[BassMiesterNJ]

Got on the water mid morning..... cool and raining.

Went over to the west side of Scot Island but there was a boat parked fishing live bait so I gave em some space and moved on....

Only my second time on this lake so I thought I'd look around a bit.... I shot straight out to Beech island and fished a Buzz bait up close and got one nice reaction but no hook up in very shallow water (made me jump it was so close to the boat) but I liked throwing the Buzzbait so I kept at it .... I then went east and fished that side of the island where the Lilly pads are..... about a dozen Kayakers came through (crazier than me in the rain).... couldn't get a bite on Senkos or Buzz Bait........ tried small cranks also.

At that point I basically took a tour of the place and went all the way to the back and fished the eastern side on the way there.... at one point the weather started clearing and there appeared to be some top water activity starting up but that soon changed and got more windy and cold......

No fish today, but I learned a bit about the struture of that place and got to see most of it... it's pretty damn big (255 acres) with lots of small coves along the way...... thankfully I took (2) trolling motor batteries and it was still tough getting back against the wind...

Kinda day makes you appreciate a warm house, lol.

 

[HugeFish4]

I gotta try that place next year. How do you get there from 287?

 

[BassMiesterNJ]

Huge.... If you drive past Monksville (over the bridge) and head up towards Upper Greenwood Lake... Wawayanda is just past UGL off of Warwick Turnpike....lots of state park signs.

or you could probably come in from route 23N from 287... not sure which is easier... since I'm already in Ringwood I just drive past Monksville.

 

[billstea]

One thing to be aware of when fishing Wawananda. The state allows hunting and fishing on the lake at the same time during hunting season(s). There could be guys in boats on the lake or in the woods with shotguns blasting away at geese or something while you are fishing. Beware of guys dressed in fatigues. It happened to me in September. Got on the lake around 6:30 and was heading toward the south end when boom! boom!boom!boom!. Two guys in a boat heading in the same direction opened up on some geese flying over. They shot way over my head, but there was a guy fishing the western shoreline who had pellets rain down on him. Those guys opened up with their shotguns at least twice more that morning but I was far away from them. Nevertheless it sounded like World War II.

 

[BassMiesterNJ]

Bill, I've heard that about the hunters there..... but I was more concerned about the damn kayakers paddling through the lilly pads I was fishing, lol.

 

[MarkNJBass]

Waywayanda can be a pain

And I'm not just talking the fishing. The Rangers there can be a real pain in the butt. And make sure all of your paper work for your boat and car are up to date...a guy in our club found a ticket on his window for a overdue inspection sticker. Big bass in there, but picky at times...April and May is the best time to hit it.

 

[BassMasterCK]

I caught My biggest Bass (22 Inches) and second biggest Bass (21 Inches) out of Wawayanda...

You'd think I'd be there all the time right?

And the reason I haven't been back since? As MarkNJBass said, I also found a ticket on My windshield for inspection sticker...

 

[Guest]

Waywayanda

I USED to fish that water alot when I started fishing again.
One of my biggest LM came out of that body of water.

I found the Rangers to be very nice and polite when I fished there.

As many of you know Waywayanda has gone through alot of changes and the "building" along the beach proves that.

One of the last time's I fished there I saw a Black Bear spying me from a tree...Pretty Cool

The reason I don't fish there anymore is because of my schedule.
I found Waywyanda to be an excellent fishery before it gets choked up with weeds.

Getting back to the "change".... It would seem with more folks frequenting the park might justify more of a Police/Ranger presence.



Tight Lines,
Woody

 

[BassMiesterNJ]

To those who have fished there in the spring.

What is the action like before the weeds come up ?

I made some mental notes while I was out there on what might be some spawning areas......

Anything work particularly well in April May ?

 

[MarkNJBass]

No surprise to me....

I'm not surprised the Rangers gave you a ticket...they gave a buddy of mine a ticket one winter while cross-country skiing around the woods there. You know what for? Not having his dog on a leash!!! Not another human in sight all day...and a ticket. Those guys can be real pricks! As far as fishing goes it does have some big pigs in there...and April and May...early June is prime time because it's weed-city in the summer. It's a great place to jerkbait and throw a jig.....but avoid the Rangers...it's a sad lot!

 

[Guest]

Or.....Possibly do the right thing

Have your vehicles inspected...and keep your dog on a lead.
I think blaming the Ranger's is a bit of a stretch...
My .02,
Woody

 

[TheOleRobbie]

Not having his dog on a leash!!! Not another human in sight all day...and a ticket. Those guys can be real pricks!

but avoid the Rangers...it's a sad lot!

ranger 1 to ranger 2

"i wish that clown would follow the rules, and the signs that are posted all over the place. i wouldn't have to write tickets to people if they followed the rules."

ranger 2 to ranger 1

"yeah, that guy is from a sad lot."



lol
like posted above...
keep dog on leash, and follow simple rules. signs are posted follow or deal with it.

l&k robbie

 

[MarkNJBass]

Spoken like a true Ranger!!

Enjoy your Waywayanda experience....

 

[TheOleRobbie]

i have fished waywayanda and a few nice surrounding lakes. wawayanda was a decent fishery, and we never got bothered. the area of NJ/NY that it resides by is gorgeous. we had a deer come right to the shore and watch us fish for 10 miutes on the lake. the baitfish population is thick. there are lakers in there also. there is a reason that they police it heavily. the area gets some seedy visitors due to its remote location, so they ride it hard. pay attention and follow the simple rules and all will be good and fun. how hard is it really? upper greenwood is down the road a bit by hewitt NJ. greenwood is a little further. wanaque res is right there if you have the right connections (wink wink.) what a beautiful area.

as for the weeds at wawayanda... hit it early or have a great weedless prop on a strong electric motor. the weeds are a major part of the lake and can be a rewarding experience.

robbie

 

[JOHN G]

MasterCK: I am glad to see you here on NYBass and appreciate your input!

But I have to agree with the Woody/Theole Camp.....a car with an expired Inspection sticker can be ticketed anywhere not just Waywayanda.....

many moons ago, I was waiting in a line on the Van Wyck to get into Shea stadium....I had an expired sticker, that I didnt even realize, a cop saw it on the line and ticketed me....did that mean I would never go to see the Mets ever again??

two different things, apples and oranges....to me and my way of thinking, harassment means hitting on technicalities or borderline infringements, such as the time that Hugefish was ticketed for not displaying his Jersey license prominently, when he actually had a valid Jersey license on his person at the time.....

but things like inspection stickers , hey , that is a very clear cut law and you never know when an officer might notice something like that....

 

[Guest]

MarkNJBass

"Spoken like a true Ranger!! "
Enjoy your Waywayanda experience....


Mark...Far from it

"Ride the wave....Don't Create it"

Tight Lines Mark (Maybe we can hit some local water next year)
Woody

 

[MarkNJBass]

I don't fish there that often....

It's about 4 miles from my house but the weeds can be tough to deal with in the summer months. Sure....but we can find a much better place than Waywayanda to fish. It is a good place to see a bear though....I've seen many along the shorelines there feeding. Which unfortunately has often been the highlight of the day when the fishing was slow. If you want to practice frog fishing with heavy line in acres of lilly pads its a good place to go. it can be either great excitement or a snoozer....man...sounds like bass fishing to me.....later...Mark