Smallmouth bass began to be pulled from Delaware River, said Andy from <b>Stokes Forest Sport Shop</b> in Sandyston. One might think the Delaware would be running high because of rain this season. But it currently ran very low for the time of year. The reason was unknown, like maybe much dam water was released earlier this season to deal with high water. The Delaware’s shad fishing was practically finished for the year. A couple were still hooked, but shad that died after spawning floated down the river. Big Flatbrook’s trout fishing started to be in a summer pattern. The trout bit sulfurs and blue-winged olives, and began nibbling midges. Anglers anticipated the end of catch-and-release fishing for largemouth bass beginning Saturday. Regulations require the bass to be let go for a time through mid-June for spawning, and that ends Saturday. Anglers keep few largemouths. The bass are not great-tasting. But anglers fish for them more often after the release period. Some anglers like the potential to keep a trophy to mount, too.

A father and son jumped aboard one of the nighttime trips that plug for walleyes with <b>Live to Fish Guide Service</b> from Montvale on Friday on a lake, Capt. Dave Vollenweider said. They boated five of the fish 2 ½ pounds to heavier than five. The son whacked one of the fish on the first cast, and both father and son had never caught walleyes before. The fishing is picking up, and the water was 70 to 71 degrees. Walleyes push into shallows, where they can be hooked on cast lures, at night to forage on spawning herring this time of year. After the anglers left, Dave headed back onto the lake and drilled two more of the fish. Then a buddy joined him for trolling for muskies until 12 noon on the lake. Was a marathon of fishing for Dave. None of the fish of 10,000 casts bit. Dave’s friend Paul Schmidt’s club the Northeaster Bassmasters will hold a tournament Saturday and is looking for entrants. Look up the club’s website for contact info. That will be the club’s first tournament after the fishing’s been limited to catch-and-release through this Friday for spawning. Dave also fished for striped bass in saltwater with friends on another captain’s charter boat from Staten Island who specializes in big stripers. The trip nailed six stripers to 34 pounds. Here’s one. Big fish.

Fishing was generally good, said Brian from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. Lake Hopatcong fished well for largemouth bass. Hybrid striped bass and walleyes were also clocked there. Trout streams fished productive and ran at good levels. Lots of bugs hatched – “
“so it’s getting to be that time of year,” he said -- including blue-winged olives and caddis. Both tan-colored caddis and cinnamon-colored were seen. Some isonychias began to come off.  

Delaware River shoveled out striped bass and catfish, good catches, throughout the Belvidere area, mostly off the boat launch, said Keith from <b>Hi-Way Sports Shop</b> in Washington. Chunk bait, large shiners and herring caught both. Some anglers used stick baits and hit the stripers. Abundant trout still swam trout streams, giving up good fishing. The final two weekends of spring trout stocking were rainy, keeping many anglers from fishing for them. That seemed to keep the fish abundant now, even if high water from rain spread out the catches. The streams were fairly cold, good for trouting. Trout were hooked on usual bait including salmon eggs, PowerBait and PowerBait worms in bubblegum color and 3 ½ inches in length. Spruce Run Reservoir turned out good fishing for hybrid striped bass and largemouth bass. More and more often, customers kept buying live herring to fish for stripers. Musky fishing was the same as recently. If anglers targeted them often enough, they caught. Muskies caught were heard about every other day from Oxford and Mountain lakes. Lures and bait both tied into them.

The lake’s fishing was good, Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong wrote in an email. A large variety of fish bit. Largemouth bass and smallmouth bass will be able to be kept beginning Saturday, after fishing for them was restricted to catch-and-release for spawning, like every year. That’s like the opening of the fishing season for the bass, and both began to bite pretty well. Knee Deep Club will hold the annual Stew Lant Bass Tournament on Sunday, June 24, on the lake that awards cash. Hybrid striped bass in the 5- and 6-pound class pounced on livelined herring. Several trout were known to jump on the herring. “Nighttime action is still going strong, usually lasting into July,” Laurie wrote, apparently about walleyes or maybe also hybrids. Crappies chewed, and Sabrina Mackin limited out on them to a 1-pound 14-ouncer on fathead minnows on small jigs. Jim Macoluso hung a 3-pound 2-ounce chain pickerel from the lake.

Passaic River’s fishing was great, said Joe from <b>Fairfield Fishing Tackle</b> in Pine Brook. The river’s northern pike and catfish served up good catches. Its fishing for bass, mostly largemouths, was pretty good. Not many smallmouth bass, a few, were heard about from anywhere, for some reason, except Candlewood Lake in Connecticut. Smallmouth fishing sounded good there. Not many smallmouths were heard about from Lake Hopatcong. But Hopatcong’s walleye fishing was terrific and largemouth fishing produced.  Joe sends customers to the lake, not the river, at Ramapo Reservoir for largemouths, because that’s a place to score. Good largemouthing and occasional walleyes came from Greenwood Lake. A few muskies caught were talked about from Greenwood.

Customers fished saltwater more than fresh, and not many fished fresh, but when they did, they often went for largemouth bass at lakes, said Abby from <b>Hook House Bait & Tackle</b> in Toms River. That angling went well on nightcrawlers and rubber worms, mostly Senkos. Mostly Lake Riviera and Ocean County College Pond were fished for largemouths. Some freshwater anglers got after chain pickerel at lakes, fishing shiners for them. Shiners and killies are stocked. Some fished small killies to pick up crappies at lakes. Freshwater anglers often stopped in with kids to head out for sunnies, bluegills and crappies. Hook House, located on Route 37, also owns <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River.

Fishing was super at lakes and ponds last week, a report said on <b>Sportsman’s Outpost</b> in Williamstown’s Facebook page. A customer who fished Franklinville Lake on a trip reeled in largemouth bass to 3 pounds and chain pickerel on a black Senko rubber worm. Another who fished at Bethel Lake at Bethel Mill Park in Sewell threw a Roostertail to wax five chain pickerel to 4 pounds. Another customer bailed 10 largemouths to 6 pounds on a 5-inch Senko. The report named no location for that catch.

A lot of rain fell and muddied lakes, said Steve from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. Fish were caught, but anglers had to work. Largemouth bass fishing went fairly well. Union Lake put out largemouths, not many smallmouth bass. Soft-plastics were often fished for largemouths, including Senko worms and Zoom fluke. Many anglers drop-shotted for them, like with Roboworms. Many anglers worked Malaga Lake for good catches of largemouths and crappies. In saltwater, summer flounder fishing was good on back bays. Bucktails, Gulps and Tap Dancer rigs were popular to fish for them. Not much was heard about flounder from Delaware Bay. No black drum fishing was really heard about from the bay this week. That angling might’ve been ending for the year. Was a good season for the drum catches.

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