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hoffman park

5K views 22 replies 5 participants last post by  Jakesbeard 
#1 ·
a customer told me he caught a 6lb pig in one of those ponds over there. i'm heading out after work to check it out. which pond is best to fish and are there that large of bigums in them?
 
#2 ·
The ponds there are catch and release for bass PLEASE keep it that way it is how bass have stayed in there that size while it has been public water for so long.
 
#3 ·
I've recently started to go to Hoffman Park. I've always fished the big pond. The only pain is you park towards the top and have a huge walk down the hill to the closest pond which is the biggest. Very clean and nice park though. Apparently there's a lot of good fishing in the smaller ponds further back. My dog loves to run around and play near the water. Let us know how you do....
 
#6 ·
I've always fished the big pond.
They call it Manny it was named after a friend of the Hoffmans back when he was a boy.

My dog loves to run around and play near the water.
It's a county park dogs MUST be on a leash.
 
#8 ·
The only pain is you park towards the top and have a huge walk down the hill
If you do not like that than you can also park @ another parking area just off of Rt. 625 south of rt78 exit12 all flat walking from there and you will see several of the other ponds as you go. At one point I was told there was 32 ponds on that old estate some guys outfit mountain bikes with a basket and rod holders so they can hit pond after pond some of which also require pruning shears to get to and fish. They just cleared out the Olive and Multiflora from the ponds behind Mrs Hoffmans house.
Very clean and nice park though.
Yes it is so please do what you can to keep it that way take out all you bring in and even pick up a little after the 1 or 2 JERKS that regularly show up there.
HINT this is a VERY popular place with Bird watchers (who sometimes travel great distances to see some of the birds that stop there and or breed there)joggers, dog walkers Geochcher's and others who do not hunt or fish WHEN THEY SEE A PERSON IN A CAMO HAT PICKING UP AFTER THE THOUGHTLESS WE ALL GET POINTS!!! That also works the other way to. Take your old fishing line with you please.
 
#9 ·
#10 ·
Oh and in case you can't tell thats my favorite park of all (Short of Katmi and Yellow Stone).
 
#11 ·
I agree with you on Park cleaning. There's not too many places, especially locally that one can go to which offers so much as Hoffman does. Although I wrote about the long hike down the hill, I'm only complaining on the way back up after I've fished for a few hours and lugged all my tackle down there.
 
#14 ·
and you can see all the places they have for hunting by permit including Hoffmann park.
Shuuush!!!![spy]
jakes.. i read up on the park a little bit. the county bought the farm or did the hoffman's donate it?
They made a deal with both Hunterdon county and Union Twp. @ the time the family could have made a killing w/ developers Mrs. Hoffman lived out her years in the house on what is known as a "Life Lease".
 
#16 ·
hey guys i couldnt help but to but in on this topic. Jakesbeard is right PLEASE KEEP IT CLEAN. Mr.Hoffman was my fathers great uncle. Most of the pounds were filled a long long time ago after Mr.Hoffman was stocking them he had a big problem with people sneaking on his land and fishing all the pounds dry. So he filled them in. He as also parntners in the Family Business witch was Hoffman Soda BEFORE they went into all the assorted flavors. The Orginal was just Ginger Ale. The company was in Newark New Jersy. Mrs. Hoffman was living with a care taker in Hampton up intill a few years ago. I have tons of pics of some farming back them and some pics of Mr.Hoffman fishing. It is a grand place. Keep it clean.
 
#17 ·
I have tons of pics of some farming back them and some pics of Mr.Hoffman fishing. It is a grand place. Keep it clean.
HOLLY COW CAN I SEE EM! In fact Union Twp. would love to have copies if they don't have them already.
 
#19 ·
My fathers uncle was a big bird wather and was up there alot. Its a popular spot for it.
Folks come from all over at differant times of the year for birds thats why they switched over to all warm season grasses and maintain the feilds.
I once saw some guys who came down from Alberta to video I think Eastern Tewhees there,that whole Mulhockaway drainage is good birding I am sorry I never kept a life list but one day about 15 years ago we had I think something like 15 differant species @ my feeder.
 
#21 ·
#22 ·
well all in all it was a great experience to get to check out the park.it's definitely a different kind of place. walking down the hill and trying to figure out where the different ponds were was a field day but i enjoyed seeing the rabbits and so many darn birds lol. and what is that stand with the bat sign on it past manny's? we went to the furthest right pond if you are facing manny's(?) and unfortunately the cover and trees were too dense to fish. absolutely no open spots and along one of the trails (i think, covered in prickly bushes and runs by the private, barbed wire fence) i am pretty sure i saw bear droppings.

me and my buddy got out of there REEEEEEAAAAAL quick. we backtracked and went to the pond past powerline road. we had some success after the brief thunderclouds passed over. we each caught 3 bass all <= 1#...one got off that felt like a pig under the cover (hydrilla?)

very interesting place and we didn't get there until around 5:30 so i am sure we coveredless than 20% of the fishable ponds there. we even got back to our cars after 8 and the ranger was waiting for us. we definitely underestimated that hike back up the hill!

i will definitely be returning there soon to cover more terrain but man are some of those trails dense.
 
#23 ·
we went to the furthest right pond if you are facing manny's(?) and unfortunately the cover and trees were too dense to fish. absolutely no open spots
I think I mentioned pruning shears and THAT one is just one of the ones I was thinking about when I offerd that advice.
what is that stand with the bat sign on it past manny's?
It's a Bat house there is at the least one more there in the park.Look around by the pond BEHIND MANNY.
prickly bushes
Multiflora rose AKA MFRose. say thanks to the Div.F+W for that one.

i am pretty sure i saw bear droppings.
I was wondering what happend to him we have been seeing a bear in there every summer for the last 3 years or so but neither myself or my wife saw him this year. My wife saw him last back in early October of last year.

very interesting place
Yup and a real beauty to.
 
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