In 1988, Gene Rutkowski landed a whopping 13-pound rainbow from the lake to claim the state record, which still stands to this day.

More than likely, the rainbow had survived for several more years than usual after being stocked. After all, Lake Hopatcong does not have any natural trout reproduction.

For years the lake’s trout population has been the center of controversy between the DFW and the Knee Deep Fishing Club, one of the state’s biggest freshwater fishing clubs.

As with Round Valley, which has the Round Valley Trout Association as its guardian, Lake Hopatcong has the Knee Deep Fishing Club as its protector. Each year, the club stocks several thousand trout in the lake, which are completely paid for by its membership. For years, the state also stocked the lake with more than 10,000 trout as part of its spring stocking program.

But the lake’s water quality took a hit from development that took place around the lake from the 1970s through the 1990s. The club fought hard to clean up the lake and has been very successful in redeeming its water quality: The healthy fisheries now in the lake are proof of this. When the state decided to make changes and remove some lakes from the stocking program, Lake Hopatcong was one of those on the chopping block

Lake Hopatcong’s trout were to be split up among the state’s many trout streams, thus leaving only club stocked trout in the lake. The club challenged the state on the proposed changes and proved that the water quality of the lake is better than most other waters.

Also, there is a significant number of holdover trout in the lake. The final result was the DFW continues to stock Hopatcong with trout.

Each year, the state still stocks a diminished number of trout in the lake, while the Knee Deep Club has continued its stocking in the spring. The club still holds its yearly trout fishing contest, which attracts a good number of people to the lake.

Most of the better trout fishing in Hopatcong takes place during the spring season. Most fishing is from boats. Trolling spoons and small swimming plugs take many trout during the spring. Later in the spring and early summer, most of the trout will suspend in the lake. At this time, live bait is the key to success.

In addition, some of the bigger trout taken are holdover fish caught by ice-fishermen.

ROCKAWAY RIVER
In May 1995, Andrew DuJack was fishing the Rockaway River, as he had done numerous times before, when he hooked into a monster brook trout that gave him the fight of his life. The big rainbow tipped the scale at 7 pounds, 3 ounces, smashing the existing state record. His fish had a big hooked jaw and measured 23 inches long with a 17-inch girth.

More than likely, this trout was a holdover that had been in the river for a couple of years. Since 1980, the state has been stocking surplus breeder trout in rivers. It only makes sense that sooner or later, one of these fish would survive and put on some added size.

The Rockaway River is a typical North Jersey rock-base free-flowing trout stream. The river receives good numbers of trout in the spring and fall, and its water quality allows a fair to good number of trout to hold over from season to season.