NAME --------------------- Donny Meletta & Marlena Wesch
DATE ---------------------- 12-31-00
TIMES --------------------- 1:30-4:30
CONDITIONS ------------- cold,sunny,breezy
AREA FISHED ------------- state park
FISHING METHOD ------- tip-ups & jigging
BAIT/LURES USED ------- shiners & mousies
NOTES --------------------- Fishing was a little slow.Four fish in three hrs. 1 pickerel to 18" and one 12" perch the two largest.Also got two smaller pickerel,as well as a couple of swing and misses.Overall an enjoyable way to spend New Years Eve afternoon.
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NAME --------------------- Noel Sell
DATE ---------------------- Dec. 29, 2000
TIMES --------------------- 700-12:30
CONDITIONS ------------- Partly Cloudy
AREA FISHED ------------- Coves
FISHING METHOD ------- Jigging
BAIT/LURES USED ------- Jigs and Waxworm
NOTES --------------------- Spent Thursday Dec. 28 and Friday Dec. 29 fishing Lake Hopatcong and really did a number on the panfish. All the yellow perch and bluegill you wanted. Ice was 5 to 7 inches thick. Caught two pickeral that went 21 inches jigging on 2 lb. line. What a great fight. Main lake still looks unsafe as far as I could see. If this snow storm comes I hope no one goes onto the main lake. It could be very dangerous.
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NAME --------------------- Jim Salerno
DATE ---------------------- 12/28/00
TIMES --------------------- 11-3:30
CONDITIONS ------------- Clear and windy
AREA FISHED ------------- State Park
FISHING METHOD ------- Tip-ups
BAIT/LURES USED ------- Shiners
NOTES --------------------- Action was pretty consistant. Hadn't even gotten all the tip-ups in place and pulled up a nice 18" Pickerel. Then got a 2 Lb. 4 Oz. Largemouth. For the day, I got 7 Pickerel, the biggest being 22", and the 1 Largemouth. As a side note to all ice fishers, remember your fishing licenses out on the ice. A friendly New Jersey Fish and Game officer was out around 3:00 checking everyone's crudentials. See ya on the ice!
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NAME --------------------- Fred Nitek, John Fernandez, Kevin Scanlon, Tim Clancy, Lou Marcucci
DATE ---------------------- Thurs. Dec. 28, 2000
TIMES --------------------- 10:00 AM to 3:30PM
CONDITIONS ------------- Cold and Windy
AREA FISHED ------------- Woodport
FISHING METHOD ------- Tip-ups & Jigging
BAIT/LURES USED -------
NOTES --------------------- Fred picked this spot. The wind was so strong we had to fish close to Liffy Island. The fishing was slow, Fred had the most jigging, we caught less than a dozen fish with about 20 tip-ups out.There are still some pockets of open around so be carefull. We had a good 5 to 6 inches of ice.
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NAME --------------------- Noel Sell
DATE ---------------------- Dec. 27, 2000
TIMES --------------------- 8:00-1:30
CONDITIONS ------------- Partly Cloudy 28 degrees
AREA FISHED ------------- Coves
FISHING METHOD ------- Jigging
BAIT/LURES USED ------- Jig and Waxworm
NOTES --------------------- Warren (my son) and I had a great day on Lake Hopatcong catching over 100 panfish. Yellow perch to 11 and 1/2 inches and bluegills that were adult hand size. Caught fish all day. Some holes produced 12 to 15 fish. Ice is anywhere from 4 to 6 inches. Main lake is ice locked as far as we could see, but only 1 to 2 inches thick.
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NAME --------------------- Jim Salerno
DATE ---------------------- 12/26/00
TIMES --------------------- 11am-4pm
CONDITIONS ------------- Sunny,cold,and windy
AREA FISHED ------------- State Park
FISHING METHOD ------- Tip-ups
BAIT/LURES USED ------- Shiners
NOTES --------------------- The day started out a little slow but the action picked up nicely. I landed 3 largemouth bass up to 3lbs.7oz. and a half a dozen pickerel.
