New Jersey Fishing Calendar

New Jersey fishing, month by month

January

Cod

February

Cod

March

Cod

April

Striped Bass, Tautog, Black Drum, Cod, Salmon, Trout

May

Flounder, Striped Bass, Bluefish, Weakfish, Black Drum, Salmon, Trout

June

Flounder, Black Sea Bass, Striped Bass, Bluefish, Weakfish, Bluefin Tuna, Shark, Black Drum, Salmon, Trout

July

Flounder, Black Sea Bass, Bluefish, Mahi-Mahi, Bluefin Tuna, Marlin, Shark, Yellowfin Tuna, Salmon

August

Flounder, Black Sea Bass, Bluefish, Mahi-Mahi, Bluefin Tuna, Marlin, Shark, Albacore, Yellowfin Tuna, Salmon

September

Flounder, Black Sea Bass, Bluefish, Mahi-Mahi, Weakfish, Bluefin Tuna, Marlin, Shark, Albacore, Yellowfin Tuna, False Albacore, Salmon, Trout

October

Black Sea Bass, Striped Bass, Bluefish, Weakfish, Tautog, Bluefin Tuna, Albacore, Yellowfin Tuna, False Albacore, Salmon, Trout

November

Black Sea Bass, Striped Bass, Bluefish, Tautog, Bluefin Tuna, Cod, False Albacore

December

Striped Bass, Tautog, Cod

Before you book

• Striped Bass: Striped bass is closed in federal waters, more than 3 miles offshore, so trips fish inside that line. Many states also close spawning rivers in spring.
• Weakfish: Weakfish stocks are depleted, so the limit is 1 fish.
• Tautog: New York opens tautog in April and again from mid October into December. New Jersey adds January and February and is closed in March and from May through July.
• Albacore: Charters here that list albacore usually mean false albacore ("albies"), a fast inshore fish, not albacore tuna.

How this calendar is built

The charter counts are live from the Unreel directory: each one is a New Jersey charter that lists that fish as a target. A fish only appears here if at least three local charters target it.

The shaded months are general peak windows for New York and New Jersey, not fishing regulations. For ocean species, the spawning, migration and federal closure notes were checked against NOAA Fisheries species profiles, and for inshore and freshwater species against state wildlife agency guidance and rules. Seasons, closures and limits change every year and can differ by water, so check New Jersey's current regulations and ask your captain what is running before you book.