<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Adirondack Mountains</b>

The lake was still ice-fished, probably only at Million Dollar Beach, said Austin from <b>FISH307.com</b> in Lake George. He landed yellow perch, a couple of northern pike and two landlocked salmon there on a trip. The perch were hooked on jigs with grubs, and the pike were taken on ciscos, a herring. No ciscos are stocked, and anglers catch their own for bait. The salmon were hooked on icicles fished just underneath the ice surface. No icicles are stocked, but hunts are carried that are similar. All other ice-fishing baits are stocked, pretty much. Most customers fished George, but other lakes, including Schroon Lake, were fished on the ice throughout the Adirondacks. Clearance sales on ice-fishing tackle are underway at the shop. <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. 

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

All fishing was ready to pop, was just on edge, said Jay Peck from <b>Jay Peck Guide Service</b>. Creeks and rivers that he fishes for large brown trout in western New York, near Rochester, were beginning to clear, after high water had dirtied them. Also in upstate New York, Salmon River, an hour east, where he’s fishing for steelheads, was slated to run high at 1,700 cubic feet per second through yesterday. He suspected that the water would drop by the middle of this week, if not much rain fell. Some rough weather was forecast for around then. Springtime won’t arrive until 1 ½ weeks from now, but spring fishing was ramping up. Not a lot of snow covered the ground that usually melts and raises rivers and creeks in spring. No precipitation fell since early last week. The brown trout waters were full of the fish. The angling was a little hit and miss, typical for this time of season. Jay was just waiting for the water to clear, as it lowered. That will help, and currently, he usually fishes a streamer through a run at first for the trout. That’s in case one of the fish is waiting and eager to smack the streamer. If none bites, he next fishes nymphs and egg flies in the run, carefully. He’s covering lots of water. The trout grow large because they summer in Lake Ontario, spending winter in creeks and rivers, because forage is more abundant there that season. Anglers should fish for the browns soon, because nobody knows how quickly they’ll return to the lake. Plenty of steelheads, a healthy number, are swimming the Salmon. The upper river is holding them, but the lower river is also harboring some. That tells Jay that steelheads are migrating into the river from Lake Ontario. Steelheads swim the river throughout winter, but more keep migrating into the river. That’s because they spawn in the river in spring, and return to the lake afterward to spend summer. Steelheading is world-class on the Salmon, and the peak season for the fishing is about to happen. The river was high only because water is traditionally released from the reservoir to help prevent spring’s snow melt from raising the river too high. However, not much snow is covering the ground at the head waters, at Tug Hill. The release of the water currently might threaten to make the river too low. But the reservoir is small and fills quickly. Abundant stoneflies are hatching along the Salmon, so nymphs are often catching the steelheads. But Jay also caught the fish well on egg flies. Mix it up, and fish slow seams. Rivers and creeks are cold, including because plenty of ice is melting along shorelines. Salmon River was 33 degrees at the beginning of a trip this week, and 36 at the end. Jay expects the temperature to keep hovering around 34 to 36 degrees, and the temp isn’t fluctuating much. Weather early this week was in the 50 degrees in western, upstate New York and in the 40s along Salmon River. Warmer weather than that was forecast for some times this week, and this was warm for the time of year. Jay specializes in fly-fishing and catch-and-release, and books trips that fish with conventional tackle with his other guides.

<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

Looking forward to this 70-degree weather, Bill Brinkman from Philadelphia’s <b>Brinkman’s Bait & Tackle</b> wrote in an emailed report from the shop. The year’s first bloodworms were stocked yesterday. The year’s first fresh bunker were already stocked, but will only be carried when available. Anglers will fish the worms and bunker including on Delaware River for the striped bass migration. Anglers will also dunk bait like that for catfish in the river. “Hoping some warm weather will land the first stripers of the season,” Bill wrote. Just a few catfish bit in the river. Most weighed 1 to 3 pounds and hit best on nightcrawlers, shrimp, chicken livers and chunks of eels. The upper river was high and off-color throughout the past week, because of rain. On the upper, one customer fished at Byram, Bull’s Island at the walk bridge, and New Hope at the wing dam. The angler hooked small catfish, and a walleye here and there, on minnows and white and chartreuse grubs. Along the lower river, Salem Cove gave up good numbers of white perch and catfish on nightcrawlers and minnows. South Jersey fished best. One angler tapped into a bunch of crappies 12 to 13 inches on Union Lake. Another fought 11 chain pickerel 10 to 13 inches at the spillway at Batsto Lake. Even farther south, an angler landed 17 largemouth bass 6 to 10 inches at a small lake near Wildwood on 4-inch slider worms. Another tackled a 4-pound largemouth on a four-bladed spinner bait and fought two to three pickerel per trip. Bill didn’t mention location for that angler, but said the angler’s buddies fished Great Egg Harbor River, scoring fair on pickerel and perch. They waited to catch their year’s first stripers from the river. In Pennsylvania, the lakes at the Penn Warner club turned on. Plenty of yellow perch chewed, and a few “bass,” Bill said, northern pike, crappies and pickerel were mixed in. The private lakes, with membership available to the public, hold both largemouth and smallmouth bass. At Core Creek Reservoir in Pennsylvania, yellow perch and crappies turned out fair fishing on the lower lake, and some bigger largemouth bass on the upper lake. Crank baits, spinner baits and plastic worms grabbed the bass. “Let’s hope warm weather will bring better reports,” Bill said.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

