<b>North Jersey</b>

Delaware River flowed at a good level, but unstable weather affected its fishing, said Joe from <b>Stokes Forest Sport Shop</b> in Sandyston. One day would be 85 degrees, and 2 inches of rain would fall on another, and the next day would be in the 50s. So anglers would bang fish one day on the river, and have difficulty catching the next. The Delaware’s smallmouth bass fishing tapered off somewhat. More striped bass than before were pulled from the river, and the striper fishing never became great this season, really. Catfish were copped from the river, and were probably up to 27 or 28 inches, none huge. A few, not many, anglers trout fished on streams. Fly-fishing stretches that are popular this time of year were low, and rains raised them a little, but dirtied the waters somewhat. Customers who trout fish mostly work Big Flatbrook and sometimes Paulinskill River. Lake fishing was steady. Mostly largemouth bass were tugged in, usually on slowly fished 7- to 10-inch rubber worms or jigs-and-pigs, both in dark colors. A few walleyes were wrangled from Swartswood Lake and Lake Hopatcong, mostly on livelined herring, if anglers could keep herring alive in the summer, or jigged worms.

In cooler weather, lake temperatures dropped to 75 to 78 degrees, 10 degrees lower than previously in the heat wave, said Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> in Montvale. Fishing began to turn on during trips with him, apparently because of cooler waters, after tougher fishing in the heat. A 40-inch musky was caught and released on the boat Wednesday at a lake. The fish smacked a cast Legend Perch Bait lure, a jointed version, in the prop wash 6 feet from the boat. On a trip the next day on a lake, outdoor writer Lou Martinez aboard caught and released a 30-inch tiger musky that was trolled on a plug. On Sunday, two anglers who fished with Dave previously jumped aboard Echo Lake with him. They scored four follows from muskies, including an especially large one. The fish never bit the cast lures. But a follow is half the battle in fishing for muskies, the fish of 10,000 casts. The anglers said they learned a lot, “and were like, whoa!” Dave said, when the fish followed. The anglers fished previously with him for trout on a stream and walleyes on a lake, and never fished for muskies before. Anglers fish for muskies because a catch can be the biggest in a lifetime. So fishing seemed to be looking up, and Dave was looking forward to getting back out. He’s mostly targeting muskies, but is open to other fishing, if anglers are interested in other catches. Reports talked about good smallmouth bass fishing on Echo Lake, and he might try that.  Dave’s friend, tournament largemouth bass angler Paul Schmidt, let Dave know that Paul’s club the Northeast Bass Masters’ next tournament will be on Greenwood Lake on Saturday. Greenwood’s largemouthing’s been tougher, because of a virus in largemouths there. Hopatcong seemed to fish much better for the bigmouths. But visit the club’s Web site for info on competing, and entrants are welcome. Dave’s friend Pete Planer’s club Gone Fishing Bass’ next tournament was slated to fish Greenwood this week on Tuesday. Catch Dave’s presentation on structure fishing at 8:30 p.m. Friday, August 9, for the Knee Deep Club at Hopatcong Civic Center. 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.

Trout streams still fished okay, like Pequest River, Ken Lockwood Gorge, Big Flatbrook and Musconetcong River at Point Mountain Trout Conservation Area, said Brian from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. Isonychias or slate drakes showed up in early mornings, and other bugs came off in evenings. Midges often caught, and sometimes cicadas did, where cicadas were still around, though not a lot was heard about them anymore. A couple of customers headed to Delaware River to fish, for smallmouth bass, Brian assumed, though nothing was heard back from them. Largemouth bass were active in lakes in the heat. Keitechs and Senkos were fished for them like usual in summer. Hybrid striped bass were honked at Lake Hopatcong in evenings. Walleyes might’ve been whacked from Hopatcong in evenings. Nothing was heard from lakes like Aeroflex.

The lake’s fishing was a little on the slower side, Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong wrote in an e-mail. But catches were still made. Crappies were beaten on smaller herring or shiners. Smallmouth bass and hybrid striped bass were eased in. Hunter Meyers weighed in a 2-pound 5-ounce smallmouth caught off Nolan’s Point on bait. Glenn D’Angelis nailed hybrids to 7 pounds during a morning on herring. Wayne Bryant walloped an 8-pound 11-ounce hybrid on herring. Catfish began to hit. Lots were bullheads, and some were whites and channels. Chicken liver, hot dogs and herring hooked them. The Knee Deep Club will hold a catfish tournament on the lake from 6 p.m. Saturday, August 10, to 12 noon the next day. Winning catfish last year ranged from just under a pound to 20 pounds. Call the shop for info: 973-663-3826.

