Fishing Information

The following is the weekly report for fishing for Lake Hopatcong as provided by Dows Boat & Bait Shop and Aaron Graybill from Lake Hopatcong Guide Service.

Come celebrate the 30th year of the Governor’s Surf Fishing Tournament! Enjoy a great day of surf fishing with family and friends.

Looking for a great place to kick off your Spring Fishing Season then enjoy this Lake Hopatcong Spring Guide, where professional fisherman and guide Aaron Graybill from Lake Hopatcong Guide Service explains everything thing you need to know about the start of the 2021 season.  

(21/P10) TRENTON – More than a half million freshly stocked rainbow trout will be available when anglers cast their lines in New Jersey waters this April, Department of Environmental Protection Acting Commissioner Shawn LaTourette announced today.

The first Fishing Report for Lake Hopatcong has come in from Dow's Boat Rental, and while the ice has just vanished over the last week, the report provides several tips and very encouraging information on the early season of fishing.

During the year of 2020 Lake Hopatcong was heavily stocked with fish for future years of fishing according to report just released from Hackettstown Hatchery.

The Knee Deep Club of Lake Hopatcong, NJ held its first ice fishing contest since 2018. The February 21, 2021 contest was a great success, 124 entries turned out for a wonderfully bright and sunny day of fishing on the ice.

Based upon our readers’ requests for updates, we reached out to Mike Truglio the President of the Knee Deep Club (KNC), to find out more information on the Lake Hopatcong Ice Fishing Contests.

The Ice Fishing 101 is part of the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife’s “Outdoor Family of New Jersey” (OFNJ) program. OFNJ programs are designed to provide a welcoming environment in which to learn outdoor skills for both families and individuals.

The Knee Deep Club just launched their 75th season of fishing on Lake Hopatcong, President Mike Truglio took the opportunity to announce the new schedule, and to thank all of the past presidents.

This year's second Free Fishing Day is this Saturday, October 17 - the perfect chance to introduce a relative or friend to fishing since no license or trout stamp is required! And the fishing's great right now, with freshly stocked trout in 40 waters and giant channel catfish in 28 more!

The Division of Fish and Wildlife annually stocks over 70 waterbodies throughout New Jersey with Channel Catfish raised at the Hackettstown State Fish Hatchery. As an added bonus this year, 28 waters were stocked between October 6-9 with "Super Cats", which average 28 inches and 6.5 pounds.