Hughes Lake in Passaic County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Hughes Lake is set in Passaic County, New Jersey. The sea is 8.3 miles distant. About 2 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. It is a small entry by Passaic County standards. The closest town, Passaic, is 0.7 miles distant. Paterson sits 5 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Hughes Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Records held for Passaic County cover brown trout, walleye, brook trout and bluegill. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. At Hughes Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 30°F in January up to 76°F in July. Ice comes and goes from one year to the next. It should never be assumed safe, whatever the month says. Spring and autumn carry the year; summer squeezes it into the ends of the day. It sets the rhythm of the year at Hughes Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. A car park sits roughly half a mile away. A rest area sits about 0.9 miles from the water. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Failing this one, try Dahnerts Lake, 2.8 miles away. What applies at Hughes Lake may have changed since it was mapped.