A variety of species were on the prowl, said Dennis from
Murphy’s Hook House in Toms River. The Trilco stretch of the Toms River had carp, pickerel and white perch on the hook. The carp took raisins and dough baits, and the pickerel and perch ate up live shiners. Lester’s Lake and the Ocean County College ponds offered a mix of pickerel and largemouth bass, and Lake Riviera turned up a few crappies that came on grub tails and small fathead minnows. The lake also held a fair share of largemouth bass and carp.

Lake waters were clearing up once again, ready to be fished, said Sean at Harry’s Army and Navy in Robbinsville. Lake Assunpink and Gropp’s Lake were two solid bets for largemouth bass. Try tossing buzz baits in the cool, morning hours. Then switch to drop-shotting Senkos on the weed beds as the day wears on. Other bass bets included smaller lakes such as Rising Sun and Stone Tavern, some of the first to clear up.

Lake Assunpink and Rising Sun Lake were prime-time crappie haunts, said Tony from the Sportsmen’s Center in Bordentown. Mister Twister grubs and fathead minnows produced stringers of the slabs in the mornings. Carnegie Lake was the place for plenty of largemouth bass feeding on shiners and buzz baits. The Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area lakes and Cranbury Lake were home to frenzied pickerel action, and nightcrawlers and shiners claimed the water wolves to 2 ½ pounds. The picks seemed to become more aggressive since the water temps started dropping.