Newark

I have fished this lake a number of different times.  This was the first time that the water levels
were normal.  Weequahic is the largest lake in Essex County (about 32ha ) .

Since this park was designed by the Olmsted brothers; it resembles two of the parks in New York City
which were designed by the same firm.  So far I have fished in three of the parks in New Jersey designed
by the Olmsted brothers.

The lake is a natural lake but it has a problem with algae bloom during extended warm
weather in the summers.

Looking west

Looking north

The aerators which try to  keep the lake algae bloom under control.

The south end of the lake

I saw bass swimming with their fry and a few spawning carp.  A Trumpet swan appeared to
devourer a bunch of the bass fry as if they were hors d'oeuvres.  I sat here for awhile just
looking and enjoying the beauty of the park.

These dotted the shore line.

Weequahic Park is a park located in the south ward of Newark, New Jersey. Designed by the Olmsted Brothers firm, Weequahic Park has the largest lake in Essex County. The park opened on what had been the Waverly Fairgrounds. The word "Weequahic" in the name of the park is from the Lenni-Lenape Native American term for "head of the cove".

Bound Brook

 This is the man made canal which travels parallel to the Raritan River near Bound Brook
New Jersey.  I think this is the place that a reader mentioned.

As you can see from my photos, the canal is being dammed so that this part of the canal
can be repaired

When I arrived to fish the canal, the water was stained , which according to locals is not
normal for this fishery. 

This is one of the locks for the canal.

There are bass, pickerel, sunfish, perch and I saw a few carp.

I walked from Queens Bridge down to route 287 ( the western leg of this canal).

I noticed this downed tree and what appears to be "duck weed" floating on the canal surface.

This type of area will hold fish.  Upon  closer inspection I saw small bass and  blue gills
 swimming under this.

There was a carp under this too.  So there are carp in the canal but because of the canal
being drained normal fishing is not to be expected for some time here.

A view of the same spot from the opposite side of the canal (in the center of the photo).

I plan to return here so that I can fish the canals eastern leg.

The main attraction in South Bound Brook is the Delaware and Raritan Canal, which forms the northern and eastern boundaries of the town. The canal and its D&R Canal Trail are used for numerous recreational purposes from light boating to hiking and biking. Also of note is the Raritan River which lies on the far side of the canal and provides further recreational opportunities such as boating and fishing. The Queens Bridge crosses the canal and river, connecting to Bound Brook.
The Raritan River Greenway is a proposed path that would link Branchburg Township to the East Coast Greenway with the Delaware and Raritan Canal trail in South Bound Brook.^{[citation needed]}
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA is headquartered in South Bound Brook. St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary, St. Andrew's Memorial Church, and a large Ukrainian Orthodox cemetery right behind the church, where graves of many politicians from the Ukrainian People's Republic era can be visited, are located on the south side of the town.

Below are fishing  ponds in Somerset County

Somerset County
Water	Nearest Town	Acres	Car Top Launch	Boat Ramp	Outboard Allowed
Ann Van Middleworth Pond	Hillsborough	4	N	N	N
Bedminster Pond	Bedminster	5	N	N	N
Best Pond	Watchung	6	N	N	N
Green Brook Pond	Plainfield	1	N	N	N
Mettlers Pond	East Millstone	3	N	N	N
Powder Mill Pond	East Millstone	6	N	N	N
Spooky Brook Lake	East Millstone	13	N	N	N
Spring Lake	South Plainfield	5	N	N	N
Watchung Lake	Watchung	15	N	N	N

Westchester

 I was checking a Google Maps link and noticed this pond.  I had not heard of anyone
fishing here.  So I put on my pack (which is always loaded and ready ) and headed  for
the Metro North Terminal in New York City.

The train ride was the easy part.  The hard part was walking the streets of Westchester.
The distance from the train station to Carpenter Pond is nearly five kilometer.

Since I started my trip in mid afternoon, I took a taxi from the station to the pond to save time.
It was a  ten minute drive by car.

The one hour walk would come later.

Walking down the path leading to the pond I saw a  man who was already fishing.  I asked
him what was the dominate fish and he said perch.  He also told me that a long time ago
small mouth bass lived in the pond.

I looked over the pond and decided to start at the north end of the pond.  Here the water was shallow.
My nymphs kept getting caught on debris at the bottom of the pond.  So I switched to a hare's ear.

I moved along the shore line making Belgium casts and spey casting where it was necessary because
of nearby trees.  I was covering the pond with my cast so that I would find where fish were holding.  Most
of  the fish were immature blue gills, about two years old.

I saw no perch during my visit but I did catch a "thumb size bass".  There must be some
bigger fish but I was using small flies (#14)

All of the fish I caught were holding in the very center of the pond.

The north end of the pond.

