Covering over 2,700 acres, Lake Hopatcong stretches 9.5 miles in length, boasts over 38 miles of shoreline, and is the largest lake in New Jersey. What makes this lake so special is how diverse of a fishery it is and the sheer quality of the fish that inhabit the lake. There are two main factors that have created this unique New Jersey fishery – a booming alewife herring population and wide array of different fish-supporting environments. With large expanses of deep water, sharp ledges, offshore humps, and massive schools of bait roaming it’s open water, the lake offers the habitat necessary to support thriving populations of Walleye, Hybrid Striped Bass, Musky, and Smallmouth Bass. The shallow water structure includes flats, weedbeds, docks, timber, lilly pads, rock piles, and just about anything else you could hope for. For most of the year, this habitat holds the more commonly seen New Jersey species such as Largemouth Bass, Pickeral, Perch, Crappie, Sunfish, and Carp. Simply put, there are not many places in our region where you can realistically target and catch trophy Walleye, Hybrid Striped Bass, Musky, Smallmouth Bass, and Largemouth Bass all in once place. At Lake Hopatcong, you can!

A fishing destination like this sounds like it would be hours away in a remote location. However, Lake Hopatcong is located just off of Route 80 in the middle of North Jersey and close to all major highways. This makes traveling to the lake an easy drive for those coming in from New York, Philadelphia, or anywhere in New Jersey.