While local freshwater fishing is on the slow side, stripers, bluefish, and weakfish are feasting on mullet, sand eels and peanut bunker in the surf, and at the same time, blackfish action has been good along the jetty rocks and bridge pilings at North Jersey shore points, according to our saltwater fishing reporters from On the Water Magazine. To pursue these hard fighting fish, it’s recommended shore anglers pack metals, swim shads. Peanut swimmers, needlefish an eel imitation plastic lures. 

The Tackle Box in Hazlet says schoolie stripers are being caught at the local pier along with cocktail blues. Sea bass season opened although weather conditions prevented anglers from pursuing them. With an expected drop in temperatures, baitfish will fill in and striper fishing will improve off the beaches. 

Joe at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands, reports there are a lot of fish in the rivers feeding mostly on mullet. Stripers have been setting up under the bridges, and anglers are picking them up nose-first in the current. Jigs are working best but the shop is selling lots of eels for them. Bottom fishermen are picking away at small blackfish around the Highlander Pipeline with some small sea bass mixed in. The talk of the town was the 13-pound sheepshead caught that just missed the state record by about 6 ounces. 

Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright, said local surfcasters are picking up some weakfish and stripers on the oceanfront while blues of various sizes are in the rivers. Most of the bait from rivers to the ocean beaches has been mullet with a fair amount of sand eels mixed in. After the recent northeast blow that stirred up the surf, it also stirred up the bass that are taking notice where the sand eels are most concentrated, alluding to good striper action. Mike recommends using soft plastics, diamond jigs and needlefish then hit the sand. 

Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Beach, said the surf has been big after the northeast wind. Cooler temps  should pick up angling action. What excites Mike the most, he said, are the loads of 5-7-inch sand eels that have shown up in the surf, which bodes well for a night bite. The week before, surfcasters were catching all the 2-5-pound bluefish you could imagine on the beaches, and when caught, they’re spitting up sand eels. Since then, the bass bite has picked up with fish in the teen class taking sand eel style baits like needlefish, Tsunami sand eels and other slim-profile soft plastics. The local rivers are also fishing well for slightly smaller bass. A few anglers slipped out offshore and caught recreational-size bluefin tuna with a few hardtails mixed in.
​
The best news from Tim at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar are that party boats are starting to catch sea bass while shore fisherman are hooking bass from 28-34 inches along with a few schoolies and a couple really big blues. A couple shop regulars who use heavier gear on the beaches, got all riled up after one angler brook off two huge fish during a bass outing. Most surfcasters are catching bass with heavier diamond jigs and yellow SP minnows during mornings and evenings, which is likely due to the influx of sand eels and peanut bunker that combined, point to good fall fishing. 



 

Local anglers can look forward to some fresh stockings of trout as the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission began their winter trout stocking on Oct. 1. The stockings will continue through mid-December. During that time, the agency said it will stock approximately 116,500 hatchery raised adult Rainbow, Brown and Brook trout in 118 streams and lakes. 

In October alone, the PFBC will stock approximately 87,900 trout in 93 waters, including 53 lakes and 40 streams including 16 Keystone Select Trout Waters which are managed under Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only regulations. An additional 25 lakes will be stocked with approximately 28,600 trout during November and December, which is in time for some possible ice fishing opportunities.

Locally, the only water that is scheduled for stocking is the Little Lehigh on Oct. 17 with Rainbow trout. Over in Northampton County, only Minsi Lake will receive rainbows on Oct. 10. In neighboring Berks County, Antietam Reservoir will get rainbows on 11-13-24 and on 12-7-24, Kaercher Creek Dam will also get rainbows. There are no planned stockings for Carbon County. 

This past Saturday, a small portion of the Little Lehigh Creek received some trout from the Lil-Le-Hi trout nursery for handicapped children. It’s a great time for these kids to fish without pressure from other anglers. 

The PFBC reminds trout anglers that during the extended trout season (Sept. 3- Dec. 31, 2024 and Jan. 1- Feb. 8, 2025), the daily creel limit is three trout of combined species with a minimum size of seven inches. This applies only to designated Stocked Trout Waters. 

