<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Adirondacks</b>

Snow and slush became packed down fairly well on the lake, said Lou from <b>FISH307.com</b> in Lake George. Yellow perch, pretty good sized, were nipped from water 20 to 30 feet deep, over weed beds, on soft-plastic lures and grubs or maggots. Lake trout fishing was good in water 180 feet deep, and baby suckers and white tubes really smoked them. The lake held 10 to 18 inches of ice. The thinner ice covered the very deep water on the northern lake. Other lakes held 18 to 24 inches, and nothing was really heard about fishing those lakes. Baits stocked include baby and medium suckers, three sizes of shiners, fathead minnows and small hunts.

<b>Salmon River and Western N.Y. Rivers</b>

Capt. Rick Miick from <b>Dreamcatcher Guide Service</b> was traveling this week to test Elco electric outboard motors that he’ll use to fish and has become a dealer for, he said. Weather was too cold to fish Salmon River for steelheads, anyway. Anybody he knew who planned to fish for the steelheads cancelled the trips, because of weather like minus 42 degrees wind chill. But he’s got a steelhead trip booked for Saturday.  Plenty of steelheads swam the river, and an angler who stayed at the hotel affiliated with Dreamcatcher landed five in two days. Steelheads currently will bite in early mornings and in afternoons. The river ran low, at 285 cubic feet per second, gin-clear and cold. Ice fishing was good on lakes, and Rick guides that angling, too. A buddy’s trip limited out on walleyes and creamed big, jack yellow perch on Oneida Lake from the ice. The perch began to school, and are a delicacy, like walleyes. Oneida’s catches were picking up. Ice-angling was good on Sandy Pond, including for northern pike. Fishing was good on Chaumont Bay on the ice, too.  The Elco outboards are unique, because they’re electric but available in 5, 7 and 9.9 horsepower. One review said the company plans to introduce two larger ones, “in the 15- to 25-hp range,” it said, this year. Advantages include no pollution from gas, oil and fumes, and the engines can be used on waters where gas motors are prohibited. Rick will use the Elco as a kicker for trolling on Lake Ontario.

When days were warm enough to fish, Jay Peck from <b>Jay Peck Guide Service</b> worked Salmon River for steelheads, he said. “But holy crap, do I have that dialed in,” he said. Fly-fishing with stoneflies was pasting the steelheads. He explained in the previous report that many anglers are fishing for them with trout beads that imitate salmon eggs. But few eggs are in the river, and stoneflies are hatching, including because of low water, and the flies are clobbering the fish.  Fishing was almost the same as previously throughout the waters Jay fishes. The only thing changing was probably that drifting the stoneflies, the presentation, needed to be more and more precise. That was like trout fishing. When trout become keyed in on a hatch over time, presentation needs to become just right. Jay fished the upper river, where open water was. Probably three-quarters of the lower river was frozen, and the lower river held lots of shelf ice. Rivers and creeks farther west, around Rochester, were frozen, where Jay fishes for large brown trout. That angling is on hold until the waters thaw. The cold this winter has been record-breaking. The temperature was below zero when Jay gave this report in the evening in a phone call. Fifty percent of Lake Ontario was frozen, and probably 80 percent of the Great Lakes was. A substantial change in conditions will probably happen in two or three weeks. Days will be longer and warmer, and days in the 30 degrees were even forecast in the near future. But we’ll see if that happens, he said. The bad news was that the places too frozen to fish weren’t changing. But the good news was that the steelheading that he was dialed-in on wasn’t changing. What’s got Jay excited is that every place held a good snow pack, and that’s always good for spring fishing, when the snow melts and fills the rivers and creeks. Jay specializes in fly-fishing and catch-and-release, and his other guides fish with conventional tackle.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Eight to 10 inches of ice covered lakes, and ice-anglers caught on all the usual waters, said Brian from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. That included on Lake Hopatcong and the local ponds. Anglers even nailed walleyes, big, on Delaware River through the ice, on herring on tip-ups. “But would you fish there at night?” he asked. One angler drilled a hole to fish the river’s ice and saw air underneath. Nobody fished for trout on streams, because the waters were frozen. Mousies and spikes are stocked for ice-fishing, and probably not much longer. Ice tackle is carried, and is beginning to sell out. But tip-ups, ice-fishing line, jigs and more are on hand, probably enough for another two weeks. The second week of March is probably the latest when ice-fishing ever lasted. The middle of lakes will still hold ice, but the edges will thaw.

