Arthur Kill Fishing Guides
A tidal strait between New Jersey and Staten Island with hard current, deep channels and a striped bass and flounder fishery that runs most of the year.
Guides on the Arthur Kill
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About the Arthur Kill
The Arthur Kill is not a river. It is a tidal strait – a narrow saltwater channel separating New Jersey from Staten Island, connecting Raritan Bay at its southern end to the Kill van Kull and Newark Bay at its northern. Water moves through it hard on both the flood and the ebb, and that current is the single most important thing to understand about fishing it. Everything here is organised around tide.
The strait has a difficult industrial history and the reputation that goes with it, but the fishery has recovered substantially. Striped bass use the Kill throughout the season, holding along bulkheads, bridge piers, and the edges of the dredged channel where current breaks. Summer flounder work the sandy channel edges through the warm months and are the most reliably kept fish here. Bluefish push through in numbers in summer, tautog and black sea bass hold on the hard structure around bridge abutments and old pilings, and northern kingfish show along the sandier stretches. White perch and eels are present year-round, and blue crabs fill the shallow margins in summer. As on Newark Bay, anglers should read the New Jersey consumption advisories before keeping fish from these waters.
The gauge at Perth Amboy publishes water temperature and tidal elevation only – no discharge, which would be meaningless in a strait where the water reverses direction twice a day. The elevation trace is a tide clock, and the temperature reading is the more useful figure for predicting fish movement. Boat access dominates here; shore fishing is possible but limited by industrial frontage along much of the New Jersey side. Tide tables are not optional equipment here; plan the day around slack and the first of the moving water, and expect the bite to shut off hard when the current dies.
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Access
Perth Amboy waterfront - the main public shore access and fishing pier.
Raritan Bay Waterfront Park - bank access at the southern entrance.
Perth Amboy municipal marina - boat ramp serving the lower Kill.
Outerbridge Crossing area - shoreline access near strong current and structure.
Carteret waterfront park - bank access on the middle strait.
Rahway River mouth - paddle and small-boat access to a productive confluence.
Elizabeth Marina - launch giving access to the northern end and Newark Bay.
Seasons
Spring: striped bass arrive on warming tides and hold along the channel edges and bulkheads.
Summer: flounder and bluefish are the mainstays, with crabbing good in the shallows.
Fall: the peak - bass feed heavily on outgoing bait and tautog fishing turns on over structure.
Winter: slow, though holdover bass and perch remain in the deepest parts of the channel.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Arthur Kill?
Anglers target American Eel, Black Sea Bass, Blue Crab, Bluefish, Northern Kingfish, Striped Bass, Summer Flounder, Tautog, White Perch on the Arthur Kill in New Jersey.
Where can you access the Arthur Kill?
Perth Amboy waterfront - the main public shore access and fishing pier. Raritan Bay Waterfront Park - bank access at the southern entrance. Perth Amboy municipal marina - boat ramp serving the lower Kill. Outerbridge Crossing area - shoreline access near strong current and structure. Carteret waterfront park - bank access on the middle strait. Rahway River mouth - paddle and small-boat access to a productive confluence. Elizabeth Marina - launch giving access to the northern end and Newark Bay.
When is the best time to fish the Arthur Kill?
Spring: striped bass arrive on warming tides and hold along the channel edges and bulkheads. Summer: flounder and bluefish are the mainstays, with crabbing good in the shallows. Fall: the peak - bass feed heavily on outgoing bait and tautog fishing turns on over structure. Winter: slow, though holdover bass and perch remain in the deepest parts of the channel.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Arthur Kill?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the New Jersey agency site: https://dep.nj.gov/njfw/fishing/marine/