New to NJ. Where to Fish?

[Blackfishhead]

Welcome to the forum and the state. Neighbor!
I have almost the same setup as you and fish Lefferts a quite a few times a year.I just leave my fuel tank in the truck and tilt the main motor up.
Lefferts has Lmb , pickerel , crappie, blue gill and I have seen ppl catch catfish.
One of these nights I’m going to pull a all nighter for kitty and crappie but just need to find the time.

The place can get a lot of pressure on weekends and the weeds get thick in the back in summer so fish the back in sping and late fall and the main lake (front part) in summer. I’m sure others will chime in and give a few pointers on this lake that I my not know about.

I do fish all over the state as it has a lot to offer. Your on the right track with the right group of people here on this site.

Tight lines and Happy Holidays.

[briansnat]

You might consider getting a 9.9 for your boat or failing that, being resigned to going electric only in some places. I actually see a lot of anglers with big bass boats doing electric only on some of the Newark watershed lakes and at Merrill Creek. No gas motors of any size are are allowed in the sheds or Merrill Creek but you can use your boat with your gas motor out of the water.

If you are fishing for LM and SM, the Newark sheds have some of the best bass fisheries in NJ. Oak Ridge is considered by many to be the best smallmouth lake in the state and Merrill Creek has a really good SM fishery.

Most of the lakes in NJ are small enough where you don't need anything more than a good electric motor to get around. Hopatcong, Pompton, Greenwood and a few others you can have unlimited HP, however some good fishing lakes such as Round Valley and Monksville limit you to 9.9

[Hookmanski]

You'll need a 9.9 or an electric motor, and its definitely a tough place to fish sometimes, but in my opinion anyone who's new to NJ has to see the beauty of the Round Valley Reservoir. You can catch just about anything in there if you look hard enough.

[Chrisper4694]

not worth having an engine bigger than a 9.9 in NJ imo. In fact you'll find the best fishing in the electric only places haha

[dbfishin11]

Originally Posted by Blackfishhead

Welcome to the forum and the state. Neighbor!
I have almost the same setup as you and fish Lefferts a quite a few times a year.I just leave my fuel tank in the truck and tilt the main motor up.
Lefferts has Lmb , pickerel , crappie, blue gill and I have seen ppl catch catfish.
One of these nights I’m going to pull a all nighter for kitty and crappie but just need to find the time.

The place can get a lot of pressure on weekends and the weeds get thick in the back in summer so fish the back in sping and late fall and the main lake (front part) in summer. I’m sure others will chime in and give a few pointers on this lake that I my not know about.

I do fish all over the state as it has a lot to offer. Your on the right track with the right group of people here on this site.

Tight lines and Happy Holidays.

Check your pms I have a question for you

[DDDman]

I live in Keyport and have fished Lefferts too many times to count over 35 years. I still fish it a half dozen times a year but spend most of my days at Manasquan. Lefferts is my first trip every year to shake the cobwebs off. Plenty of pickerel can be caught there but the bass can be finicky. Soft plastics and spinnerbaits fooled most of my fish there. The weeds get really thick so anything with exposed hooks can be a pain to use. Manasquan keeps me coming back because of the various ways fish can be caught there once you find them. From what I have witnessed there is no problem leaving the prop on the gas motor and tilting it down. The Rangers have not been stringent with that rule. I fish out of a Skeeter boat without a gas motor and run a bow and transom electric motors. You will have no problem using your boat in any of the lakes around our area. Thompson Park in Lincroft and Deal Lake In Asbury Park also get a few trips from me each year. I also like Assunpink and the smaller lake near there Rising Sun and Stone Tavern.

[Fun King]

I have a question about the Newark Watershed properties. The web site says no kayaks or canoes. Es verdad?
I fished off the shore at Green Turtle yesterday for nothing. A guy in a boat with two trolling motors said they were getting perch and one bass.

[briansnat]

Originally Posted by Fun King

I have a question about the Newark Watershed properties. The web site says no kayaks or canoes. Es verdad?
I fished off the shore at Green Turtle yesterday for nothing. A guy in a boat with two trolling motors said they were getting perch and one bass.

Yep, no kayaks, canoes or folding boats at the sheds. I know there was a petition going around on paddling forums a few years ago to get that changed but I doubt anything came of that.

Green Turtle gets pretty heavy pressure, so can be tough. I've done OK with bass there with soft plastics around the island. Trout hold over there and people have told me they catch them even in the summer in the deep part, using a marshmallow power bait on a slip sinker. I haven't tried that yet though.

[dbfishin11]

Originally Posted by DDDman

I live in Keyport and have fished Lefferts too many times to count over 35 years. I still fish it a half dozen times a year but spend most of my days at Manasquan. Lefferts is my first trip every year to shake the cobwebs off. Plenty of pickerel can be caught there but the bass can be finicky. Soft plastics and spinnerbaits fooled most of my fish there. The weeds get really thick so anything with exposed hooks can be a pain to use. Manasquan keeps me coming back because of the various ways fish can be caught there once you find them. From what I have witnessed there is no problem leaving the prop on the gas motor and tilting it down. The Rangers have not been stringent with that rule. I fish out of a Skeeter boat without a gas motor and run a bow and transom electric motors. You will have no problem using your boat in any of the lakes around our area. Thompson Park in Lincroft and Deal Lake In Asbury Park also get a few trips from me each year. I also like Assunpink and the smaller lake near there Rising Sun and Stone Tavern.

Awesome thank you