My carp notes

Carp must be in the process of feeding before they will consider your fly. carp will take many of the same flies that trout take but only when they are in the process of feeding themselves. So don't think that normal fly fishing tactics will work, they won't. carp do not chase flies! when carp are feeding, your fly must be in their feeding zone. the feeding zone is triangular shaped with the apex of the triangle starting at the carp's mouth. the base of the triangle is about 2 feet from the mouth. put your fly in that zone & the carp will "consider" your fly. the most important thing to know is that your presentation of the fly to the carp must be accurate. if your presentation is sloppy, you will spook the carp and it will leave the area. once your fly is in the feeding zone, make small moves with the fly (less than 3 inches) or twitch the fly. carp do not like fast movement or big movements. carp do not like seeing you so use stealth. remember if you can see the carp, the carp can see you! cast no shadows on the water. do not over line carp when casting. 

Carp fishing with flies is sight fishing with flies.  rarely will you be able to catch a carp by blind casting.
there is no magic fly that always catches carp.  your presentation of your fly to the carp must be perfect.   
I also recommend that you fish with someone who has caught a carp on a fly before your first attempt to fly fish for them.

Carp are omnivores and they take many of the same flies that trout take.  carp must be feeding in order to get them to take your fly.  when a carp is feeding, your fly must be in their feeding zone; which is an imaginary triangle where the apex of the triangle is the carp's mouth.  The base of the triangle is about two feet from the carp's mouth.  Presentation of your fly is critical.  carp don't like people.  If you can see the carp, the carp can see you.  use stealth when fishing for carp.  cast no shadows on the water.  move slowly.
A basic fly I use for carp feeding on the bottom is the wooly bugger ( white #12).  Move the fly an inch or so when it is in front of the carp.  On the surface, I like to use deer hair flies which resemble bread,berries or other things carp eat.  I've caught carp using tarantulas, madam X, nymphs, terrestrials and streamers.  Accuracy and patience are very important because carp are shy but very alert!

Central Park

 Myself and "Two rods" Jay went to Central Park to fish The Meer in the north east corner
of the park.  But when we got there we found that the park's department was working on
the water system of the lake.  The water levels in The Meer were extremely low.  All lakes in
Central Park are man made.  The water is the same as the water that is supplied for drinking in
our homes.

So we took the subway train down to Loeb Lake.  Jay had wanted to show me a few areas
we had not tried to fish before and wanted to try them with me.  Unfortunately turtles were
spawning.  Turtles seem to be everywhere swimming on the surface and pursuing other turtles.

 However there are some big carp in this part of Loeb Lake.  I managed to catch 3 carp
the largest was a battle worn, post spawn 5 kilogram fish.  Except for the smallest carp I
landed, all carp showed bruises from having spawned.

During the time I fished I also caught two nice size catfish.  This one is more than 30mm.

As night time covered us, the carp started to "cloop", feed on the surface.  Big swirls
were created by large koi and common carp who felt safe in the twilight.

fly fishing for carp

New Hyde Park

I went to a small pond in New Hyde Park.  It is Reported that there are small Bass, small carp
and gold fish here.

When I arrived I saw a small carp (about 40 mm long) clooping on the surface and eating
flower petals that were floating on the surface.

This fish had koi like markings which are not visible in this photo due to the fish flopping
in the dirt as I tried to take it's picture.  It appeared to have black areas on the dorsal fin area.
 I used my March Brown Travel Fly rod, a nine foot,  seven piece, 2 weight I've owned for
several years.  I matched it with an old Franco Vivarelli semi automatic fly reel ( note the screw on spool)

A pair of Canada geese had just hatched three chicks from this nest near the edge of the pond.

Ridder pond is open to residents of New Hyde Park only.  I was allowed to fish here as
a guest of a resident.

I hooked 5 carp but lost 3.  It was really fun to fish ultra light again, especially because
these little ones fought hard.

Wantagh

I took the Long Island Rail Road to Wantagh Long Island, to fish the Mill Pond.  This was
my first time traveling there to fish.  There are several other lakes and ponds in Wantagh.

There is no "catch and release" here.  On Long Island you can keep and eat what you catch.
 Check out the fishing rules for this fishery.

This pond has pickerel and yellow perch as the main draw for fishing here.  Crappie
are here too.

There are Lilly pads covering the surface.  A great place for fishing your weedless flies.

I took my time walking around the entire pond.  I think waders are the thing to bring to fish here.
The bottom of the pond is sand and gravel.  There appears to be no decaying matter
 on the bottom of the pond to cause you feet to become trapped in muck.

 It is about a meter in depth so there are no holes to trip on or sink into.

I thought I saw a carp cruising near the shore line but I am not certain.

Next time I fish here I will bring my waders to wear and see what is really in this pond.

 I expect to fish the other fisheries here in Wantagh soon.