New Jersey fishing reports
654 reports for New Jersey — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Fall bite builds on the Delaware as water cools
Gauge readings along the Pine Barrens and lower Delaware drainage show water in the low-to-mid 60s this week. USGS gauge 01408029 reads 62°F at 16.5 cfs, gauge 01408048 reads 65°F, and gauge 01407081 reads 66°F. Gauge 01408000 shows 68.2 cfs. That is a comfortable fall range, and it matches the shift anglers are describing across the region. Per Wired 2 Fish, fall changes how bass and crappie behave. Crappie go from finicky to aggressive almost overnight once the first cool fronts arrive, and the bite no longer has to be worked for. Tactical Bassin's October coverage points to a shallow, old-school approach for Largemouth Bass, working jigs, soft jerkbaits and topwater around hard structure like dock pilings, laydown trees and rocks. Their finesse piece adds that tiny topwaters, swimbaits and small jigs produce on the tough days. Fishing the Midwest, which counts October as a favorite month, says walleyes respond well to a plain bottom-bouncer rig with a nightcrawler as waters cool. Its fall-pattern article suggests looking for the green, living weeds, since baitfish and gamefish relocate to them as other weeds die off. On the saltwater side, On The Water's Northern New Jersey report of October 8 notes the striper front is improving as the fall run starts to percolate. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands, meanwhile, cautions that the local Striped Bass are not showing just yet because water temperature still has to come down.
Cooling water pulls fall bass toward shallow structure
Gauge readings across the region show water temperatures of 60 to 65°F this afternoon, a comfortable fall range that keeps fish feeding through the day. Flow is modest, with one gauge at 82.8 cfs and another at 74.2 cfs, so water is clear and easy to read. Per Tactical Bassin, October is a shallow-water month for bass. Their latest video covers jigs, soft jerkbaits and topwater worked around hard cover, and they note fish hold on dock pilings, laydowns and rocks this time of year. Wired 2 Fish makes the same point for crappie, which turn aggressive once the first cool fronts pass.
Delaware Bay holds white perch, tog and sea bass as stripers lag
Water temperature sits at 66.4°F at NOAA CO-OPS station 8537121, which is warm for mid-October and helps explain why the big striper push has not fully arrived. Per The Fisherman — Southern NJ, Higbee's Bait and Tackle reports lots and lots of big white perch in the creeks around Fortescue, with bloodworms producing well. Big Dave's Tackle adds that the bay is still giving up a few kingfish, croakers and weakfish for boaters drifting the deeper channels, and that sheepshead are still around the lighthouses. Striper activity has mostly stayed in the back bays of the barrier islands, per the same report. Pier 47 Marina anglers found stripers to 29 inches in the Wildwood back bays on bone or blue Mag Darters by day, with fish crushing bait at the surface at night.
Tautog bite steals the show as Jersey stripers start to build
Tautog are the headline along the Jersey Shore this week, and the striper run is finally showing signs of life. The Fisherman's NJ/DE Surf reports have green crabs and sand fleas producing keeper tog on the jetties and piers. Hands Too Bait and Tackle passed along back-bay stripers to 46 inches, one 48-incher, and an honest bass blitz at Hereford Inlet. Both NOAA CO-OPS stations read 65 to 66 degrees on the water this afternoon, in line with the mid-60s surf temperatures Fishermans HQ LBI described. Black sea bass remain the dependable offshore option. The Mary M IV reported limits nearly every day in The Fisherman's Central NJ roundup, though Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands trips ran through plenty of shorts before finding keepers. The beaches themselves are still waiting on a true push of fish, so the best action is in the back bays, on the rocks and around the structure.
Fall striper run percolates as Jersey Shore tog bite turns on
The fall run is starting to build along the Jersey Shore. Per OTW Northern New Jersey, there was better news on the striper front this week as the run starts to percolate, and Miss Belmar Princess and Miss Belmar switched over to striped bass after a rip north of the inlet produced fish, according to The Fisherman — Northern NJ. Water temperature at NOAA CO-OPS station 8531680 read 64.2°F on the afternoon of October 13, which sits right in the zone where bass, blues and tog stay comfortable. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ noted the water was still 59 degrees at one point and said stripers were not local just yet, so sea bass remain the reliable bottom option out of the Highlands. Bottom boats report plenty of action but a lot of short fish. The Fisherman — Northern NJ also has Ol' Salty II finding good sea bass with some tog and triggerfish, while Golden Eagle picked at small blues and weakfish off the beaches.
