Union Lake

Union Lake, in Millville, Cumberland County, is the largest lake in South Jersey at 898 acres, formed by damming the Maurice River. NJ Fish and Wildlife owns it, and it's one of the state's most popular bass-tournament lakes, drawing thousands of anglers a year for largemouth and smallmouth bass. Crappie, pickerel and yellow perch are plentiful too.

When to fish

• Spring through fall: largemouth and smallmouth bass.
• October and November: crappie fishing heats up.

Where to fish

• The "road bed" and the "osprey nest": classic Union Lake bass spots.
• Grass edges and drop-offs: the lake has little aquatic vegetation, so what grass there is matters.
• Brush piles in 10 to 20 feet: fall crappie.
• The headwaters and the Maurice River above the lake: popular with kayak and canoe anglers.
• From shore: the western shoreline near the Fish and Wildlife ramp.

How to fish it

For bass, NJFW suggests Texas-rigged plastic worms, black-and-blue jigs and crankbaits worked around grass edges and drop-offs. For fall crappie, fish live minnows or tiny (1/16-ounce) jigs around brush piles in 10 to 20 feet of water.

Getting there

There are two public boat ramps with ample parking, including Fish and Wildlife's ramp on the western shore (reach it from Route 55 via Route 49 west to Carmel Avenue). A horsepower limit keeps boating to smaller outboards and electric-powered bass boats.