Lake Wapalanne near Sussex: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Out in Sussex County, New Jersey, sits Lake Wapalanne. The surface lies 784 feet up. At 13 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. You are 7.5 miles from Sussex. The big place round here is Paterson, 37 miles distant. A county line runs close by, so local bylaws can differ within a short drive. There are roughly three months where the mean sits under zero.

• Where to Fish on Lake Wapalanne

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Built water gives depth close in, which suits a bank angler. Species logged across Sussex County include brook trout, brown trout, walleye and bluegill. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Lake Wapalanne gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 70°F on average, January about 24°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Break-up comes around late March, and the run that follows is short and strong. Open water usually runs from late March until about late December. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. On Lake Wapalanne that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. Recorded parking is half a mile off, far enough to travel light. There is a campsite half a mile from the water. Mapping records toilets within half a mile. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Lake Ocquittunk sits 0.7 miles off and takes the overflow. Nothing here settles the position at Lake Wapalanne for certain.