Mine Hill Reservoir in Morris County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Mine Hill Reservoir lies within the bounds of Morris County, New Jersey. The coast is 34 miles away. You can fish the entire water from one spot if you pick it well. On size it sits at the modest end of our Morris County list. You are 1.7 miles from Hackettstown. Further out sit Beattystown (3 miles) and Long Valley (4 miles). The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Mine Hill Reservoir

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Open biodiversity records for Morris County list brown trout, brook trout, northern pike, bluegill and rainbow trout. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Mine Hill Reservoir the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 71°F, the coldest about 25°F. The season stretches long at both ends here. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. February into May fishes hardest as the water warms. Mine Hill Reservoir runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Park & Ride gives parking half a mile away. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. The nearest alternative is Hackettstown Storage Reservoir, 1.6 miles out. Nothing here settles the position at Mine Hill Reservoir for certain.