<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Adirondacks</b>

Ice-fishing conditions were excellent on Lake George, said Jeff from <b>FISH307.com</b> in the village of Lake George. Twelve to 15 inches of ice and thicker covered the water, and perch were caught, but lake trout fishing was the best Jeff could remember in his lifetime. The lakers were jigged in 70 to 90 feet from the lake. Four inches of snow covered the ice, not bad for fishing. Lake George is forecast to be on the edge of the snowstorm rolling into the Northeast tonight and tomorrow. Forecasts currently predict 6 to 8 inches at Lake George, but also say none could fall, or 10 or 12 inches could. More snow is forecast for New Jersey than the Adirondacks. Air temperature was minus 16 degrees at 8 a.m. today at the shop, and was supposed to peak at 20 later in the day. The weekend should be in the 20s. Ice-fishing was also good on Lake Champlain, but customers were focused on Lake George. Ice-fishing baits, a large supply, are fully stocked. The <a href="http://www.fish307.com/lakegeorgechingachgookclassicicefishingderby.aspx" target="_blank">Lake George Chingachgook Classic Ice Fishing Derby</a> will be held Saturday and Sunday. The contest features cash prizes and a high payout – 80 percent, Jeff thought – and anglers can sign up at the store.

<b>Salmon River</b>

The river ran low at 360 or 370 CFS, but that was higher than previously, and steelhead fishing was fairly good on the waters, and many anglers fished for them, said Mike from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. They caught on natural-colored egg imitations and flies and on trout beads and jigs, mostly on the upper river from Altmar to Pineville. The lower river was shallower and slushier. Ice-fishing was great on lakes, including for yellow perch, walleyes, bluegills and crappies at Oneida Lake and Henderson Harbor, northern pike at Sandy Pond, perch and pike at Lake of the Isles, lake trout and Atlantic salmon at Eagle Bay, and lakers at Keuka Lake, in the Finger Lakes. Baits stocked for ice-fishing include suckers, pike shiners, fathead minnows, buckeyes, rosy reds, spikes, mousies and wax worms.

<b>New Jersey</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Big Swartswood Lake’s ice-fishing for panfish was decent, said Dean from <b>Stokes Forest Sport Shop</b> in Sandyston. That included for fish like perch and crappies, and the ice was 8 inches thick, and probably lots thicker at some places. Nothing was heard about fishing on Delaware River and Big Flatbrook, and snow was piled up 10 or 11 inches, with a hard crust on top. That was difficult to walk on, keeping anglers from fishing there. A few anglers in winter ice-fish for walleyes on the Delaware. A few in winter fish for trout on the Flatbrook.

Weather became cold again, and ice became thicker on lakes, so ice-fishing picked up, said Brian from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. Pretty much all the usual lakes were ice-fished, including Lake Hopatcong. Largemouth bass, chain pickerel and perch were tugged from there. A couple of big muskies, larger than 40 inches, were whacked recently from Hopatcong, like some were before. Someone said Hopatcong held 14 inches of ice at the coves, Brian thought. One lake in Jefferson Township supposedly held more than 17. Perch and pickerel were nabbed from the ice on most lakes. Trout fishing was good at Lake Aeroflex through the ice. Baits stocked for ice-fishing include spikes and wax worms, and mousies might’ve started to become difficult to obtain, but that wasn’t certain. Nobody mentioned trout fishing on streams. But if anglers trouted, they could’ve fished Pequest River near the hatchery, where waters remain open, with small flies like midges, and maybe small blue-winged olives. “It’s just been cold,” Brian said, and now more snow was forecast.

Ice-anglers caught a slow pick of perch and pickerel from the lake during the weekend, Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong wrote in an email. “But plenty of ice, and nice weather to be out and just have some fun,” she said. The ice was 15 inches thick, and should last some time. Two 40-inch muskies were hauled through the ice, like big muskies were previously. Alan Tuorinsky weighed-in a 7-pound 6-ounce walleye hooked on a shiner on a tip-up at Great Cove. Smaller muskies were sometimes reported caught off Chestnut Point. The Knee Deep Club will hold an ice-fishing tournament Sunday on the lake, featuring cash prizes. Anglers can visit the club’s website or call Dow’s for info: 973-663-3826.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Braden from the store rounded up good ice-fishing for perch, crappies and a couple of bluegills on a trip Monday, said Angelo from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. He was unsure about the lake fished, but it was probably Farrington or Hopatcong. Shiners on tip-ups caught best, though Angelo likes dead-sticking jigs with mousies. Ice-fishing made up most of the news, but trout were sometimes banked at Round Valley Reservoir from shore, when anglers could find open water. Angelo, a trout fly-fisher on streams, did none of the stream fishing, because of the cold. For trout streams, “every gauge says ice,” he said. Pequest River was probably unfrozen at the hatchery. Musconetcong River probably held open water at places, but the upper Musky probably didn’t hold enough limestone water to stay unfrozen. Anglers could surely find limestone streams that were unfrozen in Pennsylvania and New York’s Catskill Mountains to fish. In New Jersey, the South Branch of the Raritan River was pretty much frozen.

The Trenton power plant generated warm water into Delaware River almost daily, and a few smallmouth bass were landed there during the weekend on shiners, said Karl from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Fishing for them was pretty good, and nothing was heard about walleyes that bit there, but sometimes walleyes also chew at the plant. The rest of the river was frozen, and snow was forecast for tonight, and a “wintry mix to rain” was predicted for tomorrow, at Trenton, the Weather Channel said. Ice-fishing was good at the lakes at Assunpink Wildlife Management Area during the weekend. Catches included sizeable chain pickerel and some crappies. Photos were seen of probably 4- and 5-pound largemouth bass caught from there, and another largemouth that must’ve weighed 6 or 7. Pemberton Lake also turned out good ice fishing for picks and largemouths. Farther north, trout were plucked from Pequest River on Yozuri Pins Minnows on spinning rods or flies like size-20 pheasant-tail or Prince nymphs on fly rods.

Lakes were mostly frozen, and some snow covered them, said Jeff from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. But they weren’t frozen enough to fish on, so anglers couldn’t really fish. Forecasts look like days will become warmer next week.

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