Dow's Boat Rentals

A call to Laurie Murphy over at Dow’s Boat Rentals revealed good conditions on the state’s biggest lake prior to the weather this past week. As usual the weather forecasters were wrong and the storm did not go inland as far as they were predicting. She said the few anglers that are fishing in the evening when the weather allowed were into walleye, hybrid stripers and catfish. Largemouth and smallmouth fishing remains decent in and around the fast disappearing vegetation on swimbaits, spinnerbaits and surface baits and should resume once things settle down early this week. She also mentioned some good crappie and perch fishing around the bridges, bulkheads and docks on jigs tipped with 1-inch Gulp, plasticbaits and minnows, especially in the evening just before dark. Lastly she said the weather they got this past week did very little to change conditions on the lake and more than likely the fish will continue on the fall feed.

We gave Laurie Murphy over at Dow’s Boat Rentals a call and she told us some anglers have started on their fall fishing. The big lake is in decent shape, except for the lack of vegetation because of the weed spraying this past summer. With water temps already in the 60s the fall change is starting to happen on the lake. The tenth month is usually the time when the walleye and hybrid stripers start to school up tighter in Hopatcong as the water starts to cool down and they go on their fall feeding binge. It’s pretty much the same for the largemouth and smallmouth in the lake which will still hold along what’s left of the vegetation, then start moving into deeper water. Likewise crappies, perch and panfish are already schooled up and feeding around the bridges, docks and structures in the lake and are prime targets for jig fishermen.