<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Adirondack Mountains</b>

Ice on all lakes and ponds became fishable in the Adirondacks, except at Lake George, said Luke from <b>FISH307.com</b> in the village of Lake George. Lake George is always the last to freeze, and anglers hope some of the lake’s bays become ice-fishable by the weekend.  Currently, Brant Lake fished especially well for yellow perch. Grubs and fathead minnows hooked them, and forecasts called for cold weather the next seven days and maybe warmer afterward. All ice-fishing baits are stocked except suckers that are expected to arrive tomorrow. The baits include icicles, golden shiners, medium shiners, medium-heavy shiners, hunts and more. FISH307.com is both a website and a brick-and-mortar store.

<b>Salmon River and Western N.Y. Rivers</b>

Snow fell like a banshee in western New York, around Rochester, on Monday night, Jay Peck from <b>Jay Peck Guide Service</b> said that night in a phone call for this report. From 6 to 20 inches was expected to fall, but only a couple of inches were expected along Salmon River, an hour to two east in the state. Weather was cold, including 14 degrees during the phone call, but was warmer, above freezing, during the weekend. Jay fishes for large brown trout in rivers and creeks in that western New York area, but those waters were frozen over now. He also fishes for steelheads on Salmon River throughout winter and into spring, and the Salmon, a larger body of water, never completely freezes. The Salmon ran at 750 cubic feet per second, and trips fished for three to six steelheads hooked per day on the river, about a normal winter amount. Jay wouldn’t be surprised if the river’s flow dropped a little now, he said. His trips will land the steelheads on the same flies as lately: egg patterns, nymphs and Intruder streamers. The flies and presentations won’t change much now, and a winter pattern has settled in. The fishing now will be about the river’s flow and the amount of ice and snow. The area remained in a drought, and Tug Hill, the Salmon’s head waters, had much less of a snow pack than usual. Jay specializes in fly-fishing and catch-and-release, and books trips that fish with conventional tackle with his other guides. Catch Jay’s exhibit at The Fly Fishing Show at the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset, N.J., from January 29 to 31. Jay’s been working on materials he’ll exhibit at the show, including this <a href=" https://www.facebook.com/236626819805449/videos/734467563354703/?theater" target="_blank">video of spring steelheading</a> on the Salmon.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

Snow fell, weather was cold and ice formed on the rod guides, but Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> trolled three lake trout Sunday at Round Valley Reservoir, he said. Many small lakes were frozen then, but Round Valley was open water and takes very wintry weather to freeze, for some reason, maybe because of wind and deep water. Dave had never fished for the lakers at the impoundment before, and also trolled with leadcore line that he never fished before. But he hooked the fish, up to probably 5 pounds, on salmon spoons trolled at 2 m.p.h. The fish bit 40 feet down in the lake, and some places were 170 feet deep that were marked on the depth finder during the trip. The water was 40 degrees and crystal clear. The color was very blue at the deep water. The water looks barren, because of the clarity, but fish are there. Many anglers were seen fishing from shore for the trout, mostly rainbows currently, a few browns, according to other sources, that can cruise along the shore this time of year. Dave marked only a few fish, and someone said the lakers won’t be marked, because they hug the bottom. The lead-core line allowed the spoons to be fished deep without downriggers or planers. The line sank 5 feet for every 10 yards let out, and the line was colored to indicate how much line was let out. So Dave let out eight colors. Four or five other boats fished the water during the trip, and Dave usually winterizes his boat by this time during the season. But this winter was generally warm, and he’ll probably keep boating as long as Round Valley is free of ice. Weather turned frigid this week, and a storm is forecast to potentially dump deep snow toward the end of the week. The water was low at Round Valley, and the trailered boat had to be backed far down the boat ramp to be launched.

Lake Musconetcong and Budd Lake were ice-fished some days ago, before the current cold snap, said Kevin from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. Whether that was wise was questionable, because much ice then was only 2 inches thick. But if weather remains cold, fishable ice could be more common in the coming week. If the potential snowstorm dumps deep snow, like 10 inches, toward the end of the week, that could be an issue, because deep snow can insulate and thaw the ice or prevent ice from building thick. All ice-fishing tackle is stocked, and mousies are expected to be stocked this week for bait for the angling. Anglers still trout fished on streams, and the fishing was slow, but a few were banked. Small flies like midges, like a disco midge, eggs and San Juan worms caught. Check out Ramsey’s exhibit at The Fly Fishing Show at the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset from January 29 to 31.

Weather became cold, but hardly any ice formed on the lake, and much of the lake remained open water, said Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. That was because strong wind blew. Every time a little ice formed, too much of the lake was open water, and the wind “opened up” the ice. But anglers hope for fishable ice. Wind was supposed to be calmer this afternoon, but a snowstorm is potentially forecast for the weekend.

No ice fishing was heard about yet, said Cheryl from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. But weather became cold, even 13 degrees in the morning, feeling like 0 degrees. When weather’s that cold, and anglers waited for fishable ice, few customers fish. Passaic River ran high but somewhat lower than recently. Nobody reported fishing the river for the big northern pike that swim the water, because of the cold. Customers had been gearing up for blackfishing in saltwater on boats, until the low temperatures.

Trout anglers reported catching at Ken Lockwood Gorge and Musconetcong River, at Point Mountain, a week ago, said Bert from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Now customers chomped at the bit for ice fishing. If weather remains cold like this week became, they’ll probably get the ice. An angler who used to work at the shop ice-fished at a small pond at Berkshire Valley Wildlife Management Area, near Lake Hopatcong, on Friday or Saturday. Maybe that was unsafe in the warmer weather then, but the angler reeled in a couple of chain pickerel, some yellow perch and maybe a largemouth bass or two. Bert wasn’t asked whether ice-fishing bait was stocked, but the store for last week’s report said the bait would be carried, once fishable ice was solidly around. All ice-fishing gear is carried.

Lakes were frozen, so nothing was reported about fishing, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. The open water at spillways could probably be fished for catches like panfish. Steve wasn’t asked whether any of the ice was fishable, because ice fishing is uncommon this far south in the state. The ice usually doesn’t remain thick for long, so the sport’s not popular, like farther north. A few customers were interested in fishing for white perch on brackish rivers. That’s a catch pursued throughout winter, because the perch will bite throughout the season, and the brackish water’s slower to freeze. But weather this week was just too cold for the anglers to try for the perch. A few customers had been fishing for blackfish on party boats on the ocean, until this week’s weather. That angling was good. Nothing was heard about striped bass from saltwater in a couple of weeks.

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