Musconetcong Musky

[Billfish715]

I was walking along the banks of the Muskie by Butler Park last spring when I spotted a rather large muskelunge ( at least 40") near the bank next to a log. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. It wouldn't move from the spot and wouldn't respond to any kind of presentation of lures or bait. I didn't have any large plugs or any large shiners so I knew I wouldn't even get a look. But, where the heck did that big slob come from? Are there more that far up the river? It couldn't have come from Budd Lake. It's too far away. The Delaware? Aren't there a few dams to overcome? How long was it in the river? It's a mystery. The fish finally spooked and then came back to the same log to lie in wait for the trout stocking truck I assume. If you fish up at Point Mountain, be careful when you release your trout. That spot is not too far away from Butler Park as the fish swim. The only other time I ever saw a musky in a place where it shouldn't have been was in the South Branch below the falls in Clinton in a back eddy near the bank. I could figure out where that one came from pretty easily.

[catfishonthelake]

It most likely came from Lake Hopatcong. The Musconetcong river originates below the dam at Lake Hopatcong. In the Spring and during floods, it's common for fish to wash over the dam. I'd be surprised if there aren't a bunch more in there. I've also heard of hybrids being caught in Lake Musconetcong.

[Billfish715]

That can be but it's still a long way from any of the major lakes. I do know that Budd Lake does not dump into the Muskie. It empties into the South Branch. I got my lakes mixed up. Fish do have fins and they do swim so anything is possible.

[Gatto1227]

A friend of mine and I came across atleast 2 possibly 3 large musky in the cove by the Robert st. Dam (R.I.P.) one day last spring and other then that I've never seen musky or pike in that river before and I've spent a lot of time fishing, swimming, walking, in that river since I was a kid. A river is a river, you never know...

[jimmythegreek]

A close friend of mine caught many a hybrid in the lake portion of muscanetcong years ago, they were always in one particular spot and would hit topwaters routinely. His brother also caught a decent musky mid 30's a few years back in the back part of the lake, and Id bet all those fish came down over the damn at LH, especially during the big storms. IDK if any of you remember the flooding from Irene or even Floyd years ago, but the water over the damn and down the musky river were unreal to witness

[kmaty]

my brother had one on sunny fishing last yr above saxton hooked a sunny and it came up and chomped the sunny down hole he came down to tell me i called bs and continued fishing eventualy walked up the hill to find him standing there with my fluke pole and live linning a sunny maybe he want bsing on the size after all?

[FASTEDDIE29]

Trout fishing the Musky in Blairstown 5 years ago in october, I hooked a 5 lb Walleye. Came out of LH without a doubt.

[anthrax2244]

Billfish- I had a musky grab a rainbow i had on below the clinton falls in the slow water between the 78 bridge and the fast water below the main street bridge. this was about 8 years ago. I was reeling the rainbow in and it started to swim along the top of the water erratically. it went under the surface and stopped moving and my line tightened when i reeled. then it started moving toward me and I saw a musky about 40 inches with the back half of the trout in its mouth. once it saw me the musky shot upstream with the bow and then let go after a few seconds while my drag zinged.