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Swartswood Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

New Jersey’s first state park lake: Swartswood holds walleye, bass and hybrid stripers in Sussex County.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
81 / 82 F
Wind
NW 8 mph

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

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 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.

Swartswood Lake lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. Today brings clear skies, wind NW around 8 mph, rising pressure near 1011 hPa and a high of 82. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

WalleyeGood

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pikeGood

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Yellow perchFair

Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 75 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp81 F
High / Low82 / 69 F
WindNW 8-16 mph
Pressure1011.1 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain2% cloud, 32%
Sunrise / Sunset06:29 / 19:27
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 82/69 F, wind 9 mph, rain 32%

Fair or better. A 9 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

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

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Good most of the year

The great lakes and northern panfish staple. Schools tight to bottom; where you catch one there are fifty. Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

When to come: the Swartswood Lake 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
Smallmouth bass
Northern pike
Yellow perch
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 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 Swartswood Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 85 F, wind to 10 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 71 F, wind to 5 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 82 F, wind to 8 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

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 license. Walleye, hybrid striped bass and black bass limits per current NJ Fish and Wildlife regulations; horsepower restrictions apply.

Access

Swartswood State Park boat ramp, beach, camping and shoreline access.

About this water

A 500-acre glacial lake in Swartswood State Park, Sussex County, New Jersey: the state’s first state park.

Fishing Swartswood Lake: the full guide

A glacial lake in the northwest

Swartswood Lake covers about 500 acres in northwestern New Jersey, the centerpiece of the state’s first state park, established in 1914. It is a clear glacial lake with weed beds, drop-offs and depths past 40 feet, holding walleye, hybrid striped bass, largemouth and smallmouth bass, chain pickerel, crappie and perch through active state stocking.

Walleye and hybrids

Walleye are stocked and hold the deeper weed edges and drop-offs, taking jigs and live bait at dusk and after dark: New Jersey manages Swartswood as one of its better walleye waters. Hybrid striped bass are also stocked and school over open water, providing hard-fighting action on jigs and swimbaits in summer.

Bass and panfish

Largemouth relate to the weed beds and shoreline cover, smallmouth to the rockier points and deeper structure in clear water that rewards finesse. Chain pickerel are abundant. Crappie and perch fill the weed lines, and ice fishing is popular when the lake freezes, targeting pickerel, perch and the occasional walleye.

Sussex County logistics

Swartswood State Park provides a boat ramp, beach, camping and shoreline access, with horsepower restrictions keeping the lake calm. Newton is minutes away. The park’s age shows in the mature forest around the lake, and the northwestern New Jersey setting is quieter than most of the state.

Common questions

What is stocked here?

Walleye and hybrid striped bass, both managed actively by the state alongside naturally reproducing bass and panfish.

Is there a horsepower limit?

Yes: park restrictions keep the lake calm and favor anglers over recreational boating.

When is walleye best?

Dusk and after dark on the deeper weed edges, with spring and fall the strongest windows.

Is fishing good at Swartswood Lake 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

Lake Hopatcong14 miMusconetcong River23 miGreenwood Lake28 miLake Wallenpaupack30 miRound Valley Reservoir31 miBeltzville Lake45 mi
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