The Deal
on Deal Lake
By Bob
Jaroszewski
What's 158 acres, allows unlimited horsepower engines, and has a
healthy population of marauding largemouth bass, some weighing
larger than six-pounds? Since you're on deallake.org I'm
hoping you guessed Deal Lake, but aren't you shocked to hear that
trophy bass are stalking its brush-laden shorelines?
Deal Lake is absolutely one of New Jersey's best kept fishing
secrets. While it doesn't boast the species variety of some of
other well-known NJ lakes, the quantity and quality of the
largemouth bass more than make up for it.
To be sure, bass are the main targets of most anglers who fish the
lake. In addition to the bass there are some carp pushing twenty
pounds but few people fish for them.
Sadly, there used to be a nice
population of pickerel
but unfortunately they disappeared as soon as
the weed-beds started to vanish. Also, the NJ Division of Fish &
Wildlife spent many years trying to establish a population of tiger
muskellunge and northern pike but the results have not justified
further stockings.
Boating
As mentioned above, Deal Lake is one of the few Jersey impoundments
that allow unlimited horsepower engines. This is a boon to Monmouth
County bass anglers who don't feel like driving up to Lake Hopatcong
to use their 150-hp equipped bass boats. With that said, however,
the vast majority of the lake is "no-wake" due to its narrow layout
and vulnerability to erosion. The only portion of the lake that
isn't no-wake is east of Rt. 71 and west of Norwood Avenue.
In addition to
bass fishing, there is a dedicated legion of rowers who propel their
racing surfboats up and down the length of Deal Lake. As long as
the lake isn't iced over these racers will be on the water,
sometimes even before daybreak. In fact, a very popular
manufacturer of these self-bailing vessels (Asay Boats) is located
right on Ocean Avenue in Asbury Park. When on the water please
remember that they always have the right of way.
In addition to
surfboats, canoeists and kayakers also utilize the lake. Its
shallow nature and abundant wildlife can make a day on the water
quite pleasing. Sightseers should keep their eyes open for
raccoons, chipmunks, osprey, great blue herons, night herons, green
herons, egrets, mallards, wood ducks, cormorants, loons, painted
turtles, snapping turtles and variety of other interesting
creatures. Be sure to bring your camera!
In order to launch your vessel you'll need to use the ramp located
on Deal Lake Drive across from the 7-Eleven in Asbury Park. There
used to be a nice floating dock there but it floated away after one
our numerous storms so care is to be exercised when unloading your
rig.
The Lake
Once on the lake, you will be amazed at the amount of fish-holding
fallen trees (laydowns) and to a lesser extent lily pads that adorn
the shoreline. In terms of depth, you may as well leave your
electronics home. Ninety percent of the lake is between three and
four feet deep, and a majority of the best fishing will be
accomplished by probing the shoreline structure. Also, the clarity
of the lake is usually quite stained so don't be afraid to use heavy
tackle when flipping baits among the mazes of sharp branches and
twigs.
One final note concerning the lake's layout is the flume and sluice
gates found at its eastern end. The flume leads out to the ocean
and in addition to controlling the lake level it also acts as a
passageway for migrating herring. These herring return from the
ocean to reproduce every year. Any surf fisherman in the area also
knows that this creates a virtual dinner table for hungry striped
bass that line up along the adjoining 8th Avenue jetty
and wait for an easy meal. Although the stripers do not make their
way into the lake, knowledge of the flume is essential since it
provides a conduit for the herring to enter and consequently become
the main forage of the largemouth bass population.
Seasonal Fishing Guide:
Spring - Don't wait too long to start fishing.
Because of its shallow nature the lake heats up very quickly. It
only takes a stretch of three or four warm days to create ideal
pre-spawn conditions. Look for water temperatures to break fifty
degrees, but even high forties can put you into some fish. A
jig-n-pig amongst the trees is hard to beat, but remember to work
the bait very s-l-o-w-l-y. Bass will still be very lethargic until
the water temperature hits the mid-fifties.
Once in the fifties, it's time to
break out the four-inch curly tail worms and fish shallower than you
ever thought possible. Deal bass spawn in water barely deep enough
to cover their backs. In fact, your best bet is to cast
Texas-rigged worms onto the shoreline and slowly crawl them into the
trees and sticks. A single Colorado Spinnerbait also works well
since its large thumping blade will draw reaction strikes from
otherwise inactive bass. Both sides of the Wanamassa section should
be targeted at this time.
Summer - Early summer is truly my favorite time to
fish the lake. Once the spawn is over, many bass will move off the
shoreline and take up residence in the lily pads. This makes them
easy targets for weedless spoons and soft jerkbaits. Cast into the
heart of the pads and retrieve your baits across the surface. Just
remember not to set the hook as soon as a fish smashes your
lure. Wait a second or two and try to feel the bass before rearing
back. You will miss far fewer strikes this way. Lily pads are
found throughout the lake and they're all good, so just put down
your trolling motor and start fishing.
Once the heat of the summer sets in the water temperature will
skyrocket into the upper eighties so the best fishing will be in the
low light hours. A good idea is to pitch small Slider worms and
light jigs underneath the bridges that cross the lake since their
ample shade will provide more suitable summertime bass cover. Some
enterprising anglers fish the lake after dark but one should
exercise caution and really get to know the area before attempting a
nighttime excursion.
Fall - This is my second favorite time to fish the
lake since bass will shake off their summer sluggishness and begin
to feed in earnest among the shoreline wood. The key factor to
remember is that the lake is very susceptible to the many cold
fronts that will blow through the region at this time of year. Be
prepared to adjust strategies accordingly, but a black and blue
jig-n-pig worked among the outer edges of the laydowns usually will
be your best bet.
Another exciting
way of catching some
of Deal's truly humongous bass is to fish
buzzbaits at dusk. This method will work right up until the water
temperature dips below 63-degrees. Remember, the colder the water,
the slower your retrieve should be.
Winter - Alas, we do not live in Florida and this lake
is one of the first to freeze over in the winter. Even if you're
among the ice-fishing crowd I would not recommend this lake since
the abundance of shoreline cover makes ice conditions generally
unsafe. Even when the ice is safe the shallow water found
throughout Deal is generally frowned upon by hardcore ice fishermen.
Final Thoughts
While the lake currently supports a sizable population of largemouth
bass it is and will always be a fishery on the brink. There are
many challenges facing the lake, mostly because it is a catch basin
for a large, mainly impervious piece of land known as the Deal Lake
Watershed. Storm water management is crucial to the lake's future
health. Thankfully the Deal Lake Commission is working on a
groundbreaking management plan which should greatly improve the
quality of the lake.
Nevertheless as New Jersey anglers we must do our part to preserve
the lake. In addition to picking up trash, reporting litterbugs and
complying with lake regulations we should be practicing catch and
release one hundred percent of the time. Furthermore, pinching the
barbs down on your hooks will aide the release process and preserve
the bass population for generations to come. As the famous fishing
pioneer Lee Wulff once said, "A gamefish is too valuable to be
caught only once."
Bob Jaroszewski teaches
fishing classes in Monmouth County, is a field editor for the New
Jersey Angler Magazine (www.njangler.com),
and is greatly concerned about the future of Deal Lake. For more
info, email Bob at
fishingwithbobj@verizon.net or check out Bob's own Web site at
www.fishingwithbobj.com.