A couple of largemouth bass tournaments were held at Lake Hopatcong during the weekend, said Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. The angling was tough, and reasons couldn’t be known, but maybe water temperatures that dropped after weather became milder affected the fish. Those who did catch well fished deep weeds, mostly with drop shots, but also with jigs. Nick competed one day on the lake, pounding docks, only catching small largemouths. “Dinks,” he said. Largemouths didn’t bite where expected. A buddy managed good largemouth catches, including a few sizeable fish, at Pompton Lake, along the shoreline or wood or lay-downs, mostly on Senkos. Another friend caught largemouths, “one or two,” Nick said, on trips at Barbour’s Pond on Spro frogs at the shallow end. “In the slop,” Nick said. A couple of kids wormed sunnies and 8-inch largemouths at Dahnert’s Pond. Passaic River’s northern pike fishing was good on shiners. Kayakers on the river tackled the pike at Twin Bridges on spinner baits or large Mepps spinners.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Trout fishing was “kind of in the summer hatch cycle,” said Angelo from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Lots of midges hatched. Blue-winged olives and sometimes light Cahills came off. So pheasant-tail nymphs in sizes 12 to 18 or 20 and midges like zebras or bloods were fished. Streamers also worked, and Angelo switched to a streamer on a trip, landing another 15 trout. Anglers needed to be mindful about water temperatures, and not fish for trout if waters were above 70 degrees, because catching them then would kill them. Musconetcong and Pequest rivers fished well for trout, because the limestone waters stayed cooler than other types of streams. Smallmouth bass fishing was decent, not spectacular, but producing catches, on Raritan and Delaware rivers. Largemouth bass hit in the summer heat, a time to fish for them. In saltwater, fluke fishing was super at rough bottom in 35 to 50 feet. The fish were abundant, and some were sizeable, and large Spro jigs or bucktails and big Gulp teasers caught them. Cocktail bluefish 1 to 3 pounds schooled. Snapper blues ran around the back waters.

Lake Riviera served up chain pickerel, largemouth bass and sometimes yellow perch on shiners, said Jeff from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Winding River gave up largemouths and picks on killies. Those are catches and baits Jeff saw at those waters. He also knew that white perch, not many, and a few pickerel came from Forge Pond. At Lester’s Lake, one angler reeled in a couple of catfish and some sunnies. He fished chicken livers for the cats and worms for the sunnies, and Jeff’s never been able to catch catfish there, though he tried for them. But the angler showed him a couple of cats from the lake. Another angler talked about fighting pickerel at cranberry bogs, not mentioning exact location. Nothing was heard about Manasquan Reservoir, including about hybrid striped bass fishing that can happen there this time of year.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Fishing for largemouth bass, channel catfish and crappies went nuts at Lake Assunpink, said Tom P. from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordendown. The fishing was just okay at Rising Sun and Stone Tavern lakes, the other two lakes at Assunpink Wildlife Management Area. Largemouth and crappie fishing was good at Gropp’s Lake. For largemouths, anglers threw buzz baits, spinner baits, Senkos and paddle-tailed Keitechs. They also fished rubber frogs and rats along “mats,” but nothing exceptional was heard about that. When they fished Senkos, 4-inchers caught better than 5-inchers. They were wacky-rigged, but the Keitechs were Texas-rigged. One customer wrestled muskies 26 to 38 inches from Mercer Lake on Assassinator Spinnerbaits in ½ ounce and ¾ ounce. Fishing around rowing crews was a difficulty. Rains had raised Delaware River through Sunday, but the waters apparently began dropping, because customers geared up for catfishing on the river starting Tuesday morning. They planned to fish with baits like dead shiners and cut bunker, and results were yet to be heard. Crosswicks Creek will dish up catfish, if waters subsided after they rose and became dirty from rains. Trout fishing was fairly good to the north at Big Flatbrook and Musconetcong River at Point Mountain Trout Conservation Area, including for good-sized ones to 16 and 18 inches. San Juan worms and small caddis were fished.

Largemouth bass fishing was a little hit or miss but was okay, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Senkos caught them well. “That goes without saying,” he said. Rubber frogs also worked. The bigmouthing was decent at Salem Canal in a tournament during the weekend. Anglers at Union Lake hammered away at both smallmouth bass and largemouths. In saltwater, plenty of croakers were cranked from Delaware Bay. Occasional summer flounder were bagged from the bay.  A few anglers still chased weakfish at inlets along the shore. Flounder were still reeled from back bays along the coast.

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