DELAWARE RIVER

If you fish the Delaware River and perhaps launch a boat at the Matamoras Access in Pike County, be advised it will be temporarily closed for ramp repairs from Oct. 7 through Oct. 9. The PFBC recommends anglers use the Zane Gray Access upstream until it reopens. 

ARCHERY BEAR HUNTING SEASON

The archery bear hunting season in local WMU’s 2B, 5C and 5D opened Sept. 21 for a split season. It now opens in 18 other WMUs on Oct. 5 for a split season that includes a Sunday Nov. 17. Locally, the October opener adds WMU’s 4C in most of Schuylkill County and 3D in Monroe County. 

STARLING/SPARROW SEASON

Yes, you read right. I asked a few long-time hunter friends if they knew they could legally shoot Starlings and Sparrows. And they did not. 
​
Actually, there is no closed season on them except during the regular firearms deer seasons. And there is no limit. Reason for that is that these birds came from another country and not native to Pennsylvania. As such they’re considered nuisance birds that rob native birds of food and will often take over nests built by song birds and others. 

With deer hunting season about to begin for bowhunters, it’s a time when hunters may see some unusual, if not rare sights. An example of this are different colorations. Some are piebald deer that have a mix of brown and white coats, then there are albinism deer or all white deer that have reddish or pale eyes, and lastly, and the rarest of all are black deer, or melanistic, that most hunters may never see while hunting or scouting. But a friend from Northampton County has seen a black buck in his back yard, and always in the morning.  

You may wonder how this coloration occurs. According to the National Deer Association, a Melanistic deer is a random genetic anomaly. Changes in the coat color of mammals is believed to be mutations in the melanocortin I receptor gene (MCIR). The mutated gene that causes melanism is believed to be recessive, just like the gene responsible for some albinism and all piebaldism. 

The first known record of melanism in whitetails was in 1929, according to famous wildlife photographer Leonard Lee Rue. Melanistic deer have been reported in Mississippi, Michigan, Virginia, Texas, South Carolina and Pennsylvania. In 1999, two Texas Tech University professors learned that there’s an 8-county area of Texas where the number of black deer is estimated to be as high as eight percent of the total deer populations. One study described this region as having deep drainages and thick cover. 

And as Texas has the largest white-tailed deer population in the United States, the professors stated that since they cannot measure the precise number of black deer in the world, most estimates guess that only about one in every 500,000 deer are melanistic. 

They also believe inbreeding can lead to high rates of black deer in an area. That is because inbreeding makes recessive genes more dominant. 

My friend, Vin Fugazotto, a science/biology teacher at Parkland High School who used to breed deer, told me he had two melanistic deer years ago that initially were chestnut brown but developed black hues. And recently, a friend told him that he captured a Zionsville black deer on his trail cam. He believes melanism is tracked back to the deer’s mother. And as far as actually harvesting one, Fugazotto had heard a hunter took a black deer in Bucks County some 10-15 years ago. 

The Texas Tech study also indicated that as far as shooting a black deer, it was noted that animals with genetic anomalies have a harder time surviving in the wild. This is one reason they are so rare. Melanistic or albino animals are easier to spot, which means predators will see and eat these animals more often. 

It was also pointed out that there are other animals that can be melanistic such as squirrels, guinea pigs and snakes to list a few. 

My Northampton County friend saw his particular black deer only once last year. So far this year he saw it three times. So where did it go over last hunting season and not making any appearances during the winter or spring months? Only it knows. 

​

It’s the most anticipated time of year for over 350,000 bowhunters in Pennsylvania when the bow season  kicks off Sept. 21 in Wildlife Management Units 2B, 5C and 5D and for ones surrounding Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

The season runs through Nov. 29 including two Sundays, Nov. 12 and 24. Then starts again Dec. 26-Jan. 25. The statewide archery season starts Oct. 5 and includes on Sunday, Nov. 17 before ending Nov. 22 and reopens Dec. 26. – Jan. 26-30. 

