<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Adirondacks</b>

Ice-fishing conditions remained good, probably the best of the year, on the lake, said Jeff from <b>FISH307.com</b> in Lake George. The ice was thick and hard, and the conditions should be excellent for the weekend. Bigger perch than before started to bite. An angler this morning said he limited out on the slabs, all sizeable, by 10 a.m. the other day. Lake trout fishing remained good, like it has been this season. Air temperatures started to rise a little, reaching the 20s during daytime. All ice-fishing baits, a large supply, are stocked. Though ice conditions remained ideal, spring-fishing tackle started to be put out at the shop. Anglers began to show interest.

<b>Salmon River</b>

The river ran low, between 200 and 300 CFS, but steelhead fishing was okay on the upper stretches or around Altmar, said Mike from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. Mostly egg sacks caught, and this was a cold winter locally. Daytime air temperatures reached the teens and 20s in past days. The amount of snow on the ground varied from 1 foot to 5 feet, depending on location, but snow was mostly packed down along the river. Ice-fishing was slow, typical for late in the ice-fishing season. Not much was heard about catches from ice-anglers.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Looking ahead to spring, largemouth bass clubs are scheduling the year’s tournaments. A friend’s club, the Northeast Bassmasters, announced dates, Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale said. See the <a href="http://www.northeastbassmasters.com/id58.html" target="_blank">schedule</a> on the club’s website that will begin with a tournament on Lake Hopatcong on Saturday, April 12.  Dave plans to attend the <a href="http://www.muskiemax.com/" target="_blank">Muskie Max Show</a> in Butler in western Pennsylvania this weekend.

A few anglers fished Saturday, not a lot, but more than on previous Saturdays, said Joe from <b>Stokes Forest Sport Shop</b> in Sandyston. They mostly worked the ice on smaller lakes or ponds, mostly tugging in perch and pickerel on live bait. Not many fished the ice on larger lakes nearby and Delaware River, because of snow surrounding the waters, not snow on the waters. Snow surrounding them was 1 ½ feet deep and became somewhat packed down, but with a crust on top. Someone would walk maybe two or three steps then break through, difficult for walking. Snow on the ice on the waters wasn’t a problem, because the surface turned to slush two weekends ago, in warmer weather, then froze in colder weather afterward. That was frozen solid now. Waters held plenty of fishable ice or 18 inches to 2 feet.

“It’s cold,” said Brian from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. But anglers sometimes fished from the ice on lakes. Catches heard about included muskies from Lake Hopatcong and trout and landlocked salmon from Lake Aeroflex, all on tip-ups. Trout streams became pretty much covered with ice in the past week’s cold. But spring-fed, warmer Pequest River was fished for trout. One angler talked about nabbing a trout on a Roostertail fished very slowly. The location wasn’t mentioned, but Brian thought maybe South Branch of Raritan River. Another angler hooked trout on Musconetcong River on butter worms, again fished very slowly.

Plenty of ice, 15 to 18 inches, covered the lake, Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> from Lake Hopatcong wrote in an email. “We missed the snowstorm (on Monday)!” she wrote. Cold weather this week should keep the ice in good shape for this weekend. Last weekend, plenty of anglers fished the ice. Lots of perch and pickerel were beaten, and the perch were sizeable, a pound and larger. Dylan Cole axed two big pickerel to a 4-pound 8-ouncer on shiners on a tip-up. The Knee Deep Club will hold an ice-fishing tournament on Sunday, March 16, on the lake. Anglers hope the ice will hang on for another week for the event. Previously, this coming weekend was the tentative date, and the tournament was only recently scheduled, because this has been such a good ice season. The club also held an ice tournament in February, covered in a previous report here.

<b>South Jersey</b>

From <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook, Angelo trout fished on Toms River on Saturday, he said. That was farther south than he usually trouts, and he was just scoping out a new place. But he hooked no trout, and didn’t see lots of fish life and bugs. Still, he heard positive reports about trout fishing from other streams. Flies like midges or small nymphs like pheasant-tails caught. One angler scored a healthy-sized rainbow trout on a small pheasant-tail. But scuds in sizes 14 to 18, stoneflies, even up to size 8, and egg flies connected. Anglers fished flies like a stone with one of the smaller flies as a trailer. A friend fished an egg fly with a chimarra caddis, a larva fly, as a trailer, catching well. The friend banked two trout at Ken Lockwood Gorge on that. For ice anglers, fishing sometimes slowed, just because that was typical for late in the ice season, in conditions like heavy, gray ice, Braden from the shop said. Round Valley Reservoir held plenty of fishable ice, serving up brown trout at 6- to 12-foot shallows and lake trout at 75- to 85-foot waters. Almost all were taken on shiners: live shiners for the browns, and live or dead for the lakers. Northern pike were snatched from the ice sort of from all different lakes. A few were known about from Spruce Run Reservoir and Pompton Lake. Rumors said walleyes came from Big Swartswood Lake through the ice at night, but no proof rolled into the shop.

<b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> from Toms River was opened this weekend, Jeff said. That was after the store was closed for a winter break, and the doors were closed again Monday and Tuesday. But the store will be open daily starting today. Anglers sometimes bought bait during the weekend, but for saltwater fishing, including at Oyster Creek and the surf. The creek is the warm-water discharge from the Forked River power plant. But nobody reported results, and waters were cold, even at the creek. Baits stocked included garden worms, killies, bloodworms, clams and frozen baits. The store’s owner will open an additional store at the former Go Fish Bait & Tackle on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River, probably during the middle of the month.

Pequest River held lots of trout at the Trout Conservation Area, said Bob from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Fishing for them was fairly good, all on midges. Other Trout Conservation Areas should also harbor the fish, but nothing was reported from them, like at Musconetcong River and South Branch of Raritan River. On lakes, ice could probably be fished, because weather was cold. That probably included the lakes at Assunpink Wildlife Management Area. Nobody mentioned the angling to Bob. But Karl from the store in last week’s report said largemouth bass, chain pickerel and crappies were slid-in there on shiners or small flash or hair jigs.

Ice formed back on the pond again, said Jeff from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Nobody really fished, because of the weather. The store was closed Monday, because of the snowstorm. Lakes probably held ice that prevented a line from being cast. Whether any of the ice was fishable was unknown, but ice-fishing’s uncommon this far south. The ice usually isn’t thick long enough to generate interest.

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