New Jersey & Delaware Bay - New Jersey & Delaware Bay Freshwater Fishing Reports

“Fishing in the northern reservoirs remained good, even with the recent hot weather, and served up some good fishing this past week,” stated Nick over at Bullet Hole Annex. Nick said he got good reports on the bas and pickerel fishing in Waywayanda, Split Rock, Oakridge, Canisteer and Clinton reservoirs. He also mentioned some good pike, bass and catfishing in the Passaic. He was another person who told us he got good reports on the salmon fishing in the Salmon River in New York where kings were dominating the early fall catch.

Anglers have been fishing the big lake but the numbers are way down from previous years according to Laurie Murphy over at Dow’s Boat Rentals. “Jimmy who works at the shop, has been picking up a few walleyes, cats and a few smallies, mainly in the early mornings,” Laurie told us. Crappie fishing is decent in the evening on jigs tipped with Gulp or plasticbaits. What bass fishing there has been around what’s left of the vegetation has been on swimbaits and plugs. Lastly she said some nice pickerel are also being caught around the vegetation.

“Freshwater fishing is finally starting to produce some decent fishing after a couple weeks of out of season weather and storms,” said Joe over at Fairfield Fishing Tackle. He said the Passaic River continues to fish well for kayak fishermen for pike, smallies, largemouth and catfish. Joe said he also got good reports on the smallmouth and largemouth fishing in Split Rock, Oakridge, Round Valley and some of the local small ponds.

Several reports came our way when I spoke with Don over at Ramsey Outdoors in Succasunna. He too mentioned some good fishing from kayaks in the Passaic River for bass, pike and catfish. He also said local small ponds are giving up plenty of panfish and occasional bass to the after school set. He also mentioned he got the first reports on the salmon fishing in Ontario Tributary streams. So far most of the fishing has been at the lower portions of the streams said he heard that the state was supposed to release water into the stream this week which should jumpstart the movement of the salmon up stream. I also checked with Andrew at the store in Ramsey and he told me the Salmon River has been fishing well for kings with the fish starting to move farther upriver every day. Northern trout streams have been seeing some slower fishing as more and more fish are pulled out of the streams and most trout fishermen are looking forward to the fall trout stocking in October he said.

We got several reports when we spoke with the folks over at Creekside Outfitters. They told us of some good bass and pickerel fishing in Waretown Lake on topwater baits and killies. Prospertown Lake has been producing some decent catches of crappies and a few bass early and late in the day on small minnows and surface baits. Lake Assunpink has also been giving up some crappies but the bite is a lot more sporadic there. Lastly Fawn Lake is giving up bass to killies and livelined sunfish.

“Sweetwater fishing along the middle coast is on the upswing,” said Mark over at Hook House Bait and Tackle. He told us the shop got good reports on the early and late day bass fishing in Kessler’s Pond and Lake Riviera on swimbaits and swimming plugs. Manasquan Reservoir is seeing some smallies hitting crankbaits and suspended hybrids are taking minnows and jigs tipped with plasticbaits or Gulp minnows. Local cedar waters to the west of the store are starting to produce some nice pickerel on livelined killies and spinnerbaits.

We got several reports from sources over at Jersey Hooker Outfitters. Bass fishing picked up a notch this past week in Lake Carasaljo, Shenandoah and Lake of the Lilies on spinnerbaits, swimbaits and topwater baits. Crappie fishing is also good in Carasaljo in the early evening on jigs tipped with Gulp or small plasticbaits fished under floats. They also mentioned some decent pickerel fishing in the cedar waters to the west of the shop on killies.

It was another quiet week in the lower part of the state according to Justin over at Allen’s Dock. Justin said the recent hot weather really did a number on Bass River and the local cedar waters. Bass fishing has been very picky and even the pickerel fishing which was good prior to the hot weather had quieted down. “Hopefully now that the weather is once again cooling down the waters the fishing will rebound in the next couple of weeks,” he said.

Bass, pickerel and catfish supplied the fishing for anglers stopping in at Hands Too Bait and Tackle in Cape May. Bass fishing in Ponderlodge Lake and local campgrounds are taking live bait, topwater baits and plastics. Catfishing also remained good in the lake mainly in the early evenings. Live killies and swimming plugs are scoring the pickerel in the cedar waters to the north of the shop, we were told.

“Well the crazy weather has finally subsided and local waters are back to their early fall mode,” said Dianne over at Dave’s Sporting Goods in Doylestown. She said she got word of some spotty smallmouth fishing from Lambertville north in the Delaware. In addition Dianne said anglers fishing Lake Nockamixon are doing well with the largemouth on plastics and live bait and the crappies have been hitting in Lake Galena especially in the early evening.

“Recent rains changed the landscape on the freshwater fishing scene,” said Steve over at Smith Bait and Tackle in Leipsic. Steve told us the warm weather delayed the fall feed in most waters and the high waters from the rains put the crappies on the feed in the spillways and the white perch on the feed in the tidal streams. Most of the crappie fishing is in the spillways at Garrisons Lake, Massey Mills Pond and Camden-Wyoming Pond on minnows fished on jigs under floats. The white perch are hitting best on the last of the outgoing water and the first part of the incoming tide on small minnows and jig-Gulp or plasticbait combinations.