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FISHING CALENDAR · NEW JERSEY
New Jersey Fishing Calendar
New Jersey fishing runs from Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook down the shore past Barnegat to Cape May and Delaware Bay, plus offshore canyons and freshwater lakes and trout streams. In-season months come from NJ Fish & Wildlife's own 'Where and When to Catch Fish' table; closed seasons come from its 2026 rules.
Government fish & wildlife updates
- NJ DEP Fish & Wildlife news — Rule changes, stocking, notices
- NJ DEP Marine Fisheries — Seasons and regulations
Month by month
| Fish | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freshwater | |||||||||||||
| Largemouth bass | Catch and release only Apr 15–Jun 15. 12 in., 5/day; Lunker Bass Lakes 15 in., 3/day. No official best months found.[6][9] | ||||||||||||
| Smallmouth bass | Catch and release only Apr 15–Jun 15. No official best months found.[6][10] | ||||||||||||
| Trout, stocked | 2026: stocked streams closed Mar 23 until opening day Apr 11 (8 a.m.); stocking runs 7 weeks after. Fall stocking from Oct 13 (about 29,000 trout in about 60 waters).[7][8][6][11] | ||||||||||||
| Walleye | Catch and release only Mar 1–Apr 30; otherwise 18 in., 3/day. No official best months found.[6][12] | ||||||||||||
| Channel catfish | Open all year, 12 in., 5/day. Blue and flathead catfish must be destroyed, not released. No official best months found.[6] | ||||||||||||
| Chain pickerel | Open all year, 15 in., 5/day. No official best months found.[6] | ||||||||||||
| Inshore saltwater | |||||||||||||
| Striped bass | 1 fish 28–31 in. Ocean (0–3 mi): no closed season. Bays and rivers: open Mar 1–Dec 31. Delaware River: Mar 1–31 and Jun 1–Dec 31 only. Circle hooks required with bait.[2][1] | ||||||||||||
| Bluefish | No closed season. 5/day, 7/day party or charter.[2][1] | ||||||||||||
| Summer flounder (fluke) | Open May 4–Sep 25, 2026: 18 in., 3/day; Delaware Bay 17 in.; Island Beach State Park shore 16 in., 2/day.[2][1] | ||||||||||||
| Weakfish | No closed season, 13 in., 1/day.[2][1] | ||||||||||||
| Black drum | No closed season, 16 in., 3/day.[2][1] | ||||||||||||
| Northern kingfish | Surf, bay and ocean.[2] | ||||||||||||
| Spot | State 'when' table.[2] | ||||||||||||
| Atlantic croaker | State 'when' table.[2] | ||||||||||||
| Tautog (blackfish) | 15 in. Open Jan 1–Feb 28 (4/day), Apr 1–30 (4/day), Aug 1–Nov 15 (1/day), Nov 16–Dec 31 (5/day).[2][1] | ||||||||||||
| Winter flounder | Open Mar 1–Dec 31, 12 in., 2/day.[2][1] | ||||||||||||
| Scup (porgy) | Open Jan 1–Jun 30 and Sep 1–Dec 31, 10 in., 30/day.[2][1] | ||||||||||||
| Red drum | No closed season, keep 18 to under 27 in., 1/day. No official best months found.[1] | ||||||||||||
| Offshore | |||||||||||||
| Black sea bass | 2026: open May 15–Dec 31, 12.5 in.; daily limit changes during the season (1/day Jun 22–Sep 22).[2][1] | ||||||||||||
| Mahi-mahi (dolphin) | State 'when' table.[2] | ||||||||||||
| Tunas | State table lists tuna as one group. HMS permit required.[2] | ||||||||||||
| White & blue marlin | HMS permit required.[2] | ||||||||||||
| False albacore | State 'when' table.[2] | ||||||||||||
| Atlantic bonito | State 'when' table.[2] | ||||||||||||
| Sharks | Large coastal and hammerhead groups closed May 15–Jul 15 in state waters to protect pupping females. Many sharks are prohibited.[2][3] | ||||||||||||
| Atlantic cod | Open Jan 1–May 31 and Sep 1–Dec 31, 23 in., 5/day.[2][1] | ||||||||||||
| Crabs | |||||||||||||
| Blue crab | State: roughly May to October, biggest crabs in fall. No closed season; pots and trotlines have set dates.[2][4][5] | ||||||||||||
Never keep: Never keep: river herring, Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon, and prohibited sharks (sandbar, sand tiger, dusky, white, oceanic whitetip, basking and others). American shad only in the Delaware River mainstem.[1][3][6]
Bait & rig for each fish
Largemouth bass
Bait: Live wild shiners.
