<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Adirondack Mountains</b>

Ice was fished on lakes throughout the Adirondacks, except on Lake George, said Jeff from <b>FISH307.com</b> in the village of Lake George. George is a large, deep lake that’s the final to freeze in the area each winter, if it freezes. Ice fished included on Lake Champlain and Brant Lake. This season was warm, but the angling was good. Vermont’s Lake Bomoseen also fished well on the ice. Northern pike fishing was good in the Adirondacks. Lots of crappies and perch were also tugged through the ice in the mountains this year. For the pike, shiners and suckers were fished. For the crappies and perch, small fathead minnows and rosy reds were dunked. All ice-fishing baits, a large supply, are stocked, and the quantity and quality are exceptional, the best in years. That’s because this warm winter cut back on demand. The shop’s been holding blow-out, clearance sales on ice-fishing gear, while supplies last. Swedish pimples and Rapala jigging raps just went on sale. Ice-fishing electronics and shelters went on a deep sale recently. Ice-fishing suits went on sale last week, and a hundred were sold in a couple of days. It was incredible, Jeff said. <a href="http://www.fish307.com/" target="_blank">FISH307.com</a> is both a brick-and-mortar store and an online store. Join the email list on the website to get announcements when the gear goes on sale.  

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

Some of western New York’s creeks, around Rochester, became free of ice, and gave up the large brown trout that Jay Peck from <b>Jay Peck Guide Service</b> fishes for, he said. The trout grow huge because they summer in Lake Ontario, wintering in the creeks, because forage is more abundant in the creeks than in the lake in winter. Some of the area’s larger rivers that harbor the trout, including Oak Orchard River, ran low, because of scarce precipitation. Rain did fall in the past week, and some of the creeks fished well for the trout, and some didn’t. Streamers, egg flies and nymphs are usually fished for the trout now, though water clear of ice isn’t common this time of year in the creeks. Streamer flies including white Zonkers and small Intruders caught them well in past days. Farther east an hour or two, Salmon River never completely freezes, because it’s large, and Jay fishes for steelheads there throughout winter. The catches were good on Sunday, a warm day. Temperature dropped sharply on Monday, and the steelheading slowed, but the fish were probably just “funked out.” They should acclimate, and the angling’s been fairly decent. This warm winter’s helped the steelheading. Some pretty steady trickles of the fish, migrating into the river from the lake, were reported to pass through the river at Douglaston this past week. The river’s flow on Monday was increased to 750 cubic feet per second, a healthy level for fishing, and that should draw in more of the steelheads, fresh from the lake. Nymphs hooked the steelheads on the upper Salmon. On the lower, egg flies and streamers clocked them, and the streamers included Intruders, Zonkers and Wooly Buggers. No snow covered the banks, and that was unusual. Some of the ponds held ice, but probably thin, and Jay doubted he’d walk on them. Lake Ontario’s bays, like Sodus Bay, were free of ice, though they’re often frozen in winter. Weather’s supposed to be colder, like 8 degrees, this weekend. Jay specializes in fly-fishing and catch-and-release, and books trips that fish with conventional tackle with his other guides.

<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

Lakes held fishable ice on one day and not the next, Bill Brinkman from Philadelphia’s <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> wrote in an emailed report from the shop. The ice was unsafe on most days. A great run of ice fishing was scored two weeks ago. Ice anglers then nailed crappies, yellow perch, trout “and even some bass,” he said, at Core Creek Reservoir. Bill was unsure how that water looked now. One thing’s for sure, he said: the fish are biting. Many anglers lit into good ice fishing farther north in the Poconos. One angler reported pounding panfish at Prompton Lake in the Poconos all day long on a trip. A customer fly-rodded two trout on Pennypack Creek, saying plenty of the fish filled the water, and anglers just needed to search for them. Not much was doing in Delaware River, except fish like crappies swarmed the back coves and the marinas. Dredge Harbor was reportedly loaded with crappies and other panfish. But the main river was probably full of ice flows now. Anthony from the shop goose hunted along the river, saying icebergs were incredible.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

Anglers ice-fished this week, including on Tilcon Lake, said Kevin from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. Landlocked salmon that the state stocks are targeted at Tilcon. Weather is supposed to become substantially colder the next several days, so some fishable ice should be around. Maybe fishable ice will be around until February 20 or 27, if weather remains this cold. Tilcon’s salmon fishing is supposedly good during ice-out, too. Anglers walk the shore, tossing spoons. A few anglers fished for trout on Big Flatbrook, picking a few of the fish on midges. Weather was beautiful on Sunday for that, and the water level seemed in good shape. The cold in the next days should slow that fishing.

Nobody really fished ice on the lake, and too much ice covered the water to fish the lake from boats or the shore, said Joe from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong. One or two tiny patches of ice were fished, but that was nothing to send customers to. Weather is supposed to be cold in the next days, and maybe that would improve prospects. But the sun is higher in the sky, and wind is blowing, and none of that helps. The shop is open, though, and a few customers bought bait and gear to fish smaller lakes locally.

Round Valley Reservoir was fished every day, said James from <b>Behre Bait & Tackle</b> in Lebanon. Nothing really changed with the fishing, he said, and shore anglers socked rainbow trout, brown trout and lake trout. Shiners fished along bottom tied into the fish. So did PowerBait, and the anglers fished with egg sinkers and short leaders. Some local lakes held ice, but not fishable. Maybe the cold forecast for the next days would form fishable ice, or maybe not. Weather’s supposed to warm back to the 50 degrees, and rain is supposed to fall, next week. Any fishable ice will melt.

Passaic River ran especially high, because of runoff, said Larry from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. Nobody fished the river for northern pike or carp that the river is known for. No fishable ice covered lakes, but maybe some will form by the weekend, because of cold weather that’s forecast.

When no ice hampered the fishing, lake trout were pulled from Round Valley Reservoir, said Braden from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Ice was no problem in past days, reportedly, and kayakers angled the fish, but so did shore anglers, “believe it or not,” Braden said. When lakers swim within range of shore anglers, the anglers sort of jump on the fish while possible. Surely rainbow trout and brown trout were banked at the reservoir, too. Smaller waters were known to be ice fished to the north, like ponds anglers hiked to. The standard yellow perch and chain pickerel, he said, were pasted. Whenever Ken Lockwood Gorge wasn’t blown out from snow melt, some good fishing for trout was scored there. The fish, beautiful 13- or 15-inchers, bit zebra midges or small, sizes 16 to 20 RS2’s.

Anglers talked about landing plenty of chain pickerel and some crappies, usual winter catches, whenever water free of ice could be found on lakes, said Tony from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Fishing for those species can usually be good when the water is open this season. For the pickerel, he’d throw a Mepps spinner or any jerk bait with erratic action.

Back to Top