<b>NEW YORK</b>

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

Salmon River’s steelheading became excellent, said Capt. Rick Miick from <b>Dreamcatcher Guide Service</b>. The river flowed at 1,000 cubic feet per second, after running extremely high and unfishable, typical in spring a moment. The flow now was good for fishing, and even if the level drops, that should make no difference, because steelheads filled every hole. A trip Sunday went 10 for 23 on the fish with Rick. A trip Tuesday began fishing at 11:30 p.m., and had gone 9 for 17 by 3 p.m., when Rick gave this report in a phone call. The trip was still fishing, and one of the steelheads was especially a trophy that one of the anglers planned to mount. Those were some of the examples of the catches, and Rick could talk about more like that, he said. But he expects the fishing to last two weeks, at least. Many steelheads crammed the river, and they’d need to make their way downstream to Lake Ontario. They spend summer in the lake. The trips caught mostly on pink artificial worms and egg sacks. Other anglers fished lures, and that worked, though not as well as the worms and sacks. Turkey season will be opened Friday, and Cast and Blast Trips will be an option starting then. Rick’s been scoping out turkeys in mornings, and prospects have looked good. On the Cast and Blasts, anglers can hunt turkeys and fish for steelheads, brown trout, king salmon, walleyes or even smallmouth bass. Walleye season will be opened Saturday. Brown trout and kings schooled the lake close to shore  

After an inch of snow fell each day Thursday and Friday, Salmon River plummeted to 750 CFS from 1,800 on Saturday, said Jay Peck from <b>Jay Peck Guide Service</b>. The cold from snow and the sudden change in flow shocked the river’s steelheads. But by Sunday afternoon, fishing for them was on for Jay’s trips. The angling continued to be good Monday for the outings, and the river still flowed at 750 that day, when he gave this report in a phone call. Many steelheads gathered in the upper river, and his trips fly-rodded plenty on Wooly Buggers, Zonkers and egg-sucking leech patterns. The steelheads are spawning in the river, and that would probably last another week, and the river’s steelheading will probably last to mid-May, he thinks, though everybody can have a different opinion. That’s about the usual schedule, and he’s always one of the last to fish the run, and he leaves with steelheads still in the river. During the snow and colder weather last week, nymphs and egg flies, winter patterns, were fished. Steelheading in rivers farther west in New York, like Oak Orchard River, near Syracuse, was pretty much finished for the season. Once Salmon River’s steelheads migrate to Lake Ontario for summer, Jay will fly-fish for trout on streams in that western New York area and in southern Allegheny County, like on Genesee River, a good dry-fly river. Hendricksons should hatch on trout streams any time, and weather’s been cold for that.  Jay specializes in fly-fishing and catch-and-release, and his other guides fish with conventional tackle.

<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

Several anglers crushed striped bass on Delaware River at Burlington-Bristol Bridge all day last week, Bill Brinkman from Philadelphia’s <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> wrote in an emailed report from the store. They also showed photos of stripers 31 to 42 inches they landed there that week. But stripers were also bailed farther downstream last week, including 21- to 39-inchers at Tacony-Palmyra Bridge. Places that gave up similar-sized stripers included off the UPS building and the Philadelphia airport and at Commodore Barry Bridge. Many places between, but not all, gave up the fish, often on bloodworms or bunker chunks. Catfish, sometimes lots, were also hooked. Farther downstream, the river at Salem put out lots of stripers, smaller fish, with big mixed in, last week. Large white perch, and catfish, also chewed there. 

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

From <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale, Capt. Dave Vollenweider plugged 27 rainbow trout, not large, on Paulinskill River on Saturday, he said. He released all but six, a limit, and one spot, a tail-out, gave up the fish on almost every cast. Plenty were also missed, bumping or rolling on the lures, and so on. It was fun, and he tossed size-3 Rapala Countdowns in silver with a blue back. Those lures really catch, he said. Toward the end, he cast a long, thin Rapala, with a small tail, that caught, and he forgot the name of the plug. A husband and wife are supposed to plug for trout with him this Sunday. Dave also saw a large golden trout that refused to bite. The golden must’ve been privately stocked, because the state is only stocking rainbow trout this spring, because rainbows resisted the trout virus at the hatchery this past year. Dave knew about a club that stocks the Paulinskill. The river ran a little high and colored, because of rain last week, but at a good level for the fishing. Dave loves fishing with lures for trout in streams in spring. The angling is fun and effective, and can attract large trout. Higher water in spring helps keep the plugs from snagging on debris like logs. Streams will eventually run low in summer, and Dave usually fishes lakes then. The plugging will probably remain good through May, and the river is supposed to be stocked until late that month. But Dave also plugs trout on other rivers, including the Pequest. He saw caddis hatching on the Paulinskill, and spoke with a fly-angler who caught on nymphs in the river. Dave’s also fishing lakes on the boat currently, and pasted many crappies and some chain pickerel on Lake Hopatcong on a trip the previous week, covered in the last report. His lake fishing also includes trips for muskies, walleyes and more. Dave saw a photo of a 51-inch muskie, a huge one, caught and released on Lake Hopatcong recently.

