<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Adirondacks</b>

Lake George’s ice-fishing conditions were “looking really good,” said Tony from <b>FISH307.com</b> in the village of Lake George. No snow covered the top, because snow either blew off or melted, and the ice was 20 to 25 inches thick. Fishing for yellow perch heated up, went well, on the lake, and was best from 2 to 6 p.m. lately. Some anglers limited out in a half-hour or 45 minutes, and the perch were getting ready to spawn and not eat, so they were hungry. The lake’s lake trout fishing was excellent, including off Crown Island and Tongue Mountain Range Point. But anglers sometimes caught two or three lakers while perch fishing, too. Several feet of snow covered the ground at Lake George, and daytime temperatures mostly reached the high 20s to low 30s.

<b>Salmon River</b>

The river ran low, at about 285 CFS, but gave up pretty good steelhead fishing, said Mike from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. The flow and the fishing were similar to last week, and most catches came from the upper river, because of deeper waters, from Altmar to Pineville. But the fish were occasionally taken on the lower river. The steelheading should become even better soon, peaking in spring. The catches usually last until May sometime, and once weather warms, the fish will start to drop down to the lower river. They’ll stage to return to Lake Ontario for summer, after spawning. Steelheads enter the river in autumn from the lake. They winter in the river and spawn there in spring, returning to the lake for summer. They don’t die after spawning like salmon do. A few anglers still ice-fished on lakes, and the ice will probably break up soon.

<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

“Anyone? Stripers” Bill Brinkman from <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Philadelphia wrote on his Facebook page. He was asking whether anyone caught striped bass on Delaware River so far this season. One reply said a couple were landed near Commodore Bridge, and another said “Washington’s Crossing,” without further explanation. “Thanks, I’ll give it a try,” someone else wrote. But the rest of the replies were negative. “Out for 5 hrs, and nothing, not even a nibble,” one said. “Nothin doin,” another said. “The water was very cold and dirty.” But Bill got a great report about “lots of nice walleyes” that bit in Schuylkill River on rubber grubs and shads and crank baits, he wrote on the page. He planned to head there.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

A few ice-fished on local lakes, mostly reeling up “bass and panfish,” said Joe from <b>Stokes Forest Sport Shop</b> in Sandyston. Plenty of fishable ice covered lakes, but the edges were questionable, started to melt. Waters held plenty of fishable ice this winter, though many anglers avoided hiking through deep snow to fish the ice. Delaware River started to become ice-free on Sunday, though probably not enough for boating. Boaters will probably fish the river by this weekend, probably for walleyes. One angler pulled in four or five walleyes from the ice on Big Swartswood Lake during the weekend. He fished during daytime, probably 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., though sometimes anglers fish for walleyes at dawn or dusk or at night. The location where the angler fished was probably key, like always, but sometimes ice will block enough sunlight for light-sensitive walleyes to hit during daytime. Fishing was closed starting Monday for trout stocking on most trout-stocked waters, and the waters will be reopened April 5, opening day of trout season. But some waters remain open, including for catch-and-release trouting at Big Flatbrook’s Trout Conservation Area from Route 206 to Roy Bridge.  

Ice was still fished during the weekend, said Brian from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. Lake Hopatcong probably held 6 to 12 inches, and gave up perch for ice anglers then. But some of the smaller, private lakes held 16 inches. Ice that thick would take a couple of weeks to melt. Anglers in recent years fished open waters for crappies and perch that bite well this time of year in lakes. But the ice prevented that this year. Many waters that are stocked with trout were closed to fishing starting Monday for stocking, and will be reopened on April 5. One  trouter said Pequest River and Musconetcong River raged with high waters during the weekend. Still, anglers fished trout streams like that during the weekend, and caught, probably on flies like Wooly Buggers in the high flow. 

A handful of anglers fished the ice on the lake, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. The ice along the shoreline started to become “a little snotty,” she said, but about a foot covered the lake farther out. Ice anglers might squeak another weekend out of the fishing. But the edges might become too thawed soon, including because of warmer weather and rain in the forecast. Any snow pretty much melted that had been on top.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Angelo from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook landed trout last week at Ken Lockwood Gorge and Pequest River, he said. Many trout waters were closed to fishing for stocking starting Monday, but some waters, including wild trout streams, remain open. Angelo’s catches came despite dirty waters that looked like chocolate from high flows. He hooked all the fish on trailers, and trailers can include baetis, blue-winged olives, midges, chimarra caddis and green rock worms, all in sizes 16 to 22. Flies they can be fished behind can include pheasant-tail nymphs, hares-ear nymphs, early stoneflies, Prince nymphs, Zug Bugs and eggs. Streams sounded a little high still this week. A buddy said the Gorge was high but definitely fishable on Tuesday morning. Though the state this year is not stocking some streams to prevent spreading a disease at the hatchery, if the streams were normally closed for stocking, they still are.  <a href="http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/trtinfo_spring.htm" target="_blank">Click here</a> for the changes in the stocking that will include four weeks of stocking, instead of the usual seven. Ice was still fished last week at Round Valley Reservoir and Spruce Run Reservoir. That might’ve come to an end because of warmer weather. But at Round Valley, trout will cruise along the shoreline after ice-out. Northern pike started to spawn when ice still covered the waters, and early to mid-March is the time to tie into pike along the shore, because the spawning fish will swim there.

Chain pickerel were sometimes fought on the Toms River at Trilco, said Jeff from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in the town of Toms River. Some anglers fished for them with killies, and no perch were heard about from there. Trilco is a closed building supply, and no sign identifies the building. But locals know the stretch by the name, located near Garden State Parkway. Jeff socked pickerel at Winding River on killies. No largemouth bass grabbed the bait for him, but a few largemouths were heard about from Lake Riviera. So were pickerel and a few yellow perch, all on killies and shiners. Four to six inches of snow fell Monday, but melted quickly the next day. Baits stocked include shiners, killies and nightcrawlers.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Ice melted from lakes, and a few chain pickerel were clubbed from ponds in the Pine Barrens on shiners and No. 4 Mepp’s Comet Minos, said Karl from   <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. A few crappies were plucked from Assunpink Lake, all the way in the back, around the swamp, on small Mister Twisters on small jigheads under a float. Largemouth bass were managed from some of the private ponds, caught on small hair jigs with rubber trailers, bounced slowly along bottom. Walleyes were sometimes smacked from Delaware River at the Lambertville wing dam on 3-inch, black twister tails on jigheads or on large nighcrawlers on jigheads. The jigheads were just heavy enough to bounce bottom but not drag.

A largemouth bass tournament was held at Parvin Lake during the weekend, said Jeff from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. But not many of the fish seemed to be caught, probably because of cold waters. Not a lot was heard about fishing, but Jeff hopes more anglers will fish in coming warmer weather. Minnows are stocked that previously were difficult to obtain. Jonathan Paterno weighed-in a 15-pound 2–ounce catfish from a lake.

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