Ole man Fazul

You will not be disappointed. And October will be here before you know it. Great choice!

I think any tweak to make a lure look more realistic is worth the effort. So if it has more erratic action then its definitely a more realistic baitfish and in my book definitely worth the effort. I use a 4.3 Keitech fat impact as a trailer on the bladed jig. I followed Matt Allen's recomendation to cut off the pedestal portion of the paddle to make it a 2D tail versus a regular paddle (hope that makes sense). Doing this allows the tail of the keitech to move in conjunction with the blade. If i leave the paddle as it is out of the package, the tail is not in rhythm with the blade and looks terrible moving through the water. Also, the 4.3 seems to be perfect to prevent the tail from wrapping around and getting pierced by the hook.

In the free Google Earth, there should be a button under the View tab called Historical Imagery or something similar. Then a slider will appear to go back in time.

I've been taking the yak out on Alcyon in the early AM. Spinnerbaits and the jitterbug have been killing it! Reeled in over a dozen LMBs and a handful of slime rockets (Pickerel). Largest LMB was 4lbs. For around here, that's hefty! All of the others were in the 2-3lbs range. Lots of fun!

Hey there! South Jersyian here too. Welcome! Some great fishing down here. Some of our shallow ponds yield some hefty catches. I'm both a bank and yak angler. I'm right up the road from Alcyon so I'm very familiar with it. Some frequent spots of mine this past year have been Penbryn, DOD, Harrisonville, Oak Pond, Greenwich, Union, Parvin, and Iona. Nice to see another South Jersey Bassresource member!

I did. Perch, small lmb, and a chain pickerel. Overall nice fishing outing until the rain got heavy. I like that place. Quiet and lots of opportunities from either the banks or the yak. Now that I know the deep spots I'll have more confidence. Felt blind when I first went there.

Yes, I cannot argue with your assessment.?

Wow! Thank you! I was not going to post my question to the community but man o man am i glad i did!

This is extremely helpful! Thank you!

No LMBs but hooked up with this beauty. Thanks for looking!

I will be fishing Menantico Ponds with a kayak tomorrow. I've only been there twice and fished the banks. Does any one have any tips for locating the deep areas? I'm stumped on finding any hydrographic maps for this spot. Any help is appreciated!!!

The baitfish may be at the feeder stream. If this is the case, any drop-off into deeper water with a nearby shallow area with cover and/structure close to this area will most likely hold a behemoth. These experienced older bass will reserve their energy wisely and strike as opportunity arises from this convenient spot. The convenience for them is diving deep when NJ temps drop or we get rain which cools the water further. They can also rise back to the structure in the shallow area as the warm part of the afternoon comes around. I also recommend jerkbaits but jigs will work too especially if you happen to land one near the above mentioned area with cover/structure.

Like mogo1973 mentioned, yes since it's awesome cover. If it's only spotty, like on the windward side, it's a simple long toss into clear then underneath the algae is clear. The no comes in if I catch a bit of algae on the line-lure connection if it lands in the gunk, then the action gets fouled. But, yeah, it works, it catches, and it does require frequent cleanings if I'm pulling the lure out of the water through the algae.

Water temp yesterday was 67.5 at Alcyon. Hooked up 3 bass, 2 shook lose inches from my grasp, all under 3lbs, but they sure were biting yesterday. I hit the lake in the late afternoon thinking the heat sink effect with the water would be the greatest then. All S. Jersey anglers best be out there and not stowing your gear! Good hunting!

I'm in South Jersey and I'm finding similar conditions. My lake temp yesterday was 67.5 I've had lots of luck with suspending jerkbaits, specifically rip stops. Getting incredible reaction strikes. If the jerk stop n go doesn't work I begin cranking it and hit em that way. I've found the big girls on the windward side of the lake but also up at the feeder stream. I think the bait fish are just going back and forth as the temps fluctuate. Just my 2¢.

Anyone having luck out there? I've got a bunch of dinks (1-3lbs) here and there, oak pond, menantico, penbryn, Alcyon, harrisonville (best so far at 4.5lbs). Water temp is consistently holding at 63-65 around here. Just thought they'd be hitting lures hard. Seems like the juveniles are voracious but the old girls are cautious.

Supposed to be great fishing in the AM. Anyone going out? Got my jitterbug, spro frog, and a Texas rigged senko ready to go on on three rods. Plan is to be on the water at twilight. I'll be checking back in with an update, hopefully with a personal best.

Good call. This was my second lure after the frogs came up empty. Grass there is a bit thick for chatters as in my experience they function better subsurface. Buzz baits run fairly well over top of the grass.

I hate treble hooks! As a strict catch-n-release angler they cause too much damage for me. I cut two sometimes one of the three hooks off. The jitterbug works fine but my cranks suffer with their action. I need to research proper size replacement of trebles with single hooks, at least to balance out the weight.

3 lber at Alcyon Lake, Pitman. Off the kayak. I as well got back into fishing after not touching the rods for a few years. Put on all new line on my bass & ultra light reels. Panfish fishing has really been enjoyable.

S. Philly departure makes sense. Thanks for the details on the catch. I always store these accounts in my head and try to access them later out on the water. It's very helpful. Thanks! Awesome deal on the rod! Holy cow! I would've walked out with one or two myself.

Never. Always lurked over it on Google maps but could never quick figure out the access point(s). Do you park at the dam or in the back of one of the businesses? If you made it out there how did you fare? Great catch(es)! Several questions, if you don't mind... Which model St. Croix? Where did you find them with the chatter bait?shallow, veg, pads, deep... How did you retrieve? Fast, slow, yo-yo... (I always feel awkward fishing it and feel I'm doing it wrong) Where is the TackleDirect in PA? How in the world are you getting to Sellersville from S. Jersey in one hour?!?!? Sorry for the questions... Just curious.

Thanks for your insight Yo Tone! That's an impressive catch man! Nice job on reading the situation!

I wanted to do some reconnaissance so I took a detour on my way home from work and stopped by Greenwich Lake in Gibbstown. It was approximately 2:30-3pm. I pull in and notice a Greenwich Township police car parked in the main lot. I pull up to the police officer to chat as it was my first time there. I asked him how one goes about launching a kayak or boat since the gate just before the one-lane bridge was padlocked. He seemed surprised that it was locked and said the County is responsible for opening and locking it. The posted sign indicates 8-4pm as launching hours. He didn't know who I could call if I found it locked again, but suggested the county Sheriff's office. Seems odd to me. Has anyone encountered this before? Does anyone know how to proceed if the gate is locked when it should be open? I did take a walk around. Beautiful lake! Saw a bald eagle soaring above. I threw some from the banks just for kicks but no bites. I really wasn't putting any effort into it. I am definitely going back especially since I recently learned how deep some spots get, 30' in some spots, although this is hearsay. Can anyone confirm? Any lake map for Greenwich? Any and all thoughts, past experiences, and/or feedback is greatly appreciated! Fred

Kandle Lake in early August; caught on a drop shot dangling a keitech swim bait (regular not fat), on the shade edge created by a fixed dock, mid-afternoon.