<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

A few striped bass bit in Delaware River before last Wednesday, Bill Brinkman from Philadelphia’s <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> wrote in a report on the shop’s website Thursday. “Slow week but still not over,” he wrote. “… before Wednesday there were a few decent reports.” One angler then tabbed into 10 to 15 stripers per trip, mostly 20- to 31-inchers, downstream from Philadelphia airport. Another scored nine stripers including a 36-inch striper off the airport. Another winged plenty of smaller stripers up and down the river. Shad fishing pretty much ended on the lower river. Farther upstream, shad fishing was winding down at Delaware Water Gap last week, but lots of the fish still schooled there that week. An angler who fished the river at Lamberville totaled 17 smallmouth bass and three walleyes. Another toggled in several smallmouths and a couple of walleyes from the river at Byram.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> took his season’s first nighttime trip for walleyes, on Greenwood Lake with a friend, Dave said. But the angling was slow, maybe because of the full moon. One walleye 5 or 5 ½ pounds was boated, and the friend had another blow up on a lure at the boat that failed to be hooked. Two smallmouth bass were reeled in. The walleye fishing’s often slow on the moon, Dave’s found, for unknown reasons. But he took the trip anyway, and has another slated to sail for the fish this weekend with a client. When Dave saw just how much the moon brightened the night, on arrival, he felt foreboding. When the one walleye was landed, he thought the fishing might become good. But it didn’t. When the second walleye blew up near the boat for the friend but was missed, that reminded Dave that he always lets the lure sit in the water a moment at the end of the retrieve, and is careful about the end. Walleyes sometimes attack just when the lure arrives at the vessel. The water was surprisingly cold or 58 degrees, and this was almost June! Dave has caught the walleyes when the water has been 80 degrees. The trip fished big Original Floating Rapala Lures in size 18 or the F18. These trips target walleyes in the middle of the night with cast lures for great sport. Walleyes push into shallows, where they can be plugged, at night to forage on herring that spawn there this time of year. No herring were heard flipping around on the trip, and that wasn’t a good sign. Walleyes smash the lures along the surface, when the fishing’s on. When they’re foraging on the herring, they can also be heard smashing the baitfish. None of that was heard. Sometimes the fishing kicks in during the small hours of the night, like 1 a.m. or later. The trip fished from 9 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. Walleye catches were already heard about from Lake Hopatcong at night this season. Greenwood’s catches of all species seem to lag behind Hopatcong, maybe because Greenwood’s farther north, but reasons are unknown. Dave also attempted to catch a musky from Greenwood the other day, but none bit during the trolling. That’s not surprising for the fish of 10,000 casts. He landed a 30-pound musky at Hopatcong last year at this time. Dave also plugged for trout on Paulinskill River, reeling up six or seven, on Sunday. The river was surprisingly low, after the river had risen from rain previously. The low water had trout rising to dry flies. Dave saw the rises. He plugs for trout on streams with Rapala Countdown lures in size 3, and the angling can be fun and effective, and can attract large trout. Spring’s usually the time for that, because streams usually flow higher then, and fishing the lures requires some water to avoid snagging on bottom or debris like logs.

Hatches came off trout streams, and sulfurs might’ve been more abundant than March browns now, said Brian from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. Trout anglers caught, including on South Branch of the Raritan River, Musconetcong River, Pequest River and Big Flat Brook. Someone just talked about the Flat Brook yesterday. Trout streams seemed to flow about normal, maybe a little low. Largemouth bass are limited to catch and release through Tuesday for spawning, but bit in Lake Hopatcong. The fish were spawning a while now, and subsurface artificials like chatter baits, Yamamoto worms and Keitech soft-plastic lures hooked them. Not much was heard about hybrid striped bass and walleyes from lakes, but those were probably picked or caught. Walleye fishing had been pretty good at Swartswood Lake. That’s all usually evening, dusk or nighttime fishing.  Whether many anglers still fished for shad on Delaware River was unknown, but tackle like darts were sold last week for the angling. In saltwater, striped bass had been mostly caught, and mostly bluefish were now. Fluke and sea bass seasons opened this past week.

