<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Adirondacks</b>

Lots of ice covered Lake George, probably 10 to 12 inches throughout, and Lake Champlain was locked up for the first time in a while, said Tony from <b>FISH307.com</b> in the village of Lake George. Big lake trout, often big numbers, were heaved through the ice on George. Yellow perch fishing was sort of “off” on the lake. But anglers who found the perch limited out in a couple of hours. Six to 10 inches of snow was supposed to fall today, not the best for ice-fishing. “Some tough dragging,” Tony said.  But lots of ice covered all lakes in the Adirondacks. Mid-day temperatures lately reached 20 degrees, not too uncomfortable for ice-fishing. Nights dipped into single-digits. All ice-fishing baits are stocked, and more will be delivered today. The baits on hand include small, medium and large shiners, pike shiners, fathead minnows, hunts, icicles and two sizes of suckers.

<b>Salmon River</b>

Daytime temperatures reached 30 degrees on the river yesterday, and the waters ran low at 285 CFS, but steelhead fishing was fair, not bad for the time of year, farther upstream, said Scott from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. Slush filled the river at the ballpark. The air temperature was higher than previously, when the cold formed slush and ice that practically prevented fishing on the river. Steelheads swim the river all winter, spawn there in spring and return to Lake Ontario for summer. They migrate back up the river in fall. Fishing for them is world-class in the river in winter and spring. Ice-fishing was great on lakes, including Oneida Lake. Northern pike catches were especially good there, and the lake’s yellow perch fishing slowed somewhat. Sandy Pond’s fishing was fair for pike and perch on the ice. Customers often traveled north to fish the ice on Chaumont Bay for perch and bluegills. Not as much was heard about results from there, but the fishing must’ve been worthwhile. Ice-fishing baits stocked include small and large buckeyes, rosy reds, fathead minnows, pike minnows, mousies and spikes. Plenty of snow was piled up all around, but was hard-packed, Scott said. The snow didn’t prevent fishing.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale fly-rodded for trout on a trip, starting at Pequest River, he wrote in an email early Sunday morning. But the river ran low, was crowded with anglers and was frozen bank to bank at some places. So he drove to another river, “my favorite place,” he said, landing a good-sized rainbow trout on a small, size-16 Prince nymph. Nobody else fished the waters, and that river ran “great,” he said. The silver-sided rainbow, with a pink stripe down the middle and an olive back, looked stunning, he said. Dave usually fishes for trout in spring, specializing in lure fishing for them on streams. Afterward, through summer and fall, his trips often boat for walleyes and muskies on lakes. But he’s been getting out for trout on streams this winter, like he did last winter. In winter, streams have been less crowded, and trout have bitten, he’s found. He previously emailed photos of rainbows he fly-rodded on another trip recently and rainbows he plugged on a trip in late December on Rapala Countdown lures. Even in December, the fish were cold as blocks of ice. When he plugs for trout in spring, conditions are often ideal for the lures in streams. Plenty of water usually flows in them in spring, so anglers can avoid snagging the lures on bottom or debris like logs. The fish are also willing to smack something larger like a plug during that season. The lures are fun to fish and attract large trout.

More than enough ice could be fished, said Brian from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. Anglers often ice-fished on the bigger lakes like Hopatcong and Swartswood, and caught. Muskies and largemouth bass were heard about from Hopatcong. Ice-fishing for sizeable trout was good on Lake Aeroflex. Walleyes might’ve been tugged from Big Swartswood Lake’s ice. Nothing was heard about that, but that’s where walleyes bite through the ice at times. Perch were pulled from the ice everywhere. Most of the bigger species were probably grabbed on tip-ups. The perch were often jigged, but sometimes other catches, like largemouths, hit the jigs. For ice-fishing, baits including mousies and wax worms are stocked, and tackle is on hand. Not much was reported about trout-fishing on streams, because of ice and cold. Someone said Musconetcong River held some ice jams. Participation will probably pick up by the end of the month or in early March, when trout streams should become freer from ice. This season’s snow might make trout streams flow at healthy levels, when the snow melts, and stream anglers return to fishing.

Five or six inches of snow fell in the first storm this week, and probably not quite that much fell in the current storm, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. The precipitation was turning to ice this morning, but anglers still ice-fished on the lake then. Anglers yesterday said the ice was 3 or 4 inches. “That slushy, in-between,” she said. But anglers ice-fished. Not a lot was heard about catches during the weekend, except about a few perch and pickerel. Plenty of ice, up to 12 inches, formed previously this winter. The Knee Deep Club’s ice-fishing tournament is scheduled for Sunday, February 16, on the lake. That was rescheduled from January 19, when ice could be fished on the lake, but the edges were questionable.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Catches started to slow a little from the ice, and the fish sort of started biting deeper, said Braden from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. But the angling was sometimes good for crappies and northern pike at Spruce Run Reservoir. Muskies were occasionally smashed from Lake Hopatcong’s ice. Walleyes were supposedly tied into from Big Swartswood’s ice after dark. Customers showed a couple of photos of 3- to 5-pound largemouth bass from the ice at community ponds. Angelo from the shop fished the ice at Round Valley Reservoir, and the angling was slow, but he’s not an ice-angler. He and a buddy hooked and lost one fish apiece, and Angelo saw a chain pickerel that someone else scored from the ice on the trip. The fish that Angelo hooked fought hard, so was probably a perch or a crappie. The fish was jigged over a shallow weed bed. Angelo is a trout-stream fly-fisher, and did none of that angling, because of the cold. Participation should pick up in a week or two, when weather should become warmer. Trout should be able to be nabbed from the ice on any lakes that hold them, he noted. That includes places like Lake Aeroflex and Farrington Lake or any of the lakes that the state winter-stocked with trout. Trout are cold-water fish, unlike some of the other species fished for through the ice. Trout will actively feed in the cold.

Ice was fished at the lakes at Assunpink Wildlife Management Area, said Karl from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Lots of bluegills were belted on small jigs with wax worms. Chain pickerel and largemouth bass were slid-in on shiners on tip-ups. A few crappies were socked. Pemberton Lake also turned up pickerel and largemouths on shiners on tip-ups or Swedish Pimple jigs through the ice. Delaware River remained pretty frozen, but the Trenton power plant ran lately, pumping out warm water. A few smallmouth bass were smoked there on shiners under bobbers. An ice-breaker sailed up the river, as far upstream as the power plant. That happened previously this season, too.

Lakes were frozen, with some snow on top, said Jeff Sr. from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. More snow was supposed to fall last night, but forecasts afterward predicted rain. The ice wasn’t safe to fish, but prevented open-water angling. Nobody really fished. But when the ice thaws, anglers will fish for chain pickerel on the lakes. The picks are aggressive in the cold, unlike largemouth bass that can become sluggish then.

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