<b>North Jersey</b>

An angler fished on one of the nighttime trips that plug for walleyes on a lake last Wednesday with <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale, Capt. Dave Vollenweider said. The client nailed a 9-pounder, his biggest-ever walleye, and a 4-pounder, both on a large Rapala lure. He released the 9-pounder and kept the 4-pounder to eat. Dave hasn’t had bang-up nights with walleyes this year, like nights when 10 or 12 were landed, but the angler was tickled with the fishing and the size of the 9-pounder, Dave said, and one never knows if double-digits are suddenly going to bite. Dave’s got anglers who still want to walleye fish, and he’s telling them the season is becoming late, but he’ll go and see what happens. Walleyes push into shallows at night this time of year to feed on spawning herring. Then walleyes can be caught on top-water lures, good sport. The big fish smash the plugs along the surface. In the morning, after the angler departed, Dave headed back out on the lake, trolling and releasing a 22- or 25-pound musky on a jointed Joe Bucher Depth Raider Lure. Muskies have been biting the lures trolled down 15 feet at 3.6 m.p.h. Another angler jumped aboard Saturday on the lake, and fishing was tough, for unknown reasons, but white perch and large sunfish were boated. A musky was seen trolled on another vessel. The lake’s been 76 to 77 degrees, approaching 80 when the sun becomes high.

Brian from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna fished for smallmouth bass on Delaware River with two anglers on Sunday from 3 to 8:30 p.m., he said. They probably landed four or five smallies apiece and some rock bass while wading. The smallmouths measured up to 17 inches, and were hooked on Senko rubber worms and Keitech swim shads. The river ran a little high and discolored, but was very fishable, and only two other anglers were seen the whole time. Customers seemed finished with trout fishing on streams for the season in the heat. Many anglers prefer not to fish for trout in high temperatures, avoiding stressing or killing the fish. A few trout could probably be hooked in mornings or evenings, when weather’s cooler, on streams that remain cooler, like Ken Lockwood Gorge, on flies like pheasant-tail nymphs or terrestrials. Sinking ants should catch especially well. Hybrid striped bass bit at Lake Hopatcong, and chicken livers were a top bait. Largemouth bass fishing was good at the different lakes, and many anglers threw Scatter Raps to them. A new lure in the line, the Scatter Rap Crank Shallow, seemed deadly, and will arrive at the shop next week.

The Knee Deep Club held a hybrid striped bass tournament on the lake during the weekend, and Kenny Stelmack from Hackettstown won with a 6-pound 12-ouncer, Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> wrote in an email. He was awarded $440, and all the hybrids entered weighed 5 to 6 pounds. Fifty-five anglers entered, and the club will next hold a catfish tournament on the lake on the weekend of August 9 to 10. Hybrids seen earlier in the week included Chris Anderson’s two that weighed 7 pounds 9 ounces and 7 pounds.  Trout were tugged from the lake at Byram Cove during the week. Several sizeable walleyes were winged, including John White’s 6-pound 14-ouncer and Kenny Stelmack’s 5-pound 1-ouncer. Lots of smallmouth bass were creamed, including Jim Welsh’s 3-pound 2-ouncer.

Customers basically fished Passaic River for northern pike and catfish, said Larry from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. They fought pike, big ones, like crazy on anything from live bait to large spinners, like a Blue Fox in silver. For the cats, most anglers fished nightcrawlers. But some dunked chunks of bunker, usually a saltwater bait. But the oily baitfish attracted the cats.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Scott from the shop plugged good largemouth bass fishing at Washington Valley Park Reservoir on lures like Zara Spooks and jerk baits, said Ron from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. The fish weighed up to 3 ½ pounds, and largemouthing was good at different lakes, including on Jersey-rigged, 4- or 5-inch Senkos. Not many anglers fished for trout in the warmth. Anglers who still wanted to fly fish headed to saltwater bays for fluke. Nothing was heard about smallmouth bass fishing, including from Raritan River. But smallmouthing was probably good there, usually is this time of season. The store is now stocking live crawfish, good-sized, 2 ½ or 3 inches, including for smallmouths. Catfish were picked up from Amwell Lake at night on usual baits like cut bait while anglers chummed.

Adults took kids to Ocean County College Pond for lots of bluegills that fed, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. That made up most angling, and bluegills were almost all that hit in the pond, and worms caught plenty. A couple of customers fished Manasquan Reservoir, boating hybrid striped bass on chicken livers while drifting. Largemouth bass gave up some catches at the reservoir in the trees in the deep on 8- or 10-inch Zoom rubber worms fished on bottom on ½-ounce worm weights, lifting the rod subtly to impart action. A few anglers kayaked chain pickerel at Forge Pond on spinners in the back half along the reeds.

<b>South Jersey</b>

When Delaware River ran clean, smallmouth bass fishing was good at places like Fireman’s Eddy, said Karl from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Three-inch Senkos in watermelon clocked them well. White perch chomped in the river in the Bordentown and Trenton area along the edge of the channel on small pieces of nightcrawler. Catfishing slowed, and whether that was because the fish were spawning or some other reason was unknown. But plenty of carp sniffed out strawberry-flavored cornmeal baits at Allentown Lake, just outside the lily pads. Largemouth bass fishing was good at Allentown on Keitech Swing Impact Pro-Staff Specials in Ayu color, rigged weedless, with no weight.

Anglers fished for largemouth bass on lakes, but catches seemed a little slow, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b>. Most fished shiners, but others cast all kinds of tackle, including rubber frogs and worms and lures. Fishing dealt with some weather, including storms during a good part of Tuesday, and storms this morning, and that decreased participation. Almost all the different types of fish swam the spillway across the road from Blackwood Lake. That included sunnies to largemouths and even snakeheads. Nobody mentioned New Brooklyn Lake, but that’s always a place to fight chain pickerel.

In the warmth, anglers fished for largemouth bass at dawn and dusk on lakes, including with buzz baits, said Rick from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Bordentown.  Largemouth tournaments at Salem Canal produced winning bags weighing 10 pounds, decent weights. The fish included some better-sized to larger than 4 pounds. Tournaments at Union Lake also scored pretty well on largemouths, probably 12-pound bags, including a few sizeable fish, and smallmouth bass mixed in. Those were the specific lakes heard about, and news about locations tends to come from tournaments. Sunnies and bluegills always fish well in the summer warmth. That’s something to do with kids, and grab worms for bait. In saltwater, Delaware Bay’s summer flounder fishing turned on, and most reports came from the upper bay toward Fortescue, like from the stakes there. Croakers were also boated on the bay, and plenty of flounder were reeled from the ocean.

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