<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

Fishing the river’s salmon migration plugged away about on schedule, said Jay Peck from <b>Jay Peck Guide Service</b>. The only differences from last week was that many of the fish now spawned in the lower river, and Jay’s trips caught his season’s first steelhead from the river. One of the trips in past days banked a big brown trout from the river, too. Salmon also spawned throughout the river, and Jay rated the salmon fishing as decent to good, and consistent. His anglers all hooked some, and the trips landed a few. The river ran low at 185 cubic feet per second, and was cooling quickly, and that was good for salmon fishing. The water was 58 to 62 degrees, and weather was cool this week. A good rain fell Saturday, a remnant from the hurricane. The rain was needed in the drought this year. Now that spawning increased, egg flies began to hook some of the fish. Jay’s trips fished pink, orange and chartreuse eggs. Wooly buggers and egg-sucking-leach flies also caught. Jay specializes in fly-fishing and catch-and-release, and books trips that fish with conventional tackle with his other guides. The trips will keep salmon fishing, and will target steelheads once that migration picks up in the river this fall. Jay beginning at Halloween also fishes for huge brown trout that migrate to rivers and creeks farther west in New York toward Rochester. They grow large because they summer in Lake Ontario, and they give a chance to land a trophy. That fishing will happen on schedule so long as the waters fail to become too low in the drought.     

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

Fall trout stocking began Tuesday, said Junior from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. Some of the stocking might’ve been canceled because of low water, he thought. The state usually stocks those trout in other waters and announces where. See New Jersey’s <a href="http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/flstk.htm" target="_blank">fall trout stocking webpage</a> for the stocking schedule and other info. Anglers still fished for largemouth bass on lakes, and caught. Soft-baits including rubber worms and creature baits on jigs scored well. The anglers either tried to finesse the fish or draw a reaction strike, he said. But top-water lures like buzz baits, spinner baits and walking-the-dog types of plugs still worked – the water was warm enough. Many anglers traveled to upstate New York to fish the salmon migration on rivers including the Salmon at Pulaski.

Hybrid striped bass, lots, to 7 and 8 pounds were chicken-livered from the lake, Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong wrote in an email. A few still smacked livelined herring, and some were jigged on Rapala ice-fishing jigs. Jack Dziduch’s 6-pound 7-ounce walleye won him the Knee Deep Club’s walleye tournament on the lake Saturday to Sunday. Kevin Scanlon’s 5-pound 12-ouncer and Artie Huttemeyer’s 5-pound 11-ouncer won second and third, and several 4- and 5-pounders were entered in the event. Lots of good-sized yellow and white perch were jigged from the lake. Richard Hilton claimed a 3-pound 3-ounce smallmouth bass from the water. Michael Munoz socked catfish 4 to 5 pounds on Hopatcong.  The shop will be open until November sometime, and rental boats are still available. Afterward, the store will be closed a moment, until being reopened for ice-fishing. Saturday will be a free-fishing day in New Jersey. No license will be required.

Rockaway River was slated to be stocked with trout tomorrow, and customers waited to fish for them, said Bill from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. That was part of the fall trout stocking that began Tuesday. Passaic River near the shop ran low, but anglers targeted catfish on the river. Hackensack River was fished for good catches of small, schoolie striped bass, mostly on soft-plastic baits, including freshwater Keitech jigs. Saltwater anglers mostly waited for the fall migration of striped bass and for sea bass season to be opened beginning October 22.

Rivers and streams ran low, but fall trout stocking began Tuesday in the waters, said Bill from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. He expected to hear results of fishing for the trout today or tomorrow. Anglers often fish PowerBaits for the fish, and he prefers orange or tan. Plenty of smallmouth bass bit in Raritan River. A few walleyes reeled from the river and other tributaries were heard about. Sad news that was announced here last week: Efinger is closing. The shop is holding a closeout sale, and items are currently discounted 30 percent unless marked otherwise.

A couple of customers headed out yesterday, Tuesday, to fish for trout, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. They fished because fall trout stocking began that day. Results were yet to be heard. Locally, the Toms, Metedeconk and Manasquan rivers were slated to be stocked that day. One of the crew from the shop angled a few chain pickerel and a couple of largemouth bass from Lake Riviera. One customer kept fishing Assunpink Lake in the Assunkpink Wildlife Management Area, reporting catching loads of largemouth bass, all on artificials, mostly rubber worms like Senkos. All trout baits and supplies are stocked. So are freshwater worms and killies. Shiners are no longer carried for the year, because demand dries up. Murphy’s, located on Route 37, also owns <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River.

Delaware River served up decent smallmouth bass fishing, said Matt from <b>Harry’s Army Navy</b> in Robbinsville. The river rose a little because of rain, and ran especially low this past season. The raised water somewhat dropped back down since. Largemouth bass anglers began to catch on jerk baits at some of the lakes like Assunpink Lake in the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area. That was a fall pattern that began. Fall trout stocking began Tuesday, and rivers and streams farther north in the state are slated to be stocked this week. The southern state is supposed to be stocked next week, including Sylvan and Crystal lakes locally. The rivers and streams to the north surely ran low, and maybe some wouldn’t be stocked because of that. The fish are usually stocked elsewhere when that happens.

Jack Turner from Franklinville had already clocked two 3-1/2-pound largemouth bass from Greenwich Lake on a 6th Sense crank bait, the same one for each catch, on a trip this morning, said Brian from <b>STC Sports</b> in Gibbstown at 10:30 a.m. today in a phone call. Jack had just texted him photos from the trip and was still fishing. Windy weather’s been terrible, including throughout the weekend, preventing most fishing. But weather was better today, and was supposed to be tomorrow, and anglers were going to fish during the days, and largemouths apparently bit. The anglers also expected to fish for snakeheads and bowfins in creeks and ditches. Cut bunker, usually on a 5/0 hook like a Gamakatsu, on a wire leader will land them.

Largemouth bass and chain pickerel were shoveled from lakes, said Mike from <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown. The bass still bit or the water was warm enough. Mostly Yamamoto rubber worms, mostly green ones, were fished for them. Most customers fished for panfish like sunnies. They also often fished for white perch that chomped in the brackish Mullica River. In saltwater, small striped bass, no big stripers yet, began to hit. Lots of bluefish schooled the coast.

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