco is a closed building supply. No sign identifies the building, but locals know the stretch by the name, located near Garden State Parkway.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Despite the heat, fishing was pretty good, if anglers picked times and places, said Tom P. from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. He spent time trout fishing with a friend on Big Flatbrook on Friday and Saturday and a moment on Paulinskill River. They probably totaled 35 trout on the Flatbrook during the days, and don’t let anglers say the bait stretch won’t fish well this time of year, because that’s where they caught. They fished ultra-light rods with 2- and 4-pound line with Gulp waxies, garden worms and salted minnows. The fish to 17 inches, mostly rainbows and browns, a couple of brookies, hammered the bait. The fly fishing stretch was the only place lots of anglers were seen. Waters ran a little high but at a beautiful level. They totaled a dozen trout on the Paulinskill, also catching well, and also fished Swartswood Lake, racking up bass to 3 pounds and a chain pickerel. Closer to the store, carp fishing was probably most popular, at places like Delaware and Raritan Canal. Channel catfish were scooped from the canal. One customer, Herb Conway, did a job on bluegills to 9 inches on small poppers at the lakes at Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area. Bluegills also gave up great life at the lakes at Assunpink Wildlife Management Area. Some anglers there also “bass-bugged.” Fishing for largemouth bass, not big, was fairly good at Allentown and Oakford lakes.

Newton Lake dished up largemouth bass on top-water lures like rubber frogs and mice and Zara Spooks at lily pads and the concrete pipes sticking out of waters, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b> in Westville. Crappies were pummeled at bridges there. Ponds in Marlton gave up largemouths. Stewart Lake, the DOD Ponds and Logan Pond produced a few, mostly on top-waters. But rubber worms, including wacky-rigged, snatched up largemouths at different lakes. Basically all usual lakes tossed up largemouths to some extent. Lots of snakeheads, the invasive species, squirmed around waters along Crown Point Road and Mantua Creek. They put up good fights for anglers. Big Timber stocks bait and tackle for fishing on all waters from fresh to offshore.

Big crappies were smashed at Grenloch Lake, said Joan from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> in Blackwood. Good fishing for largemouth bass was socked at Lakeland Lakes on shiners. Customers talked about catching plenty of catfish from Delaware River at River Winds on chicken livers. Nothing was mentioned about snakeheads, the invasive species, though customers previously reported snakehead catches three or four times a week.

The heat kept news to a minimum, said Jeff from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. But a few fished, and if anglers want to try for largemouth bass, fish in evenings with top-waters like rubber frogs, Jitter Bugs or buzz baits. If anglers want to fish for them during daytime, work soft-plastic worms or Senkos very slowly.

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