As summer approaches, the boats, skiiers, and swimmers take over Lake Hopatcong, and fish get harder to find. Spring is the time for hook, line and sinker, and the lake offers 28 miles of shoreline to explore. Creek Reservoir in Warren County both receive thousands more stocked fish every year. In these deeper, cooler waters you will find Lake Trout, a fish that has become rare in Hopatcong's warmer, shallower water. Round Valley approaches depths of 160 feet in spots, and Lakers lurk at around 80 feet on warmer days.
Lake trout are big game fish.
They grow to exceed 20 lbs. Anybody can be a fishing boat captain for a day. Go to a bait and tackle shop and rent a boat and engine. Bring clip-on down riggers, a thermometer to find the right temperature and a portable depth finder to pinpoint locations and you are a big game fisherman like on Lake Ontario or anywhere in the world. Or try marshmallows, hot-dogs, or shiners under a bobber from a boat ramp or bridge.