Wawayanda Lake is a reservoir in New Jersey, near Sussex County.
Stocking records show that the following fish or strains were stocked here. A historical stocking does not by itself prove that a self-sustaining population remains today.
Wawayanda Lake covers 247.31 acres in Sussex County. The verified maximum depth at Wawayanda Lake is 80 feet; a dependable storage-volume figure was not found for this water.
Wawayanda Lake covers 247.31 acres and reaches a verified maximum depth of 80 feet. It is one of New Jersey’s landlocked Atlantic-salmon waters.
The deep basin gives salmon and trout coldwater refuge, while weeds, rock and shoreline cover support bass, pickerel and panfish. The two fisheries require very different tackle and depth choices.
New Jersey added landlocked Atlantic salmon to Wawayanda in 2006. The lake’s 80-foot depth and existing trout fishery made it suitable for the program.
Fish reported from Wawayanda Lake include atlantic salmon, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, chain pickerel, channel catfish, common carp, largemouth bass, longear sunfish, and yellow perch. Rainbow trout is also stocked in Wawayanda Lake.
When largemouth bass hold tight to cover on Wawayanda Lake, a compact jig or weedless worm is more useful than repeated open-water casts.
For Wawayanda Lake crappie, hold a 1/16-ounce jig or minnow beside wood instead of dragging it through snags. Bluegill in Wawayanda Lake are practical targets with a worm or small jig suspended beside shallow cover. Yellow perch in Wawayanda Lake are commonly caught with a small jig tipped with a minnow or worm near bottom.
For Wawayanda Lake pickerel, cover weed edges with a flashy moving lure and use a short leader when bite-offs become common.
After dark, try a nightcrawler or cut bait near a channel turn when fishing Wawayanda Lake for channel catfish. Bullheads at Wawayanda Lake will take worms and small pieces of cut bait presented close to soft bottom. Common carp in Wawayanda Lake can be targeted with corn or dough bait on a simple bottom rig.
For rainbow trout in Wawayanda Lake, use a small spoon, inline spinner, trout magnet or natural bait on light line. Stocked trout may begin near release areas before spreading toward cooler or deeper water in Wawayanda Lake.
For landlocked salmon in Wawayanda Lake, use small spoons, minnow plugs or live bait at a controlled depth near suspended forage. A surface-only approach at Wawayanda Lake misses fish using the cooler basin.
Wawayanda Lake has enough depth for fish to separate into shallow and deep groups. In summer at Wawayanda Lake, find the deepest water that still has usable oxygen instead of assuming the bottom is automatically productive. Before leaving a productive-looking section of Wawayanda Lake, change retrieve speed or depth once so location and presentation are not changed at the same time.
Spring at Wawayanda Lake favors warming coves, feeder mouths and protected spawning banks. Once summer heat settles over Wawayanda Lake, work the deepest active cover instead of assuming every fish has moved to the bottom. Windblown points on Wawayanda Lake become worth checking when autumn baitfish move shallow.
Use electronics and temperature clues to find salmon or trout before trolling a spoon or minnow bait. If the deep-water bite is quiet, switch to weeds and rock for bass, pickerel and perch.
A medium spinning rod with 8- to 10-pound line handles jigs, small crankbaits and live-bait rigs on Wawayanda Lake. A second rod suited to trolling, spoons or larger swimbaits covers the open-water fish in Wawayanda Lake.
Its 80-foot depth and established trout water provide the cool habitat needed by salmon.
The verified maximum depth is 80 feet.
Salmon usually require controlled-depth trolling or jigging over the basin, while bass are better targeted around rock, weeds and shoreline cover.
Explore nearby waters, including local Featured destinations. Check each page for access and fishing restrictions.
Distances are straight-line estimates between mapped water locations.