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New Jersey Freshwater Fishing Report 9-28-16


<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

Salmon continued trickling into the river, and that was just really consistent, said Jay Peck from <b>Jay Peck Guide Service</b>. The migration was about on schedule, and the trickles should become stronger and stronger, and one day the river should suddenly become bank-to-bank with salmon. Boaters on Lake Ontario caught the fish well near the river’s mouth and the reservoir. A gang of salmon held there, and they should push up the river soon. The river was due for a good run, Jay thought. Some angler’s might’ve thought the river’s fishing was slow, because they couldn’t walk from a parking lot and expect to find salmon on the river there. Groups of salmon were scattered throughout the river. If anglers were willing to work, find the fish, and fish right, they’d catch. Jay rated the angling decent to good. The salmon were hot or aggressive, because they were fresh from the lake. A trip Sunday with him hooked eight and landed two. A trip the next day hooked nine and landed one. That was because the fish were hot. The river ran at 335 cubic feet per second, the same as in past weeks. A couple of cold nights happened, including in the upper 30 degrees. Monday morning was in the lower 40s. So the river cooled to about 60 degrees. That makes the fish aggressive, too. Jay specializes in fly-fishing and catch-and-release, and books trips that fish with conventional tackle with his other guides. His trips caught on Wooly Bugger swung across bottom on light tippets. The trips had often caught on black Wooly Buggers previously. But now, fluorescent Wooly Buggers connected first thing in morning, during low light and shadows. Once the sun was on the water, the trips hooked-up on olive Wooly Buggers. The fishing mostly caught from first thing in morning until mid to late morning. That’s when the trickles of salmon pushed up the river. The salmon were all Chinooks, aka kings, previously, but now included some cohos. Jay’s trips saw no steelheads, but steelheads might’ve begun to arrive here and there in the river. Salmon and steelheads migrate to the river from Lake Ontario to spawn. The salmon arrive in autumn first, and the steelheads arrive later in autumn. The steelheading will last all winter and into spring.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Musky fishing’s been tough, for some reason, said Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b>. On a trip with a couple of anglers Sunday that cast lures for muskies on a lake aboard, two follows were scored, but no hook-ups were. Dave’s also been pounding lakes on the troll for muskies, but none have bitten. The lures have swum in front of the fish, he’s been sure. The water was 71 degrees on the trip with two anglers. Weather reached 90 degrees Friday and dropped to the low 70s by Sunday. Frost formed at some places in the state. Dave heard a report about hybrid striped bass beginning to bite well at Lake Hopatcong. A trip boated 12, and Dave is supposed to take a client fishing for them this weekend. The trips fish chicken livers, and Dave’s trips nailed the fish well last autumn. An 8-pound largemouth bass was socked at Hopatcong in the past couple of weeks in Dave’s friend’s tournament. Hopatcong’s level will be dropped this coming season like every year for maintenance like dock repairs. But Greenwood Lake, where Dave also fishes, is supposed to be dropped 6 feet or drastically beginning October 11. Many reservoirs suffered from low water in the drought. That included Round Valley Reservoir, and Dave hoped that won’t prevent boat launching there this winter. He whaled trout last winter at Round Valley on the troll, and hopes to do that again.

Trout streams were low, said Don from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b>. They were also warm, and the season was early for trout fishing. But fall trout stocking is supposed to begin October 11. Customers probably looked forward to that, but probably were concerned whether the streams will hold enough water for stocking. Sometimes trout are stocked in lakes instead, because of low streams. But streams are always low just after summer, and that’s always a concern. So maybe they’ll be okay. Many customers still fished for largemouth bass on lakes, and probably bought top-water lures for the fishing most. Weather was still warm enough for the bass to be aggressive enough to jump on the surface lures. But some customers loaded up on Senko worms, and jigging worms like that along bottom for largemouths was also happening. A customer’s trip on Delaware River plugged small smallmouth bass, but lots, at Dingman’s Ferry on Rapalas. Those who fished seemed to catch. Customers geared up for salmon fishing in upstate New York on Lake Ontario tributaries including Salmon River. They were tying egg sacks and doing stuff like that. Some were headed there this coming weekend. Water levels were good for the salmon fishing.

