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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.
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.