Lots of fish were hooked from the lake, “from perch and crappie to hybrids, walleye, pickerel, bass and trout,” Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong wrote in an email. Lures and livelined herring worked to catch all in 12 to 13 feet of water. Fish seen at the shop included Lou Marcucci’s 8-pound 10-ounce walleye, Grygorii Kharlmov’s 8-pound 2-ounce walleye, Miroslav Zahorsky Jr.’s 8-pound walleye, Peter Romain’s 6-pound 2-ounce walleye, Rich Everest’s 7-pound 14-ounce hybrid striped bass and John O’Neill’s 1-pound 9-ounce crappie. Dave Sauerteig, fishing with live herring, rounded up a mixed bag of fish, including hybrids, walleyes, perch, crappies, trout and bass. James Cartier, Jonathan Newfield and Tyler Holowach on a trip “had their share of fish.” That included their limits of walleyes that each weighed 3 ½ pounds, and a number of hybrids to 5 pounds. The Knee Deep Club will hold the Stu Lant Contest on Sunday, June 26, for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass.   

Northern pike were fought from Passaic River, said Cheryl from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. The fish kept stealing one angler’s carp bait, and the river currently flowed at a normal level. Mixed reports were heard about largemouth bass fishing from lakes, because some were spawning. Largemouths must be released through Tuesday, because of spawning. Nobody mentioned trout fishing, and weather was rough this past week, until about now. The weekend was cold. In saltwater, Larry from the shop fished for sea bass on a party boat on opening day of sea bass season Monday. The angling was slow, but he bagged some.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Rain helped trout fishing, raising streams, and lots of hatches came off, said Scott from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Stream levels might’ve been a little low but were very fishable. South Branch of the Raritan River ran at 125 cubic feet per second, and 150 is a medium flow on the stream. Before the rain, it ran at 50. Fishing with sulfurs and blue-winged olives was good on trout streams. He fished a wild trout stream with dry flies on a 2-weight rod, landing brown trout and brook trout on hollow-bodied elk-hair caddis and on a fly that looked like a light Cahill. Light-colored mayflies were seen hatching, and those were the closest imitation in his box. They nabbed a couple of the trout. Largemouth bass will be able to be kept beginning Tuesday, and are restricted to catch and release until then, because of spawning. Not that anglers usually want to keep largemouths. But the opening of largemouth season indicates spawning is finishing, and the bass can bite better then. They already bit, though, and Scott’s never seen so much largemouth tackle sold this early in the season. Largemouth jigs sold out a moment in March. Weather warmed early, and that seemed to get the fishing active. Weather became colder afterward, but the fish were still popular with anglers, or at least the tackle was. Water should warm in warmer weather now, and that and coming off the spawn should pick up the angling. Whether that tackle sold because the fishing was good was unknown. Maybe anglers were just into the tackle this year, for some reason, like maybe they saw the tackle in the media. Kids stop at the shop who know about largemouth tackle surprisingly. They ask for tackle, and the shop’s crew asks, how do you know about that? Walleyes were beaten from Raritan River on shiners. One angler drifted a nightcrawler and caught a big walleye in Delaware and Raritan Canal near one of the locks. In saltwater, bluefish swarmed everywhere, and striped bass were hooked, if anglers could avoid the blues. Stripers were trolled just off the ocean beaches on big Tony Maja bunker spoons.

