Ned Rig Fishing on Lake Hopatcong
Lake Hopatcong · New Jersey · Northeast
Lake Hopatcong sits in Morris and Sussex counties in northern New Jersey, a glacially formed natural lake stretching roughly 2,500 acres with a maximum depth around 60 feet and a shoreline heavily developed with docks, residential piers, and irregular coves. The lake's structure profile mixes shallow weedy flats, submerged points, and deep basin holes — a combination that supports both largemouth in the shallower cover and smallmouth on the deeper rock and gravel transitions. Water clarity trends toward stained to lightly turbid through summer but can run fairly clear in early spring and late fall.
Ned Rig pairs a 3–4" ElaZtech-style floating plastic (TRD, Finesse TRD, or similar) on a 1/15–1/6 oz mushroom head jig. The bait's buoyancy causes it to stand upright on the bottom, creating a subtle action that triggers bites when nothing else will. Exceptional on hard bottom, gravel, and rock.
Ned Rig Setup for Lake Hopatcong
| Rod | 6'10"–7'2" medium-light spinning rod, moderate-fast action |
| Reel | 2500 size spinning reel |
| Line | 10 lb braid + 8 lb fluorocarbon leader |
| Weight | 1/15–1/6 oz mushroom jig head (Z-Man Finesse ShroomZ or similar) |
| Hook | Size 1 or 1/0 wide gap, built into jig head |
Seasonal Tactics on Lake Hopatcong
Lake: Pre-spawn largemouth stage on dock edges and weedy coves in 6–10 ft as water climbs through the low 50s into the 60s; smallmouth lock onto rock points and gravel transitions along the main basin in the same window, often reachable on finesse rigs and shaky heads.
Ned Rig: Deadly on pre-spawn fish holding on gravel and pea-gravel flats in 4–12 feet.
Lake: Largemouth push deep into milfoil and coontail mats or suspend beneath floating docks during peak heat; smallmouth stack on mid-lake humps and channel ledges in 25–40 ft where cooler, oxygenated water holds through the thermocline. Topwater action fires in low-light windows near surface grass.
Ned Rig: Work deeper rock piles and main lake points. Drag slowly, let it stand. Green pumpkin and watermelon dominate.
Lake: Both species feed aggressively as water temps fall back through the 60s — largemouth follow dying vegetation edges while smallmouth chase shad and perch on main lake points and hard-bottom transitions in 10–25 ft.
Ned Rig: One of the best techniques as fish get finicky before winter. Match shad colors on sandy/gravel bottom.
Lake: Ice cover can form on shallower coves, and while ice fishing is practiced, open-water bass anglers target the deepest basin areas in 40–60 ft with slow-rolled jigging spoons and drop shots over suspended fish.
Ned Rig: Best cold-water finesse technique after drop shot. Extremely slow drag on hard bottom near deep structure.
Best Conditions
Clear water, hard and rocky bottoms, post-cold-front, heavily pressured fish, any season except peak summer spawn
Use Z-Man ElaZtech plastics exclusively — they float and are nearly indestructible. Regular soft plastics sink and kill the technique.
More Techniques for Lake Hopatcong
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