NAME --------------------- Dan Mack
DATE ---------------------- 7/29 and 7/30
TIMES --------------------- 5:00 am till 10:00
CONDITIONS ------------- clear and calm on 30 foggy and calm
AREA FISHED ------------- Bonaparte Point
FISHING METHOD ------- flat linning
BAIT/LURES USED ------- herring
NOTES --------------------- Best fishing I have ever seen on Lake Hopatcong or anywhere for that matter. Over 50 hybrids in those 2 days from 2# to 7# I have never seen anything like it before at one point had 5 on and plenty of triples and a dozen doubles, went throught 6 dozen herring on friday alone. Don't think I'll see another day like that for awhile but that one will be remembered for some time. One of the guys with me had never caught a hybrid before and after 6 friday he spent saturday looking for a boat.
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NAME --------------------- Jim Salerno
DATE ---------------------- 7/26
TIMES --------------------- 5:30 - 11:30 A.M
CONDITIONS ------------- Cool Morning
AREA FISHED ------------- Barnes Ridge to Byram Cove
FISHING METHOD ------- Downrigging
BAIT/LURES USED ------- Rapalas
NOTES --------------------- Downrigging between 14 and 18 feet produced 5 Pickerel. The biggest was 26" and 4 Lbs. 14 Oz. Surface temp at 80 degrees.
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NAME --------------------- Carl Platvoet and Bill Hasse
DATE ---------------------- 7/26
TIMES --------------------- 4-9pm
CONDITIONS ------------- sunny
AREA FISHED ------------- Elba
FISHING METHOD ------- downrigging
BAIT/LURES USED ------- firetiger thunderstick
NOTES --------------------- Best night we have had! 5 stripers, 3 walleye,5 pickerel. The biggest pickerel 4lb 5oz, the stipers ranged from 3lb to 6lb and were all caught within 30 min.
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NAME --------------------- Tim Clancy and Ed Wendlocher
DATE ---------------------- July 25
TIMES --------------------- 8 PM- 9:30 PM
CONDITIONS ------------- comfortable
AREA FISHED ------------- Byram Cove
FISHING METHOD ------- Live line and slip bobbers
BAIT/LURES USED ------- Herring
NOTES --------------------- Great night! Nine largemouth between 1-1/2 lbs and 4 lbs. Nice 2 lb walleye and huge 4 lb+ Pickerel. 25 lbs of fish in less than 2 hours. Everything released.
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NAME --------------------- Anthony Cirella
DATE ---------------------- 7/17/99
TIMES --------------------- 6:00am to 11:00am
CONDITIONS ------------- Hot
AREA FISHED ------------- main lake especially around Barnes Ridge
FISHING METHOD ------- downrigging
BAIT/LURES USED -------
NOTES --------------------- Fished Sat morning 7/17/99 from 6:00am to 11:00am couldn't get any herring so had to resort to downrigging, fished main lake especially around Barnes Ridge, picked up 5 pickerel with the largest goin 27-1/2 inches and FAT!! had a couple of fish I lost on the release too, had to call it quits the heat was getting to me...
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NAME --------------------- Lou Tarascio
DATE ---------------------- 7-13-99
TIMES --------------------- 8:30pm
CONDITIONS ------------- Nice warm comfortable night
AREA FISHED ------------- Elba Point
FISHING METHOD ------- Downrigging
BAIT/LURES USED ------- Firetiger Thunderstick
NOTES --------------------- After trolling for an hour and a half with very little luck, I had the "pleasure" of having both my releases go off at the exact same time which can only mean one of two things, either the bottom, or a Chinese fire drill. It proved to be the later, with not one, but two Hybrid's. If you've never experienced the panic of two freight trains with fins at the same time, alone with only one net, you haven't truely tested your heart or your skills. Fortunately it was a happy ending, with a 6lb.12oz. & a 5lb. 10 oz. This was my first Hybrid double and it was absolutely the most exciting fishing experience of my life.
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NAME --------------------- Vern
DATE ---------------------- 7/12/99
TIMES --------------------- 6-9 am
CONDITIONS ------------- Sunny and cooler than usual
AREA FISHED ------------- Deep water
FISHING METHOD ------- Trolling
BAIT/LURES USED ------- Stick-baits
NOTES --------------------- I was trolling in 20 feet or more of water at depths from 10 to 16 feet down and picked up one of last falls KDC stocked brown trout and a pickerel. The trout was 15" long and had silver sides, the only brown pigment was along it's back. It looks like the club's stockings last fall are the only trout doing well in the lake, or at least still being caught, now into July.