Lures: Plastic worms, swimbaits, spinnerbaits, topwater frogs and crankbaits.
Rig: Float rig, Carolina/bottom rig, jig head or simple lure setup depending on depth and species.
Leader: Often 6–15 lb mono/fluoro; heavier leader is useful around abrasive cover or toothy fish.
Smallmouth bass
Bait: Live crayfish, leeches and minnows.
Lures: Tubes, drop-shot plastics, ned rigs, jerkbaits, crankbaits and small topwaters.
Leader: 6–10 lb fluorocarbon.
Trout, stocked
Bait: Salmon roe and nightcrawlers where bait is legal.
Lures: Beads that look like salmon eggs, flesh flies, sculpin and leech streamers, small spinners and spoons.
Leader: 3X–5X tippet (4–8 lb), 7½–9 ft.
Walleye
Bait: Live minnows, leeches and nightcrawlers.
Lures: Jigs tipped with a minnow, spinner rigs ('crawler harnesses'), crankbaits and blade baits.
Leader: 6–10 lb fluorocarbon.
Channel catfish
Bait: Chicken liver, worms, cut bait and prepared stink baits.
Lures: Small jigs, soft plastics, spinners, crankbaits and topwaters cover most common freshwater situations.
Rig: Float rig, Carolina/bottom rig, jig head or simple lure setup depending on depth and species.
Leader: Often 6–15 lb mono/fluoro; heavier leader is useful around abrasive cover or toothy fish.
Chain pickerel
Bait: Live shiners.
Lures: Spinners, spoons, jerkbaits and weedless frogs.
Leader: Usually none; add a short fluorocarbon leader with braid.
Striped bass
Bait: Live shad and shiners.
Lures: Bucktail jigs, swimbaits and topwater plugs.
Leader: Usually none; add a short fluorocarbon leader with braid.
Bluefish
Bait: Cut mullet and live finger mullet.
Lures: Metal spoons, Gotcha plugs and topwater poppers.
Leader: 30–40 lb fluorocarbon (add light wire for mackerel and bluefish).
Summer flounder (fluke)
Bait: Live minnows (killies), squid strips, fresh fluke-belly or sea-robin strips, and live spot or snapper blues for big fish.
Lures: White or pink bucktails tipped with a soft-plastic grub or squid strip, and a teaser hook above the bucktail.
Leader: 20–30 lb fluorocarbon, 2–3 ft.
Weakfish
Bait: Live shrimp, peeler crab and strip baits.
Lures: Bucktail jigs, soft plastics and small metal spoons.
Leader: 20–30 lb fluorocarbon, 2–3 ft.
Black drum
Bait: Texas Parks & Wildlife documents cut fish, squid and shrimp, with peeled shrimp tails especially common.
Lures: Rarely; a slow jig tipped with shrimp.
Rig: A conventional bottom rig with a sinker and one or more single-hook drops is documented; a single drop with little or no weight is also described.
Leader: 10–30 lb fluorocarbon/mono is a common flats/inshore start; move to 40–80 lb around abrasive mouths, structure or large tarpon/snook.
Northern kingfish
Bait: Shrimp, small crabs, sand fleas, mullet, sardines and cut bait are common inshore choices; match the bait to the species and bottom.
Lures: Soft plastics, bucktails, small jigs, spoons, plugs and topwaters are common; imitate the local forage and work current edges.
Rig: Free-line, popping-cork, Carolina/fish-finder and light jig rigs are common; choose the least hardware needed to reach the zone.
Leader: 10–30 lb fluorocarbon/mono is a common flats/inshore start; move to 40–80 lb around abrasive mouths, structure or large tarpon/snook.
Spot
Bait: Bloodworms, shrimp and squid bits.
Lures: Bloodworm-flavored Fishbites.
Leader: 15–20 lb mono or fluorocarbon.
Atlantic croaker
Bait: Shrimp, squid, bloodworms, clam and sand fleas.
Lures: Fishbites strips or a small jig tipped with shrimp.
Leader: 15–20 lb mono or fluorocarbon.
Tautog (blackfish)
Bait: Green crabs, Asian crabs, fiddler crabs and clams; cut crabs in half for big fish.
Lures: Tautog jigs (1–2 oz) tipped with a piece of crab.
Leader: 30–50 lb fluorocarbon, short.
Winter flounder
Bait: Sandworms, bloodworms, clams and mussels on small long-shank hooks, with a chum pot of crushed mussels on the bottom.
Lures: Not usually caught on lures.
