Help w/ bass spots near West Milford

[nickbartolone]

Hey Guys,

Looking for some help with some good smaller lakes to throw my Bass Raider 10 foot pontoon in near West Milford. I’ve hit Monksville and Pinecliff Lake so far with decent results but was wondering if any of the other smaller lakes were any with a shot? Waywayanda? Shepard Lake? I was contemplating buying the pass to hit Echo, Stear and Oak Ridge. Is it worth it? Any insight would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[Brewlugger]

Shepard's lake has been good to me but I haven't fished it since the 80s. Walton lake in Monroe was good for night fishing bass back in the day. I'm sure you could do well in Echo and Oak ridge but I've never tried them. My coworker does well on Canistear with Smallmouth and Walleye. There is alot of opportunity in your area.

[NJSquatch]

The sheds would be the way to go IMO.

[BergenBassin]

I'd give Greenwood lake a try, but hear me out.. do NOT fish there on weekends or holidays, best bet is to fish on a early weekday morning when the water is calm and boat traffic is low. The Largemouth bite is pretty good plus you'll get the occasional smallie and walleye, I think you can launch from the south point marina. Also Upper Greenwood lake is an amazing bass lake, but sadly you're gonna need connections to access it, waywayanda has an amazing bass bite, plus they have landlocked Salmon and lake trout, I believe you'll have a good time on that lake for sure,

[acabtp]

buy the watershed pass

[briansnat]

Definitely the watersheds. Clinton and Echo are a few minutes away if you are in West Milford. Echo was practically in my backyard when I lived there and I hit the smallies pretty hard with a Ned rig. Worth every penny you pay for the launch and fishing permit.

I've also done pretty well with bass on Green Turtle Pond. It's small but perfect for a small boat. And you can hit trout in the summer if you fish a Power Bait at the bottom of the deep end.

[Fred E. Goose]

I was interested in the Watershed pass for this year too. I'm glad I didn't go for it though because my schedule has been rough and I wouldn't have gotten my money's worth. Might do the day pass to check out one of the lakes though.
Wawayanda is ok, usually weed choked and shallow at the ramp and loaded with pickerel. You have a shot at nice bass and landlocked salmon there, but you really have to target the salmon you don't usually get one as a bycatch. Wawayanda charges an entrance fee Memorial Day through Labor Day and if it were me, I'd rather pay a fee to fish the sheds than there.
Monksville is my favorite lake. It is well worth it to learn it, but it can be very tough fishing and gets extremely crowded in the summer with the kayak and paddleboard rentals.
As briansnat mentioned, Green Turtle Pond offers some good fishing on the largemouth and pickerel, I've gotten an occasional smallie out of there. It's quiet in the summer compared to Monksville. They stock it late fall with the larger trout.
Potash/Pompton Lake is another option not too far and offers up a shot at pike along with really good largemouth and yellow perch fishing.