East Highland Lake in Sussex County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  You will find East Highland Lake in Sussex County, New Jersey. It stands 1,224 feet above sea level. At 22 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. It is high ground by New Jersey standards. 0.4 miles away sits Highland Lake, the nearest town. After that come Vernon Center at 2.9 miles and Vernon Valley at 4.8 miles. Two sets of local rules meet not far from this water.

• Where to Fish on East Highland Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Sussex County records list brook trout, brown trout and walleye among the fish reported. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. The near bank of East Highland Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 71°F for July and 25°F for January. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late March. Ice usually gives way near late March, and forms again about late December. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Expect East Highland Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Public data records a boat ramp half a mile out. There is somewhere to leave the car, half a mile off. There is a pier recorded roughly half a mile away. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Should this one be busy, Lake Wanda is 0.7 miles off. Ask locally about East Highland Lake if anything is unclear.