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Best chain pickerel lakes in New Jersey

23 New Jersey waters hold chain pickerel, 17 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. The eastern esox — a lie-in-wait weed-bed assassin that bites all year, including through the ice.

1. Lake Hopatcong — 58 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
2. Newton Lake — 11 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
3. Hammonton Lake — 10 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
4. Greenwood Lake — 57 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
5. Lake Pemberton — 6 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
6. Swartswood Lake — 42 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
7. Deer Park Pond — 10 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch, Chain Pickerel
8. Bargaintown Pond — 6 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
9. Monksville Reservoir — 90 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
10. Shaws Mill Pond — 12 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
11. Big Pine Lake — 7 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
12. Pohatcong Lake — 7 ft max · survey depth data · Bluegill, Chain Pickerel, Brown Bullhead
13. Mill Pond — 6 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Chain Pickerel, Brown Bullhead
14. Sylvan Lake — 4 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Rainbow Trout
15. Mary Elmer Lake — 6 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout
16. Grenloch Lake — 7 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Rainbow Trout
17. Surprise Lake — 12 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Chain Pickerel, Brown Bullhead
18. Etra Lake — 7 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Common Carp, Chain Pickerel
19. Echo Lake — 5 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
20. Lake Ocquittunk — 10 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
21. West Pond — 34 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
22. Budd Lake — 12 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
23. Lake Musconetcong — 10 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill

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When to fish chain pickerel in New Jersey

• Spring 2–10 ft — Early spawner: post-spawn fish prowl warming, weedy bays and eat everything that moves.
• Summer 3–15 ft — Classic ambush game: weed edges, pad fields and dock shade — flashy, steady retrieves.
• Fall 4–15 ft — Feeding hard around the last green weeds as water cools.
• Winter 5–18 ft — One of ice fishing's most reliable biters — shiners on tip-ups over weed flats.

Also in New Jersey: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best muskellunge lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best common carp lakes · best brown bullhead lakes

Chain Pickerel elsewhere: Québec · Maine · New Hampshire · New Brunswick · Massachusetts · New York · Connecticut · Vermont · Nova Scotia · Delaware · Rhode Island