Hemlock Lake Fishing Guide, Sussex County, New Jersey

• Overview

  Hemlock Lake is a Sussex County water, New Jersey side. It sits at 1,194 feet above sea level. Small at around 14 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. By elevation it is in the upper part of our New Jersey listings. You are 3.4 miles from Crandon Lakes. It is 40 miles to Paterson, the nearest city. A county line runs close by, so local bylaws can differ within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Hemlock Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. Public occurrence data for Sussex County names brook trout, brown trout, walleye and bluegill. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. At Hemlock Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 24°F to 70°F. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly late March. In an average year the thaw lands around late March and the freeze near late December. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. On Hemlock Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. Parking is not close: half a mile from the bank, and no nearer option is mapped. Mapping shows a picnic spot within half a mile. There are toilets half a mile off. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Crater Lake, 0.6 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Rules at Hemlock Lake are worth checking on the day.