Exploring the Audubon Lake in NJ

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There are fishes around us! Follow my Statistical Chart for 2012 for my catches during this year:
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Hello again, readers!

A good post today on the Audubon Lake in NJ. Again: just because the Lake is in New Jersey, it doesn't mean it's far away from you. It's very easy and convenient to commute there. As a matter of fact, the directions for the Audubon Lake are the same as the Haddon Lake's.

--- The Location ---
Audubon Lake is right next to the Haddon Lake, in NJ. Basically, Haddon lake has an input water flow and output water flow (reminds me of those tank problems in differential equations' classes). Audubon starts officially at the output point of Haddon's Lake, and follows to Newton's Creek, finally into the Delaware River.

The Audubon Lake next to Haddon is a bit "trashy"; in other words, polluted. Therefore, the ambient is not very pleasant (the water is fine, though). The water is clear, with muddy bottom - perfect for Carp. Also, there are submerged stumps in the water, and rocks at a certain point of the Lake - perfect for LMB. The area is surrounded by trees (up), and submerged structure. This means that fishing there requires a certain amount of dexterity and accuracy when it comes to casting, if the person wants to hit the good spots of the Lake.

Not very surprising, there are not a lot of reports about the Audubon Lake and its "secrets" (I mean it...it's a very special place, and you will see why in a moment). Therefore, let's punch some info on the fish species section.

--- Transportation ---
Same transportation as Haddon Lake. For information, see the link below:
http://extremephillyfishing.blogspot.com/2012/02/fishing-at-haddon-lake-in-nj.html

--- Fish Species ---
As I mentioned before, the "njfishfinder" website is the first website I go to when exploring new Areas. However, the Audubon Lake is not registered there yet. Shady, huh? It gets even darker: not even the NJDEP (New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife) has the Audubon Lake recorded in the Camden County area. The closest they have is the Haddon Lake.

I bet many people would say that this is really not a big deal. After all, the Haddon Lake is so close, isn't it? However, the Audubon is quite different from the Haddon Lake in terms of fish Species! As a matter of fact, the Audubon is literally connected to the Delaware River, while Haddon Lake is a closed structure. Keep this thought in mind.

Now, for the Species in the Lake:

--> Large Mouth Bass (Confirmed through Steve's catch last month)
--> Calico Bass/Black Crappie (Confirmed through pictures found on Google)
--> Bluegills (Confirmed by my catches)
--> Common Carp (Confirmed by Steve and me)
--> Koi (Not yet confirmed, but heard from a trusted source)


And finally...this is what makes the Audubon so special:

--> White Perch (Confirmed by pictures through Google)
--> Snakeheads (Not yet confirmed, but heard from a trusted source)

Now...this trusted source is referred to this guy - B. - who's been fishing Haddon Lake for the last ten years of his life. He saw a lot already, and his information can be highly trusted. Going from this point, it's very concerning that the NJDEP didn't take in consideration the Audubon Lake, hence it holds invasive Species. For a fisherman, it's thrilling to be catching Snakeheads. Environmentally; however, it's a disaster!

The output flow of Haddon Lake means that fish from Audubon cannot swim up to Haddon Lake (there's no fish ladder available). Therefore, it's evident that the Snakeheads came from the Delaware River (they were found there since a while ago), and are building their houses in a "pond/lake" environment. It cannot be forgotten that muddy bottoms with submerged structure is the preferential habitat for Snakeheads, which makes the Audubon a very good location for them to live. The fact that White Perch migrate to tributaries each year means that the Snakeheads have not only the sunfish to eat, but also the White Perch (during warm months).

Interesting, huh? If you are further interested in this matter, I highly advise you to Google Earth the Audubon Lake, and take a look at its route: Delaware River --> Newton's Creek --> Audubon Lake. Also, you can see in the map that there's another "tail" entitle as "Audubon Lake", which probably holds Snakeheads as well. That proves that the Snakeheads are truly Frankenfish.

Anyways...once the water temperature rises above 60F, that place will be very good for Bass and Snakeheads. As for me, I will definitely have fun with the Carp for now.

--- Fishing Trips ---
My friends and I didn't really fish the Audubon a lot. Everyone was so focused on the Haddon Lake (Pickerel, Trout, Crappies, LMB) that we didn't really have time to explore Audubon. In my first trip there, I caught a couple Sunfish (I got my 7.8 inches at the junction of Haddon and Audubon), and Steve got a Small Largemouth.