Passaic River ran very low and was warm, said Bill from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. If anglers fished the deep pools, they could maybe hook a few catfish, maybe smallmouth bass or a northern pike here or there. Whether carp were biting in the river was unknown. A few anglers reeled largemouth bass from lakes now and then. No anglers seemed to be setting the world on fire. This was sort of between seasons for fishing, including for saltwater fishing. In saltwater, fluke season closed beginning Monday, and sea bass season is closed and will be opened starting October 22. Party boats often switched to porgy fishing, and that served up good catches. Tuna trips sailed, but tuna fishing was slow so far. False albacore swam the surf. Bluefish were heard about from the Sandy Hook Rips and Sandy Hook’s surf. Fishing for either was a matter of right place at the right time, finding where the fish chased bait. Sometimes party boats on the ocean began to run into large blues.

Some customers fished Raritan River for smallmouth bass, catching relatively well, said Braden from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. That was on Z-Man TRD rubber worms and, “of all things,” he said, larger chatter baits. Anglers already began to fish deeper at Lake Hopatcong for walleyes and hybrid striped bass. They worked 15- to 18-foot depths, where herring schooled. Nothing was heard about trout yet, and trout streams ran low, like before. Reservoirs were also low. Braden heard about a few salmon fly-rodded on upstate New York’s Salmon River. Plenty of the fish seemed stacked in the estuary, and anglers waited for them to migrate upstream. His dad was at the estuary a couple of weeks ago, seeing salmon leaping from the water, but not biting.

<b>South Jersey</b>

At Forge Pond, some anglers caught largemouth bass well, on shiners, said Virginia from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Shiners are stocked, after none was during the heat of summer that makes them difficult to keep. At Lake Riviera, mostly chain pickerel, not many largemouths, bit. Pickerel and small stripers nipped in the Toms River at Trilco. 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. Good catfishing was plumbed from Manasquan Reservoir in evenings on nightcrawlers. Kayakers and boaters beat okay crappie fishing at the reservoir. The fall trout stocking begins October 11, and 350 trout are supposed to be stocked in the Toms that day. The river will only be stocked once, unlike the spring stocking that stocks the fish a number of times during a period of weeks. Murphy’s, located on Route 37, also owns <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River.

From <b>Harry’s Army Navy</b> in Robbinsville, Matt’s been fishing Delaware River for smallmouth bass a couple of times a week, he said. The fishing was slower than before, because of the change of seasons, but he averaged 20 to 30 landed a trip. He fishes a lot, though. The river was low, and a jet boat was pretty much needed for the fishing, unless anglers wade-fished. If anglers could find current, that’s where the smallmouths were this time of year. The fish liked areas like nasty rapids, where some anglers don’t fish. Lake fishing, including for largemouth bass, seemed slow. Matt last year fished for largemouths a lot at lakes including Assunpink and Stone Tavern, and the angling was great. But the angling seemed off this year, for unknown reasons. Baitfish were abundant last year, but not this year. Maybe good rains or a harsh winter or something was needed to ramp up the angling. But that was unknown. An outdoor writer from the area was having slow fishing on the lakes, too. Crappie fishing should pick up in lakes as weather cools. Crappies prefer cooler water. The fall trout stocking will begin on October 11. More anglers take advantage of the spring stocking than the fall stocking. Water was low for the stocking currently.

Most customers fished for snakeheads and bowfins, said Jason from <b>STC Sports</b> in Gibbstown.  They bought frozen herring or bunker to dunk for them at Delaware River’s tributaries. Anglers began to fish a little more than before, because of cooling weather or because summer’s heat broke. Nothing was really heard about largemouth bass. Customers focused on the snakeheads and bowfins. No striped bass were known to swim creeks or the Delaware in substantial populations that anglers would get after.

A few anglers tackled largemouth bass well at Union Lake, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Largemouthing wasn’t so hot currently. Many largemouths, but many small, were nabbed from Salem Canal. Largemouth anglers often fished soft-plastics, especially Senko worms. Those were hot. Small striped bass were played in Maurice River and even Cohansey River. Decent white perch fishing came from brackish rivers and creeks. 

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