<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Adirondacks</b>

In the Adirondacks, ice was fished just about everywhere, said Tony from <b>FISH307.com</b> in the village of Lake George. Lake George itself was frozen all the way across – was “locked up,” Tony said – but the middle was too thin for fishing. Customers looked forward to the lake becoming completely fishable. Almost all other lakes and ponds were ice-fished. Many anglers tried for perch and panfish. But they hunted lake trout and landlocked salmon on Schroon and Raquette lakes. FISH307.com is both a physical store and an online one. All the ice-fishing baits are stocked, including icicles and hunts to fathead minnows and shiners.

<b>Salmon River</b>

Because of the extreme cold, anglers mostly ice-fished, instead of fishing the river for steelheads, said Mike from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. Weather was minus 20 degrees yesterday, and places they ice-fished included Lake Oneida, Sandy Creek, Chamont Bay and Lake of the Isles. They mostly targeted northern pike, perch, crappies and walleyes, and walleyes were mostly tugged from Oneida. All ice fishing gear is stocked, including baits, including spikes, mousies and fathead minnows. The river was last fished on Sunday, really, in warmer weather. Mike heard no results from the fishing, but saw anglers working the river then, mostly on the lower stretches. The lower river slushes-up quicker than the upper, and that can be difficult for fishing. But the anglers on the lower river were apparently trying for a first crack at steelheads fresh from Lake Ontario.  World-class steelhead fishing lasts all winter on the river. Periods of severe cold can keep anglers to a minimum there. But they’ll be back on the river during relatively warmer periods. Steelheads enter the river in fall and remain until spawning there in spring. Then they return to the lake for summer, don’t die after spawning, like salmon do.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

A few anglers ice-fished on Saturday, but ice became fishable almost everywhere locally now, said Joe from <b>Stokes Forest Sport Shop</b> in Sandyston. Ice ranged from 2 ½ to 4 ½ inches thick, and not a lot of results of the fishing were heard yet. But Highlands Lakes reportedly gave up good catches of perch and crappies through the ice. That was the only fishing “quality” Joe heard about, he said. Rains had cleared most snow away, and the warmth hadn’t been great for the ice. Then temperatures plummeted to minus 4 degrees on Monday night. The cold, and strong winds, kept anglers from fishing since then. But that made ice thicken again. The outlook seemed optimistic for ice-fishing to continue. Big Flatbrook, where customers who trout fish mostly angle, and Delaware River were frozen over. The Delaware was yet to be frozen enough for ice-fishing. But if weather continues to freeze the river another week, it might be ice-fished. A few anglers ice fish on the river for mostly walleyes and a few smallmouth bass.

“Have you been outside?” Brian from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna asked! That was when he was asked for a fishing report, and he was joking, but the cold weather kept anglers from fishing in the past day or so. Nonetheless, lakes began to be ice-fished on Saturday. Not a lot was heard about the angling, but this was a start. The fishing included on Budd Lake, where northern pike to 5 pounds were hooked on tip-ups with minnows. Weather was supposed to become somewhat warmer today, and warmer than that during the weekend. More anglers will probably head out now, and rain is supposed to fall in coming days. But some ice on lakes was quite thick, and if a little rain falls, “that’s one thing,” he said. If rains pour, that could make the ice dicey. But the outlook seemed good for ice-fishing. Tackle for the fishing, like tip-ups, is stocked. So are spikes and wax worms.

The lake’s anglers just started to ice fish during the weekend, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b>. Or that was when she saw anglers hit the ice the first time this season. They fished the coves or other shallow waters, and the ice ranged from about 3 ½ inches to 7 or 8 there. Maybe 2 inches covered deeper waters, and the lake had opened back up in warmer weather, but now closed again. Nobody really fished in the severe cold this week. This weekend is supposed to be warmer, and rain is supposed to fall. But fishable ice should stick around, Laurie thought. Perch, chain pickerel, crappies and a couple of largemouth bass were landed. Mousies, spikes, wax worms, fathead minnows and shiners are stocked.

Anglers started ice-fishing, said Cheryl from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. Customers mostly ice-fish at smaller, private lakes, but sometimes on waters in the Monksville Reservoir area. Not a lot of specifics were heard about catches, but Cheryl knew that perch were pulled through the ice. No news rolled in from Passaic River in the cold. But the Passaic never really freezes, except in areas like coves. Previously, northern pike bit in the river, and usually do. Rains pretty much melted any snow that had been on the ground, except snow that was piled up that was plowed.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Nothing was heard about ice fishing at <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook, but Angelo from the shop actually fly-fished a trout stream Tuesday morning, he said. Weather was brutally cold and windy, and the fishing turned out to be impossible, but he got a bite, and that seemed promising. On his first cast, the tippet crinkled into a spiral, because of ice. He managed to fish a streamer, and a trout smacked the fly on the fourth or fifth cast. But the fly was frozen and couldn’t hook a fish. So the angling was impossible, but the fact that the fish bit despite the cold seemed a good sign. Stream anglers in the cold will have to keep a lookout for ice flows. But if they can find open waters, trout should be hungry. Egg flies, streamers and larger stoneflies will be the patterns to fish in the cold. Midges won’t be around in cold like that. But larger stoneflies and mayfly larvae were around, because the river was high, knocking the bugs around the stream, making trout key in on them. Previous rains and snow runoff  raised the stream. News about ice fishing will probably begin, and mousies and wax worms were just stocked for bait for the angling. Nightcrawlers, garden worms and shiners are on hand, and tip-ups and ice tackle is carried. Ice rods and reels are expected to be stocked by the end of the week, Angelo thought. The store is completely stocked for fly fishing, and for fishing for trout from shore at Round Valley Reservoir that’s been happening. Angelo wasn’t asked about Round Valley this week, because weather was obviously too cold. But catches were reported from there previously. Catch the 20-percent-off sale on all fly-tying materials this month and fly tyers that are currently giving free instruction every Saturday at the shop.

Delaware River was frozen from bank to bank, said Karl from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. The frozen water looked like ice bergs, some of them 10 feet tall, some 2 feet. “The only thing biting is snowmen!” he joked. All waters were frozen, but not thick enough to fish on.

Fishing was a bust in the cold, Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland agreed, when he was asked whether that was the case. Temperatures on Tuesday afternoon, when he gave this report in a phone call, were 10 degrees “at best,” he said. All lakes were frozen, but not enough for ice fishing.

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