<b>North Jersey</b>

Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale was traveling, but before he left, he sent an email about a trip on a lake aboard last Wednesday. He fished with a friend for fun, and the trip released a 44-inch musky that was trolled. With the catch, five muskies larger than 20 pounds were now caught and released aboard this season. The trip’s musky took an unreal jump, and had a huge head and tremendous lump of muscle behind the head, Dave wrote. He was supposed to fish for tuna and big game while traveling, so news about that should be included in a future report.

Hybrid striped bass were boated at Lake Hopatcong at night on chicken livers or livelined herring, Kevin from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna heard, he said. Walleyes were also reportedly hooked deep in Swartswood Lake. Trout fishing in streams and rivers is pretty much finished until weather cools the water. But some of the rivers, including the Paulinskill, could be fished for smallmouth bass. Largemouth bass were hit at most ponds. Toss a top-water lure to them, like a Jitterbug.

Fishing for northern pike picked up on Passaic River because of low water, said Joe from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. White spinner baits and chatter baits and Zoom fluke plowed them. White was often the successful color for anything fished for them. Catfish, good-sized, always mill around the river. Carp are sometimes eased in, too. Some of the small ponds fished well for largemouth bass. Senko worms were often thrown for them, because vegetation began to fill some of the waters. Green-pumpkin and blue-flake were effective.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Lots of Senkos were sold for largemouth bass fishing that was good at ponds, said Braden from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. But since the weekend, sales of shiners took off for the angling, and customers showed photos of lunkers like 5-pounders, mostly clutched on the bait in early mornings. Largemouths were also copped on top-water lures in mornings and evenings, but fewer than a couple of weeks ago. Little was mentioned about fly-fishing for trout in the summer weather. Smallmouth bass were canoed on the South Branch of the Raritan River on crawfish or 2- or 3-inch swim baits. The fish didn’t seem any size, but numbers were hooked. One angler landed 19 in a trip. Catfishing was decent on Raritan and Millstone rivers. In saltwater, fluke fishing finally started to improve in bays and the ocean. Braden boated for them at the Keansburg flats on Raritan Bay, and the trip reeled up keepers the whole day, on livelined snapper bluefish. Snappers schooled all along the bay’s shores. Good fluking was reported from Rockaway Reef off New York and at the Klondike wreck off New Jersey. Gulps were the bait to fish. Big bluefish were yet to appear off the coast, but small blues schooled, and bonito were mixed in. Lots of ling could be boated if anglers were willing to sail to the Mudhole.

One angler bought killies to fish for chain pickerel on the Toms River at Trilco, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in the town of Toms River. 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. No results were heard from the fishing, but pickerel swarmed all over there, Dennis knew, and fishing for them was best where the water flows underneath the Parkway Bridge. The depth is about 15 feet there, so the water is cool. That angler usually fishes for carp and catfish at Trilco. Anglers don’t always tie into the carp, but the fish are there, and are like small torpedoes, Dennis described. A few catfish, not many, swim the area. One customer was fishing Manasquan Reservoir, managing an occasional largemouth bass, not a lot, on top-water lures. The water was especially warm. Hybrid striped bass were decked on the impoundment on chicken livers on a size-4 hook with a split shot on drifted boats. Kids played bluegills at Ocean County College Pond every evening. A group of scouts or something fished for them the other night. Killies and nightcrawlers are stocked. Shiners are no longer stocked, and will be carried again probably in September, when demand picks up. Murphy’s, located on Route 37, bought <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River this year, and is running both shops now.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Delaware River cleared up, was in good shape, until the next pouring rain! said Karl from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. The river’s catfishing for bullheads and channels amped back up in the conditions. Berkley Catfish Chunks in liver or blood scents took the fish. Nobody was heard about who fished for smallmouth bass on the river. Nothing was heard about walleyes from the Delaware. Largemouth bass were crushed at Assunpink, Rising Sun and Stone Tavern Lakes – the lakes at Assunpink Wildlife Management Area – on Keitech swim baits in the colors Pro Staff Special and Ayu. The soft-plastic lures were Texas-rigged either weightless or with a bullet head. Sylvan Lake turned up good crappie fishing at the dock on shiners.

Largemouth bass fishing was a little sluggish at lakes, said Steve from <b>Black Water Sports Center</b> in Vineland. But anglers who got into them well fished at night with big rubber worms like 10 inches or Senkos or top-water lures. Some good angling for them could be found in the dark. Union Lake probably fished better than anywhere for largemouths this year, and continued to serve up the fish. Steve wasn’t asked whether smallmouth bass still bit there, but in previous reports he said they did. Fishing for largemouths sounded decent at a tournament for the fish at Salem Canal this past week. At Parvin Lake, largemouthing was a little slower than usual, a little off, is usually better. In saltwater, Delaware Bay’s summer flounder fishing was decent, and the best angling for them seemed to move somewhat farther south than before. The catches seemed better out of Port Norris than Fortescue, where more of the fish gathered previously. Good things were heard about shark fishing from the surf. A healthy mix of croakers, kingfish and spots were plucked from the surf.

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