Customers mostly trout fished, and the angling was good, said Don from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. But they also homed in on crappies on lakes, and those were the two popular types of fishing. The trout anglers fished at usual places like Rockaway and Pequest rivers, and large lakes like Hopatcong and Budd. River levels seemed normal, including along the Rockaway. He saw the river, and the Rockaway might’ve run a little low, surprisingly, “after the spring we had,” he said. PowerBait seemed to catch trout best for customers, after butter worms did previously. Fly-anglers fished bead-headed nymphs for trout. One customer bought bead-headed Wooly Buggers for the angling. Another bought a dozen dry flies, and the mayflies might’ve begun to work more than before. Speaking of the crappies, a couple of customers kept fishing for crappies and yellow perch on Lake Hopatcong. Water temperature must’ve been ideal. They kept talking about boating the fish, large, and headed back to fish for them yesterday, Wednesday. Miscellaneous reports were heard about largemouth bass and chain pickerel landed from lakes. “Onesies and twosies,” he said about the largemouths. The bass must be released through June 15, because of spawning.

Trout fishing seemed good, said Joe from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. That included at Verona Park Pond. Rockaway and Ramapo rivers reportedly produced. So did other waters like Pequest River, Big Flatbrook and streams in those areas. The shop held a trout derby that went well at a private pond in town. Passaic River began to fish very well for northern pike on lures like Johnson spoons, Daredevle spoons and spinner baits. Largemouth bass fishing, restricted to catch-and-release through June 15 for spawning, seemed to begin to pick up, on Lake Hopatcong, in warming water.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Everything began to come together, said Braden from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Largemouth bass, restricted to catch-and-release through June 15, for spawning, were becoming aggressive. Mostly swim baits hooked the pre-spawners, at 2- to 5-foot flats, where water warmed, at exposed shoreline. Fishing for crappies was taking off at Spruce Run Reservoir, and 14-inchers were known to be jigged. Trout fishing was strong at the north and south branches of Raritan River. For fly-anglers, mostly Wooly Buggers and pheasant-tail nymphs were fished. A 6-pound rainbow trout was weighed-in last night from Round Valley Reservoir from shore. Angling ran late at Round Valley. Lake trout were already caught there, but that was the first large trout, like that, known to be caught from shore this spring from the impoundment. Big trout were seen, so they began to cruise. The 6-pounder was probably from the trout the Round Valley Trout Association stocked recently.

Fishing for largemouth bass improved somewhat, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. The bass must be released through June 15 for spawning, and a customer began to land them, better than before, at Lake Riviera, a lake he fished every week. He also cracked a monster chain pickerel in the lake. Crappies and yellow perch nibbled in all the ponds. Sunnies began to hit at Ocean County College Pond more than before. Construction disrupted parking there. Mostly pickerel, and a token white or yellow perch, were hooked in the Toms River at Trilco. That’s a closed building supply, and no sign identifies the building, but locals know the stretch by the name, located near Garden State Parkway. A few anglers trout fished on the Toms, connecting on spinners. But the angling was slow, they said. The water cooled a few degrees, because of rain last week. Trouting seemed a bit better on Metedeconk and Manasquan rivers, because of warmer, shallower water. PowerBait caught at the Metedeconk, and a few trout came from Spring Lake. But the lake’s angling was tapering off, after it was great, earlier this season. Murphy’s also owns <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Delaware River’s striped bass fishing was good at Trenton, said Karl from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Daiwa SP Minnows and black Bombers caught, and a few shad swam the river, but most migrated farther upstream. Plenty of catfish were cranked from the river in the Trenton area on chicken livers and nightcrawlers. Largemouth bass fishing landed healthy catches at local lakes. Be sure to release the bass, by law, through June 15, for spawning, and the fish jumped on white spinner baits, 4- and 5-inch, green-pumpkinseed Senkos and red Rat-L-Traps. Crappies, lots, swarmed Assunpink Lake, in the cove in the back. Throw fathead minnows under a bobber, or work 1- or 2-inch Mister Twisters on jigheads. Chain pickerel also swam there.

For customers from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b>, trout still turned out good angling at waters including Grenloch Lake, Oak Pond and Rowan’s Pond. Local waters were stocked with the fish for the final time last week this season. No especially large trout were weighed-in during the past week, though big trout were checked-in previously, mentioned in previous reports. Largemouth bass and chain pickerel were fought at different lakes, usually on shiners or minnows. The largemouths must be let go, by law, through June 15, because of spawning. No particular lakes stood out as being most productive that Ed heard about for largemouths and pickerel. Striped bass kept biting in Delaware River, like before, on bloodworms.

Fishing was a little sluggish in wind in the past week, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. But largemouth bass, released by law, because of spawning, hit well. The bass can be kept starting June 16, and good reports about the angling rolled in from Parvin and Rainbow lakes. Many soft-plastic lures and jigs were sold for largemouthing. Spinner baits also beat the fish. Trout anglers did a job on catches, plenty, at typical places like South Vineland Park Pond, Maurice River and Iona Lake. Garlic PowerBait sold like crazy for the angling. Chain pickerel went nuts on minnows at different lakes. Little was reported about success on crappies from lakes, though that was unusual. Crappies usually bite this time of year. News about striped bass slowed, probably because of the last week’s weather. But more began to be heard about them now, including from Fortescue from shore, all on bloodworms. More keepers seemed to appear than before at places like Fortescue.    

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