Some Walleye LH

[Bruce Litton]

Steve and I crossed Lake Hopatcong about an hour before sunrise, temperatures in the 20's, and I expected some clouds, since some snow in the forecast. As it turned out, snow came down as we left near 2 pm, clouds had come. But although the start on the day was real slow, besides perch and little largemouths >a pound among boulders at the shallow end of one of the steep drops we fished, we did manage to catch four walleye on herring. I jigged a Binsky for all I was worth, but didn't get a hit on the bladebait.

[Chrisper4694]

i usually don't use the blade baits till the water gets much colder, but idk why i haven't been able to catch anything on them with the water in the 60s either.

[Skunk City]

Read the full report on the blog, very cool as usual. Were you guys marking any of the deep thermocline still? Mark anything on the bottom or all suspended?

[jimmythegreek]

was out sunday, couldnt get a bite on herring they are all 2" long and tiny, every fish came on the binsky. a handful of crappie, panfish, and small stripers. thermocline is gone it was only in deep water. baitballs suspended 20-25ft down and lots of marks on bottom. only fished till noon the cold front killed the bite

[Skunk City]

Originally Posted by jimmythegreek

was out sunday, couldnt get a bite on herring they are all 2" long and tiny, every fish came on the binsky. a handful of crappie, panfish, and small stripers. thermocline is gone it was only in deep water. baitballs suspended 20-25ft down and lots of marks on bottom. only fished till noon the cold front killed the bite

Sooooooon.

[JDTuna]

Excellent! Always great to get out and catch some 'eyes.

[Bruce Litton]

Originally Posted by Skunk City

Read the full report on the blog, very cool as usual. Were you guys marking any of the deep thermocline still? Mark anything on the bottom or all suspended?

We marked fish down to 35 or 38 feet, can't remember, but definitely 35, and had herring stay alive down to about 40. We did come up with some deaders, and apparently, the lake doesn't quite have an even thermocline or oxygen break, since either I had a couple of deaders at 35 feet due to oxygen lack or something else happened, can't really tell, and a couple others dead at about 41 feet. That wouldn't surprise me too much, if perhaps in some spots the oxygen gets down to 34 and others 40, just as you can have 6 inches or more of ice in a cove and a point open...Just a thought, but I had never considered before that maybe oxygen penetration is a little uneven as the lake turns over.

[Chrisper4694]

i would say it absolutely is not even like you think.

[Bruce Litton]

Originally Posted by Chrisper4694

i would say it absolutely is not even like you think.

Do you mean it's more uneven than that, or perfectly even? I don't know. But the water temperature in Woodport isn't the same as the main lake, though Woodport doesn't have 40-50 feet to turn over. Nor does Raccoon Island, though, where I got a couple of deaders at 33-35 feet, the deepest water there, although otherwise, the herring did OK down there. But you would think, if there's any variation, the shallower Raccoon area would be first to get oxygen down to 33, 35, since the deeper water holds heat better, so it all seems to make no sense, just as I felt it made no sense while on the water.

[Chrisper4694]

I think uneven, like what you said.