<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

Steelheads, lots, filled the river, said Capt. Rick Miick from <b>Dreamcatcher Guide Service</b>. A few salmon remained in the river, but nobody he knows fished the river for salmon anymore. The steelheading was good for about the first 1 ½ hours in mornings. Then his trips had to move around the river to look for more. A trip Tuesday landed a 10-pounder, an 8-pounder, a 6-pounder and a couple of small steelheads 3 and 4 pounds. From upstream to mid-river was fished on the trip, and the angling definitely had to move around and look for the catches. His anglers lately fished with trout beads, egg sacks and egg flies. With conventional tackle, floats caught best. With flies, indicators were used. One of the steelheads Tuesday was fly-rodded with Rick. Trips with him also began fishing with center-pins, and will fish more often with them, as the season goes on. That’s sort of a specialty with him, and he produced a DVD on center-pinning. The river ran at 350 to 385 CFS, still low, but rain started falling. The water was 58 or 59 degrees, and once the water temperature drops 5 or 6 degrees, steelheading should become heavy.  Air temperatures were 53 or 54 degrees at mid-day, and 32 or 34 in mornings.

The river’s steelheading was not bad or was good on the river, said Jay Peck from <b>Jay Peck Guide Service</b>. The fishing was super on one day and slower on another. Sometimes the fish might only trickle up the river. Other times, they flooded the water. The fish were feisty, because water temperatures dropped, approaching the mid-50 degrees. But that was good. The temps were about ideal for the angling. The river continued to run low at 350 CFS. But rain began to fall, and maybe that will increase the flow in the next week. There was a lot of damp weather, getting to be a “thank goodness for Gortex” time of year. Weather began to be chilly, in the 30 degrees in mornings, as low as the 40s during daytime. Salmon fishing was no good, or a trickle of the fish swam the river. This was about the time of year for salmon fishing to wrap up anyway. Jay specializes in fly fishing and catching and releasing, but his other guides offer trips with conventional tackle. On Jay’s trips, the flies fished depended on the salmon at that spot, or whether salmon eggs were in the water. When eggs were there, egg flies were fished. Otherwise, the angling “swung” flies, or classic steelhead wet flies like the Intruder, or wooly buggers. That let the predators be predators, an exciting way to fish, he said. Jay will begin fly-rodding soon on Lake Ontario’s tributaries farther west, mainly the Genesee and Oak Orchard rivers toward Rochester, and creeks in the area, mostly for brown trout. But his guides will continue to fish the Salmon River. The western fishing was picking up surprisingly well, was decent for brown and rainbow trout and salmon. Waters ran low there, too, but will probably rise, because of rain. Mostly egg flies will probably be fished there.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

An angler with <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale boated several smallmouth bass from a lake Saturday on Keitech grubs on a ball-head jig, Capt. Dave Vollenweider said. Dave also cranked in a couple on a drop-shot with Gulp minnows. Weather was windy, pushing the boat around. But Dave headed back out on the lake, when the angler left, and trolled a musky in the 40-inch class, releasing the fish. The fish bit a spoon plug trolled along bottom in 14 feet of water. Muskies seemed to swim shallow, maybe because water was cooling. The water was 60 degrees, and anglers will see whether this week’s cold, that began Sunday, will dip the temperature further. Dave thinks that when the water drops to the 50 degrees, fishing’s really going to amp up. The fish will know to feed to prepare for winter. The lake didn’t seem to turn over yet. Weather was unsettled lately, and fishing slowed, but two muskies were released the past two weekends aboard, and Dave couldn’t complain. He cancelled fishing on Sunday, because of 20- or 30-knot wind. Upcoming trips include ones booked this weekend and the first two weekends in November.

Lake Hopatcong was beautiful this time of year, and few anglers fished the water, but angling was great, said Kevin from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. The next weeks are definitely time to fish, a last shot for the year. On Hopatcong, walleyes were jigged on lures like small Kastmasters and Crippled Herrings. They were also plugged on crank baits like Rapala Husky Jerks. Chain pickerel were active, gave up solid fishing, at the different lakes. Launch lures to them like silver Husky Jerks or large spinners. Trout streams ran low, but trout were caught. Plus, rain has been falling, and nights have been colder, and that could help. But trouting definitely happened on some of the lower sections of streams and on freestone streams.  Salmon eggs and meal worms were fished for trout. Water was low, but anglers could try casting lures or spinners to trout. Gulp makes small maggots and grubs that can be fished on small jigheads, like 1/32-ounce, for trout, and that’s all stocked at the store.  

A largemouth bass tournament was cancelled that Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield was going to compete in during the weekend, he said. That was because of wind to 30 m.p.h. and stronger. But a few of the anglers fished the lake anyway that day, all saying they hooked a few largemouths on the outside edges of docks. But they didn’t fish long, because of the wind. The tournament was going to be Nick’s final this season, and he’ll compete in no more this year. A friend that day then fished at Monksville Reservoir, more protected from wind, in the mountains, landing a 48-inch musky and some walleyes. The musky hit a cowbell lure, and the walleyes were jigged. A largemouth tournament was held on Hudson River on Sunday, and the fishing was tough in horrible wind. Nobody limited out, and many of the entrants were skunked. Though the fall trout stocking recently took place, not much was heard about trout. A  few small trout were reported that were plucked from Ramapo River. Customers bought trout bait, not as much as in spring, but not many results were mentioned. A few striped bass were tugged from Passaic River, because the water rose somewhat. Northern pike were fought from the river below the falls. A handful of smallmouth bass were reported from the Passaic.

A few customers eased catfish from Passaic River, said Cheryl from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. Northern pike were fought from the river. A few customers trout fished last week, once the fall trout stocking happened this month. They landed a few, but said the fish seemed hook-shy. The anglers kept changing tactics to try to draw a bite. Saltwater anglers mostly waited for the striped bass migration. But plenty of bluefish swam around, and sea bass fishing seemed okay, since sea bass season was opened Saturday.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Some anglers fished for trout at Ken Lockwood Gorge after rain fell in the past week, and caught, on large elk-hair caddis in cream color, said Braden from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Two anglers said they connected on that, and Braden didn’t know what the flies imitated, guessing maybe hoppers or something. Not a lot of anglers trout fished, but small, stocked trout, from the fall stocking this month, were picked off at different streams. Salmon eggs and garden worms could be fished. Northern pike were reported drilled on Passaic River after the rain, mostly on big, flashy spinner baits. Largemouth bass were yanked from farm ponds. Good largemouthing was talked about from Assunpink Lake, mostly on soft-plastic lures.

Muskies were caught from Mercer Lake, on ½-ounce, white spinner baits or Mepps Musky Killers, said Karl from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Musky Killers in either black or red worked well, and water that cooled seem to make the muskies active. Assunpink Lake turned out good largemouth bass fishing.  Try for them with rattle baits in red, black or chartreuse or creature baits like Zoom Baby Brush Hogs in black, watermelon or green pumpkin. A few crappies chewed at Assunpink at the wood behind the island. Nobody mentioned fishing for trout, though the fall trout stocking took place this month. No reports came from Delaware River about any fishing. The river ran a little off-color.

Trout fishing was mainly the news, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Some anglers scored well on trout, and Giampetro Park Pond and Iona Lake seemed the top spots. Lots of Powerbait was sold for trouting, and that seemed the hot thing to dunk. Not much else was reported about fishing, and wind kept largemouth bass anglers from heading out. Saltwater anglers mostly waited for the striped bass migration.

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