At first glance, this small neighborhood park in Edison, New Jersey doesn’t look like much. Yet, local residents seem to like the place, as it is often quite crowded. Families gather for picnics, especially on weekends. Youngsters enjoy the playgrounds and basketball courts.  The walking trails are used by young and old. But the centerpiece of the park is a small 10-acre pond which is stocked with trout by the state division of fish and wildlife.

A multi-use paved path circles the pond  and provides access to the many fishermen who try to catch one of the lunkers said to inhabit the depths of the pond. Although the pond is stocked several times a year experienced fishermen say the best time of year to catch a good-size fish is in the spring, just after a stocking day. Many anglers gather at the pond on the first day of trout season, but, as you might imagine, not everyone catches a big one.

You can get an idea of whether it’s going to be a good day for fishing by watching the cormorants that frequent the pond. A lack of birds suggests that there will be no fish. A lot of bird activity suggests that fish are plentiful. But be forewarned, the cormorants are the equal of any angler. So make sure you are well equipped to compete with the birds or they will take off with the lion’s share of the fish.