<b>NORTH JERSEY</b>

Nighttime plugging for walleyes will take off soon on lakes, said Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale. That’s some of his favorite fishing, and walleyes 3 to 10 pounds, big fish, explode on lures along the surface, once the water temperatures reach the 70s. That’s when alewives swim into shallows to spawn, attracting walleyes to push into the skinny waters at night to forage on the baitfish. Then the walleyes can be plugged, and Dave tested the fishing on Sunday night a short time, on Greenwood Lake with a friend. One walleye was boated, and another blew up on a lure and was missed, and the lake was 65 to 67 degrees. When the fishing gets going soon, Dave even guides trips for them in the small hours of the night, like at midnight and 2 a.m. Sometimes lakes like Greenwood can transform during those hours, coming alive with fish, after heavy boat traffic during daytime. Quite a few boats sailed Greenwood before sunset during Dave’s trip. The overnight fishing is an experience, using equipment like headlamps. In other news, Dave’s friend Paul Schmidt competed in Paul’s club the Northeast Bassmasters’ tournament on Connecticut’s Candlewood Lake. Paul lost probably the biggest largemouth he ever hooked, probably bigger than 8 pounds, and the winning weight was 20-some pounds for eight fish. Live to Fish Guide Service guides trips for trout, muskies, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleyes, crappies, chain pickerel, panfish, yellow perch, white perch, carp and more. Lakes fished include Greenwood Lake, Lake Hopatcong, Monksville Reservoir, Echo Lake, Mountain Lake and Furnace Lake. Rivers fished include the Flatbrook, Pequest, Paulinskill and Ramapo.

Trout streams seemed to drop a lot, after high water before, said Burt from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. He was surprised, but customer said they fished the streams in 2 to 3 feet of water.  Not a lot of customers geared up for trout, but a few bought PowerBait for the angling. Customers landed largemouth bass from lakes on worms and soft-plastic lures. The bass must be released through June 15 by law for spawning. One angler showed a photo of a hybrid striped bass reeled from Greenwood Lake. Greg who used to work at the shop kayaked a 5-pound walleye on Swartswood Lake. Most customers saltwater fished. They bagged good catches of striped bass on Raritan Bay on private boats. A few who fished for the bass on party boats said they didn’t catch so well. One angler who fluke fished said back bays gave up the best fishing for them. Larger bays were apparently cold for the fish. Burt competed in the Governor’s Surf Fishing Tournament at Island Beach State Park two Sundays ago. Mostly bluefish were banked.

Lots of fish were smashed from the lake, Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong wrote in an email. That included perch, crappies, chain pickerel, hybrid striped bass and walleyes. Fishing for largemouth bass and smallmouths is restricted to catch and release through June 15. For the perch and crappies, fish jigs or fathead minnows. For the pickerel, cast or troll Rapalas or Mepps spinners along weed lines. Hybrids and walleyes started to bite at night on Bomber lures close to shore, because herring began to spawn there. Both fish were also taken during daytime, on livelined herring and lures. Pete Pelligrino beat an 8-pound 1-ounce hybrid, and Marcin Supinski caught the bass to a 6-pound 5-ouncer. Igor Brits weighed-in a 7-pound 5-ounce walleye, and other anglers tackled 6- and 7-pound walleyes.  

