<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Adirondack Mountains

Ice out was this weekend, said Tony from <b>FISH307.com</b> in Lake George. A little fishable ice might’ve remained in the Adirondacks, but the ice was melted on local waters that customers fish. A few boaters trolled Lake George for lake trout and landlocked salmon. Anglers targeted panfish at different lakes. They’ll home in on trout once New York’s trout season is opened beginning April 1. New York’s fishing for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass is limited to catch and release currently, and its walleye season is closed until reopening on the first Saturday in May. Online clearance sales are available for ice-fishing tackle on the shop’s website.  The sales aren’t really available at the brick-and-mortar store, because tackle for spring fishing was stocked there now. <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 about sales throughout the year. 

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

Steelhead fishing will mostly be the focus in the next weeks, said Jay Peck from <b>Jay Peck Guide Service</b>. His two trips the last two days hooked 10 on Monday and seven on Tuesday at Lake Ontario tributaries in western, upstate New York, near Rochester. No heavy numbers of the fish swam those rivers and creeks, and the fishing was two weeks ahead of schedule. But the angling was decent to good, and he sounded pleased. The harder and smarter that anglers fished, the better they caught. Some of the fish began to try to spawn. That was ahead of schedule because of the warm winter. The water was in the low 40 degrees, warm for the time of year. But weather is supposed to become cold this weekend, and Jay hopes that slows the fish’s schedule. Water levels were medium, and the water was stained. This winter was dry, but some of the rivers and creeks ran higher in recent weeks. That happens in late winter and spring, because of melting snow and ice, though not much snow fell this season, and less ice formed than in some winters. Rivers and creeks could run low this spring. Many of the steelheads were “clean” or fresh from the lake. Though steelheads winter in the tributaries, more keep entering throughout the season for the springtime spawn. Jay’s trips fought steelheads on a variety of streamer flies, egg flies and Wooly Buggers. About an hour to the east, Salmon River was “big.” The water ran high and cold, in the mid-30 degrees to upper 30s. Creeks along the Salmon reached the low 40s and also ran high. But the Salmon and its tributaries were “coming into shape” for steelhead fishing. A few of the fish began to spawn there. Egg flies and nymphs caught on the Salmon for Jay. His fishing also landed a few on Wooly Buggers on the Salmon early last week. “Kind of a mix,” he said about what caught there. Jay specializes in fly-fishing and catch-and-release, and books trips that fish with conventional tackle with his other guides.  

<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

A 40-inch striped bass was reportedly hauled from Delaware River near the DOD, Bill Brinkman from Philadelphia’s <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> wrote in a report on the shop’s website. The river near the Philadelphia Airport was one of the better places for striper fishing. Lots of small stripers were hooked there early last week, and some that were larger than 20 inches were socked there later last week. The stripers all bit bloodworms, and the catfish chomped bunker. These all were the first stripers Bill reported this year. He took his season’s first striper trip on the river Thursday for 5 hours, only boating a large white perch and a 2-pound catfish. The water was 45 degrees, and lots of sticks and leaves flowed in the river, making fishing difficult. Several small stripers were known to be caught near Tacony-Palmyra Bridge on the river that day. Mostly catfish were angled from the river then. But yesterday, Anthony from the store bloodwormed 14 stripers 12 to 24 inches upstream from the Tacony Bridge. “Best catch today,” Bill wrote on the store’s Facebook page then. The upper river’s fishing really improved last week, and the river ran a couple of feet high there, allowing boats to get around well. Walleyes were whacked, including at New Hope and Bull’s Island. Catfish and carp were also clocked in that stretch. In saltwater, one angler bloodwormed and clammed two small stripers on Delaware Bay at Fortescue. He talked with an angler who reported bloodworming a bunch of 12- to 17-inch stripers from the bay at Money Island.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

Boating on Round Valley Reservoir trolled two rainbow trout Sunday on stick baits on leadcore line with Capt. Dave Vollenweider from <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b>, he wrote in an email. “Gorgeous and fat!” he wrote, and the water was 38 to 44 degrees. His trips have trolled rainbows and lake trout from the reservoir in past weeks, covered in past reports here. He’s been doing fishing this winter that he normally hasn’t, because the warm season has enabled him to keep the boat in the water. He normally winterizes and stows away the vessel for a time because of cold and ice, but never did this winter.

“It’s on,” said Kevin from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. Local ponds gave up fish like yellow perch and chain pickerel that customers kept showing photos of. They fished shallows that the sun warmed, throwing tackle like small crank baits and small jigs like 1/8- ounce or 1/16-ounce hair jigs or tungsten jigs with skirts. Small lures like that seemed to work because of the shallow water, where fish can be skittish. Large lures chucked into shallows could scare fish. Deeper lakes and reservoirs turned out trout and stocked landlocked salmon on blade baits. Not a lot of anglers talked yet about trout fishing on streams. But a few fished for the trout and banked a few. Early black stoneflies should hatch on warm days. Many trout waters will be closed to fishing from Monday until opening day of trout season on April 9. But some waters including wild trout areas are open during that time, and see New Jersey’s trout regulations. On Delaware River, walleyes had been reeled in pretty consistently, and nothing was heard about the angling recently, but the walleyes likely still bit. Walleye fishing is open year-round on the Delaware but is limited to catch and release elsewhere in the state throughout March and April, reopening beginning in May.

