Increased Police patrols on Lake Hopatcong

[acabtp]

if they included launching rights at the state park and built another state ramp on the north end, i would be fine with a lake george style boat registration

[AndyS]

Round Valley has a 9.9 hp limit and I have seen 4 foot white caps on that lake, LH is all coves, a 9.9 limit would be fine.

[saxmatt]

Originally Posted by AndyS

Round Valley has a 9.9 hp limit and I have seen 4 foot white caps on that lake, LH is all coves, a 9.9 limit would be fine.

You obviously haven't thought about or are unaware of the safety hazards and economic impacts.

[briansnat]

Originally Posted by saxmatt

You obviously haven't thought about or are unaware of the safety hazards and economic impacts.

Economic impact sure, but safety hazards? It's the guys flying around at 50 MPH in 350 HP Donzis that are the safety hazard.

[saxmatt]

Originally Posted by briansnat

Economic impact sure, but safety hazards? It's the guys flying around at 50 MPH in 350 HP Donzis that are the safety hazard.

They are definitely a safety hazard. A speed limit would be a more reasonable option. I got caught out on an 80 acre lake with only a trolling motor because of a hp limit and almost got struck by lightning when a storm came in. We were in a 16' boat and couldn't fight the wind with the trolling motor and couldn't make it back to the launch. We had to beach the boat and trespass on someone's patio to get out of the storm and hail. Imagine if that happened to a few dozen boats on a big lake a few times a year. We already have enough people gettin hurt or dying on big lakes like Round Valley every year. Plus most boaters on lake H use an engine bigger than 9.9. Limiting the HP would severely hurt the business of Dows, and other local shops that sell gas, food and bait. A HP limit on that lake is just a dumb idea.

[saxmatt]

You also have to think about the people who live on the lake who enjoy water skiing, tubing, jet skiing. I don't like seeing them by me while I'm fishing, but they should be able to enjoy activities on the lake just like we do. Lobbying for HP restrictions would be selfish and dumb.

[Capt. Lou]

The HP restrictions on a lake that big has already gone by the wayside! First off thats not in my years of fishing many lakes considered a big lake maybe for NJ its big but in overall scheme of things mid size lk at best.
Size of boats & HP is gonna be tough to change that should have been considered yrs back.
I fished that Lk 50 + yrs ago often & thru the seventies, recently about four years ago began to fish fall walleye there on an invite from my neighbor who chases walleye all over.We only go late fall so amount of boats fishing/ running not an issue.
Back then u could see botttom in 20+ FT, today it appears that this water is turbid & quality has gone down. Use to be a cold water fishery now not so much now, which is fine.
However the best u can hope for right now might be a police crackdown to prevent serious injury.
Your working with for the large part very limited expierance boaters, this without reasonable restrictions on a crowded lake is the recipe for bad results.
I fished hybrids there last year about now , night fishing, even then we encountered a good number of boats, however all seemed to be operated in a reasonable manner ,which is key.
Deginitely defensive boating territory,not to my liking!

[bunker dunker]

1ST,the lake has much better fishing now then it did 10 years ago.
2nd,by stopping all the power boats and water crafts you would be putting allot of folks out of business.
3rd,there are law breakers on every lake.
the lake is in better shape now than when I was a kid.the many groups that fight hard everyday to keep the lake in good shape need all the money they can get as most are business owners on or around the lake.its a STATE PARK
and we all have a right to it.just a hint,fish early and late and you don't have to worry.remember there are lots of great fishing spots that the power boats can't get to.

[jrock]

I have to say i disagree with making LH a 9.9 limit. I would like to add before I continue my boat is a 14 foot deep v with a trolling motor and a 9.9 merc. That being said it would be extremely selfish of me to expect them to tone down the motor limit of one of the most used lakes in the state by jetskiers and tubers and other big motor boats just because it will make things more to my liking when fishing their. Remember there is plenty of lakes in the state with good fishing that you can go to that have the 9.9 restriction or even a battery powered motor only restriction. My point you have options. And some of the best fishing on these lakes is spring and fall at which time the boat traffic is way lower than the summer months.

[jimmythegreek]

LH will never be a 9.9 restriction, it would kill the economy, never gonna happen. I am a proud member of the KneeDeepClub and between the club and the Lake Hopatcong orginazation there have been tens of thousands of dollars spent for the better of the lake. Its the fisherman and those that care about the water quality that make the lake the great fishery that it is today, and a great lake as a whole. The real problem is the actual number of boats and the disrespect to others, its gotten out of hand. As many of you know LH is my home waters and I keep my big boat in the water. I fish early and late, mainly weekends, and people still manage to wake me out and come very near me even at 6am. The water skiers and watersports ppl all want glass water, they come out at sunrise, and even tho the lake is big, they stay out of the main lake and use the bigger coves, where most of the fisherman are on the points and coves fishing. The place is a washing machine of wakes on the weekend, its dangerous to say the least, and very rough. During the week u wouldnt know you were on the same lake, its amazing, and the old timers fish their spots and have it all to themselves. It needs to be a Lake George type system w a pay sticker deal to use the lake, this would get rid of half the boats on the water, but the big speed demons have expensive rigs and they would pay the money easily, at least the money could go to enforcement and the quality of the lake, I rly hope to see this happen soon. And as said if you fish spring and fall u dont have too much traffic like summer, but the windows for spring and fall is only a few weeks, not enough for me to get my fix