During the last trip, I decided to carp at the Audubon instead of the Haddon Lake. It was very rewarding! I ended the day with two Carp, and Steve also caught his first Carp of his life (lol). Congrats, Steve! Pictures are below...

First Carp - Common Carp, 7lbs.

                       Steve's first Carp of his life. He was so excited that he didn't measure the fish.

                                                              Same Carp, different angle.
                                                        Second Carp of the day - 8 lbs.
Closer view of the Common Carp.

One thing that I definitely learnt through life is that "Google" can't google everything. There's plenty of information out there, and it's up to us to judge if that information is reliable or not. However, when people look for very specific information, Google is certainly not the right tool to use. This is the reason that the World is still moved by the empirical method (Observations, experimentation, conclusion - in other words, Hypothesis, Experimentation, and Thesis), even though technology and communication increased in the past decades. The reason I'm saying this is that even the best reports in the best fishing forums out there cannot subdue a field experience. In other words, you can say that I'm summarizing the importance of Primary Sources, and the Scientific Method.

Therefore, I always encourage people to read my posts, and go out there and explore. This is, indeed, one of the thrilling aspects of fishing. Related to this same topic, there will be a report on the Tacony Creek coming up soon. Just a heads-up: the Tacony Creek is an urban body of water in the center of the city of Philadelphia. Many people have fished there, but none has ever written a decent report of it. Some others avoid the area, hence the creek is not in a very safe area of Philadelphia. However, this definitely does not mean that the Creek is "fishless".

Can you believe in the propagation of information, and dream that one day the environment of that Creek may positively change because people will get more involved in natural activities (not only fishing), and be conscious about the right/wrong actions towards nature?

This is definitely one of the reasons why I write my posts in this Blog - I believe it can be done. I'll talk more about it in the Tacony Post.

Anyways...best of luck for all of us, and stay tuned for future updates!

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

Fishing at Haddon Lake in NJ


Heya, People! It's been a while, but I finally have a little bit of time right now. So, let's get down to it...

Today I'll be introducing the Haddon Lake, which is located in Haddon Lake Park - Haddon Heights, NJ. Please, Philadelphians...don't "freak out" just because the location is in NJ. It's actually very close to Philadelphia, and it can even be accessed through public transportation.

My friends and I have been fishing that location for a month or so. We found out that the lake is extremely rich in terms of fish species, not to mention that it's a nice ambient to fish at.

--- Note ---
Please, note that I'm sharing all this information in the Blog because I want to promote fishing as a sport. Therefore, I highly suggest catch-and-release. Also, I'm not against harvesting fish, as far as the person follows the laws. 

I'm pulling this subject up because I recently received an e-mail about "burned spots". The term is used when spots are "burned". In other words, when those spots become available to the general public from secrecy.

As a fisherman, I want to believe that people are good until they prove me otherwise. I'm always promoting catch-and-release; the littering issue; the overfishing problem; fishing laws and license; etc.

Therefore, I hope people use all the information I've written so far in a wise way, and not in an unlawful way.
--- Note ---

Anyways...let's continue with the post!

--- The Location ---
Haddon Lake is inside the Haddon Lake Park. It's located in a very nice area of NJ, having beautiful surroundings. There's a pathway for exercise and biking, structure for fishing, a picnic area, two playgrounds, and so on...Anyways, we should be concerned only with the Lake anyways.

The Lake has an income flow and outcome flow. Therefore, the water doesn't stay stagnant. Most of the Lake is shallow (< 5 feet), having its deepest part next to the water outcome. Since it's a Lake, there's no current. Most of the areas do not have snags, and there's annual Trout stocking (it cannot be forgotten that a TROUT LICENSE is required for fishing/harvesting Trout).

--- Transportation ---
It can be easily accessed by car, and has good parking spots along the Lake. I would recommend using Google Earth to locate the Lake, and then plan the trip. Otherwise, a GPS is always handy for new locations.

It can also be easily accessed by public transportation. Buses number 457 (Moorestown Mall/Camden - stops at Kings Highway and Edgewood Avenue) and 400 (Sicklerville/Philadelphia - stops at Black Horse Pike and Prospect Ridge) pass next to Haddon Lake. I would recommend getting Patco Speed Line first until Broadway (NJ), and then getting the Bus 457.