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NAME --------------------- John Fernandez, Fred Nitek, Kevin Scanlon, Lou Marcucci
DATE ---------------------- Tues. Dec 26, 2000
TIMES --------------------- 10:00 AM -- 3:00 PM
CONDITIONS ------------- Cold
AREA FISHED ------------- Byram Bay inside Sunken Island
FISHING METHOD ------- Ice Fishing, 5 inches of ice
BAIT/LURES USED ------- Tip Ups and Jigs
NOTES --------------------- Lots of perch a few pickerel. John was using a 2 inch by 1/4 inch silver jig when his rod was hit. The fish took off through the field of tip ups setting them off. After a fifteen minute battle the fish came to the whole. We were all amazed to see this Tiger Muskie. After several attempts to try to gaff the fish we thought we had it right when I went to set the gaff hook,I was holding the cord not the handel when the fish felt the hook it took off with the gaff and I was left with the cord.Luckly the hook did not stick and the gaff has a floating handle and we were able to fish the gaff out. From the Muskies we had caught this season we all guessed the fish was about Twelve pounds.
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NAME --------------------- Noel Sell
DATE ---------------------- 12/26/2000
TIMES --------------------- 8:00-2:30
CONDITIONS ------------- Cold, Partly Cloudy
AREA FISHED ------------- Coves
FISHING METHOD ------- Jigging
BAIT/LURES USED ------- Wax Worm, Mousie
NOTES --------------------- Finally some ice out on Lake Hopatcong. Got into some good yellow perch and hand size bluegill. Using jigs and waxworm or mousie. Be careful, ice ranges from 3 to 5 inches. Main lake is still open. Watch under snow patches ice is thinner.
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NAME --------------------- Jim Archambault
DATE ---------------------- 12/16/00
TIMES --------------------- 10am-3pm
CONDITIONS ------------- NASTY!
AREA FISHED ------------- Bertrands to Henderson
FISHING METHOD ------- Trolling
BAIT/LURES USED ------- Bombers, Believers, and Rapalas
NOTES --------------------- I was the only one on the lake and it started out like one of those days when you think you'll really have to work just to get a bite. Nothing was hitting the big jointed stuff I was trolling for the first few hours so I changed the lures to mid-sized Rapalas and got a pickerel, then a 37 inch muskie near Halsey Island pictured below. The water was so cold my hands were killing me reviving the fish. After getting two more pickerel I was getting cold and wet so I started trolling back and got a another true strain muskie that was 38 inches by Dow's. What a day!
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NAME --------------------- Sam Hoagland/Lou Marcucci
DATE ---------------------- 12/5
TIMES --------------------- 3:00P.M. to 4:30
CONDITIONS ------------- Sunny and Cold
AREA FISHED ------------- Halsey Island to The Windlass
FISHING METHOD ------- Trolling large stick baits
BAIT/LURES USED ------- Rebel Windcheaters
NOTES --------------------- I wanted to fish Mount Arlington shore line but Sam said he had a Muskie the other day off Halsey Island, he was right as soon as we got there his rod was hit. After a few minutes he had landed a 15 pound Muskie which measured 38 inches my fish was a true strain a bit smaller 15 inches we didn't weigh it.
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NAME --------------------- Vern
DATE ---------------------- 12/3/00
TIMES --------------------- noon-4:30
CONDITIONS ------------- Cool
AREA FISHED ------------- main lake
FISHING METHOD ------- trolling
BAIT/LURES USED ------- big sticks
NOTES --------------------- Most lake access was blocked by ice but I finally made it in. Downrigging in deep water for a couple hours produced nothing. Flat lined for a couple hours and got 2 pickerel 19 and 26 inches.
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NAME --------------------- Webguy
DATE ---------------------- 12/2/00
TIMES --------------------- 10:30am - 4pm
CONDITIONS ------------- Cold
AREA FISHED ------------- main lake
FISHING METHOD ------- trolling
BAIT/LURES USED ------- big stickbaits
NOTES --------------------- It started out cold and slow, it stayed cold but the action picked up in the afternoon. I tried downrigging for muskies with no luck and switched to flat lining along the edges of the main lake. I landed six pickerel from 18 to 26 inches (4lbs. 2oz.).
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