More Amwell Lake cats

[crewchief2]

Gave myself more time today, hooked about 1/2 dozen channels in the 1.5 to 2 lb range. Again, nothing big, but all caught on the UL with 2 lb test, much fun, looks like i may have found a honey hole.

[Eskimo]

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I'm very surprised you're doing so well there.

I work down the road from that Amwell Lake, too. I passed the sign every day driving up Route 31. Early this summer, my curiosity got the best of me and I drove down that cratered dirt road to see the lake. Not only was it small, shallow and muddy, but there were like twelve guys fishing it. Some of them in boats! (Mind you, this was a week-day evening)

I assumed after the spring trout stocking that the fishing was probably pretty weak there and never returned.

I guess the state is stocking Channel Catfish in there to maintain the fishing through out the year. Good for them.


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[Bicey]

Well I work a minute from the lake.....I have seen 2lbers come out of there. I've caught some nice crappies there. The lake is very shallow and gets overtaken by weeds.....even though the spray there. Its a good place to take kids. They really need to drain it and then dredge it. The only deep part of the lake is at the overflow.
The road down to it is ridiculous and should be addressed.

[kcritch]

Haven't been there in a couple of years but I had decent success with small LM Bass there. Mostly from the brook that feeds into it from the North West corner. Nothing huge but a few of the bigger ones were in the 2lb range. Kinda forgot about that place. The road in is a little rough but access from shore is really easy and there is a good amount of it...given the size of the "pond". I agree that calling it a "lake" is pushing it.

[crewchief2]

Originally Posted by Eskimo

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I'm very surprised you're doing so well there.

I work down the road from that Amwell Lake, too. I passed the sign every day driving up Route 31. Early this summer, my curiosity got the best of me and I drove down that cratered dirt road to see the lake. Not only was it small, shallow and muddy, but there were like twelve guys fishing it. Some of them in boats! (Mind you, this was a week-day evening)

I assumed after the spring trout stocking that the fishing was probably pretty weak there and never returned.

I guess the state is stocking Channel Catfish in there to maintain the fishing through out the year. Good for them.


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It took me 10 years to finally give it a try, i put my canoe in early in the spring, and beat up on some decent crappies, a few small bass, and even a channel, all on inline spinners, but when i went back in the summer, it was like you said, weedy and muddy, the other day i was just running early for work, so i grabbed the ultra lite out of the trunk, turned over a few rocks for worms, and got that one channel, so yesterday i gave myself about 2 hours, to see if it was just a fluke...i guess not. Plan on taking some kids there soon for that type of action.

[Dave B.]

There have been channel cats in there for over 40 years. I used to fish it often with my father when I was a teen in the early '70s. Best time was always right after a summer thunderstorm as the water was rising, especially at night. We used to take alot of 5-8 lb cats out of there but as was mentioned the lake has become severaly silted in over the decades. Best bait was always chicken guts which we used to get at the poultry house on Brunswick Ave near the intersection with Arctic Parkway by the Trenton Farmers Market.

There also used to be a good deal of decent sized LMB in there with 4-5 lbers not uncommon, but again the sedimentation and subsequent eutrophic condition have taken a heavy toll of the entire aquatic biomass.