Grover’s Mill Pond Revisited
Friday, May 1st, 2009
One year ago, I usually found myself the only angler at Grover’s Mill pond. What a difference a year makes. The last few times I’ve been at Grover’s Mill, the short boardwalk waterfront was crowded with anglers. This has to do with the resurgence of Grover’s Mill pond as a natural habitat. Last year, the pond was dredged to remove silt buildup. The maximum depth now is 9 feet. This improves the water flow and increases oxygen. The pond was also recently stocked with bass, sunfish, and catfish. In fact, the mayor of the town along with the Governor of NJ were there during the fish stocking event. Word is that Governor Corzine released a 7 pound bass into the pond. That extra stirred up attention is probably fueling the fishing attraction at Grover’s Mill. Just about the last three outings have been successful with at least one largemouth bass each time. Average length about 14″-15″. As for the other angling opportunities, it looks like a lot of people are targeting carp and catfish. One guy using bread as bait thought he hooked up with a carp but then reeled in a ginormous snapping turtle! Here are some pics from “the Mill!”
Ok, Gmanfishing.com is back online. After almost a year of international travel, I am back in the states and ready for some spring fishing. Today was a blustery NJ early spring day. My dad and I went to Dick’s Sporting Goods to get me a NJ license so I can fish legit. Afterwards, we drove over to Grovers Mill Pond. Normally, during the warmer months this pond is overgrown with weeds and lily pads. Given that its early in the season, there wasn’t much vegetation and the water was cold and clear. I worked a plastic lizard along the shore but with no real structure to target it seemed futile. I then walked over to the small pier and saw some submerged timber close to shore. After a few casts and working the lizard slooooooow, I had a bite and saw the flash of a fish. Another cast and this time a good hookset brought in a 19″ chain pickerel. I was kind of surprised to reel in a pickerel since I’ve caught bass using the same pattern and at the same location. After thinking about it, it seems to make sense. Pickerel are more active in cold water and the bass bite hasn’t really picked up quite yet. Well, not a bad start to the 2009 season. Looking forward to more fishing adventures soon!
Two days ago I made a trip to Lake Carnegie. There were heavy winds as a front was moving through so I added a bullet weight to my Texas rigged lizard. Worked the lily pads and enticed a fish to bite. Didn’t hook him the first time. My second try was a success but…as I yanked it through the lily pads my line broke! Darn. I had just set up a rod with 8 lb mono. Apparently, thats not strong enough for pulling fish out from heavy cover. Fast forward 48 hours. This time I brought my medium-heavy action rod with 15 lb mono. Took a long time to get any bites but then I noticed my line moving away. First try was a miss. Tossed the bait back to the same spot. This time I opened the bail on my reel and let the fish take off with it. One good hook set and I pulled in a nice 14 inch bass. This was a bruiser of a bass! Stocky body with some heft to it. I noticed the last couple of times out that I’ve found fish next to downed timber mixed with lily pads. Both bites came as the bait drifted next to a large log in the the middle of the lily pads in about 1 foot of water. Definitely the type of situation for heavier line. Anyways, I’m glad I was able to avenge my previous lost fish by make a simple tackle adjustment.
I’ve heard there are some big bass in Lake Carnegie. Its a pretty decent sized lake at 237 acres. I would love to take the canoe out on this lake since there’s plenty to explore. But today, I was a bankie. Got a lot of bites near the dam but nothing hooked. Possibly bluegill or crappie pecking at my plastic shad. Walked some more of the trail and found a nice opening in the brush to cast to lily pads. I felt a bite and then set the hook but the bait pulled right out. Tried it a couple more times and same thing. I decided to expose more hook on the plastic shad and then this time I let the fish take off with it and then gave it a good hook set. Pulled it through the lily pads and found myself a 12 inch bass. What is it with me and 12″ bass!?!? Can’t I get a 4 pounder one of these days?!?! I figured that fishing a bigger lake would do the trick but if I’m only going to catch 1 pounders I might as well fish my neighborhood pond. Anyways, I’ve found a pretty good resource for New Jersey lakes and ponds. Here’s a 
Grovers Mill. The place where the martians supposedly landed. The pond was truly a mystery to me. When I was growing up around here in the 1980s, the pond was dried up. Then, either the engineers re-flooded it or water levels came back. Either way, I had remembered it being more of a duck weed infested swamp than a pond. Apparently, its now thriving place for recreation. The park on the banks is a place for kids to play and people were kayaking in the pond. There’s all kinds of wildlife around from geese to bullfrogs to turtles. As for fishing, there’s tons of cover for bass. Just like some of the other ponds in the area, Grovers Mill has a lot of lily pads along the shore. Using my trusty plastic lizard, I was able to bring in two bass from out of the lily pads. Both around 13 inches. There was a lot of top water activity all around the pond so I tried a Heddon Torpedo but didn’t get any strikes. I’ll probably focus on the soft plastics some more on this pond since you can see the lily pads move as the fish were cruising underneath so you know they are there. All you need to do is get your bait into the thick cover where they are. Check out the videos of the fishing action. 
