Union Lake Bass Fishing
Union Lake is southern New Jersey’s largest freshwater body of water. It is considered the premier lake in this area for angling. It has had a history of providing good fishing for a variety of species. The lake was constructed in the 1790s, and later in 1868, it was sold to the Millville Manufacturing Company, and a new dam was built downstream of the original, and it significantly increased the size of the lake. Union Lake is located in Millville, New Jersey, right off Route 49, about 45 minutes from the Delaware Memorial Bridge. It is part of the Union Lake Wild life Management area, and is located on the Maurice River Drainage.
The lake and it’s surrounding properties were purchased by the New Jersey Fish Game and Wildlife in 1982, and the Division reconstructed the dam in 1989, and built a fish ladder in 1990. This enabled anadromous fish to spawn above Union Lake.
Union Lake is 898 acres, with an average depth of 9 feet, with a maximum depth of 27 feet. The water in Union is highly productive due to the high fertility of the soil around the lake. It has a brown humic color, and is subject to algal blooms in the summer. The lake develops a thermocline in the summer at about 10 feet, and there is a lack of dissolved oxygen at about 15 feet. There is a variety of vegetation, both emergent and submerged, with some laydowns, and islands with lily pads throughout the lake.
There have been man made structures added also, such as Christmas tree reefs and tire reefs at various locations throughout the lake. There are two boat launches at Union that are available to the public.
The ramp located on the Southeast end of the lake is owned by the city of Millville. The other ramp located on the West shore of the lake, has parking available for 50 car and trailer rigs, and is owned by the Division of Fish Game and Wildlife. The parking lot and ramp are fantastic, and it is lighted for night time fishing also. There is a 10 hp maximum on the lake. There are also shoreline angling areas around the lake. Make sure to take pictures of any fish you catch fishing the lake.
