Monksville Reservoir

Monksville Reservoir, about 505 acres in West Milford, Passaic County, sits between Greenwood Lake and the Wanaque Reservoir. It's one of New Jersey's top muskie waters and a designated Trophy Muskie Water. The current state-record muskellunge came through the ice here, and state surveys have found fish near 50 inches. It's also stocked with walleye and hybrid striped bass and has good largemouth, smallmouth and crappie fishing, much of it around flooded timber.

When to fish

• Winter: muskies through the ice on tip-ups baited with big shiners or suckers; the state record was caught this way.
• March 20 to May 20: muskies are catch-and-release only.
• Late fall: walleye move into the shallows at dusk, especially where the Wanaque River flows in.
• Spring through fall: bass and crappie around the timber.

Where to fish

• Standing and fallen timber: the key structure, holding bass and crappie.
• Deep water near the dam: a good walleye area.
• The Wanaque River inflow: a choke point for late-fall walleye.

How to fish it

For bass, work the standing timber. For walleye, fish the low-light hours, including after dark, with jigs, blade baits or nightcrawler harnesses in the deep water near the dam, and stickbaits in the shallows at dusk in fall. For muskies through the ice, set tip-ups with big shiners or fin-clipped suckers.

Getting there

Monksville is east of West Milford, reached via Route 513 (Marshall Hill Road) and Greenwood Lake Turnpike (Route 511), with a concrete boat ramp. It's a Trophy Muskie Water with special muskie rules; check the current Freshwater Fishing Digest.