<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

A new crop of steelhead seemed to just enter the river, said Suzanne at <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. The Douglaston Run and the lower fly-fishing section offered great action in the mid-mornings on 8- to 13-pound fish on egg sacks or pink Glo Bugs. The river was running at 750 CFS, plenty of water for drift boaters, who reported excellent action from steelies caught throughout the day from Altmar to Pineville.

<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

Catfish were the Delaware River’s main fare, said Helen at <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Philadelphia. The Trenton and Philadelphia stretches were good spots to dunk a few dead shiners or herring to bring up cats to 10 pounds. A few walleyes were found in the New Hope area, and small jigs tipped with fathead minnows took the marble-eyes to 5 pounds. Trout fishers were working over Levittown Lake and Pennypack Creek to fill limits, and crappie anglers had luck at Core Creek while throwing grubtails or fathead minnows on tiny jigs.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Pike were biting like crazy! said Adrian at <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Montville. Pike anglers were hitting the Passaic River, especially under the Bloomfield Bridge and near the Ford dealership, to tackle 6- to 10-pounders. One angler reported landing four pike to 9 pounds on a day out. Live, small shiners were best baits, and as water temperatures drop, the fish should become even more aggressive.

Trout fishing took the spotlight, said Kevin at <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Paramus. Silver Lake was a place for 3- to 4-pound rainbow trout that bit pink Power Bait, and the swollen waters of Ken Lockwood Gorge were home to brownies that would inhale small nymphs.

Jigging took over as the most widely used technique to fish the lake, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. Most jigging was done with ice-fishing Rapalas and Gotcha jigs off the points in water up to 40 feet. Walleyes to 7 pounds along with hybrid stripers to 8 pounds were the main species attacking jigs. A few muskies were prowling the lake, and trolled, large, 1-ounce, white spinner baits drew their attention. Yellow perch and crappie were the catch in shallow-water sections, namely the state park cove.

The Passaic River was the popular spot to fish, said Tom at <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. Northern pike tore up the river, especially in the Totowa section and by the Twin Bridges. One customer drilled four pike 39, 33, 32 and 29 inches as he free-lined small, live shiners while drifting the river, and one of the fish had a 16-inch girth, a stocky critter. Muskellunge could be found at Lake Hopatcong, and a customer used a spinner bait to find a 38 incher. Trout anglers were traveling to Barber’s Pond to limit out while using Power Bait.

Largemouth bass fishing by now has almost come to a halt, said Chris from <b>Lebanon Bait & Sport Shop</b>. Most customers were switching over to fishing for tons of trout at Round Valley Reservoir. The boat launch area was giving up plenty of rainbows from 14 to 18 inches for anglers chucking out pink Power Bait and M&M combos or marshmallow and meal worms.

Trout fishing was top billing for customers, said Ron at <b>Ray’s Sport Shop</b> in North Plainfield. The Pequest and Musconetcong rivers were serving up quality rainbow and brown trout, and small, sizes 16 to 18 bead-headed nymphs worked. The key was to go to the smallest flies possible, Ron said.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Smaller is better for flies used for trout fishing, said Jim from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. The Pequest River was a shining star for trouters, who hooked quality, 2- to 4-pound rainbows virtually every day. Tiny flies, such as sizes 18 to 20, cream-colored caddis or size 22 stoneflies or pheasantail nymphs, were the deal. Large, holdover trout could also be found at the Musconectong River and Ken Lockwood Gorge.

With chilly air temps and cloudy days being the norm, largemouth bass will be hanging in deep water off the drop-offs, said Roy at <b>L&H Woods & Water</b> in Wall. Although boaters couldn’t fish Manasquan Reservoir because of low water, the impoundment should give up bass for bank anglers able to cast far enough to hit the drop-offs with Senkos, Carolina-rigged rubber worms or deep-diving crank baits. When the sun comes out, switch over to targeting the coves and shallower waters with Senkos. Pompton Lakes reportedly held a few largemouths feeding, along with a good selection of yellow perch and even some muskies.

Chain pickerel were keeping anglers busy, said Jeff from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. The chainsiders were on the hunt at Lake Riviera and at the Trilco section of the Toms River, and live killies did the trick. Lake Riviera was also a relatively decent spot for crappie fishing on chartreuse grub jigs on a 2-foot leader underneath a bobber. Simply cast the bobber around stumps or structure, and twitch it, so the grub flutters and jerks around. Trout fishers were concentrating on Spring Lake, and Power Bait was the main choice for a hook-up.

The Assunpink Wildlife Management Area lakes were a hotbed for crappie, said Eric at <b>Harry’s Army and Navy</b> in Robbinsville. The slabs jumped on 1-inch Berkeley Power Grubs in pink or white. A small surge of smallmouth bass were chasing Rapala Countdown lures in the Delaware River from Lambertville to Trenton, though the fishery was inconsistent. Pickerel really began to feed at the local lakes, especially Prospertown Lake, and Mepps spinners and silver spoons got the strikes.

Late afternoon hours put up good numbers of largemouth bass at the Assunpink WMA lakes, said Tony from the <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. Live shiners fished under bobbers were the preferred method. The Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area lakes were all holding crappie around the edges, and small grub jigs in yellow and white were the way to go. More than a fair share of customers were talking about wild pickerel fishing going on at Prospertown Lake, and try casting live shiners or nightcrawlers around the shallows for the best chances for a fight.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Lake Worth seemed the most productive lake in the area, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers</b> in Blackwood. A few persistent customers were still pulling out largemouths from 2 to 3 pounds while fishing deep-diving crank baits. But chilly weather sparked pickerel to really get active in the lake. Live shiners and Mepps spinners caused the pickerel to bite, and some were pushing the 2-pound mark, making for a good battle.

Although most bass anglers seemed to packed it in, lake fishers were targeting chain pickerel locally, because the toothy predators seemed to dominate the action, said Lou at the <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown. Live shiners worked well on the fish at Malaga Lake.

Pickerel were chomping at the bit, eager to jump on in-line spinners, live shiners and jerk baits, said Steve at <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Both Malaga and Union lakes were spots to find them, and those lakes put up a good show of yellow perch.  Largemouth bass fishing was a bit tough, but Rat-L-Traps and Senko worms were taking a few of the bucketmouths from Mary Elmer Lake. Iona Lake and the upper stretches of the Maurice River were the go-to haunts for trout, and the tidal portion of the Maurice was a solid destination for catfishing. Stink baits and cut baits were causing catties to 8 pounds to bite.

Cold weather pushed a number of striped bass into the Maurice River up from Delaware Bay, said Ki from <b>Huck’s Place</b> in Millville, and a good shot of short stripers were sucking down bloodworms or bunker chunks. Anglers should start seeing a few more keeper-sized bass appearing in the river as the water temps plummet. White perch could still be bagged on bloodworms in the Maurice, and other anglers were dropping down dead herring to the bottom to haul in catfish.

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