According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, bowhunters represent one of every two deer hunters in Pennsylvania overall. And no other state has more bowhunters as Pennsylvania. Plus, bowhunters take a good number of deer. In the 2023-24 seasons, bowhunters harvested an estimated 154,850 whitetails (83,370 bucks and 71,480 antlerless deer). That was, says the PGC, about 36 percent of the overall deer harvest. That matched the most recent five-year average and is in-line with what’s occurring on a larger scale. Every week of the 2023-24 archery season, contributed at least 10 percent to the overall deer harvest, with some weeks accounting for as much as 25 percent. 

The National Deer Association’s 2024 “Deer Report,” in the three seasons from 2020 to 2022, archers took, on average, about 34 percent of all deer harvested across what’s considered the Northeast region, a 13-state area stretching from Maine to Virginia.

That shows the popularity of bowhunting. In fact, one land owner down in deer rich Bucks County wanted the deer herd on her property thinned out so she allows bowhunters on her property because “she doesn’t hear it happening.” That reference was to firearm hunters, plus safety concern. So it would appear bowhunters have that advantage in gaining hunting access.
 
As to where to hunt. It seems deer are everywhere and places you don’t expect them to be. Reason being, development is driving deer from their natural haunts. This past Feb. at 2 a.m., I had a doe standing in my front yard, then watched her on my security cameras. She walked down the alley across the street from my house in the west end of Allentown. Where did that deer come from?

Other sightings are by others in populated developments. From a buddy’s’ yard in Coplay, to deer on Rte. 22 and the cloverleaf brushy area at Rte. 191. Another buddy who lives in Salisbury Township and not far from Lehigh Parkway, constantly has deer in his backyard. Even had a few walk down his Buckingham Drive road in front of his  home. Deer have also been seen grazing grass next to the Northampton Fire Company. There’s also a hefty 6-pointer on the preserved land on Springhouse Road adjacent to Rte. 22 and across the highway from Parkland School District’s Administration office. 

If you use a deer scents during the bow season, Bob’s Taxidermy on Kernsville Road in Orefield, just got freshly obtained “Yurine Luck” deer scent that he packs in plastic bottles for sale. It’s unlike the bottled scent at big box stores that could have been on the shelf for a long time, and lost its potency. 
​
A final reminder from the PGC is that bowhunters may use illuminated nocks that aid in tracking or locating the arrow or bolt after being launched, but transmitter-tracking arrows are not. And don’t forget to use a fall-restraint device – preferably a full-body harness – when hunting from a tree stand. And wear it from the time you leave the ground. Every year some hunters fall from tree stands and sustain serious injuries. A few have even died from a fall. 

​
Aside from the dove hunting season that kicked-off Sept. 2, squirrel season is the next small game pursuit when that season gets underway Sept. 14-28. 

Squirrel season has a three-season run as it opens again Dec. 16-24 and Dec. 26 to Feb. 28. It’s one of the longest  small game hunting seasons in Pennsylvania. Squirrels are also our most plentiful small game species. 

Squirrel season is also an excellent time to introduce a youth to hunting as it gives them an outdoors education that they would not get in school, plus it gets them away from their electronic toys. Added to that, the season is still warm and doesn’t require a lot of hunting clothes as jeans and a sweatshirt would do. The only necessary requirement would be a pair of hunting or hiking boots, and a can of tick repellent as the nasty critters are heavy again this year - and a youth license.  

As for choice of a firearm for squirrels, the choices are shotgun or rimfire (.22LR) rifle. For youngsters the .22 is preferable as it’s easier to shoot with virtually no recoil and with a scope, makes shots more precise. The shotgun would be for later on when the youths gain shooting experience, although it’s easier to down a bushy tail with a well- placed shot when a squirrel is sitting still or running along a tree branch. 

