Steeny Kill Lake in Sussex County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Steeny Kill Lake is set in Sussex County, New Jersey. The water sits 1,332 feet up. Roughly 35 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Bank access stretches around 1.1 miles in total. It is high ground by New Jersey standards. Matamoras is the closest place, 3.7 miles off. Then Port Jervis, 4 miles, and Sparrow Bush, 6.2 miles. A border sits close enough to be relevant to the paperwork.

• Where to Fish on Steeny Kill Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. County-wide records name brook trout, brown trout, walleye and bluegill. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. The shape of Steeny Kill Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 24°F in January to roughly 70°F in July. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Ice-out usually falls in late March, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Break-up near late March, freeze-up near late December: that is the shape of an average year. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. Plan any trip to Steeny Kill Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Parking sits half a mile out, which makes for a walk with tackle. Overnight stays are possible half a mile away. Facilities run to toilets half a mile from the water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Lake Marcia sits 0.5 miles off and takes the overflow. Signs at Steeny Kill Lake carry more weight than any list.