Fishing should be awesome because of warm weather that began this week, said Kevin from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. Fishing usually amps up soon after ice-out, and this looked like the time for that. Catches then can include good angling for trout, like lakers at Round Valley Reservoir. Places like Spruce Run Reservoir should also produce catches. Fishing for landlocked salmon could take off at lakes that hold them, like Tilcon Lake. Cleos tossed from shore and both Cleos and blade baits fished deep from boats can connect on the different reservoirs and lakes. Yellow perch also usually go on a tear at lakes now, as they prepare to spawn. Twister tails on jigs like 1/16-ounce will hook them, and the perch begin to gather in shallows for the spawn. Eggs will probably begin to be seen this weekend. Trout streams should produce early black stonefly hatches now. Maybe a few blue-winged olives will hatch, but the stones should be abundant. Remember that most trout-stocked waters will be closed to fishing from March 21 through April 8 for the stocking. They’ll be reopened beginning at 8 a.m. on April 9, opening day of trout season.    

Fishing was about the same as before, was yet to change for the season, really, said James from <b>Behre Bait & Tackle</b> in Lebanon. That wasn’t a bad thing, he agreed, and shore anglers banked rainbow trout and lake trout from Round Valley Reservoir on shiners and yellow or orange Powerbait. For the lakers, they fished along bottom with an egg sinker and a swivel, and for the rainbows, they fished higher in the water column with slip-bobbers. The anglers needed to fish the main-lake, not at the coves. Boaters at Round Valley jigged lakers down 60 and 70 feet. Customers began to head to Spruce Run Reservoir, and catches there include the biggest crappies in the state, like 17- and 18-inchers. Anglers want crappies this time of year, because the slabs are aggressive and bite in cool water. Catches at Spruce also include northern pike, hybrid striped bass, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, or nearly all popular species. 

Anglers picked up supplies for fishing, and few returned and gave feedback, but a couple began to fish Passaic River, said Larry from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. The river’s flooding began to drop down, and fish in the river include northern pike and carp that are popular to target. The state stocks the pike.

Good panfishing for yellow perch and crappies was busted at Lake Hopatcong’s coves, said Ron from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. Jigs 1/32-ounce under bobbers nabbed them. Lake trout were vertical-jigged on Round Valley Reservoir on 1-ouncers. Crappies, good catches, swiped shiners at Delaware and Raritan Canal. Shiners are always stocked, and fathead minnows were just stocked. Customers who frequent trout streams were yet to really stop by the shop. But in this warm weather now, they’ll probably show up. They’ll have 1 ½ weeks to fish, before most trout-stocked waters are closed to fishing for stocking for three weeks. The waters will open back up beginning at 8 a.m. April 9, opening day of trout season. Catch the store’s Spring Fishing Festival Sale from March 10 through 20. Discounts include: 25 percent off any rod with the purchase of any reel in stock; 20 percent off all tackle boxes and bags; 20 percent off all salmon eggs; 20 percent off all lures; 20 percent off all soft-plastic lures like Gulps; PowerPro line for $.06 per yard, more than a 50-percent savings; and $.02 per yard for Trilene XL, Suffix Elite and Suffix Superior line from 2 to 17 pounds and Trilene Big Game line from 20 to 40 pounds. All the line sales are for empty spools only, limited to six per customer. Stop by Efinger’s exhibit at the Saltwater Fishing Expo from March 18 through 20 at the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset.

A couple of customers fished for chain pickerel, reeling up a few, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River on Monday in a phone call. That was before weather began to turn warm on Tuesday. One angler had been fishing Stone Tavern Lake in the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area, rounding up a few crappies. Angler participation will pick up in the next days, because of the warmth, Dennis thought. Baits stocked include shiners, nightcrawlers and garden worms, and killies were supposed to arrive today. For saltwater, baits carried include bloodworms, sandworms and, on some days, fresh clams. The clams were difficult to obtain this early in the year. Murphy’s, located on Route 37, also owns <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River.

We’ve got the weather, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Weather began to be warm and spring-like yesterday for the week. Customers sometimes chased largemouth bass, and no super fishing for the bass was heard about. But the catches were reported from Rainbow Lake. One report mentioned pretty good largemouthing at Parvin Lake. Sounded like mostly crank baits and jerk baits lit into largemouths at lakes. Chain pickerel chomped at nearly all lakes. Minnows were stocked that were previously unavailable in the cold a moment, and they worked on the pickerel. A few anglers began to fish for white perch on brackish rivers, now that bloodworms were stocked. A few striped bass, resident fish, not many, were mixed in.

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