Bear Swamp Lake, New Jersey: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Bear Swamp Lake falls in Passaic County, part of New Jersey. Salt water lies 15 miles off. The water covers some 42 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. You are 1.9 miles from Ringwood. After that come Suffern at 3.7 miles and Mahwah at 3.9 miles. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Bear Swamp Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. Public occurrence data for Passaic County names brown trout, walleye and brook trout. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. On Bear Swamp Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 26°F in January up to 72°F in July. Fishing continues through most of the calendar, with quiet spells rather than closures. It is not guaranteed from one year to the next. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. At Bear Swamp Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. A camping area sits within 0.9 miles of here. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Failing this one, try Cannonball Lake, 0.9 miles away. Treat Bear Swamp Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.