Walking from Philadelphia is not recommended. =)

--- Fish Species ---
Every time I go to a new location, I google my favorite website for "fish species": New Jersey Fish Finder. The website is below:
http://www.njfishfinder.com/haddon-lake-26260-location.html
Now, seriously...The website got a LOCAL weather report, a MAP, all the fish Species reported so far, Birds Eye View, and nearby locations to fish. "OMG", right? What else do we need?

The information is certainly out there. We just need to confirm. So far, my friends and I were able to confirm the following species:
--> Large Mouth Bass (Biggest 2.5lbs)
--> Calico Bass/Black Crappie (Biggest <10 inches)
--> Bluegills, Red breast Sunfish (Biggest <8 inches)
--> Chain Pickerel (Biggest 4lbs)
--> Trout (Biggest <15 inches)

--- Fishing Trips ---
We have been fishing that location for the past month or so. The place itself was introduced by my friend Steve, who had been fishing there for quite a while, but never caught anything big (seriously, right?). Therefore, many thanks to Steve!

After we started, I got completely addicted to the Sunfish, hence it's one of my favorite Species of fish to fish. I usually use ultra light/light equipment - they put up a good fight, and the action is constant. My friend Rob was targeting Crappies and Trout; Steve was targeting whatever moved; and Mike Lee was still pursuing his Bass. The results of our trips are in the photos below:


Rob's Trout. Unfortunately, this was the ONLY picture I recovered from the Fish. I guess you guys can see how Rob is a good cook, huh?

Rob's Calico Bass

Mike's 1st Bass on a Tube jig.

Another Bass...a bit bigger than the last one.

Another Bass...a bit bigger than the last one......

Another Bass...a bit bigger than the last one............. Just kidding. This one was Mike's biggest one, topping 2.5lbs.

Mike's Chain Pickerel. He actually caught this one TODAY. Congrats, Mike!

My 7.8 inches Bluegill. My biggest for this year (so far).

My obsession for Sunfish. Notice the size of the hook, and the size of the bait: light.

Comparison/contrast: Sunfish and Pen.

Another Bass by Mike.

The same Bass above (Tube jig).

Scenery Pics: Still fishing at Haddon Lake.

Scenery Pics: Mike casting at Haddon Lake.

Scenery Pics: Water reflection


Alright guys...hope you enjoyed it! No pics from Steve this time, even though he caught some Large Mouth Bass, and a bunch of Sunfish! On the next post (Audubon Lake), there's a nice picture of Steve with his Common Carp. That one will be coming up shortly...

Best of luck for all of us,

Long Days and Pleasant Nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.

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Follow my Facebook page for updates on every single one of my fishing sessions:
http://www.facebook.com/ExtremePhillyFishing
There are fishes around us! Follow my Statistical Chart for 2012 for my catches during this year:
http://extremephillyfishing.blogspot.com/2012/01/statistical-fishing-chart-for-2012.html
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Updated:
--> Added Data from PennyPack Creek (01/11/12), Haddon Lake (01/14/12; 01/28/12), Schuylkill River (01/21/12; 02/01/12; 02/04/12), Audubon Lake (02/05/12), and Wissahickon Creek (02/08/12)
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Back to College = Less Posts for now

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Follow my Facebook page for updates on every single one of my fishing sessions:
http://www.facebook.com/ExtremePhillyFishing
There are fishes around us! Follow my Statistical Chart for 2012 for my catches during this year:
http://extremephillyfishing.blogspot.com/2012/01/statistical-fishing-chart-for-2012.html
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Hello, readers!

As you all may have noticed, the Blog is a little bit stagnant lately. That's mainly because my college started again; therefore, tons of homework per week. However, I'll give you a good follow up of the next posts (better saying - projects):

--> A post about Haddon Lake in NJ: the lake, ambient, fish, etc. There will be nice pictures of different species of fish caught there, including Trout, Crappie, LMB (Largemouth Bass), etc.

--> A post about the Schuylkill River, of course. The only difference is the season of the year, which means different techniques and baits to approach fish.

--> A post about the Audubon Lake in NJ, mainly about Sunfish and Carp fishing.

Well...stay tuned for future updates!

Best of luck for all of us,

Long days and pleasant nights,

Sincerely,

Leo S.