by Craig Lemon
Hatchery Superintendent
February 1, 2011

Broodstock for the NJ DEP Division of Fish and Wildlife's Hackettstown Hatchery are collected each year from northern New Jersey lakes. Swartswood Lake, located in Sussex County west of Newton, is now a consistent source of quality breeders as well as a prime fishing location

New Jersey's walleye production began in 1989 with eggs obtained from a provincial hatchery in Ontario and state hatcheries in Pennsylvania and New York. Those eggs resulted in the state's first stockings later in 1989 in Monksville Reservoir (Passaic Co.) and Lake Hopatcong (Morris and Sussex counties).

Swartswood Lake (along with Greenwood Lake) was first stocked with walleye in June, 1992. Approximately 54,000 fingerlings (1"-2") were stocked that first year, with about 10,000 4" fish stocked every year since.

By 2000 the Swartswood walleye population provided its first breeders when 141 adults (72 females, 69 males) were netted. Those fish produced more than 150,000 eggs that year. Anglers who pursue walleye in the lake, and those who have followed the broodstock collection reports on the division's website, know how large the walleye can be in the lake.

Anglers wishing to sample the population for themselves can access the lake via the boat ramp available at Swartswood Lake State Park. With its campground and bathing beach, along with hiking trails and boat and kayak rentals, the park is an excellent destination for families as well as those looking only for quality fishing.

The following tables provide information about the size and weight of the walleye population. A quick glance at the overall weights and lengths in the past decade illustrates how the quality of the fish continues to increase, and hints at the great fishing available at Swartswood Lake.

For more information on the Hackettstown Hatchery, as well as articles on past years' broodstock collection visit the hatchery webpage.

Swartswood Lake Walleye Netting Data 2000 - 2010

	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Number of Males				81	219	95	146	217	205	216	201
Avg. Male Weight	1.72	1.9	2	2.07	2.29	2.58	2.66	2.72	2.76	2.66	3.1
Weight	0.8-3.7		1.04-3.12	0.8-3.6	1-4.7	1.08-3.9	1.06-4.2	0.9-4.35	0.85-4.45	0.85-5.05	1.55-4.85
Avg. Male Length (inches)	16.6	16.9	17.6	17.6	17.9	18.8	18.4	18.8	18.9	18.9	19.9
Length (inches)	13.4-24.2		13.8-21.8	13-21	13.4-23.2	14.2-22.2	13.8-21.6	13.6-22	13.8-22	13-22.8	16-23
Number of Females				102	101	130	70	135	115	132	127
Avg. Female Weight	3.03	3.11	3.34	3.65	4.31	4.57	4.9	4.53	5.2	4.92	4.74
Weight	1.8-6.8		1.7-11.7	1.88-7.68	2.02-13.58	0.2-11.58	1.3-10.06	1.2-10.7	2.25-11.2	2-9.45	2.3-10.6
Avg. Female Length (inches)	19.3	19.2	20	20.2	21.2	21.6	21.9	21.4	22.5	22.2	22.1
Length (inches)	16.8-26.2		17.2-29	15.8-26	16.4-29.8	8.6-29	14.2-29.2	13.8-28.8	17.4-28.7	17.4-28.8	17.6-28.2
Overall Avg. Weight	2.39	2.7	2.65	2.95	2.9	3.77	3.39	3.41	3.6	3.52	3.73
Overall Avg. Length (inches)	18	18.4	18.8	19.1	18.9	20.4	19.6	19.8	20.2	20.1	20.8

Walleyes Over 10 Pounds Trapnetted From Swartswood Lake Since 2000

	Date Trapnetted	Sex	Weight (lbs.)	Length (Inches)	Condition
1	3/29/2004	Female	13.58	29.8	Unripe
2	3/28/2004	Female	12.32	29.0	Ripe
3	3/28/2002	Female	11.7	29.0	Unripe
4	4/6/2005	Female	11.58	28.6	Ripe
5	3/27/2002	Female	11.38	27.8	Ripe
6	4/2/2008	Female	11.2	28.7	Ripe
7	4/6/2005	Female	11	29.0	Ripe
8	4/3/2007	Female	10.7	28.8	Unripe
9	3/25/2010	Female	10.6	28.2	Ripe
10	3/22/2010	Female	10.5	25.8	Ripe
11	4/9/2007	Female	10.4	28.0	Ripe
12	4/6/2001	Female	10.3	29.0	Unripe
13	3/27/2004	Female	10.16	27.0	Unripe
14	4/2/2006	Female	10.06	29.2	Spent
15	4/6/2005	Female	10.04	28.8	Ripe