Delaware River Valley bass and crappie turn on with cooler water
Cooling water is switching on the fall freshwater bite across South Jersey and the Delaware valley. Our USGS gauge 01408048 and gauge 01407081 both read 64°F this morning, while gauge 01408029 sits at 60°F with 155 cfs of flow, and gauge 01408000 shows 86.9 cfs. Those are low, clear, comfortable numbers for fall panfish and bass. Per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Freshwater, Dave's Sport Shop in Doylestown says cooler water temps have put bass and crappie on the feed at Nockamixon and Galena, with good smallmouth reports from the river. Smith's Bait Shop in Leipsic notes bass fishing slowed in several ponds, but crappie and perch have picked up around dam spillways, with small minnows and jig combinations producing. Hands Too Bait and Tackle in Cape May reports bass and crappies in the lakes, with Ponderlodge Lake and Dennisville Lake the top spots for bass and catfish. Allen's Dock called the week slower for freshwater traffic, but the excellent water levels in the cedar swamps are there for anyone who wants to fish them. On the tidal side, The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf and The Fisherman — Southern NJ both mention Striped Bass working the back bays and sod banks. Anglers using soft plastics on 3/8-ounce leadheads found fish, including some from 40 to 46 inches. At Pier 47 Marina, bone or blue Mag Darters took stripers to 29 inches in clean water during the day, and small topwater baits and dark paddletails worked at night.
Crappie spillway bite and night stripers lead the fall shift
Water temperatures are sliding into the low 60s across the Jersey gauges. USGS gauge 01408029 read 60°F at 262 cfs early Monday, while gauges 01408048 and 01407081 both showed 64°F. That is a comfortable range for fall feeding, and the freshwater column in The Fisherman says anglers are taking advantage. Per The Fisherman's NJ/DE freshwater coverage, Smith Bait in Leipsic described good weather and water conditions finally returning, with crappies producing decent numbers. Much of that crappie fishing is in dam spillways on small jigs tipped with plastics or Gulp, or on minnows. Dave's Sporting Goods in Doylestown also passed along a decent evening crappie bite just before dark, with fish in local ponds and lakes in better shape after the recent rains. For stripers, Allen's Dock relayed word of a few fish caught above the tide line in the Mullica River.
Smallmouth and crappie turn on as cooler water settles in
Fall fishing is back on in the Delaware valley after the nor'easter. "We finally got some nice weather and good water conditions to return to the fall fishing this past week," said Steve at Smith Bait and Tackle in Leipsic, per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Freshwater. He reports bass, crappies and panfish producing decent numbers in Garrisons Lake, Massey Mills, Silver Lake and Lums Pond. Big minnows are taking most of the bass in the main bodies of those lakes. The crappie and panfish action is concentrated in the dam spillways, on small jigs tipped with plastics and Gulp, or on minnows. Owen at Dave's Sporting Goods in Doylestown described the Delaware River as continuing to give good smallmouth fishing from Lambertville north. He also noted a decent evening crappie bite just before dark at Lake Nockamixon, with bass suspended in 10 to 20 feet of water. Local ponds and lakes are in better shape after the recent rains. Our gauge readings show the water has cooled. USGS gauge 01408029 reads 58°F with flow at 13.6 cfs. USGS gauge 01408048 reads 64°F and USGS gauge 01407081 reads 65°F. USGS gauge 01408000 is running 33.9 cfs.
Delaware Bay stripers and tautog turn on as fall push builds
Water temperature at the Ship John Shoal station (NOAA CO-OPS 8537121) reads 66.7°F in Delaware Bay, still warm enough to keep stripers feeding hard through the back bays. Big Dave's Tackle in Cape May reports striped bass mixing with tautog taken off the Cape May Jetties on green crabs and sand fleas, with a scattered mixed bag turning up away from the structure in the greater bay. On the bay side in Wildwood, Hands Too Bait and Tackle says the fishing bounced back strong after the recent storm: quality weakfish are hitting on pink Zooms, bucktails and bloodworms, a few smaller bluefish in the 1- to 3-pound range are mixed in, and stripers have been feeding heavily along the back bay sod banks after dark. Pier 47 Marina and Fin-Atics echo the same pattern elsewhere in the system, with stripers working sod banks and creeks on spook lures, soft plastics and Mag-Darters. One Stop Bait and Tackle adds that tog have been chewing well on green crab and sand flea baits since the last blow passed.
