<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

A few king salmon migrated to the river, and the run didn’t really start yet, said Mike from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. The season was early for the fish to hit the river, but salmon definitely migrated closer to the river in Lake Ontario. They were boated in 150 to 200 feet of water on the lake. Off Oswego, that’s a half-mile from shore, but almost everywhere else, that’s a few miles from shore. Steelheads, lake trout and brown trout were also boated from the lake. The river ran at 1,500 CFS, a normal level for the time of year, and a healthy level to draw salmon into the river. Lots of rain fell this season, and the reservoir was overflowing.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale, after returning from a vacation to the Galapagos Islands, took two anglers on a lake two Sundays ago, he said. But boat terrific was terrible, and nothing bit. Another woman telephoned to ask about fishing this coming weekend, but Dave declined, saying fishing was likely to be no good in the traffic. After Labor Day, weekend traffic should drop off. An angler and son joined Dave aboard on Thursday on a lake. They landed five or six smallmouth bass, and waited until dark to try for walleyes on top-water lures. Dave never top-water plugged walleyes this late in summer before, but waters are cooler this year, in cooler weather. Two good-sized walleyes were nailed that night, and the anglers only stayed until 10 p.m. More might’ve been hooked if they had stayed longer. The lake was 74 or 75 degrees, and usually would be in the 80s now. Nighttime air temperatures were dipping into the 50s. Both trips also trolled for muskies, and none bit. But Dave returned to the lake on Monday with a friend for the friend’s birthday, and the trip trolled a 42- to 45-inch musky, about 20 pounds, quickly releasing the fish. They took a dinner break to allow dark to fall, then headed back out for walleyes. Three walleyes were socked: two 5-pounders and a 3-pounder. Two or three walleyes also blew up on the lures beside the boat and were missed. Walleyes are apparently still swimming the shallows, where they can be top-water plugged, at night, because of the cool water. Both trips zonked them on Rapala Original Floating Lures in size F18, a 7-incher, the largest. The plugging is great sport, drawing vicious attacks along the surface. Dave’s been trolling the muskies this season, including the one on this trip, on Joe Bucher Depth Raider Lures.

Don from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna fished for largemouth bass on Lake Hopatcong with a rep from Shimano on a trip last week, Don said. Weather was rough, and fishing was slow, and they totaled about seven largemouths landed, fishing from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fishing along the whole western shore, they tossed drop-shots, pigs-and-jigs and wacky worms. All drew one or two bites apiece, and nothing worked best. A customer who fishes avidly for hybrid striped bass at Hopatcong had been complaining about little success. But he got into the fish on Monday night, he reported to the shop, and he fishes around Raccoon Island. Few anglers probably trout fished yet, because of warm water. But trout streams reportedly ran a little low. 

Lots of hybrid striped bass were tackled from the lake, Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> wrote in an email. The fish 5 to 8 pounds were hooked off any points, just off bottom, in 20 to 30 feet of water, on chicken livers, live or dead herring and worms. Several 2- to 3-pound walleyes and some smallmouth bass were winged from the lake. The Knee Deep Club will hold a walleye tournament on Saturday to Sunday, September 20 to 21.

Carp were latched into on smaller lakes, said Cheryl from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. Largemouth bass were axed from smaller lakes on Senkos and Keitechs. On Passaic River, carp and catfish were cranked in, if anglers could find water that wasn’t too low. The river ran low locally, and seemed a little higher toward Rockaway, but whether fishing was better there was unknown. The river’s northern pike fishing was spotty but comes and goes. Sometimes a bunch will bite, and sometimes not so many will.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

The South Branch of the Raritan River’s smallmouth bass fishing was decent in the Neshanic and Twin Bridges area, said Scott from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Braden from the shop in a previous report talked about customers buying crawfish and tubes to fish for the Raritan’s smallmouths, except he spoke about the anglers floating for them on the North Branch then. Small striped bass were played on the Raritan around Bound Brook on in-line spinners and Mister Twisters, Scott said. The stripers swim the river every year around now. Walleyes were sometimes landed from the Raritan from Bound Brook to New Brunswick. Not much trout fishing happened yet on streams during these dog days of summer, though weather was cool this season.

At Lake Riviera, largemouth bass, chain pickerel and sunnies were banked, said Jeff from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. For the bass and picks, killies and shiners connected, and for the sunnies, worms worked. Killies are stocked, and shiners usually begin to be carried again in late summer or so, when demand picks up. Jeff joined a trip to Winding River that reeled in largemouths and pickerel. The bass bit killies, and the pickerel swiped killies and spinners. He saw two yellow perch wormed during the trip. Lots of turtles gathered there. Anglers at Ocean County College Pond swung in sunnies, small largemouth bass, and pickerel. At Lester’s Lake, pickerel whacked killies, and Jeff saw a catfish taken on chicken liver. 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>

On Delaware River, fishing was good for smallmouth bass and a few walleyes around Yardley and Lambertville, north of Trenton, said Karl from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Small popper lures beat the smallmouths, and shiners fished along bottom,  in some of the deep pools, with a small split shot, grabbed both the smallies and the walleyes. The river ran at a good level, not low or anything, and a good clarity. A healthy largemouth bass bite was heard about on top-waters from Rising Sun Lake in the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area in mornings. Plugs like the Zara Spook Puppy, small Zara Spooks, were worked for them. That was about all the fishing heard about during these relatively slow days of fishing in summer.

Fishing was probably about the same as before, Rick from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland said. He heard little recently, but previously the shop reported that largemouth bass were sluggish in summer’s warm water. So anglers fished for them with rubber worms, bouncing them slowly along bottom. But sometimes top-water lures like rubber frogs caused the bass to smash them in evenings and mornings. The shop was busy with archery customers this time of year, and interest in fishing usually picks up as weather cools. But weather was cooling early this year.

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