Crater Lake Fishing near Crandon Lakes, New Jersey

• Overview

  Crater Lake falls in Sussex County, part of New Jersey. The surroundings are pine and birch. The water measures roughly 20 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. By elevation it is in the upper part of our New Jersey listings. Crandon Lakes sits 3.1 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Paterson sits 40 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. A county boundary sits nearby, which can matter for local access rules.

• Where to Fish on Crater Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Survey and observation records for Sussex County include brook trout, brown trout and walleye. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Read Crater Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 70°F for July and 24°F for January. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. After late March the shallows warm and the fish move up. Ice usually gives way near late March, and forms again about late December. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. At Crater Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. A car park sits roughly half a mile away. A picnic spot sits half a mile from the bank. Toilets are half a mile away, which matters on a long session. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. For a change of water, Hemlock Lake is 0.6 miles distant. Rules at Crater Lake are worth checking on the day.