<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

Steelhead fishing was finished for the season on the river, said Mike from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. Smallmouth bass were about the only fish targeted on the river now, and most customers switched to fishing Lake Ontario for king salmon and brown trout. Locally, the kings were boated near Oswego, off the nuclear plant, in 60 to 100 feet of water, using downriggers to fish 40 to 50 feet down. The salmon hit nearly anything, like bluegill fishing. The browns mostly schooled near Pulaski and farther north. Lots of northern pike were fought from the lake’s shallows and harbors to the north. Steelheads swim the lake through summer, return to Salmon River in autumn, spend winter there, spawn there in spring, then return to the lake. Salmon migrate to the river in late summer and in autumn, becoming the river’s most famous fishery. They die in the river after spawning, unlike steelheads that don’t.

<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

 A few anglers seemed to score 15- to 27-inch striped bass well on Delaware River near the Turnpike Bridge the other day, Bill Brinkman from Philadelphia’s <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> wrote on his Facebook page. One angler landed a dozen stripers 26 inches and smaller downstream from Tacony around then. But Bill said the weekend seemed to be good for striper fishing, and he knew about a 40-pounder taken, and a 32-pounder beaten near the Turnpike Bridge. Still, not much news about stripers was posted on his page, compared with earlier this season. Be sure to follow New Jersey’s and Pennsylvania’s regulations for fishing for stripers on the river, including where the fish must be released, and the types of hooks required. Big catfish chewed in the river.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Rains last week raised trout streams, but the waters probably dropped and were fine now, said Brian from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. Trout were known to be angled from Rockaway River. Shad were wrestled from Delaware River, and Brian saw the river at the Catskills at Roscoe last weekend, flowing high, at more than 6,000 CFS. That floodwater would reach downstream afterward, of course, where anglers fished for shad from New Jersey. On lakes, largemouth bass were socked on soft-plastic lures like Keitechs and rubber worms like Senkos. Brian hadn’t heard whether the bass were top-water plugged yet this season, but they probably will be within a week, at least. Largemouths must be released through June 15 by law, because of spawning.

Lots of 4- and 5-pound walleyes were entered in the Knee Deep Club’s walleye tournament on the lake this weekend, Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong wrote in an email. A great turnout showed up in perfect weather, and the winning walleyes ranged from 5 to 7 pounds. In other news, hybrid striped bass were sometimes sacked on live herring. Nighttime fishing for walleyes and hybrids began to give up catches on Bomber lures. Crappies and sometimes yellow perch were aced on fathead minnows and small jigs. The Knee Deep Club’s Stew Lant Lake Hopatcong Challenge is slated for Saturday and Sunday, June 21 and 22, on the lake, and is the club’s next tournament.

Passaic River overflowed for weeks, and is probably coming down, and anglers are eager to fish there, said Cheryl from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. They’ll get after northern pike and smallmouth bass. Lots of catfish and carp also mill around the river. One customer popper-plugged hybrid striped bass at Lake Hopatcong. Customers cleaned up on striped bass and bluefish on Raritan Bay.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Hendricksons sizes 12 or 14, sometimes 16, hatched on warmer days, said Angelo from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Black caddis, “more like sizes 16 or 18,” he said, came off, and trout fishing was good. Rivers had run a little high after the rains, so small creeks, affected less, were best to fish then. But waters came back down to “normal” levels currently, and will probably be in good shape for this Memorial Day weekend. Trout are active and hungry, he said. In lakes, catfishing was good, neither better nor worse than in the last week or so. Lots of crappies were turned on at lakes, and Spruce Run Reservoir was reported a place to do a number on them. Lake trout were trolled on Round Valley Reservoir. Shad fishing went well on Delaware River, and all customers who fished for them talked about success. They all seemed to fish Delaware Water Gap and the Phillipsburg/Easton area.

About a 4-pound trout was checked-in from the Toms River at <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in the town of Toms River, Dennis said. This was probably one of the best years for the river’s trouting. The reason was unknown, like whether more trout were stocked than usual, or conditions were better for the angling. But more reports rolled in from there about trout than anywhere, and more trout were weighed-in from the river than anywhere. Panfish including crappies and bluegills were wormed at Ocean County College Pond. A few largemouth bass came from the pond. Largemouths must be released through June 15, and fishing for them became a little better than before at Lake Riviera on killies and shiners. Crappies also jumped on the live bait, and the lake was somewhat high but clear. One customer on Monday clubbed crappies at Manasquan Reservoir in the trees on Mister Twisters under a bobber. Largemouth fishing was slow there in cold water.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Fishing for largemouth bass was pretty good at lakes, said Karl from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. The bucketmouths are required to be released through June 15, and some sizeable ones were clocked at Lake Assunpink. Photos of the bass to 7 pounds were seen from there. Anglers fished for largemouths with anything invasive – lures that could look like a threat to eggs on largemouth spawning beds. That included chartreuse and black 6-inch, rubber lizards, Sweet Beavers in white trash and hot tamale colors, and Zoom Brush Hogs in black or green pumpkin. A few largemouths swiped black and blue or green pumpkin, 3/8-ounce swim jigs. Delaware River’s catfishing was amped up until the water became dirty. The water was still a little dirty this week, and the cats sniffed out bunker chunks or squid. Nothing was reported about striped bass and shad from the river, and fishing for them seemed finished for the year.

The season was late for trout fishing at local lakes, but the fish were still caught well, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b>. That seemed because more trout were stocked this year than usual to remove the fish from the hatchery, before the trout were affected by the disease there this year. Customers trout fish at places including Grenloch Lake, Oak Pond and Rowan’s Pond. News about largemouth bass landed came scattered from everywhere. No place seemed to give them up particularly more than another. Be sure to release the bass by law through June 15.  Plenty of chain pickerel seemed to bite at New Brooklyn Lake, always a place to fish for them. Nobody talked about striped bass reeled from Delaware River in past days, but the fish were cranked in before. Fishing for them is catch and release in New Jersey this time of year, and certain hooks must be used. The laws are different in Pennsylvania, including allowing a certain slot size to be bagged.

Many largemouth bass were spawning, and fishing for them was decent, said Rick from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. That included at places like the DOD ponds and Salem Canal, and the bass must be released through June 15. Shore anglers fished for them with something like a small, black rubber worm, worked along spawning beds to annoy the fish, making them try to remove the worm from the bed. Spinner baits were tossed to largemouths. At Salem Canal, small jigs and spinner baits seemed to pound pretty steady largemouth catches. Largemouths began to be picked on top-water lures, because of warming waters. In saltwater, Delaware Bay’s striped bass fishing seemed to slow compared with before, because of warming water. But drum catches picked up on the bay. Big weakfish were hooked from back bays.

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