Position
39°47.6′N 74°16.8′W
Wells Mills Lake is a quiet 34-acre cedar-water lake in the heart of Wells Mills County Park, Ocean County's largest park with more than 900 acres of Pine Barrens. It isn't a trophy lake, but it's a peaceful paddle with a real chance at largemouth bass and pickerel in a classic Pine Barrens setting.
When to fish
- Summer: weeds fill in much of the lake.
- Fall: as the weeds die back, bass move up into the shallows toward the end of the day.
Where to fish
- The concrete spillway: some of the lake's biggest largemouth.
- Openings in the weeds: fall bass.
- Submerged cedar in the back of the lake: pickerel and bass.
How to fish it
Around the spillway, fish a live sunfish hooked through the back near the dorsal fin, or big live killies under a float. In fall, work 4-inch soft-plastic stickbaits in natural or black colors around weed openings. For pickerel, a gold or firetiger weedless spoon with a trailer is the classic cedar-water lure, and small spoons and spinners work around the sunken cedar.
Getting there
The park is on Wells Mills Road (County Road 532) near Waretown. Shore access is difficult, so bring a canoe or kayak and launch at the Conrad-Oakley boat launch next to the dock; no motors are allowed.
From the water
Latest reports
No reports yet
No fishing reports have been published for Wells Mills Lake yet.
Field guide
What you can catch
Close by