Finally, a report, Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong wrote in an email. A minimal amount of ice had offered ice-fishing on the lake this winter, and not much had been available to report, because of that. “At least the weather and the fish are cooperating now,” she said. Fish the lake’s shallow water for catches including yellow perch and crappies. Chain pickerel or bass might also bite. The Brady’s Bridge area is a good starting point, as usual. For the perch and crappies, cast small Rapala Husky Jerk lures or, under a bobber, Rufus Jr. or Cubby Mites jigs. Remember that walleye season is limited to catch and release for spawning, until reopening beginning May 1. Release them unharmed. Notable catches this past week included Eddie Mackin’s 3-pound 12-ounce pickerel, Harvey Bank’s 3-pound 3-ounce pickerel, Lou Marcucci’s 1-pound 4-ounce yellow perch and Max Hughen’s 1-pound 2-ounce crappie. The shop is open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily through April, and boat rentals are available. This is time to renew Knee Deep Club memberships. If you aren’t a member, you might consider joining for $20 for the year. “Help support Lake Hopatcong, and happy spring!” Laurie wrote.

A customer today talked about fishing Passaic River a little south of the store, said Larry from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. On the trip, the customer saw a northern pike grabbed from the river, and the customer tugged a good-sized catfish from the water. Big carp were reportedly played on the river lately. The Passaic no longer ran high like it did earlier this season, and didn’t seem low, but seemed “centered up” well.  Crappie fishing was supposedly good on Lake Hopatcong. Some anglers anticipated trout fishing, when trout season opens beginning April 9.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Braden from the shop hooked a musky in Delaware and Raritan Canal on his lunch break, said Scott from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. The fish bit a shiner and got off. Anglers fought chain pickerel from the canal. Many anglers began fishing for the season, and angling began to pick up somewhat. Not a lot was heard about catches like yellow perch that can turn on at lakes in late winter. Many customers are more serious about trout fishing on streams. Some of the year’s first dry-fly catches of trout began, because of warmer weather. Small dries like Adams parachutes and blue-winged olives scored at Ken Lockwood Gorge. Good-sized trout were sometimes beaten on the lower Musconetcong River toward Riegelsville. Maybe they swam up from Delaware River. Shore angling was good at Round Valley Reservoir for rainbow trout and lake trout. The anglers could cast to some of the deep ledges, because of low water.

Okay catches of chain pickerel and crappies, and a token largemouth bass mixed in, not many, were talked about, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Forge Pond and the Toms River at Trilco gave up pickerel. Trilco is a closed building supply, and no sign identifies the building. But locals know the stretch by the name, located near Garden State Parkway. One customer reported catching pickerel great at waters at Double Trouble State Park, walking the trails. Crappies bit at Shenandoah Lake along the shoreline on killies. A few customers were eager to fish for trout, once trout season is opened beginning April 9. Shiners ran out of stock but will be restocked Friday. Killies, nightcrawlers and garden worms are carried. Murphy’s, located on Route 37, also owns <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River.

<b>South Jersey</b>

A 52-inch striped bass was reported landed on Delaware River near Burlington-Bristol Bridge on Thursday! said Dom from <b>Barracuda’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Riverside. That was the year’s first large striper caught that was reported on this website, and the fish was reported hooked on a chunk of bunker. Stripers usually begin to be angled from the river nearer to April. Maybe the run was beginning early, Dom said. No other reports were really heard about fishing, and the shop just opened back up for the fishing season. Barracuda’s is open daily except is closed on Wednesdays. For the river’s stripers locally, bunker will probably be best bait. But clams and frozen herring will also be used. No herring were reported to migrate the river yet. The river’s striper migration usually arrives depending on water temperature. The right temperature and the herring migration usually coincide. The right temperature might’ve been happening before the herring run this year. “We’re hoping for an early spring,” he said. “It seems that way.”  Stripers and herring migrate up the river each year to spawn, and return to saltwater afterward. Stripers can be bagged on the river from New Jersey through March, and are prohibited to be bagged in the state from the river and tributaries in April and May from Trenton’s Calhoun Street Bridge to Salem River. Other regulations must also be followed for striper fishing on the river from Jersey, including the type of hooks and number of rods fished, and surrounding states have different regs for the fishing the river. Be sure to read up on the laws to avoid summonses.

<b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> in Blackwood was opened for the fishing season yesterday, Joanie said. Ed Jr. from the shop was at the store this weekend, he said in a phone call to the store then, preparing for the opening. But customers kept stopping by, so he let them in. Fishing reports were yet to be heard at the store.

Largemouth bass anglers picked away at the fish at all the different lakes, said Tony from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Places where the fish were caught that were heard about included Malaga Lake, Parvin Lake and Menantico Ponds. Suspending jerk baits and jigs were tossed to the bass at lakes. Chain pickerel, crappies and yellow perch probably bit at lakes. They’re active in cool water, and lots of minnows were sold, apparently for fishing like that. Freshwater fishing was slowly picking up. Catches of white perch and throwback striped bass were happening in brackish rivers. That was picking up, too.

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