Spring’s final trout stocking was supposed to happen this week locally, Virginia from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River thought, she said. The state was supposed to stock trout this week for the final time this season throughout New Jersey, including locally on the Toms, Metedeconk and Manasquan rivers. Plenty of holdovers should swim the waters a moment. Good crappie fishing was tugged from Ocean County College Pond. Many sunnies schooled there, fun for kids to catch. Crappies and large yellow perch bit in the Toms at Trilco on small killies and nighcrawlers. The perch especially nibbled nightcrawlers, and Trilco is a closed building supply. No sign identifies the building, but locals know the stretch by the name, located near Garden State Parkway. Murphy’s, located on Route 37, also owns <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Many largemouth bass were spawning in lakes, but many were caught and released, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b>. The fish bit, and are required to be released through Tuesday by law, because of spawning. A couple of anglers released the bass at Grenloch Lake. One fished shiners, and another reeled up a largemouth that bit a trout the angler had hooked. Largemouths seemed to feed on stocked trout.  Holdover breeder trout were still found at Grenloch, though trout stocking ended there weeks ago for the season. A 7-pound breeder was weighed from the lake Saturday at the store. Big catfish roamed Grenloch. One angler pulled in cats to 10 pounds at night there on chicken livers. From saltwater, customers sometimes tied into large bluefish on back bays and in the surf. A couple battled the gators including a 17-pounder in Ocean City’s surf.

Delaware River’s striped bass fishing slowed for the season, but plenty of schoolie stripers to 32 inches bit, said Brian from <b>STC Sports</b> in Gibbstown. Striper fishing is closed on the tidal river through Tuesday, because of spawning. Anglers release them. But the bass can be bagged beginning Wednesday, and 30-inchers bit on a regular basis. Be aware about circle hooks required by law to be fished for the river’s stripers when fishing with bait. Customers kept buying fresh bunker, fresh clams and bloodworms for the angling. The stripers chewed at usual places like bridges and off the DOD, Tinicum Island and Chester Island. Catfish also hit in the river on the same baits, and large carp began to grab hooks in the water. If anglers want action, the river’s a place. The carp mouthed corn and even bloodworms. Anglers could latch into a carp on a blood fished for stripers. Floodgate Road was a spot for the carp the last few weeks. On tributaries of the Delaware, like creeks, fishing for snakeheads, the invasive species, was happening. The state encourages anglers to kill snakeheads and submit them to the Division of Fish and Wildlife for verification. Snakeheads became more and more active for the season, and they’ll swipe top-water lures, fun fishing. Nearly any top-waters could work. Bowfins are a native species that look like a snakehead and were also becoming more active, in the warming season. Photos were seen of pretty big bowfins to 10 pounds caught. They swim the same tributaries, like Raccoon and Oldmans Creeks, and bite cut bait like bunker and live minnows. Fish a wire leader for them, or they’ll bite off a line like a bluefish. Bowfin should be released unharmed, the state says. Again, bowfins aren’t invasive, but see info about snakeheads and bowfins on the state’s <a href="http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/aquatic_invasives.htm" target="_blank">invasive species webpage</a>. Bowfins have been native to the area for 250 million years, the page says. The page also includes photos of snakeheads and bowfins that could be used to identify them. Snakeheads have a long, continuous anal fin. Bowfins have a narrower one, like a usual fin. Many anglers might be unaware about bowfins, but an angler called Bowfin Bob is known at the shop and by anglers, and he’s been fishing for them a long time. Largemouth bass were clocked from lakes pretty much on jigs and crank baits. Release largemouths by law through Tuesday, because of spawning.

Fishing picked up, now that weather improved, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Largemouth bass, relegated to catch and release through Tuesday because of spawning, might’ve moved into shallow water, according to reports. Many were spawning, but good catches of largemouths were made at many local lakes. Many rubber lizards, Senko worms and jigs were sold for the angling. Those all could be tossed into spawning beds, triggering the bass to bite to remove them from the beds, not actually feeding. The bass hesitate to feed while spawning, and triggering bites that way is popular. A few anglers still trout fished, though the spring trout stocking ended a moment ago locally. A couple of diehards plucked trout from South Vineland Park Pond and Iona Lake. Holdover trout could be located at different stocked waters. Anglers fished for white perch on the brackish Maurice and Great Egg Harbor Rivers. In saltwater, a good number of striped bass, including big, continued to be boated from Delaware Bay. Summer flounder season opened beginning Saturday, but little was heard about catches, maybe because of the weekend’s rough weather. Flounder might’ve been sluggish, and anglers hoped the fishing picked up now, in improved, warmer weather.  

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