Ok, there you have it. I’ve given up the name and location of my neighborhood pond. But the thing is, Google doesn’t show any relevant results and its hard to find on any map. I do now know that anglers come on a regular basis. I know this because I ran into a couple of guys launching a canoe. They said that the pond is full of largemouth bass but most are in the 12 inch size range. I’ve confirmed that statement this past weekend as I’ve caught two around that size; one of which was about 13 inches or so. Been working the lily pads with a plastic lizard on my 6 ft light action rod. It doesn’t cast very far but thats okay since the lily pads are all around the shoreline. I’m starting to like fishing soft plastics now. I used to not have the patience or skill to work them but I’m learning fast. One great thing is that I don’t get hung up all the time. I can work the thickest cover and not have to cut loose. Another great thing is that I’ve found that if I miss my hook set, I can cast back to the same spot and the same bass will still go after the same bait. That gives me more than one try to hook the same bass. I used to confuse the bumps you feel from your bait hitting the cover to actual bites. But now I can distinguish the fish by feeling the tension and weight of the fish. Sometimes the fish will run off with the bait and I can actually feel it swimming away. A little pause before setting the hook increases the chances of a hookup since the the pause gives the fish some time to inhale the bait fully into its mouth. The soft plastic feel allows the fish to hang on longer than usual thereby helping my chances further. One of these days I’ll get the canoe out into the middle of the pond. That will allow me to work other parts of the shoreline that aren’t accessible by foot. Should be a fun time regardless of how large or small the fish are since on a light action rod everything feels like a monster!
Visiting the parents in New Jersey this weekend so I thought I’d check out some local fishing action. I originally thought this pond was called “Plainsboro Pond” but I guess its officially called “Mill Pond.” The pond is a long and narrow pond and with a slight breeze it seems more of a river than a pond. The banks are full of lily pads and other vegetation. Good stuff if you are looking for fish. The trail that follows the bank has many openings that allow for casting. I used a plastic lizard and worked it into the lily pads. Got many bites and landed a 10 inch largemouth bass and a small crappie. Both were pretty small but this pond has promise. There’s definitely plenty of habitat for fish. 
I was even able to spot spawning fish sitting on top of their nests through the thicket of lily pads. There’s plenty of wildlife around too. We spotted a 
The neighborhood pond. Only about 3 acres or so. Choked with lily pads and weeds in the summer. A popular place for Canadian geese and toddlers playing in the nearby playground. This is the same pond where I first became interested in fishing. My dad hauled a 3 lb catfish out of this pond when I was about 7 years old but never caught anything that large after that. I spent many days after school catching bluegills and bullheads out of this pond; some even caught using a fishing line wrapped around soda can contraption. Fast forward almost 30 years later to Christmas Day, 2007. It was a sunny 45 degrees and we decided to take a walk from my parents’ house to the neighborhood pond. I showed my wife my favorite childhood fishing spots on the pond. The trails through the brush to the shore were still in tact. We circled around to a more open place where I could cast a small jig. This was just a way to pass the time during a relaxing holiday. I really wasn’t expecting to catch anything. But, on the third cast, I hooked something and reeled in an 11 inch largemouth bass! Not bad for a tiny neighborhood pond. I ran home and showed my parents who had doubted any life in that pond. Then after releasing it back into the water, I got thinking… With the complete lack of fishing pressure, what else could be lurking in this pond? Could it be my very own secret fishing hole? Will be sure to hit it up again when visiting the folks next time. Stay tuned…