In this early part of the season, the woodland tree canopy is thick requiring a close shot. Most veteran squirrel hunters rarely take shots beyond 30 yards, if that. Using a .22, you have to get closer, but for a youngster, it teaches patience, shooting skill and stealth to sneak up on a chatterbox up in a tree. Another method is to sit by a tree when seeing or hearing squirrel activity in the trees, and attempting to call one closer by sucking on the back of the hand which mimics squirrel chatter. There are also commercial calls on the market for that purpose. 

An added benefit of hunting squirrels with a .22 rifle is that you won’t have to bite into a lead shot that and a possible trip to the dentist. Sometimes and despite the best cleaning efforts, an embedded No. 6 or 8 shot can be missed. With a .22 you don’t generally have that problem. 

While on the topic of eating squirrel, they offer sweet meat as their main diets consist of nuts, berries, mushrooms, pine seeds, corn, while cherry and black gum fruits. And in spring they eat buds, flowers and winged fruits of red maple. In winter, they seek out the nuts they buried in fall. There are several squirrel cooking recipes on social media.

And before throwing squirrel tails away, keep in mind Mepp’s the fishing lure maker buys them  or trades for their spinning lures. 

SALTWATER REPORT
Northern New Jersey surfcasters tossing tins and epoxy jigs into frothy feeds are playing inshore pelagic roulette this week with bonito, false albacore, Spanish mackerel, small bluefish, and even some chub mackerel in the mix.
​
Inlets have come to life with schools of spearing and peanut bunker, which are keeping late-summer hardtail populations well fed. In many cases, when the surface action dies down as late morning approaches, shore anglers are slowing their retrieves and putting nice fluke on the beach with those same epoxy jigs and metals, while others opt for a live mullet, or the more traditional rig consisting of a bucktail jig and Gulp teaser.
 
Fluke fishing improved over some of the local reefs, where keeper flatties to 8 pounds were reported. Devout fluke anglers are dropping baited hi-lo rigs, bucktails and Gulp, plus live spot for fluke over the reefs. At times, bottom fishermen are even coming across blitzing albies and bonito and are cutting them into strip baits to try and box another keeper fluke for the table.

​Elk hunting in Pennsylvania will soon get underway when the archery season for them kicks off Sept. 14-28. But first, bowhunters have had to secure an elk license that are awarded either by auction or raffle and that began Sept. 2. 

For the fortunate 27 hunters who are lucky to draw an archery license, they will be hunting in their designated Elk Hunt Zones across several counties in northcentral Pennsylvania.

Later, from Nov. 4-9 – a period when a lot of other hunters might be sharing the woods – the 68 hunters drawn for a general elk license will have the opportunity to try to fill their tags. And 45 more hunters will take part in the late elk season that runs from Dec. 28 to Jan. 4, 2025 for a herd that the PGC says is between 1,300 and 1,400 elk. And for the 2024 season, there were 65 bull licenses and 75 cow licenses sold. 

“Those lucky elk hunters might well be feeling the season can’t get here soon enough, but for archery hunters in particular, the start is almost here,” said Game Commission Executive Director Steve Smith. “Soon, those hunters will be living out an experience hundreds of thousands dream about when they submit their applications for a license each year. I wish them luck, and like most hunters, hope to share a part in it someday.”

For the 2022 season, the last the PGC has shown, the historical harvest success was 375 antlered and 856 antlerless elk taken. That resulted in a success rate of 97 percent for antlered and 76 percent for antlerless elk. And that was out of 388 antlered licenses issued and 1,131 antlerless licenses issued. 

For non-hunters, or the unlucky who didn’t draw a license, these majestic game animals can be viewed via Pennsylvania Game Commission’s real time “Elk Cam.” The elk cam can be viewed 24-7 through the agency’s website (www.pgc.pa.gov) that is now live. The livestream feed is on State Game Lands 311 in, most appropriately, Elk County and in a field that’s typically a hub of elk activity according to the PGC. 

