<b>North Jersey</b>

Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale traveled to Kingston, Ontario, hiring a guide to fish several days this past week, Dave said. He fished the St. Lawrence River and a couple of lakes in the area, mostly for huge smallmouth bass. The smallmouths caught weighed up to 4 ½ pounds, and Dave lost a couple that probably weighed more than 6. Largemouth bass were mixed in, but the area was known for smallmouths. The smallmouth and largemouth fishing was on two lakes, and he also trolled for muskies on the St. Lawrence. None bit, but he reeled in several northern pike that did, during the trolling. Someone else landed a 53-1/2-inch musky, heavier than 40 pounds, in the area, during Dave’s visit, and these Great Lakes strain muskies are the world’s biggest. The trip, with Dave Curtis from Fishing Fanatic Guide Service, was awesome, and Vollenweider would return if he had the opportunity, Vollenweider said. Back in Jersey, Vollenweider now will probably fish for smallmouth and largemouth bass, muskies and maybe walleyes on lakes. The season might be becoming late for plugging for walleyes at night on lakes that Dave’s been doing, covered in previous reports here. But he’s caught them in August before. Hot weather’s had a chance to settle in, since before his trip, and fishing might be different than before he left.

Anglers no longer trout fished, for the most part, because of the heat, said Kevin from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. But weather is supposed to dip into the 70 degrees later this week, and rain is supposed to fall, and that might cool trout streams, making them more fishable. During the heat, anglers hesitate to stress trout by hooking them, because the fish often die then, when the temperature’s too high. Anglers usually begin targeting the trout again by late September, when weather becomes cooler.  Plenty of smallmouth bass were reported played on Delaware River. Keitechs were fished for them at fast water, and Kevin plans to fish for the smallmouths this weekend. He fished Lake Hopatcong for largemouth bass this week on a trip. The angling was tough, but he landed the bass on a Gulp rubber frog along the surface, at first during the day. In the afternoon, he slugged away at the bass on black-and-blue jigs with a black-and-blue craw trailer, and a new Riot bait that the shop sells. He fished submerged weeds, and also tugged in a couple of crappies during the day. Though the angling was tough, that wasn’t because of heat, he thought. The water didn’t seem exceptionally warm, and the bass didn’t hold so deep. Hybrid striped bass and walleyes were still caught on Hopatcong at night on herring, Kevin guessed.

Lots of smallmouth bass were angled from the lake on livelined herring, Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong wrote in an email. Many weighed 1 ½ to 2 pounds, and Jim Macaluso beaned the fish to a 3-pound 4-ouncer. Walleyes and some hybrid striped bass were still top-water plugged at night. Most of the walleyes weighed 3 to 5 pounds, and Kris Jurkiewicz weighed-in an 8-pound 4-ouncer. Chain pickerel crushed live bait and spinners along weed lines. Many panfish bit in shallows on jigs and worms under a bobber. The Knee Deep Club will hold a catfish tournament on the lake from 6 p.m. Saturday, August 15, to 12 noon the next day.

Carp and northern pike were eased from Passaic River, and the river ran somewhat low, said Cheryl from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. But the flow seemed okay for fishing. Largemouth bass were surely clocked from Lake Hopatcong, though no reports were heard about that. Many customers geared up to fish places like Lake George in upstate New York on vacation. Catches they targeted at George probably included largemouth and smallmouth bass. Joe from the shop competed in a tournament at Lake Champlain, the next big lake north of Lake George. He scored well, tying into both largemouths and smallmouths, Cheryl thought, totaling bags heavier than 15 pounds each day. In saltwater, customers mostly boated throwback fluke, but also bagged keepers. Bait like Gulp Ghost Shrimp was popular for the summer flounder.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Trout streams ran especially low, like 22 cubic feet per second on the South Branch of the Raritan River recently, said Ron from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Anglers often avoid fishing for trout in the summer heat, because catching them can kill the fish then. But people who fished for trout were still heard about. Ron fished for smallmouth bass on the South Branch last week with another angler. The water was weedy and warm, and he had to fish top-water lures, a mini Rapala popper, because of the weeds. Otherwise, clumps of weeds kept being hooked. But they caught a few smallmouths, small ones. Smallmouths were reported banked at Round Valley Reservoir at rocky areas on crawfish imitations and Senko rubber worms. Hybrid striped bass were battled from Spruce Run Reservoir at night on chicken livers. On saltwater, Ron and three anglers fluke fished on Raritan Bay on Thursday on a boat trip. They decked six keepers and lots of throwbacks, fairly consistent action, a good morning, he said. The back of the bay seemed to fish best, and Gulp New Penny Grubs really cleaned up on the fish, were the ticket, he said.

A couple of anglers who fished Lake Riviera during the weekend nabbed crappies and yellow perch, no largemouth bass, on killies under bobbers, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Other anglers picked up chain pickerel and catfish at Riviera. Customers who’d been fishing Manasquan Reservoir lately boated one hybrid striped bass at the impoundment late last week on a trip on drifted killies.  Those same anglers bought killies to try for trout on Round Valley Reservoir this week. Another customer was catching 15-inch catfish at the three lakes in Lacey Township at night on nightcrawlers. Killies, nightcrawlers and garden worms are stocked. Murphy’s, located on Route 37, also owns <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Delaware River ran perfectly, and its smallmouth bass fishing was good, said Karl from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. The fish were mugged from Bull’s Island to Lambertville’s Golden Nugget antique market to just north of Trenton. Chatter baits, buzz baits and tubes winged them, and catfishing was slow on the river. The reason was unknown, but the river’s catfishers reported slow catches in the last week. Largemouth bass were on a good night bite at Assunpink, Rising Sun and Stone Tavern lakes, in the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area, on black spinner baits, buzz baits and chatter baits. Decent chain pickerel fishing was had at the Pine Barrens ponds on red-and-white Daredevle spoons and Johnson Silver Minnow spoons.

Anglers talked about not catching well, because of the heat, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> in Blackwood. The heat is supposed to let up in the next days, and previously, customers yanked largemouth bass, small ones, from Puppyland Lake on minnows. Their catches previously also included largemouths and panfish from the pond at Camden County Technical School on Berlin-Cross Keys Road, panfish at the spillway across the road from Blackwood Lake and chain pickerel at New Brooklyn Lake and Atsion Lake.

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