Fishing Van Winkles Pond in Passaic County, New Jersey

• Overview

  Out in Passaic County, New Jersey, sits Van Winkles Pond. The setting is rolling hill on every side. A pocket of water where every cast reaches cover. Our Passaic County list holds plenty of bigger water. Start from Hawthorne, 1 mile down the road. It is 3.1 miles to Paterson, the nearest city. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Van Winkles Pond

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Across Passaic County, recorded fish include brown trout, walleye and brook trout. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. On Van Winkles Pond the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 29°F to 75°F. A lid forms in a hard winter only. Some winters give nothing at all, so plan for open water. April and May are the settled weeks, with October close behind. On Van Winkles Pond that shapes the whole year. Nights draw in quickly late in the season, so plan the walk back.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. There is a car park half a mile from the bank. A rest area sits about 80 yards from the water. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Oldham Pond, 1.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position at Van Winkles Pond before loading the car.