But in addition to elk, viewers may also see wild turkeys, deer, bear, coyotes and other wildlife. 
According to Jordan Sanford PGC wildlife outreach coordinator, “In the Northcentral Region, the annual elk rut is a unique experience in itself. Spotting a harem of elk, sparring bulls, or hearing majestic bugles ring through the fog is thrilling and exciting. Wherever you are, get connected to catch a glimpse of the magnificent animals. “

The livestream elk cam is provided by HDOnTap, with the help of North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission. And thanks to infrared capability, it showcases Pennsylvania’s wildlife during daylight and nighttime hours. 

The elk cam is slated to run until the end of the bugling season, likely sometime in mid-October with the top time to see elk is late in the afternoon says the PGC.  
​

The small game season kicks off Sept. 2 when dove hunting season opens. The season runs in a split season of from Sept. 2-Nov. 29 and again from Dec. 21- Jan. 4 with a 15 daily and 45 in possession  bag limit. At the same time, the early Canada goose season begins for a Sept. 2-25 initial run.

But both dove and geese will be tough to hunt at this time of year since corn crops are still standing and soybean fields are just beginning to develop beans at many places. 

What this means for the hunter is that if downing a dove and it flies into standing corn, it’ll be tough to find unless you have a good hunting dog. Soybean fields are a bit easier in that they are low in height allowing you to mark the spot where the dove went down. Just be courteous when doing so as to not trample the farm crops while retrieving the dove. And above all, get permission from the landowner before hunting adjacent to the fields. 

Since there are fewer and fewer places to hunt considering all the development taking place. There are the game lands and in particular SGL #205 in Lowhill Township and off Rte. 100 in Lehigh County where there are Managed Dove Fields. This is where game commission personnel plant food crops for dove. These fields are managed specifically for the doves to take advantage of the food, grit and loafing areas that dove prefer. 

In Northampton County you can try SGL # 168 on the Blue Mountain located in Bushkill Township and north of the town of Clearfield. It’s not certain though if there are Managed Dove Fields there. 

In Berks County, it’s SGL #182 off Rte. 222 north of Kutztown. And if not there, Berks has more open farmland than the other two counties. Most of these are owned by Mennonite families and they are generally receptive to allowing hunting on or near their land. In fact, one parcel I passed on the outskirts of Fleetwood even has posted signs indicating it’s a “Hunter Access Cooperator.” Older signs may say “Public Access Cooperator.” Years back this was called the Farm-Game Co-Op program where farmers would allow hunting on their land and in exchange they would get pine seedlings to plant on their property and free PA Game News magazines. Again, permission to hunt is needed. 

As for geese, the best bets is to check harvested cut wheat or alfalfa fields that are close to a pond or lake. Until the corn is harvested, goose hunting may be even tougher right now. 
​
Hunters should not forget that a Migratory Game Bird license is required to  hunt doves in addition to a general license. These can be purchased at a licensing agency or on the game commission’s website under the heading of licensing for all you newcomers to the area.  

With the dove and early goose hunting season a mere two weeks away, this may be a good time to reflect on small game hunting as it was in the past. 

Many moons ago I recall the story about the late Charles Nehf, a local outdoor writer, who would write about hunting for pheasants and rabbits in the Fogelsville area and he traveled there by taking a trolley from Allentown to those Lehigh County farm fields. In so doing, he was all decked-out in his hunting clothes and carrying his 12-gauge shotgun. Imagine doing that today on a Lanta bus? The SWAT team would be called.  

Aside from that, it would be interesting to know the cost of hunting and equipment back then. In fact, let’s refer  back to 1930 when a Witwer Jones Sporting Goods store, located then at 949 Hamilton Street, ran an advertisement in the local newspaper listing prices for shotguns, shot shells and hunting clothes. The ad listed shotguns from Lefever priced at $24.85, a Fox shotgun for $32.10, an Ithaca for $33.00, a Smith for $35.10, a Winchester for $43.25, a Parker for $48.40 and a budget-minded Springfield double barrel shotgun for $15.75. 

