<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

An occasional salmon tried to shoot up the river, but weather was hot, said Jay Peck from <b>Jay Peck Guide Service</b>. This was a good time for him to sit in air-conditioning and tie flies for the river’s impending salmon fishing. The river was raised Saturday and Sunday for white-water paddling during the Labor Day weekend. That triggered a few salmon, maybe 25 or 30 a day, to migrate up. Otherwise, the river ran low. Cooler weather and some rain is forecast, and he hopes that will help start the migration. Salmon, mostly Chinooks or kings, a few cohos, migrate up the river, from Lake Ontario, in late summer and fall to spawn. Fishing for them is world-class on the river then, and the fish die in the river after spawning. The heat and low water made dry-fly trout fishing on streams become a little “flakey,” he said. Jay had been fishing for the trout that way, and the angling had been some of the best, until the past week’s heat. He’s got one more dry-fly trout trip to guide soon, he thought. Afterward, his fishing will concentrate on salmon, during the peak of the run. Jay specializes in fly-fishing for the salmon and catch-and-release, and books trips that fish the run with conventional tackle with his other guides. As soon as the salmon migration is finished, he begins steelhead fishing on the river, from fall to spring. He’ll also trout fish on streams again in fall to winter, with patterns including streamers and eggs, until trout streams freeze. Salmon River never completely freezes, and the steelheading lasts the whole season. Steelheads migrate to the river in fall, winter in the river, and spawn there in spring, returning to Lake Ontario for summer. Steelheads don’t die after spawning, like salmon do.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> fished a lake with friend and outdoor writer Lou Martinez on Sunday, Dave wrote in an email. They boated two keeper-sized smallmouth bass, including a 3-pounder, a few smaller ones and a rock bass on Cabin Creek jigs and football jigs with Rage Craws. See Dave in an article Lou wrote for the September issue of The Fisherman magazine about musky trolling.

A couple of anglers rounded up a few smallmouth bass, small, from Delaware River on Keitechs and Senkos, said Kevin from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. The fishing should pick up, because of cooler weather, especially cooler nights, forecast. Rain that’s possibly forecast would help, and no substantial rain fell in 20 days, at least. Cooler weather and rain would help all fishing. A few largemouth bass were picked from Lake Hopatcong and local ponds. Catfish and hybrid striped bass were reeled from Hopatcong. The hybrids, a few, were zonked at night on Zara Spooks and Jitterbugs. Trout fishing on streams was “a big negative,” he said, in the heat and low water. A few anglers trout fished, but many prefer to avoid the angling when fighting the trout would kill them in the heat. The coming cooler weather, and possible rain, should help, and maybe more will be reported about trout next week. Cooler weather and rain could help lake fishing, too.

Passaic River ran very low, said Joe from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. So fishing the river was a little difficult. But when anglers fished from hole to hole, the angling could be good for northern pike, smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. Good largemouth bass fishing was reported from Ramapo Reservation. Nothing was heard from Lake Hopatcong, and business was slower during the Labor Day weekend.

Water was released into the lower Raritan River, from Manville to South Bound Brook, dropping the water temperature a few degrees, said Braden from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. That turned on smallmouth bass fishing there. Scott from the shop light-tackled five or six smallmouths 12 to 14 inches on Delaware River near Easton at dusk on a trip. Lots of smallmouths were drop-shotted at Round Valley Reservoir on crawfish imitations, though Braden never heard of that before. The fish were hooked 6 inches off bottom. Hybrid striped bass were caught from Spruce Run Reservoir, mostly on trolled herring, especially on planer boards. A few were pasted on livelined herring. Passaic River ran low, but the river’s northern pike fishing was fairly good, and Braden knew about some as large as 34 or 35 inches caught. The pike were mostly fought on wake baits. But some were whacked on the new Spro rat lure, though the lure is big, ugly and almost looks like a toy. Trout streams remained warm for fishing.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Customers who fish Manasquan Reservoir stopped in yesterday, saying they angled three largemouth bass, good-sized, from the impoundment on killies on their last trip, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. The bass began to bite, they said, because the water temperature dropped a couple of degrees, and white perch also “moved” around the reservoir. The anglers were headed back to fish the reservoir that day, and results were yet to be heard. Chain pickerel were axed at different lakes on killies and spinners. One angler kayaked pickerel at Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area on small Rapalas and spinners. The lakes toward the front of the area were weed-choked, and the angler fished one in the back, because weeds weren’t bad there. Shiners began to be stocked today. None are carried in mid-summer, but demand picks up now. Killies and nightcrawlers are on hand. Murphy’s, located on Route 37, also owns <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River.

Smallmouth bass tugged from Delaware River were mostly hooked on top-water lures like Rapala CountDowns and poppers at night that were heard about, said Fly-Fishing Manager Bob Atticks from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. The top-water fishing lasts until weather cools a little, or hints at autumn. Then live bait, usually shiners, mostly catches them. Though crawfish or hellgrammites are often fished for smallmouths on other waters, the Delaware holds few of those. Trout streams were too low and warm for trout fishing. South Branch of the Raritan River ran at 15 cubic feet per second. Creeks that Bob drove past near his home ran almost dry. Several days of steady, substantial rain, a significant change in weather, not an isolated downpour, would be needed to raise the waters. Recent heat seemed to keep largemouth anglers from fishing, even. But those who fished for the bass on lakes mostly fished rubber frogs and other top-waters at dusk and after dark.

A couple of anglers from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> in Blackwood headed to New Brooklyn Lake to fish for chain pickerel with minnows, he said. He assumed they caught, and has said in the past that New Brooklyn is known for pickerel. Largemouth bass were hit at Surrey Lake near Lakeland on minnows and shiners. That’s been a lake talked about for largemouths this season at the shop. A couple of customers took kids to Puppyland Lake to fish for sunnies with meal worms, catching a fair number. The spillway across the road from Blackwood Lake is another place known for sunnies locally.

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