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NAME --------------------- Kevin Dempsey
DATE ---------------------- 7/11/99
TIMES --------------------- 3-7 pm
CONDITIONS ------------- Sunny and windy
AREA FISHED ------------- Main lake points
FISHING METHOD ------- Drifting
BAIT/LURES USED ------- Herring
NOTES --------------------- Caught 4 pickeral over 20 inches(largest 4lb 1 oz), 4 largemouths between 2-3 pounds, and a small walleye. Amazing with all the boat traffic. Great day.
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NAME --------------------- Pat Lange
DATE ---------------------- 7/10
TIMES --------------------- 6am-1pm
CONDITIONS ------------- Overcast and windy
AREA FISHED ------------- Main lake
FISHING METHOD ------- Trolling, drifting, and anchored
BAIT/LURES USED ------- Stickbaits and herring
NOTES --------------------- We started out trolling and got a few pickerel and a rock bass, then tried a drift from west shore out to mid lake and got a couple more pickerel. Next we anchored on Barnes Ridge and got 3 hybrid stripers, the largest being 6lbs.10oz. brought in by Vern on a small ultralight set up with 6lb line. I also got a 14-1/2" silver sided brown trout probably from the KDC fall stocking. All told we had 16 fish - 10 pickerel, 3 hybrids, a brown trout, a perch, and a rock bass. What a great day on the lake!
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NAME --------------------- Danny Mack
DATE ---------------------- 7/8/99 and7/9/99
TIMES --------------------- 5:00 am till about 8:00 am
CONDITIONS ------------- clear and beautiful
AREA FISHED ------------- davis cove
FISHING METHOD ------- Flat lining
BAIT/LURES USED ------- Herring
NOTES --------------------- Thursday finally turned on for me 2 stripers in the boat 3# and just over 5# 3/13# pickeral and a 30" muskie. Friday even better, 5 stripers from 5# to just under 7# in just 2 hours. The stripers have been slow for me until now. The KDC has really done an outstanding job with this fishery, I'm glad to be a member and support your efforts.
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NAME --------------------- Jim Salerno
DATE ---------------------- 7/8/99
TIMES --------------------- 6:30 - 9:00 PM
CONDITIONS ------------- Breezy, less humid & pleasant
AREA FISHED ------------- Main lake
FISHING METHOD ------- Downrigging
BAIT/LURES USED ------- Rapalas
NOTES --------------------- With surface temp at 81 degrees, downrigged between 14 and 18 feet. Got a 2 Lb. Striper, early, and then a gorgeous 4 LB. 13 Oz., 25" Walleye, just before dark. It reminded me of a now famous quote by one of our noted KDC trustees. He said, "This is Lake Hopatcong, you never know what you are going to catch."
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NAME --------------------- Webguy
DATE ---------------------- 7/6/99
TIMES --------------------- 7:30-9:30pm
CONDITIONS ------------- Very hot and windy
AREA FISHED ------------- Main lake
FISHING METHOD ------- Trolling
BAIT/LURES USED ------- Rapalas
NOTES --------------------- I trolled across the middle of the main lake starting at River Styx and didn't get a strike until I reached the other side along the east shore, pulled in 2 pickerel 24" long and a yellow perch. After fighting the wind along shore I decided to motor back to the west shore and boated another pickerel, a white perch and 2 stripers in the 4 to 5 pound range. Another club member, Bill Gilfillan, was out in his boat and nailed 4 stripers up to 7 lbs.(2 were on a double). After dark I picked up a small walleye. All were caught in 15-25 ft. of water with the downrigger ball from 10-16 feet.
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NAME --------------------- Jim Archambault
DATE ---------------------- 7/3/99
TIMES --------------------- 6-10am
CONDITIONS ------------- Hazy and humid with light winds
AREA FISHED ------------- Main lake, deep water
FISHING METHOD ------- Trolling and drifting
BAIT/LURES USED ------- Rapalas and herring
NOTES --------------------- I trolled for a couple of hours in deep water downrigging from 7-15 ft. and got a yellow perch and a hybrid about 3-1/2 lbs., then I tried a drift across the lake with herring and picked up a 4lb.8oz. 27" pickerel that snacked on my fingers when I tried to weigh it (bloody mess). I never saw a fish so mean, it kept snapping at my fingers like they were bait!
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