Checking these similar shotgun prices in the 25th Edition of Gun Trader’s Guide, they list the Springfield Arms Company’s (built by Savage Arms in Utica, NY) double-barrel hammerless shotgun at $325, a Lefever plain ejector 12-gauge double barrel now goes for $3,188, a Fox single-shot double-barrel, $294, and their Skeeter model $4,494. Checking further, an Ithaca, Model 87 Ultralite in 12 or 20 gauge goes for $369; an (L.C.) Smith, made from 1890-1945, double-barrel Field Grade fetches $1,119, and their Pigeon Grade for $3,563. A Winchester Model 12 Field Gun is priced at $688 and a Parker, 12 or 20-gauge at $3,119. 

Many of these are now collectibles and difficult to find, and their prices would likely increase since Gun Digest printed their guide. Especially since the models listed are no longer made. 

As for shotgun ammunition, the ad lists Remington Shurshot box of 25 for 85 cents. In checking recent ammo pricing, a box of Winchester 12-gauge, #8 shot is $13.00 for 25 rounds at Outdoors Limited’s website, and $34.99 for a box of 12-gauge Aguila #7.5 shot at Boyers Hardware in Slatington. 

And for hunting adult general hunting licenses, they were $2 back then, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Today, the same general hunting license costs $20.97. 

The ad also lists hunting coats for $3.25, hunting boots for $6.35, vests for $1.85 and Red Top Socks for .75 (I still have  a pair). The latter brings back memories going back to the 50s when red was the safety color that was worn and before blaze orange became the law. 

Going back to those days when prices were cheap and pheasants were truly wild and plentiful in fields, is now merely a cherish-able memory.   

​
Last Wednesday, the Lil-Le-Hi Trout Nursery in Allentown received a total of 15,660 trout fingerlings for their holding ponds that nursery volunteers feed and raise until they’re ready to be stocked in local streams.

Of that number, there were 4,200 brook Trout, 11,300 rainbow trout and 160, 4-5-inch golden trout. The Pennsylvania Fish Commission delivered the fingerlings in their aerated fleet of white stocking trucks, however, there were no brown trout delivered because the Little Lehigh Creek that runs adjacent to the nursery, is Class A trout waters that hold native trout. 

When arriving at the nursery, the fingerlings are 1-3 inches long after being hatched from eggs at the fish commissions’ Benner Springs Trout Hatchery in Midstate.

The trout will live at the nursery for about two years and until they reach about 14-16 ounces before being released into area streams. Their average size upon being released into local streams is about 12 inches. To get to that size, trout need to eat about 1.6 pounds of food daily to grow to a pound during their two-year stay at the nursery. In addition to being fed daily by volunteers, visitors can buy fish food at the nursery for supplemental feeding. For kids, even adults, it’s an enjoyable experience to see the trout jump and splash to catch the pellets fed to them during their feeding frenzy’s. 

Currently, there are 2,000 mature trout in the nursery that are waiting to be stocked in local streams by the volunteers. But because of low and warm water conditions, the stocking is on hold. We’ll keep you posted when they will be.

NEW JERSEY SHORE FISHING

If your late summer vacation takes you to the Jersey shore, your timing may be good as our reporters from On the Water Magazine say that tuna fishing is at the top of the charts right now with inshore bluefin and offshore yellowfin, plus bigeye, grabbing the attention. 

Added to this, they say fluking is good for both surfcasters and boaters. Bluefishing is picking up for boat and beach anglers. At the same time mahi-mahi and bonito are starting to show up. It’s surmised that Spanish mackerel and false albacore can’t be far behind. 

Sea bass fishing has also been good with lots of jumbos caught and as summer is in the home stretch, crabbing is sensational. 
​
The  Tackle Box in Hazlet reports fluke action in the Sandy Hook surf offers lots of action, however there aren’t many keepers. A lot of bunker are showing up offshore and big bluefish were blowing them close to the Atlantic Beach Reef. There was also cobia in the area along with loads of sharks. Anglers are pitching live eels into the bunker to hook cobia. There are also mahi-mahi showing up on the pots while Crabbing is off the charts.