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Lake Hopatcong Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Lake Hopatcong: New Jersey’s largest lake, about 2,686 acres in Morris and Sussex counties, with stocked walleye, hybrid striped bass and muskellunge.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
12 cfs
Air / High
56 / 56 F
Wind
NE 6 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01455500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Lake Hopatcong rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. The release below the dam is running 12 cfs, falling. Today brings clear skies, wind NE around 6 mph, rising pressure near 1027 hPa and a high of 56. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:32 AM-11:32 AM and 10:01 PM-12:01 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

MuskellungeExcellent

This band covers the spring spawn, which in Wisconsin runs at 49-60°F; spawning muskies eat little and rarely chase lures, Wisconsin DNR says. After the spawn, and again as fall water cools, work large lures along weed edges and structure.

WalleyeGood

Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

Hybrid striped bassFair

In spring, windblown shorelines, riprap and dams during the shad spawn (May in Oklahoma); in fall, the pre-winter feed on the same kind of banks.

Tomorrow: Similar at 57 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Musconetcong River at outlet of Lake Hopatcong.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01455500.

16233112 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 71 years of October 23

At 12 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 01455500 (Musconetcong River at outlet of Lake Hopatcong) is at the 24th percentile for the date: below normal. In half of the 71 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 30 cfs; the highest was 270 cfs and the lowest 4 cfs.

p10 9median 30p90 149

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 01455500; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp56 F
High / Low56 / 40 F
WindNE 6-9 mph
Pressure1026.7 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:18 / 18:05
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~55 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Which day to fish Lake Hopatcong this week

The best day on Lake Hopatcong this week looks like Sunday Oct 25, at 4 out of 5, against 2 today.

Best day this week: Sunday, Oct 25 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 — Tough

Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Solunar majors
9:32 AM-11:32 AM and 10:01 PM-12:01 AM
Minor period
3:54 AM-4:54 AM
Sun
07:18 to 18:05
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 9 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Lake Hopatcong: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: spring and late fall, around dawn, dusk and night

A cool-water perch of large lakes, reservoirs and rivers whose reflective eyes are built for low light, so it feeds most at night and in murky water. The Missouri Department of Conservation ranks it among the continent's most important freshwater game fish. Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

Hybrid striped bass illustration

Hybrid striped bass

Best: the spring shad spawn and fall; summer at dawn and dusk

A hatchery cross of striped bass and white bass, also called wiper or palmetto bass, stocked by state agencies into reservoirs and rivers as a sport fish that also eats gizzard shad. Schools roam open water after shad. In spring, windblown shorelines, riprap and dams during the shad spawn (May in Oklahoma); in fall, the pre-winter feed on the same kind of banks.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Fished from late spring into late fall where seasons allow

Muskellunge are solitary, fish-eating ambush predators of the pike family, holding in weed beds and other cover in lakes and rivers of the Great Lakes, upper Mississippi and Ohio basins. This band covers the spring spawn, which in Wisconsin runs at 49-60°F; spawning muskies eat little and rarely chase lures, Wisconsin DNR says. After the spawn, and again as fall water cools, work large lures along weed edges and structure.

When to come: the Lake Hopatcong calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Walleye
Hybrid striped bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Muskellunge
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 55 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Lake Hopatcong today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 65 F, wind to 13 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 61 F, wind to 10 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 64 F, wind to 13 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

New Jersey requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

New Jersey fishing license. Limits for walleye, muskellunge and hybrid striped bass are in the current New Jersey Freshwater Fishing Digest.

Access

The two main public boat ramps are at Hopatcong State Park and Lee’s County Park; private marinas around the lake also launch boats.

About this water

About 2,686 acres in Morris and Sussex counties, New Jersey; the state’s largest lake. Outlet gauge: USGS 01455500, Musconetcong River at the lake outlet.

Fishing Lake Hopatcong: the full guide

The state’s largest lake

The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife’s 2016 management plan gives Lake Hopatcong 2,686 acres, a maximum depth of about 58 feet and an average of 18 feet. Formed by damming Great Pond, Little Pond and the Musconetcong River, the lake is now the source of the Musconetcong, and its shoreline is heavily developed.

Stocked predators

The Division and the Knee Deep Club have stocked the lake every year. The plan’s stocking history lists hybrid striped bass, walleye, muskellunge, tiger muskellunge and channel catfish, and muskellunge have been stocked since 1997. The Division recorded 28 species in its survey, one of the highest counts in the state.

Ice and night fishing

Ice fishing has been popular since the 1950s and 1960s, and the Division notes that trophy muskellunge, walleye and hybrid striped bass are often caught through the ice. Night fishing is popular in summer, when a 10 mph night speed limit gives anglers a break from boat traffic.

Common questions

What is stocked here?

The Division’s stocking records list hybrid striped bass, walleye, muskellunge, tiger muskellunge and channel catfish.

Where can I launch?

At Hopatcong State Park or Lee’s County Park, the two main public ramps.

Is ice fishing popular?

Yes. The Division notes that hundreds of anglers come each winter, many after muskellunge, walleye and hybrids.

Is fishing good at Lake Hopatcong right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Swartswood Lake14 miGreenwood Lake22 miRound Valley Reservoir26 miSpruce Run Reservoir27 miRaritan River28 miMusconetcong River31 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 01455500 — Musconetcong River at outlet of Lake Hopatcong
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 18:30 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 40.9500, -74.6000 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 5, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 5, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.