<b>North Jersey</b>

The two anglers on a trip aboard reeled up two chain pickerel, a 3-1/2-pound largemouth bass and a hybrid striped bass from a lake Friday, Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale wrote in an email. The hybrid bit while an orange Rapala plug was just being let out during trolling. Another hybrid followed the hooked one, and Dave thought “we were going to have a field day,” he wrote. But no other hybrids bit. The pickerel and largemouth jumped on “white spinner baits and chatter baits with a trailer,” he wrote. Wind gusts 15 to 20 m.p.h. blew up white caps in hot weather on the trip, and bait schooled high in the water column. After the anglers left, Dave headed back out in rough seas, trolling a 4-1/2- to 5-pound walleye 15 feet down in 40 feet of water. That was on a Bass Pro XTS Minnow on leadcore line. <b>***Update, Wednesday, 7/27:***</b> The two anglers aboard last night whaled five walleyes 3 ½ to 5 pounds on a lake, Dave wrote in an email. That was one of the trips that plug for them at night, when walleyes push to shallows and can be caught on cast lures, good sport.  The water was 81 to 83 degrees, warm for the angling, and this was late in the season for the fishing. But trips have been plugging them, and did this late in the past aboard, too. More than 20 pounds of fillets were produced, and walleyes are good-eating, a member of the perch family.

Weather was hot, cutting back on news, but largemouth bass fishing remained strong at lakes, said Brian from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. Senko worms and Keitech soft-plastics were thrown to them during daytime. During evenings, when the fish began to feed along the water surface, plugs and other top-waters were tossed along docks and lily pads to the fish. Not much was heard about hybrid striped bass. Walleyes were sometimes trolled deep at Swartswood Lake. In the heat, few anglers fished for trout, cold-water fish. But tricos hatched on some trout streams. Many anglers avoid trout fishing this season, because high temperatures can kill the fish during the fight.

Dominic Sarinelli tackled several sizable hybrid striped bass to an 8-pound 6-ouncer from the lake, Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong wrote in an email. “Seeing lots of smaller hybrids, too,” she said, and the lake’s hybrids bit chicken liver and livelined herring. Hybrids and walleyes sometimes also hit at night still, on lures and livelined herring. Panfish nibbled worms under bobbers in the lake’s shallower water. Pete Rathjens landed a smallmouth bass just under 3 pounds, and Jim Welsh beat a 4-pound 9-ounce chain pickerel. Knee Deep Club will host a fishing event for the Wounded Warriors Sunday at Lee’s County Park, if anglers want to help.

A couple of customers kayaked smallmouth bass well at Split Rock Reservoir, said Joe from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. Another customer clocked good largemouth bass fishing at Lake Hopatcong at docks. The fish harbored in the shade. Passaic River anglers pulled in catfish and carp last week. The river ran a little low, and the occasional angler who tried for its northern pike did catch. The pike “are kind of pooled up” in the low water, he said. Joe had just returned from fishing Oneida Lake, Thousand Islands on the St. Lawrence River and Lake Champlain. He drilled lots of smallmouth bass at Oneida and Thousand Islands and great fishing for smallmouths and largemouth bass on Champlain. The waters were low, and Champlain looked almost 3 feet low. Structure was out of the water.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Largemouth bass bit fairly well, said Mike from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. At Lake Hopatcong, they held at isolated weed beds toward the center, smacking spinner baits and creature baits. Spruce Run Reservoir’s hybrid striped bass fishing seemed to be slowing down. The hybrids were trolled but not really hooked other ways. Catfish at different waters were in pre-spawn or were getting ready to spawn. 

Fewer reports rolled in during the heat, but sometimes largemouth bass and chain pickerel were hooked at Lake Riviera at shady banks during evenings on nightcrawlers, said Virginia from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River.  Sometimes pickerel were fought in evenings at Trilco on the Toms River. 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. White perch fishing picked up somewhat on the Toms between Trilco and Huddy Park. Live grass shrimp nabbed them and were scarce at stores. Anglers who caught the shrimp themselves fished the bait. Pickerel were yanked from the spillway across from Ocean County Mall. Catfish were tugged from Lake Carasaljo. Manasquan Reservoir gave up catfish in evenings where there’s sort of cove at rocks before the dock. Nothing else was heard from the reservoir. Murphy’s, located on Route 37, also owns <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River.

<b>South Jersey</b>

At <b>Harry’s Army Navy</b> in Robbinsville, James wondered whether lakes dried up, he kidded. Weather was hot for fishing, but largemouth bass actually began to bite in early mornings at ledges and grass beds on jigs and slider worms. That was a summer pattern, but nighttime also remained a time to fish for the bass, like happens once weather warms. Bigger largemouths will be caught at night, and nighttime will remain productive probably until October. That happened last year, and James at night would fish bigger baits like a jointed rat lure or good-sized swimming plug. Bluegills thrive in the heat at lakes and are plentiful to catch. He hadn’t seen the water level on Delaware River in past days. But catfish can always be eased from the river this season. Many bow anglers targeted carp and bowfins on the river. If fishing for smallmouth bass on the river, the Lambertville boat ramp is one of the best places for shore anglers. In saltwater, fluke were hung from Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers. Lots of peanut bunker schooled the rivers. Fluking was probably better at those rivers than farther south at Shark and Manasquan rivers. On the ocean, mahi mahi began to hover at lobster-pot buoys and other floating structure. Boaters chummed and cast small bucktails or popper lures to them. 

Fishing was best in early mornings and at dusk on lakes and ponds, and picked up, <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown’s Facebook page said. One angler locked into good fishing for largemouth bass to 4 pounds at Iona Lake on chatter baits worked slowly. A 12-year-old angler scooped a mix of largemouths, crappies and yellow perch from Franklinville Lake on minnows and neon nightcrawlers. A kayaker hauled a 6-pound largemouth from Mary Elmer Lake, saying the bite is turning on just before dark. Another angler fished Parvin Lake, whipping good largemouthing on Yamamoto worms and plenty of pickerel on Rooster Tails.

Been a little on the warm side, Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland said! That slowed largemouth bass fishing at lakes, and anglers who fished for them at night were the only who substantially connected. They fished buzz baits and big rubber worms. They pounded Salem Canal still, he said, and a few worked Parvin and Rainbow lakes. Not much was heard about other catches like chain pickerel and bluegills. In saltwater, summer flounder fishing became very good on Delaware Bay. The upper bay seemed fished for them. Surf anglers wrestled sharks from the ocean at night. Tuna fishing had been great, and Massey’s Canyon was mostly mentioned for that.

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