damiannapo

After countless hours of scavenging the internet in search of the best fishing spots in New Jersey, my friend Ben and I decided to try some local locations. I grabbed my trusty rod and tackle box and went on my way, with a quick stop at Efinger's to get a few quick tips on the area and whatever tackle we would want to try out. As we drove up Chimney Rock Road, a large concrete dam caught my attention. We pulled over and walked along a trail through the woods. After some close examination and a tip from a passing mountain biker we picked a spot: a small wooden walking bridge next to a concrete driving bridge. We could see about a hundred sunfish schooled up in the two holes under the bridges.

Standing knee deep in the cold water we began to cast into the holes. I was rigged with a small fly tied to my spinning reel line and in less than two minutes i got a bite: a 4 inch sunfish. We kept casting in these holes and within fifteen minutes Ben and I had a total of 9 fish under our belt. We weren't satisfied with just Sunfish so we walked down the river and found a nice weedy section. Upon speaking to another local fisherman we learned that there was indeed Bass in the area. We immediately set up and sent out a few casts. After a half an hour with no luck we decided it was time to stray from that spot. We spent the rest of the day scouting the area for the next days fishing.

Our second day fishing this reservoir began around noon. We stood facing the South West part of the lake and sent out our lines. Today i was rigged with a size 2 spinner bait and 3 small egg-weights. Our first hour was rather boring as we didn't get a hit on either of our lines. we decided to move to the other side of the river. A light drizzle welcomed us as soon as we were ready to cast. After about twenty casts Ben had caught a decent sized Sunfish, around 8 inches. We wanted to catch some Bass. We figured that the bigger fish would be towards the center of the reservoir, so we began casting as far out as possible. After a few hours a large thunderstorm rolled in and we decided to call it a day.

"Today is the day I'll catch that bass" I thought to myself as we drove up the windy road to our new fishing spot. We set out to a new location on the reservoir, a Pump-house with a bridge, this would provide nice shelter for the fish. I sent a jig out and on my second cast i pulled in a Small Mouth Bass, 9 inches long. We continued to cast in the area, but were unsuccessful and moved on. I was happy that I achieved my goal, but I wanted more. We relocated to a fallen log adjacent to a cliff. I switched to my spinner and Ben was using a small jig worm. After about fifteen minutes we both had a fish on, we pulled in two Large Mouths! One being 7 inches and the other 10, I got the smaller. As we continued fishing we caught two more Small Mouth, a few sunfish, and one more Large Mouth on jigs and spinners. All in all, it was a good day.

Chimney Rock Reservoir is not a very recognized location for anglers, however it is a very fun place to spend a few hours. The fish aren't very big, but they bite just about anything you cast. Don't expect to catch any trophies, however you can count on a few sunnies and maybe some bass if you're in the right spots. We ventured up river and there was no where to fish, just a few shallow pools with craw fish and a few small sunfish. The people around the reservoir are all very friendly and are willing to offer advice to those who ask. This would be a great place for someone to take their children for a nice day fishing, or for an angler looking for some easy catching.

After countless hours of scavenging the internet in search of the best fishing spots in New Jersey, my friend Ben and I decided to try some local locations. I grabbed my trusty rod and tackle box and went on my way, with a quick stop at Efinger's to get a few quick tips on the area and whatever tackle we would want to try out. As we drove up Chimney Rock Road, a large concrete dam caught my attention. We pulled over and walked along a trail through the woods. After some close examination and a tip from a passing mountain biker we picked a spot: a small wooden walking bridge next to a concrete driving bridge. We could see about a hundred sunfish schooled up in the two holes under the bridges.

Standing knee deep in the cold water we began to cast into the holes. I was rigged with a small fly tied to my spinning reel line and in less than two minutes i got a bite: a 4 inch sunfish. We kept casting in these holes and within fifteen minutes Ben and I had a total of 9 fish under our belt. We weren't satisfied with just Sunfish so we walked down the river and found a nice weedy section. Upon speaking to another local fisherman we learned that there was indeed Bass in the area. We immediately set up and sent out a few casts. After a half an hour with no luck we decided it was time to stray from that spot. We spent the rest of the day scouting the area for the next days fishing.

Our second day fishing this reservoir began around noon. We stood facing the South West part of the lake and sent out our lines. Today i was rigged with a size 2 spinner bait and 3 small egg-weights. Our first hour was rather boring as we didn't get a hit on either of our lines. we decided to move to the other side of the river. A light drizzle welcomed us as soon as we were ready to cast. After about twenty casts Ben had caught a decent sized Sunfish, around 8 inches. We wanted to catch some Bass. We figured that the bigger fish would be towards the center of the reservoir, so we began casting as far out as possible. After a few hours a large thunderstorm rolled in and we decided to call it a day.

"Today is the day I'll catch that bass" I thought to myself as we drove up the windy road to our new fishing spot. We set out to a new location on the reservoir, a Pump-house with a bridge, this would provide nice shelter for the fish. I sent a jig out and on my second cast i pulled in a Small Mouth Bass, 9 inches long. We continued to cast in the area, but were unsuccessful and moved on. I was happy that I achieved my goal, but I wanted more. We relocated to a fallen log adjacent to a cliff. I switched to my spinner and Ben was using a small jig worm. After about fifteen minutes we both had a fish on, we pulled in two Large Mouths! One being 7 inches and the other 10, I got the smaller. As we continued fishing we caught two more Small Mouth, a few sunfish, and one more Large Mouth on jigs and spinners. All in all, it was a good day.

Chimney Rock Reservoir is not a very recognized location for anglers, however it is a very fun place to spend a few hours. The fish aren't very big, but they bite just about anything you cast. Don't expect to catch any trophies, however you can count on a few sunnies and maybe some bass if you're in the right spots. We ventured up river and there was no where to fish, just a few shallow pools with craw fish and a few small sunfish. The people around the reservoir are all very friendly and are willing to offer advice to those who ask. This would be a great place for someone to take their children for a nice day fishing, or for an angler looking for some easy catching.