Union Lake is southern New Jersey's largest freshwater
body of water. It is considered the premier lake in this area for
angling. It has had a history of providing good fishing for a variety of
species. The lake was constructed in the 1790s, and later in 1868, it
was sold to the Millville Manufacturing Company, and a new dam was built
downstream of the original, and it significantly increased the size of
the lake. Union Lake is located in Millville, New Jersey, right off
Route 49, about 45 minutes from the Delaware Memorial Bridge. It is part
of the Union Lake Wild life Management area, and is located on the
Maurice River Drainage.
The lake and it's surrounding properties were purchased by the
New Jersey Fish Game and Wildlife in 1982, and the Division
reconstructed the dam in 1989, and built a fish ladder in 1990.
This enabled anadromous fish to spawn above Union Lake.
Union
is 898 acres, with an average depth of 9 feet, with a maximum
depth of 27 feet. The water in Union is highly productive due to
the high fertility of the soil around the lake. It has a brown
humic color, and is subject to algal blooms in the summer. The
lake develops a thermocline in the summer at about 10 feet, and
there is a lack of dissolved oxygen at about 15 feet. There is a
variety of vegetation, both emergent and submerged, with some
laydowns, and islands with lily pads throughout the lake.
There have been man made structures added also, such as
Christmas trees reefs, and tire reefs, at various locations
throughout the lake. There are two boat launches at Union that
are available to the public.
The ramp located on the Southeast end of the lake is owned by the
city of Millville. The other ramp located on the West shore of the
lake, has parking available for 50 car and trailer rigs, and is
owned by the Division of Fish Game and Wildlife. The parking lot and
ramp are fantastic, and it is lighted for night time fishing also.
There is a 10 HP maximum on the lake. There are also shoreline
angling areas around the lake.
FORAGE
The main forage base in Union Lake are alewife and Gizzard Shad, and
they are in the lake in good numbers. There are also a good
population of panfish, including crappies and bluegill. There are
also some channel catfish and Pirate perch, along with some Swamp
Darters.
BEST LOCATIONS
SPECIES AVAILABLE
Fish species found in the lake are Largemouth and smallmouth bass,
Yellow Perch, Black Crappie, White Perch, Striped Bass, Chain
Pickerel, Channel Catfish, and Sunfish of several varieties. The
smallmouth bass population in Union was small, so the State has been
doing some stocking to increase the population, but they are still
greatly outnumbered by the largemouth bass. The Stripers that are in
Union are contributed to Anglers releasing them from the Maurice
River population. There is currently an advisory on largemouth and
chain Pickerel, because they exceed the level of Mercury allowed.
The best locations for smallmouth bass are around the dam and
adjacent sandy shoreline, and across the lake by the Millville
ramp, around the rip-rap, near the stumps and deep water
structure. Some of the smallmouth we caught in Union were around
3 pounds, which is a nice size smallmouth for this area. The
largemouth bass will hold on traditional structure in the lower
end of the lake, such as the brushy areas along the shore near
the Dam, and in the coves on both sides.
There are also 3 artificial structures in this area, and they hold
baitfish and Crappies, and subsequently bass. A good fish locator is
required to find them now. One is located about 40 yards off shore
by the Millville ramp, the other one is about 30 yards up from the
dam off the rip-rap bank. The third is on the adjacent shore by the
sandy cliffs after the first cove by the dam. The best lures for
smallmouth bass in these areas include tubes, small hair jigs, in
Brown and Black, and small crankbaits in crawfish colors. The
largemouth here will hit a variety of soft plastics, but we have had
the best luck on small worms and Senkos by Gary Yamamoto baits. The
4 and 5 inch models have been taking big largemouth bass from these
areas. About a third of the way up the lake from the dam, near the
state boat ramp, there are 2 other artificial attractors, made of
Christmas trees and tire units. These areas also hold bass. a good
tactic is using medium to deep diving crankbaits in this area, and
bumping the structure as much as possible. Small straight tail worms
and Senko's also produce when cast to the structure and shoreline
cover in this area. In the early mornings, and late afternoon and
evenings, largemouth bass have been hitting walking type baits,
jerkbaits, and buzzbaits in this area also. The next area to try
would be near the upper end of the lake on the West shore of the
lake. There are marsh reeds and lily pad fields in this area, and
they hold a good deal of large bass and Pickerel. The best baits for
here would be weedless topwaters, such as a Top-Prop, and other
buzzbaits worked around the edges of the cover. Small worms, in 4,"
and Senkos, cast to the edges of the deep weedlines here will
produce in the daytime. Also, this year we have had a good deal of
bass hit Spider Grubs on a light weight or rigged Texas style, and
cast to the edges of cover rigged weightless. There are a variety of
Spider Grubs, but I like the ones made by Gary Yamamoto the best.
The earth tone colors are easy to match to the forage and water
color.
Steve with a 10.16 pound bass from Delaware. 4
ounces shy of the state record.This bass
appears in all of Bass Pro Shops Master Catalogs on page 90.
The last place you should try is in the upper end of the lake, on the
right hand side, right before it turns into a narrow, winding,
swamplike area. There is a Christmas tree reef in this area, mixed
with other vegetation, that you should work with 5" Jerkbaits, in
Gold/Black, and other soft plastics. The pads on the left side in
this area also hold a good deal of bass that go to 5 or 6 pounds.
Many largemouth's were taken here by working the pads with a
"Tournament Frog"
in Black and Brown, and a Terminator spinnerbait in 3/8 ounce, with
Tandem blades, with a Golden Shiner skirt. Buzzbaits took some
largemouth also from this area that exceeded 6 pounds! Some other
good baits to try in Union are lipless crankbaits like a Rattlin'
Rapala, and spoons in the reedy areas for Chain Pickerel and bass.
EQUIPMENT
I like to have a couple spinning rods, with a good reel, such as a
Shimano Sustain, or Daiwa Z series, spooled with 6 and 8 pound test
Stren. These are good for small grubs and the smaller Senkos. I also
like to have a couple of good baitcasters, such as a 61/2 to 7 foot
G.Loomis, with a medium, and a medium/Heavy action, with a Shimano
Chronarch, spooled with 20-25 pound test
Stren, and a separate rod
for Cranking. I use a Lews Crankin' Stick, and a G.Loomis Cranking
Stick for this, with a Lews reel, spooled with 10-12 pound test.
These reels are necessary to present the crankbaits properly, and
reduce angler fatigue.
Use these tactics at Union this coming year, and you will increase
your catch rate and your fun. Union has variety of scenery and
wildlife also, and can provide a great day out for the whole family.
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