<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Adirondacks</b>

Lake George’s ice was “a little sloppy, but not too bad,” said Jeff from <b>FISH307.com</b> in the village of Lake George. Temperatures are supposed to reach the 40s on Thursday and Friday, but are supposed to plummet again Friday night. The cold should make the conditions really good for fishing for the weekend. The lake held 15 to 20 inches of ice, and its lake trout fishing was great. Many perch swam the waters, but many were small, with better-sized ones mixed in. Quite a few northern pike and chain pickerel came from the waters, and landlocked salmon fishing was mediocre. Walleyes were slapped onto the ice from Lake Champlain’s South Bay. Snow at Lake George was probably 2 ½ feet deep, and the warmth Thursday and Friday will probably make the snow less deep. Ice-fishing baits, a large supply, are completely stocked.

<b>Salmon River</b>

The river ran low, at 365 CFS, and clear, so getting steelheads to bite was difficult, but the fish were caught, said Mike from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. The fishing was “okay, could be better,” he said, and mostly the upper river was fished. Mostly egg sacks, flies and jigs landed the fish, and snow covered the ground, but not too much. Snow didn’t hinder access much, and daytime temperatures reached the 20s and 30s. Ice fishing was very good, including on Oneida Lake, Black Lake and Chaumont Bay. Mostly northern pike and crappies were socked, but on Oneida, walleyes and perch were. Sandy pond’s ice-fishing was a little slow. Ice-fishing baits stocked include pike shiners, fathead minnows, rosy reds, buckeyes and suckers.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

A few anglers ice-fished, but deep snow kept more from getting out, said Joe from <b>Stokes Forest Sport Shop</b> in Sandyston. Another 4 or 5 inches of snow fell Tuesday, but weather is now warming up. Temperatures are supposed to reach the 50s by the weekend, so that should melt some of the snow, and maybe more anglers will fish then. Anglers said plenty of fishable ice was around, but the snow was difficult to deal with. They ice-fished on Big Swartswood Lake and Little Swartswood Lake, but most hit small ponds they could access easily. Mostly chain pickerel and largemouth bass seemed to be nabbed through the ice. A few anglers ice-fished on Delaware River, and the river’s walleye fishing through the ice was reportedly good, on jigheads with shiners.

Lots of trout were landed through the ice at Lake Aeroflex, said Brian from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. That was before the snow, and he didn’t know how the fishing was after the snow. But lots of the trout were hooked on tip-ups with herring or on jigged Kastmasters before the snow. Anglers who ice-fished on Lake Hopatcong on Sunday cleaned up on plenty of big crappies and some big chain pickerel, all on tip-ups. In open waters, trout were crushed on Pequest River on disco midges and small egg flies in sizes 16 and 18. Catch the shop’s free Cabin Fever Day on Saturday, featuring seminars, a birds of prey display, outdoor cooking demos, guides, clubs, wood carvers, tackle-manufacturer reps and more.

Despite snow, the Knee Deep Club’s ice-fishing tournament on the lake drew a decent turnout on Sunday, Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong wrote in an email. Sixty-one anglers entered, and about a foot of snow on the ice made for difficult walking and dragging sleds. Winning fish included Paul Grel’s 3-pound 12-ounce walleye, Jake Larsen’s 3-pound 12-ounce chain pickerel, and Mike Maresca’s 1-pound 3-ounce perch. Lots of 2- and 3-pound pickerel, lots of perch and some smaller largemouth bass were tackled in the event. “Also reports of several muskies to the hole,” Laurie wrote. Weather is supposed to warm slightly this week then become cold again. The warmth should melt some of the snow, currently a foot of frozen snow, and that should make for better walking. Plenty of ice, 15 inches, covered the lake.

<b>South Jersey</b>

From <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook, Angelo still did no trout fishing, he said, but warmth this week should melt the ice in trout streams. He hopes the waters will be fishable by the middle of next week, and they should be in better shape by that weekend. At first, the melting ice will raise and dirty the streams. But he hopes the waters will clear up by that weekend. Hatches of early black stoneflies, tiny ones in sizes 20 and 22, the first of the season, were heard about. Midges and sometimes blue-winged olives still came off. On lakes, ice might’ve started to become thinner for ice-fishing, but fish bit. “It’s that late ice,” he said, “they’re starting to eat.” But anglers need to be careful. Angelo ice-fished on Round Valley Reservoir during the weekend, and most of the impoundment was frozen. He reeled in two chain pickerel, and saw plenty of pickerel caught, on shiners on tip-ups. Brown, rainbow and lake trout were seen that were jigged. Panfish were also jigged from the reservoir.

Farrington Lake was ice-fished, said Karl from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Chain pickerel were banged out there on shiners. Sometimes largemouth bass were beaten from the lake, and a northern pike was heard about from the waters. Ice-fishing was pretty good at the lakes at Assunpink Wildlife Management Area. Pickerel and largemouths were hung, and bluegills, crappies and perch were jigged. On Delaware River, the Trenton power plant generated warm waters, because smoke was seen coming from the plant. But nothing was heard about fishing there. Previously, smallmouth bass were angled there on shiners. Elsewhere on the river, the waters were frozen, but the channel was somewhat open.

<b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland wasn’t even contacted for a report, because fishing surely remained the same. Lakes were frozen, with snow on top. The ice was too thin to fish on, yet prevented fishing with a cast line or boating. A few areas of open waters, like near spillways, could probably be fished. Warmer weather this week might clear out the ice, though.

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