Freshwater fishing is amazing in this unique spot

About 20 years ago I was able to find a little cottage on a lake in my area. It was more money than I thought I could afford but I wanted my kids to have a place to enjoy the water with their friends and come and fish or play anytime they wanted.

They were almost grown, but I hoped it was someplace they could enjoy for a long time to come. Prior to that time we were always looking for a pond or lake to fish or swim in and it wasn't always easy to find.

When I bought the place, I made a promise to myself that if anyone I knew, especially with kids, wanted to fish on the property I would do it gladly.

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Feeling so blessed to be able to have this little place, it just seemed like the decent thing to do. This past Sunday I got a call from an old neighbor from where I used to live asking if he could bring his boys by to go fishing.

It brings more joy to see someone else enjoying the lake than fishing in it myself. Well...almost.

Shortly after I moved in, my oldest son and I built a floating dock that he convinced me to put an electric motor onto. And our legendary redneck fishing platform was born.

I recently had it resurfaced, and it still floats after all these years! Yeah, it's a little quirky, but it's brought a lot of joy to people, and nothing beats that. Well...maybe catching a 7 lb. bass.

My son and I spent about a week and a couple hundred dollars back in 2007 to create this thing.

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I still get stares from people when they see a guy steering a dock through the lake.

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Yes, that's a bass boat seat and an electric motor.

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That's the view from my seat.

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My preferred bait is a 4-inch plastic swimming minnow.

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It works every time.

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Some of the bass are a pretty good size.

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My old neighbor and his son fishing from the dock.

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They asked if they could take it for a spin and had a blast.

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The bass are biting in New Jersey fresh waters

Starting in mid to late May the largemouth bass started biting on my favorite lake. I finally got a chance to get out and see how good the fishing is this year and it didn't take long to catch. I got two bass in the first 10 minutes on the lake. We used to fish exclusively with live bait, either worms, nightcrawlers (the bigger worms), or minnows. That got too easy and it's not what "real" fishermen do.

It's more of a sport if you fool the fish into biting your hook with the right lure and the proper presentation. You have to figure out what they would be feeding on that time of year, pick a lure that resembles that and finesse it in a way that makes it look enticing to the fish. To most people, this is a stupid waste of time, but to those of us who caught the fishing bug as a kid or an adult, it's almost addictive. OK, it is addictive.

Most people look at a body of water such as a pond, lake, river, or stream and admire it for its natural beauty. Fishermen try to figure out what kind of fish are below the surface and what would be the best spot to catch them. If you have small kids and you know how to fish, you can create amazing memories and give a great lesson on nature. My dad and my uncles did that for me and those of some of the best memories of my childhood.

There are so many different kinds of fish and fishing in New Jersey's fresh waters. We usually think of fishing at the Jersey Shore, but there are plenty of fishing opportunities not far from where you live. Make sure you know a few simple rules and ask a local tackle shop for some good advice on what to buy and where to go, and you're good to go. It's a great way to enjoy the diversity of landscapes we have here and challenge yourself a little.

I challenged myself for the first time this season to try and catch a few bass on Thursday afternoon right before the rain and thunderstorms and had success right away in one of my favorite fishing holes in Medford.

Gallery Credit: Dennis Malloy

LOOK: Record fish caught in Pennsylvania

Stacker compiled a list of fishing records in Pennsylvania from Land Big Fish.

Gallery Credit: Stacker

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy only.

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