Tautog and stripers heat up as Jersey Shore fall run builds
Water temperatures are holding at 65.7°F off Atlantic City and 66.4°F off Sandy Hook per NOAA CO-OPS, and the Jersey Shore's fall run is building to match. OTW Northern New Jersey calls it "better news on the striper front" as the fall run starts to percolate, and Fisherman's Den reports bass moving in and out of the inlet with the tides, with live eels taking fish off the jetties and surfcasters scoring mixed-size bass on eels and plugs. Further south, Pier 47 Marina reports stripers feeding most nights in the back bays, even in creeks holding only three feet of water, on spook lures, soft-plastic paddle tails and Mag Darters, while Fin-Atics says schoolies to 22 inches are hitting soft plastic jerk baits along the bridges at night, and reports mixed-in bluefish of 1 to 3 pounds working the surf on metals. Tautog have been the week's most consistent producer: Surf City Bait and Tackle and Jingles Bait and Tackle both report steady action around Barnegat Light on green crabs, and One Stop Bait and Tackle says bigger tog, with keepers to 4 pounds, have moved onto the Atlantic City jetty rocks on green crabs and sand fleas. Black sea bass limits are stacking up too, with Mary M IV's Capt. Sam Rescigno putting together a 20-fish haul on bait over jigs. Down in Cape May, Hands Too Bait and Tackle reports weakfish of quality size hitting pink Zooms and bucktails off the rocks in Wildwood, and Fishermans HQ LBI notes fluke still hanging around the bay and inlet even with the season currently closed.
Stripers working the Sandy Hook jetties as fall run builds
Water off Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook is holding at 64.2°F per the NOAA CO-OPS station here, a reading squarely in range for the fall striper push. Fisherman's Den-Northern New Jersey reports striped bass moving in and out of the inlet with the tide, with nice fish coming off the jetties and live eels doing the damage; surfcasters are also picking up mixed-size bass on eels and plugs. Green crabs have been producing keeper tautog from the same jetty structure. A few miles up, Golden Eagle Fishing-Northern New Jersey found bluefish "decent once you found the slammers," alongside a bottom-fishing mix of sea bass, tog and porgies. Closer to the Highlands, Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ is still grinding out short black sea bass on repeated drops, with the captain hoping the bass bite firms up soon after a run of blown-out Sundays.
Smallmouth, crappie keep the bite going as Delaware Valley cools
Delaware River smallmouth are still producing well north of Lambertville, Dave's Sport Shop in Doylestown reports, while the same shop notes a decent evening crappie bite settling in just before dark on Lake Nockamixon, where fish are holding suspended in 10 to 20 feet of water. Smith's Bait Shop in Leipsic is seeing a similar pattern across Garrisons Lake, Massey Mills, Silver Lake and Lums Pond, where crappie are gathering in the dam spillways and responding well to small jigs tipped with plastics or minnows. On Lake Wallenpaupack, Hyper Striper Sportfishing credits cooling water temperatures with switching the smallmouth bite on after a slower summer stretch. Closer to the coast, a handful of striped bass are still showing above the tide line on the Mullica River, per Allen's Dock, mixed in with other fish working their way upriver as the season turns.
Fishing in New Jersey
New Jersey fishes far bigger than it looks on a map. The spring striped bass run through Raritan Bay is one of the best shots at a trophy striper anywhere, the surf from Sandy Hook to Cape May holds fish most of the year, and the back bays fill with fluke all summer. Inland, the Delaware River gives up shad and smallmouth, and the state's reservoirs hide serious trout and bass.
When to fish New Jersey
Big striped bass flood Raritan Bay and the surf on their spring migration, with the shad run pulling anglers to the Delaware at the same time. Stocked trout fill the northern streams.
Summer flounder take over the back bays and inshore ocean, with sea bass and porgy on the structure. Offshore boats run to the canyons for tuna and mahi while largemouth eat topwater in the lakes at first light.
The fall striper and bluefish run pours down the beaches, false albacore mix in, and blackfish season builds on the rock piles and wrecks. Inland, smallmouth and trout feed hard before winter.
Holdover stripers winter in the warmer back waters and rivers, and when the northern lakes lock up, ice anglers work them for pickerel, perch, and trout.
Waters to know
Wayfinder builds a plan for your exact water and day from live buoys, gauges, tides, and recent reports. Free, about 30 seconds.
Common questions
Do I need a license to fish in New Jersey?
Freshwater fishing requires a New Jersey license from NJ Fish & Wildlife. Saltwater anglers register with the state's free saltwater registry instead of buying a license. Rules differ by age and water, so check the current requirements.
What fish can I catch in New Jersey?
Striped bass, fluke, bluefish, black sea bass, porgy, blackfish, and weakfish on the salt side, with offshore runs for tuna and mahi. Inland waters hold largemouth and smallmouth bass, trout, pickerel, muskie, walleye, catfish, and panfish.
When is the best time to fish New Jersey?
Spring and fall are the headline seasons, built around the striped bass migration in each direction. Summer is fluke season in the bays, and winter still offers holdover stripers and ice fishing up north.
Where can I check current New Jersey fishing conditions?
This page carries our current New Jersey fishing reports, built daily from NOAA buoys, USGS river gauges, tides, and local sources. For a plan built around your exact water and day, try the free Wayfinder trip planner.
Seasons and limits change: verify current regulations with NJ Fish & Wildlife before keeping fish.
Run a business serving New Jersey anglers? Sponsor this page →