The Knee Deep Club will hold an ice-fishing tournament Sunday on the lake, Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong wrote in an email. Its previous ice tournament on the lake, two Sundays ago, was cancelled, because of extreme cold and strong wind. Lots of chain pickerel to 4 pounds were smashed through the ice. Vinnie DeStefano checked-in a 4-pound 5-ouncer, and Scott King weighed-in a 3-pound 12-ouncer. “Also seeing some nice perch,” she said, and largemouth bass 2 to 3 pounds. Several muskies to 46 inches were hammered through the ice. “With these extreme cold temps, I think we will be looking at good ice at least through March,” and maybe into early April, she said. “Who knows? They might still be on the ice for opening day of trout!” she said.  April 4 is the opening day of trout season.

Reports rolled in about ice up to 22 inches thick on lakes, said Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. Ice-fishing was very good on Lake Hopatcong for yellow perch and crappies. Catches began to be made off River Styx now on the lake. The lake off Woodport also gave up the fish, and also largemouth bass. Walleyes were sometimes cracked at Greenwood Lake through the ice. Crappies supposedly bit there near the bridge. Yellow perch at Greenwood seemed to begin schooling toward the creek for spawning later this year, because they were found on the northern end of the lake. Pompton Lake shoveled up catches through the ice near the bridge and at the three coves. Northern pike were wrestled at the new Doty Road Bridge on the river at Pompton. A bunch of crappies and yellow perch were winged at Waywayanda Lake near the islands. One angler said not only walleyes – some walleyes, not great, but catches – but catfish, loads, were reeled from Delaware River through the ice. Nick didn’t hear what the cats were hooked on, but imagined they were taken on bait like “meat” or maybe shiners or minnows. Meltzer’s just stocked the new Rapala Shadow Raps that are generating excitement and will sell quickly. A tremendous supply of Keitech and Gary Yamamoto soft-plastic lures arrived, including  Yamamoto’s Houdini color “that nobody’s got,” Nick said. Like largemouth bass fishing?  Nick’s largemouth club is looking for a boater or two to join, because a former member had to leave, because of changing jobs. Non-boaters are also welcomed, but a boater needs to join for another non-boater to be able to fish on the vessel. Email Nick at Daiwa710@aol.com if interested.

Plenty of fishable ice blanketed lakes, said Joe from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. The fishing went well at Lake Hopatcong, Greenwood Lake and Split Rock Reservoir. Every place anglers could hit the ice seemed to fish well. Passaic River near the store was frozen yesterday morning but open in the afternoon. Saltwater fishing was dead.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Fishing slowed some through the ice, but the catches were made, said Braden from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Round Valley Reservoir froze over, so fishing for lake trout there was the action customers were excited about. Seven inches of ice was heard about from the Valley, and no laker catches were reported yet, but “yet” was the word. Off the bathing beach turned out some good chain pickerel catches. At Lake Hopatcong, yellow perch and crappies, typical fish there, were rounded up through the ice. A hybrid striped bass was lost at the hole at Hopatcong that was heard about. Hopatcong’s fishing slowed, but still produced. A few northern pike were plastered at Spruce Run Reservoir through the ice. Crappies were jigged there, especially just before dark. Mousies, wax worms and medium and large shiners are stocked. The shop’s crew was busy pricing thousands of PowerBaits, getting ready for spring trout fishing.

The lakes at Assunpink Wildlife Management Area and Prospertown Lake were ice-fished, said Karl from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. A couple of anglers reported fishing Prospertown, and one bailed like 40 crappies, running into a school, on hair jigs with yellow Mister Twisters. Lots of fish were mugged at Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area’s lakes the other day. The fish were lots of chain pickerel and some largemouth bass, both beaten on shiners. Delaware River was frozen, but one angler said a buddy picked up two small striped bass at the Trenton power plant’s warm water on the river on some type of lure.

“Frozen out,” said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Lakes were frozen, and nobody mentioned fishing. None was seen ice-fishing, and ice-fishing isn’t popular this far south in the state.  “It’s not really a thing,” he said. That’s probably because the ice doesn’t usually last long, unlike farther north in the state, he agreed. But the ice was lasting some time this year locally. The store is all stocked up for spring fishing. “Just waiting for the weather,” he said.

Back to Top