Monmouth county Pond for easy shore Fishing

[John D.]

Have an 8yr old son who have been fluke fishing on charters for 3 years now. He misses fluke already lol. Is there a pond in Monmouth county with shore fishing with a good shot at catfish or bass this fall? I don’t think Monmouth county is stocking trout this fall in ponds and and don’t want to fish a stream or lake from shore.

Any help appreciated and he won’t want to fish for sunnies lol

Thanks!
John

[hartattack]

Turkey Swamp Park in Freehold. Hot dogs for the cats, shiners for the bass.

[Mark B.]

Echo Lake Park, 1205 Maxim Southard Rd, Howell Township, NJ 07731

[Doug Vitale]

I don’t think Monmouth county is stocking trout this fall in ponds and and don’t want to fish a stream or lake from shore.

Holmdel Park Pond. The Manasquan Reservoir is definitely not a pond but there are some nice spots on the western shore (e.g., the rocks next to Georgia Tavern Road).

[John D.]

Thank you. Easy is better lol

[CMA719]

What town are you in John D?

[John D.]

Holmdel

[phil]

go to molders and use shiners and livers on the bottom, especially with kids who are bored with sunnies its like shooting big fish in a barrel

[CMA719]

John D, I'm familiar with the Western part of Monmouth County, unfortunately not so much the Eastern part where you are. Let me know if you're ever in the Western part of the county I can recommend a few.

[krob8979]

Homdel park, Porcy pond. Manasquan res has plenty of shore access as well but need to walk for the really good spots

[John D.]

Might give Moulders a try but guess I have to keep the fish which am not keen on. Holmdel Park have fished since the 80s but the past few years has not been very good once the trout get fished out and have not seen a catfish in many years. I think they had to drain the lake 10 or so years ago and it hasnt been the same since.

Thanks everyone.

[Billfish715]

https://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/hofnod_ythchallenge20.htm

There is a fishing for kids event in Neptune. Check out the link from the Division of Fish and Wildlife. In fact, if anyone on this board has kids, check out an event near where you live. Also notice the number of counties that have no sponsors or events. Does anyone have the interest and enthusiasm to get behind this program in a pond near you?

[phil]

Might give Moulders a try but guess I have to keep the fish which am not keen on. Holmdel Park have fished since the 80s but the past few years has not been very good once the trout get fished out and have not seen a catfish in many years. I think they had to drain the lake 10 or so years ago and it hasnt been the same since.

Thanks everyone.

Pretty sure you only need to keep the trout. I grew up in hazlet the only lakes in the area i remember riding my bike to were veterans park in hazlet was small but loaded with cats. Crystal pond in middletown had decent small bass and was 1st to freeze for ice skating and sometimes we'd ride our bikes to shadow lake but that was a really far ride and wed never tell our parents we went that far. Anytime we went to molders it was always an adventure and we caught something crazy.

Late edit: check out topanemus that was always a good early spring spot for pickerel depending on where you are in holmdel it might be like a 5min drive

[John D.]

Phil

Small world as I grew up in Hazlet as well. Just off laurel ave in back of Lillian dr school. There was a swamp/pond system in back of the old general store across from the helfrich bus lot on Lauren ave that was loaded with huge bass, pickerel and Carp. Leeches too if you tried to walk in. Hard to access unless one of the houses let you fish their backyard but there was an overpass on hwy 36 you could fish under which was right before the Palmer ave exit (there was an old Brick red grocery store there called the “barn” something and now it’s a big CVS)

Thx

[phil]

Phil

Small world as I grew up in Hazlet as well. Just off laurel ave in back of Lillian dr school. There was a swamp/pond system in back of the old general store across from the helfrich bus lot on Lauren ave that was loaded with huge bass, pickerel and Carp. Leeches too if you tried to walk in. Hard to access unless one of the houses let you fish their backyard but there was an overpass on hwy 36 you could fish under which was right before the Palmer ave exit (there was an old Brick red grocery store there called the “barn” something and now it’s a big CVS)

Thx

How could you so easily forget such an iconic american supermarket brand like The Farm Barn!

We used to go into the woods behind the public works building off leocadia and bushwack around there all 4 seasons. Never really did catch anything besides turtles but heard stories about fish farther up stream towards 36.

[John D.]

Yes the Farm Barn! The area you fished by Leocadia stretched all the way up to Rte 36 and opened up a bit with deeper waters. There were bass up to 8#, pickerel up to 4# and carp they used to fish with cross bows up to 30#. There may have been bigger but those what were I saw caught. Live shiners were the key. If you could catch the shiners in the lake a bass or pickerel was automatic. The place was literally teaming with fish. I am sure they are still there. Never had the guts to take a raft in there. I’m not kidding, the amount of leeches in the water was staggering which I am sure fed the bass population.

I can remember the old Jack and the Preacher nursery off laurel ave but not the Farm Barn. Lol.

[Jerseydix]

Spring lake, Holmdel park, and Topenemus have served me well when my kids were little.

[phil]

Yes the Farm Barn! The area you fished by Leocadia stretched all the way up to Rte 36 and opened up a bit with deeper waters. There were bass up to 8#, pickerel up to 4# and carp they used to fish with cross bows up to 30#. There may have been bigger but those what were I saw caught. Live shiners were the key. If you could catch the shiners in the lake a bass or pickerel was automatic. The place was literally teaming with fish. I am sure they are still there. Never had the guts to take a raft in there. I’m not kidding, the amount of leeches in the water was staggering which I am sure fed the bass population.

I can remember the old Jack and the Preacher nursery off laurel ave but not the Farm Barn. Lol.

was that the nursery behind luigis on the corner of middle rd and laurel ave? that guy might have been a perfectly nice old man, but something about him playing the piano, and being santa claus, he really gave me the heebie jeebies as a kid.

[John D.]

was that the nursery behind luigis on the corner of middle rd and laurel ave? that guy might have been a perfectly nice old man, but something about him playing the piano, and being santa claus, he really gave me the heebie jeebies as a kid.

That’s him lol. I think they used to hatch the chickens in the incubator around easter. Lived there from 1977 until went to college in 1989