Lake Neepaulin in Sussex County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lake Neepaulin lies within the bounds of Sussex County, New Jersey. Elevation runs to 515 feet. The water covers some 25 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Sussex lies 1.1 miles from the water. Further out sit Hamburg (5.1 miles) and Vernon Center (6.6 miles). The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Lake Neepaulin

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Fish documented in Sussex County include brook trout, brown trout, walleye, bluegill and pumpkinseed. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Lake Neepaulin the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 71°F on average, January about 25°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Once it clears, about late March, the fishing comes on quickly. Averages place the thaw at late March and the freeze at late December. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. That is the shape of the year on Lake Neepaulin.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Clove Acres Lake at 0.8 miles is the sensible second choice. Nothing here settles the position at Lake Neepaulin for certain.