Hopatcong Hybrids 10/11 - NJFishing.com Your Best Online Source for Fishing Information in New Jersey

Skunk City · #1 10-12-2012, 12:30 PM

Got up to the big lake 8pm-12am last night. Conditions were chilly and clear with a light breeze, dropped down to the low 40's. POS fishfinder was not working, so I don't have water temps. Livelined herring in what I know to be about 20ft (thank you Navionics app) and hooked into 4 Hybrids. 2 made it into the net, while two spit the hook close to the boat. Bigger of the two was 24" and the little guy was 15". My buddy lost a nice Hybrid as well, but landed a slab 13" Crappie on what was his last cast of the night. Was hoping to get back out there this weekend but I saw the King of the Lake Tournament will be going on, so I'll hold off. Anyone entering?

jimmythegreek · #2 10-12-2012, 12:58 PM

nice job skunk. I havent nite fished LH sincethe early summer when they were nailin the spawning herring. Im gonna be out there sunday I think, I wouldnt worry about the tourney, there was only 20 entries last year. The walleye tourney was almost 50 and it wasnt too crowded. I was bangin stripers last sunday again and there were 3 other boats on the lake, nobody but fisherman go out this time of year

Skunk City · #3 10-12-2012, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimmythegreek

nice job skunk. I havent nite fished LH sincethe early summer when they were nailin the spawning herring. Im gonna be out there sunday I think, I wouldnt worry about the tourney, there was only 20 entries last year. The walleye tourney was almost 50 and it wasnt too crowded. I was bangin stripers last sunday again and there were 3 other boats on the lake, nobody but fisherman go out this time of year

Wish it was like that all year round

. The two times I went out there in the kayak, I was dealing with people flying passed me with their radios cranked and no regard for their wake. I feel a little safer in the boat though lol.

jimmythegreek · #4 10-12-2012, 03:19 PM

yeah I wouldnt hit it in a yak during the warmer months unless at night lol. I have a 17' deepV and I get bounced sometimes when the bajas go by at 60mph.........what I do in summer months is hit it dusk or dawn and split once the first boats start flyin around. This year it was more jetskis than anything pissin me off, comin 15ft away from you when they see u clearly fishing. The stripers are hot right now, Ive banged em up on LH 3 weeks in a row now. They are schooled kinda tight, just spend some time locating and marking fish and fish herring almost at the bottom w a saltwater type dropper setup. The bigger fish in the school are usually at the bottom so are the eyes

Check the main lake points if you dont know any spots, past few weeks they been consistantly in 20-25FOW. Problem w LH is its a big lake so u spend time/gas tryin to find them but when u do its crazy action and u know how they fight I dont have to tell ya lol..........

FASTEDDIE29 · #5 10-12-2012, 05:05 PM

Nice Hybrids dude! Great catch!!!

FASTEDDIE29 · #6 10-12-2012, 06:16 PM

When does Dows stop selling herring? I dont know after fishing there for 8 years, Ive never used herring on Hopatcong. I have too much faith in my gigantic lure collection but i think its time to try the herring.

catfishonthelake · #7 10-12-2012, 06:35 PM

Eddie,

Dow's will sell them until Joe can't catch anymore and they run out. I checked the "b"log and I had a Dow's herring-caught hybrid on November 3rd last year. I do remember that Joe only had very small herring that day, but he had a ton of them. Long and short, Dow's will probably have herring into the 1st or 2nd week of November.

catfishonthelake · #8 10-12-2012, 06:36 PM

A picture of that hybrid btw...a personal best and a frickin pig.

FASTEDDIE29 · #9 10-12-2012, 07:19 PM

Thanx Mark, got blown off the big lake today. It was brutal out there, white caps and a fierce NNW that never seemed to let up. Anyway, I remember that post and fish. Did you ever get an estimate on how big? Gotta be a 10 lber!!!

jimmythegreek · #10 10-12-2012, 07:29 PM

they had herring last year in Dec still, but they were smaller. Sometimes netcong still has them well into the winter months. LH is a vortex, it can be nice out and not bad and u launch and its windy and 2 foot rollers lol. Im gonna only rly be fishin LH after this weekend til ice I dont put the boat away I just stick it in the barn. Herring down deep is the way to go or a slip bobber but again bottom third of the water column