Pleasant Valley Lake near Mendham: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Within Morris County, New Jersey, you have Pleasant Valley Lake. It sits at 361 feet above sea level. Small at around 16 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. For supplies, Mendham is 2.1 miles out. Peapack is 2.9 miles and Gladstone 2.9 miles. Nearest other option: Cromwell Lake at 1.3 miles, Ravine Lake within 2.8 miles, Van Dorans Mill Pond at 4.3 miles, Clyde Potts Reservoir within 4.4 miles and Sunrise Lake at 4.8 miles. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Pleasant Valley Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Fish documented in Morris County include brown trout, brook trout, northern pike and bluegill. The county list is broader than any single water. At Pleasant Valley Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 71°F, with January the cold end at about 26°F. In milder years the surface never sets. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. Autumn steadies things again once the heat lets go. Pleasant Valley Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. A parking area is marked roughly half a mile out. Part of this sits inside or beside Schiff Nature Preserve, so read the notices. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Should this one be busy, Cromwell Lake is 1.3 miles off. Where Pleasant Valley Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.