Fishing for crappies and bass at spooky brook - NJFishing.com Your Best Online Source for Fishing Information in New Jersey

KBFISHING · #1 05-10-2013, 09:40 PM

Hey i am probably going to go to spooky brook this weekend and when I went last weekend my friend and I only caught Sunnies. My friend caught 1 bass and 1 crappie. We used worms. So I was wondering about any baits or techniques to catch these suckers. I was going to try live minnows. Also I heard catfish are also at spooky brook so if you have any hints on them that would be nice. I personally do not prefer lures as have little experience with them, but I will take suggestions for them. Just if you have anything for bait I would rather have that information.

lunkertaker · #2 05-10-2013, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KBFISHING

Hey i am probably going to go to spooky brook this weekend and when I went last weekend my friend and I only caught Sunnies. My friend caught 1 bass and 1 crappie. We used worms. So I was wondering about any baits or techniques to catch these suckers. I was going to try live minnows. Also I heard catfish are also at spooky brook so if you have any hints on them that would be nice. I personally do not prefer lures as have little experience with them, but I will take suggestions for them. Just if you have anything for bait I would rather have that information.

This pond is in my back yard so to speak. I have only fished this with lures with a great deal of success. Try a small spinner bait for LM bass and trout. If you catch a trout after June your lucky as they will all be choked out by the weeds, eaten by the birds or bass. A fly rod with any presentation, woolybugger or really anything will catch crappie, bluegill, bass, trout and even cats. Really no need to go buy bait at this pond as once the bite has started almost anything works. By June...go to a different spot as it will be completely choked with weeds and unfishable. Very poorly managed spot IPO.

Lard Almighty · #3 05-10-2013, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lunkertaker

By June...go to a different spot as it will be completely choked with weeds and unfishable. Very poorly managed spot IPO.

That's when you break out the braided line and slop frogs!

lunkertaker · #4 05-10-2013, 10:36 PM

a Great idea under normal conditions...this pond reaches nearly complete coverage of weeds by mid summer and nearly NO access due to the fact that the edges of this pond are not maintained and reach 3-5 ft weed growth by june nearly around the pond. Watch out for the snakes that thrive in the matted weed growth. Unfortunately Somerset Co. has dropped the ball on the management of this previously well attended pond. I have tried to get them to do something about this including stopping trout stocking-nearly none of these stocked trout are caught-all the stocked trout are dead by mid June due to weed growth, lack of O2, or ability to swim. The average depth is < 8 ft in the very deepest so weed growth is cannot be controlled due to the lack of wate flow. Go somewhere else and fish after May!

Lard Almighty · #5 05-10-2013, 11:20 PM

I used to work for the Somerset County Parks Commission. The main purpose of that pond is a water supply for the golf course. And as long as golf courses remain the majority source of income for the SCPC, then that's the way it's going to stay; all other uses of the pond will be secondary.

Also, if I was afraid of snakes, I wouldn't fish half of my summer hot spots.

KBFISHING · #6 05-11-2013, 08:23 AM

Thanks for the help. It really stinks that that the pond is not fish able in the summer. Also I was wondering which pond is better, I was fishing on the dock of the pond by the parking lot and i was getting so much action there I didn't move a lot. Plus when I tried to get to a spot on the other side where I saw some bass a goose nest was in the way. Geese are evil little things!

lunkertaker · #7 05-12-2013, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lard Almighty

I used to work for the Somerset County Parks Commission. The main purpose of that pond is a water supply for the golf course. And as long as golf courses remain the majority source of income for the SCPC, then that's the way it's going to stay; all other uses of the pond will be secondary.

Also, if I was afraid of snakes, I wouldn't fish half of my summer hot spots.

Figures...BTW I saved a snake and bluegill there ~ 4-5 years ago. Walking along the shoreline saw a snake with a bluegill with its dorsal fin extended in the snake's mouth near the bank. Both were about to expire. Reached down and released the bluegill and the snake and both swam away to live another day.