Most customers who fished freshwater hit lakes and ponds for largemouth bass and crappies, said Cheryl from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. They caught the largemouths well, like around Andover, and the bass must be released through June 15 throughout the state. Hybrid striped bass were heard about from Lake Hopatcong. One customer landed northern pike from Passaic River, and the river ran a little high, after it flooded previously this season. Saltwater anglers hooked nearly all fish that migrate to the coast, including stripers, lots of blues, and fluke around Sandy Hook. Blowfish were plucked farther south.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Trout fishing was good on streams, and Hendricksons and caddis hatched, said Angelo from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Sulfurs should come off soon, and midges and other flies also caught, like San Juan worms, especially after rains that wash worms and debris into waters. Eggs probably still worked, and water levels probably dropped on streams. Maybe rivers like the Musconetcong, susceptible to flooding, ran somewhat high. Darrel from the shop trout fished on Ken Lockwood Gorge a couple of times during the weekend, Darrel said. The fish weren’t keyed in on any fly, making the angling a little tough. But flies that caught included pheasant-tail nymphs, small, flashback pheasant-tails in sizes 18 and 20, WD-40s in gray and tan, and caddis. Shad were fought on Delaware River, Angelo said, and rumors said that was mostly toward Delaware Water Gap, at first and last light. Anglers say the best shad fishing is when the river’s dropping, and this should be the time. Angelo shad fished farther downstream at Bulls Island, banking one. Lake fishing started to light up, like it should this time of year. Some largemouth bass, required to be released through June 15, were spawning, and some were coming off spawning, in lakes. Lake fishing for crappies and catfish both went well. Catfish reportedly were on a tear at Spruce Run and Round Valley reservoirs.

One angler and son tugged chain pickerel, largemouth bass, sunfish and a couple of yellow perch from Lake Riviera on killies, shiners and earthworms, said Jeff from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Be sure to release largemouths by law through June 15, and a few of the bass and some pickerel chewed at Ocean County College Pond on killies. Jeff reeled in largemouths, picks and a catfish at Winding River on shiners. He never picked up a cat there before. A few pickerel hit in the Toms River at Trilco, the closed building supply. No sign identifies the building, but locals know the stretch by the name, located near Garden State Parkway. Farther upstream on the Toms, a buddy totaled five trout near the tree farm in Jackson or the Forest Resource Education Center. Another angler tried for trout at Deal Lake but got skunked. No news was heard from Manasquan Reservoir, Jeff said when asked. Murphy’s, located on Route 37, recently bought <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River, and is now running both stores.

<b>South Jersey</b>

 Largemouth bass just started to come off spawning beds, and fishing for them was pretty decent at local lakes and ponds, said Karl from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. The bass must be released through June 15 by law, and were hooked on white or chartreuse spinner baits or 4-inch, red-shad or watermelon Yum Dingers rigged wacky-style. A few crappies still bit at lakes, after fishing for them was better before. Lake Assunpink gave them up on fathead minnows or 1-inch, yellow Mister Twisters fished 2 ½ feet under a bobber. Before the last substantial rains, a few walleyes were axed from Delaware River at Yardley on leeches or nightcrawlers on 5/16- or 3/8-ounce, black jigheads bounced along bottom. White perch to 1 pound, good-sized, chomped in the Delaware at Bordentown Beach and along the Trenton wall.

A customer talked about catching trout from Grenloch Lake, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b>. But other reports about trout dried up, including from Rowan’s Pond and Oak Pond. Trout catches previously had lasted longer than usual this season, apparently because more of the fish were stocked than in the past. The hatchery stocked the extras because of a disease at the hatchery, trying to use the healthy fish before those trout caught the disease. Crappies bit at Grenloch, and sunnies were angled from different waters, like the spillway at Blackwood Lake. Few anglers mentioned largemouth bass, and the bass are restricted to catch and release through June 15. People bought bait to fish for striped bass on Delaware River, but none reported tying into the fish anymore this season.

Union Lake’s fishing was charged up in the past week, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Fishing there was good for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, both required to be released through June 15, and crappies. The bass must be released because of spawning, and largemouths already went through a couple of rounds of spawning this season. Not many seemed to spawn currently, but maybe some will around the next full moon for the final time this year. Largemouthing with rubber frogs became great at all different lakes. A couple of anglers talked about good top-water fishing for largemouths at Malaga Lake. In saltwater, drum fishing was decent on Delaware Bay. A few striped bass still bit in the bay, and that angling will taper off in the warm weather. Summer flounder fishing sounded productive in back bays along the coast, and flounder season was opened Friday. Not much was heard about flounder from deeper, colder Delaware Bay. Bluefish seemed abundant along the coast.

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