Leader: 20–30 lb fluorocarbon, 2–3 ft.
Scup (porgy)
Bait: Clam strips, squid strips and sandworms on small hooks.
Lures: Small jigs or a hi-lo rig with a strip of squid.
Leader: 30–50 lb fluorocarbon, short.
Red drum
Bait: Live or cut mullet, pinfish, blue crab pieces, and live or fresh dead shrimp.
Lures: Gold spoons, paddle-tail soft plastics on a 1/8–1/4 oz jig head, topwater walking baits, and shrimp imitations.
Leader: 20–30 lb fluorocarbon, 2–3 ft.
Black sea bass
Bait: Squid, cut fish and shrimp.
Lures: Small vertical jigs and bucktails.
Leader: 50–80 lb fluorocarbon.
Mahi-mahi (dolphin)
Bait: Ballyhoo, flying fish, squid and cut bait to keep a school near the boat.
Lures: Skirted trolling lures, small feathers and bucktail jigs.
Rig: Use a clean trolling or live-bait rig with minimal hardware, a strong swivel where needed and a leader long enough to protect against abrasion.
Leader: 30–60 lb mono/fluorocarbon is a common mahi start; increase for abrasion or mixed wahoo water.
Tunas
Bait: Live baits (blue runners, bonito) and chunks.
Lures: Spreader bars, skirted lures, poppers and stick baits.
Rig: Use a clean trolling or live-bait rig with minimal hardware, a strong swivel where needed and a leader long enough to protect against abrasion.
Leader: 40–100 lb mono/fluorocarbon is a common starting range; toothy species may need heavier abrasion-resistant or wire bite protection.
White & blue marlin
Bait: Rigged ballyhoo and small squid.
Lures: Small skirted trolling lures.
Leader: 40–100 lb mono or fluorocarbon.
False albacore
Bait: Live pilchards and sardines.
Lures: Metal jigs, spoons and small trolling feathers.
Rig: Use a clean trolling or live-bait rig with minimal hardware, a strong swivel where needed and a leader long enough to protect against abrasion.
Leader: 40–100 lb mono/fluorocarbon is a common starting range; toothy species may need heavier abrasion-resistant or wire bite protection.
Sharks
Bait: Fish or squid baits attract sharks, but baiting should only be used where legal and where the exact shark fishery rules are understood.
Lures: Large plugs, jigs or trolled lures can produce incidental shark strikes; use tackle heavy enough to shorten the fight.
Rig: Simple heavy rig with minimal hardware and immediate-access dehooking/cutting tools.
Leader: Use a heavy abrasion/bite leader and a setup that can be cut quickly near the hook if removal is unsafe.
Atlantic cod
Bait: Fresh clams, herring and squid.
Lures: Diamond and butterfly jigs (8–16 oz) with a red or green teaser fly above.
Leader: 50–60 lb mono.
Blue crab
Bait: Freshly dead fish is documented as blue-crab trap bait by Texas Parks & Wildlife.
Lures: Not applicable.
Rig: Crab traps are a documented blue-crab capture method. Use only locally legal gear.
Leader: Not applicable.
Local fishing reports — what’s biting now
- On The Water – Northern New Jersey report — Weekly: Raritan Bay, Sandy Hook, Manasquan, Barnegat Inlet
- On The Water – Southern New Jersey report — Weekly: Barnegat Bay to Cape May
- The Fisherman – NJ/DE Bay forecast — Weekly forecast
Sources
- NJ Fish & Wildlife – 2026 Recreational Seasons, Size & Possession Limits
- NJ Fish & Wildlife – 'Where and When to Catch Fish' table
- NJ Fish & Wildlife – Sharks
- NJ Fish & Wildlife – Crabbing in New Jersey
- NJ Fish & Wildlife – Mollusks & Crustaceans
- NJ Fish & Wildlife – Freshwater Size, Season & Creel Limits 2026
- NJ Fish & Wildlife – General Trout Information 2026
- NJ Fish & Wildlife – Stocking Programs 2026
- NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife - Northern New Jersey Warmwater and Coolwater Game Fish (brochure)
- The Fisherman - NJ's Western Shore: Fishing the Delaware Water Gap
- The Fisherman - NJ Trout Palooza: Fall '26 Stock Report
- On The Water - 5 Places to Find Walleye in Northern New Jersey
Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every month on this calendar comes from the sources above. Empty boxes mean no official source gives those months. Rules change — check the agency page before you keep a fish.
On the bay, in the mangroves or on the ocean, the everyday struggles get left at the dock — for those few hours it’s just you, the water and peace.