Lake Kampfe Fishing near Butler, New Jersey

• Overview

  Lake Kampfe sits in Passaic County, out in New Jersey. The water sits 551 feet up. Around 32 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. Shoreline comes to about 1.1 miles, small enough to learn in a day. Supplies mean a trip to Butler, 2 miles off. Bloomingdale follows at 2.3 miles, then Kinnelon at 2.4 miles. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Lake Kampfe

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. The old creek line under the surface is the feature worth finding. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Records held for Passaic County cover brown trout, walleye, brook trout, bluegill and largemouth bass. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Lake Kampfe gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 26°F in January up to 71°F in July. Some winters cap it and some do not. Some winters give nothing at all, so plan for open water. Autumn steadies things again once the heat lets go. On Lake Kampfe that shapes the whole year. Falling water concentrates fish into the deeper parts.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Wyanokie Crest Parking Lot gives parking half a mile away. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. If the gate is shut, Bear Swamp Lake at 1 mile is the nearest alternative. Treat Lake Kampfe as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.