Waackaack Creek Fishing Guides
A tidal creek entering Raritan Bay at Keansburg, gauged for tidal elevation, on the bayshore that produces some of the earliest striped bass fishing in the state.
Guides on the Waackaack Creek
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About the Waackaack Creek
Waackaack Creek drains a small catchment behind Keansburg and enters Raritan Bay on the northern New Jersey bayshore, the stretch of coast facing north across the bay toward Staten Island. This is a very different piece of water from the southern back bays. Raritan Bay is the outer estuary of the Hudson and Raritan rivers, it is broad and comparatively shallow, and it warms earlier in the spring than the ocean or the southern inlets do. That single fact is why the bayshore has a reputation out of proportion to its size among striped bass anglers.
The gauge reports tidal elevation to a fixed datum. Like the other bayshore and back bay gauges it measures water level rather than flow, and the record serves two purposes. The first is ordinary tide reading for planning a session on the creek mouth and the flats around it. The second is storm response: this shoreline is exposed to the north and northeast and a sustained blow stacks water into the corner of the bay, so the departure between observed and predicted level is a genuinely useful safety and access signal. The creek itself is small, and most fishing happens at the mouth and along the adjacent bay front.
Striped bass drive the fishery, and the spring run here is among the earliest and best in the state, with fish following menhaden and bunker schools into the warming bay well before the ocean turns on. Bluefish arrive behind them and can be thick. Summer flounder and weakfish are taken in the deeper water, and white perch and American eel live in the creek year round. Blue crabbing is a serious local pursuit through the summer. Keansburg has public fishing piers and beach access, and small boats launch nearby, making this an unusually accessible fishery for how close it sits to New York.
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Access
Keansburg - the bayshore town at the creek, with the fishing pier, beach access and basic services.
Raritan Bay - the receiving bay, the main fishery and the reason to come here.
Leonardo State Marina - the nearest substantial launch, east along the bayshore.
Atlantic Highlands - further east, with a municipal harbour, party boats and guides.
Sandy Hook - the hook at the bay mouth, with surf, rip and back bay fishing.
Navesink River - the tidal river south, a productive and sheltered alternative.
Newark - forty minutes northwest, with the nearest major airport and full outfitting.
Seasons
Spring: the standout season, with an early striped bass run as the bay warms ahead of the ocean.
Summer: warm and busy, with flounder, bluefish and heavy blue crabbing through the shallows.
Fall: very good as bait moves out of the creeks and bass and blues feed hard along the bayshore.
Winter: cold and quiet, with white perch in the creek and occasional holdover bass on mild days.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Waackaack Creek?
Anglers target American Eel, Atlantic Croaker, Atlantic Menhaden, Black Sea Bass, Blue Crab, Bluefish, Northern Kingfish, Scup, Spot, Striped Bass, Summer Flounder, Tautog, Weakfish, White Perch, Winter Flounder on the Waackaack Creek in New Jersey.
Where can you access the Waackaack Creek?
Keansburg - the bayshore town at the creek, with the fishing pier, beach access and basic services. Raritan Bay - the receiving bay, the main fishery and the reason to come here. Leonardo State Marina - the nearest substantial launch, east along the bayshore. Atlantic Highlands - further east, with a municipal harbour, party boats and guides. Sandy Hook - the hook at the bay mouth, with surf, rip and back bay fishing. Navesink River - the tidal river south, a productive and sheltered alternative. Newark - forty minutes northwest, with the nearest major airport and full outfitting.
When is the best time to fish the Waackaack Creek?
Spring: the standout season, with an early striped bass run as the bay warms ahead of the ocean. Summer: warm and busy, with flounder, bluefish and heavy blue crabbing through the shallows. Fall: very good as bait moves out of the creeks and bass and blues feed hard along the bayshore. Winter: cold and quiet, with white perch in the creek and occasional holdover bass on mild days.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Waackaack Creek?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the New Jersey agency site: https://dep.nj.gov/njfw/fishing/marine/