Newark Bay Fishing Guides
A working-port estuary at the mouth of the Passaic and Hackensack that has become a genuinely productive striped bass fishery in the shadow of the container cranes.
Guides on the Newark Bay
Claimed profiles take booking requests. Unclaimed profiles are built from public records so the river is never empty; the guide can claim or remove one any time.
No guides listed yet
Guide or outfit this water? Create your profile. Listing is free, the commission is 10% or 7% with a premium profile, and premium profiles list first on this water.
About the Newark Bay
Newark Bay is where the Passaic and the Hackensack meet and run south to the Kill van Kull, and it is about as industrial a piece of water as exists on the East Coast – container terminals, bridges, tank farms and the constant traffic of one of the busiest ports in the country. It is also, and this surprises almost everyone, a real fishery. The same decades of water quality improvement that brought striped bass back to the Hackensack and the Passaic have made the bay they empty into a place where fish now hold in numbers through much of the year.
The attraction for fish is the same as it is for shipping: depth, current and structure. Dredged channels run through the middle of the bay, bridge piers and bulkheads break the tide, and the mouths of both rivers concentrate bait on every stage. Striped bass are the headline species and can be caught from early spring into December, with a portion of the population wintering over rather than migrating. Bluefish come through in summer, summer flounder work the channel edges, and white perch are abundant and badly underfished. Blue crabbing is a long tradition here. Anglers should read the state consumption advisories carefully before keeping anything from these waters – this is catch-and-release fishing for good reason in much of the bay.
The gauge at the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission publishes water temperature and tidal elevation and no discharge figure at all, which is exactly right for this kind of water. Treat the elevation trace as a tide clock and the temperature reading as the better predictor of when bass will be present and feeding. Boat access is the practical way to fish the bay properly, since much of the shoreline is active port frontage and closed to the public.
This water needs a real photo
The photo at the top of this page is not Newark Bay.
It is a regional stand-in, honestly captioned but generic — we will not put a name to a river we cannot prove. Send us a photograph you took here and it replaces the stand-in, with your credit on it.
Add a photo of this water
Landscape, not fish — the water itself. Reviewed by hand before it appears. The first one published here earns the Pioneer badge.
Fished this water? Add a photo
Reviewed by hand before it appears. Pick the water, not the spot — we never publish exact locations.
Access
Newark Riverfront Park - bank and pier access on the Passaic at the head of the bay.
Bayonne waterfront - shoreline access on the eastern side.
Elizabeth Marina - the main boat ramp serving the bay.
Kill van Kull shoreline access - bank fishing on strong tidal current.
Lincoln Park, Jersey City - nearby launch for paddlers and small boats.
Arthur Kill confluence - boat access to the southern end of the bay.
Hackensack River mouth - boat-only access to the western bait concentrations.
Seasons
Spring: bass move in as water warms and white perch school heavily near both river mouths.
Summer: bluefish and flounder join the mix, and blue crabbing peaks along the shallow margins.
Fall: the strongest fishing of the year as bait pours out of both rivers and bass feed hard.
Winter: reduced but not empty - holdover striped bass stay in the deep channels through the cold months.
From the water
No logged trips yet. Be the first to put this water on your map.
Log this water
Fished it or cleaned it? Log in or create a free account to log a trip with photos and earn the waterway badge.
Questions
What species can you catch on the Newark Bay?
Anglers target American Eel, Atlantic Croaker, Black Drum, Blue Crab, Bluefish, Channel Catfish, Striped Bass, Summer Flounder, White Perch on the Newark Bay in New Jersey.
Where can you access the Newark Bay?
Newark Riverfront Park - bank and pier access on the Passaic at the head of the bay. Bayonne waterfront - shoreline access on the eastern side. Elizabeth Marina - the main boat ramp serving the bay. Kill van Kull shoreline access - bank fishing on strong tidal current. Lincoln Park, Jersey City - nearby launch for paddlers and small boats. Arthur Kill confluence - boat access to the southern end of the bay. Hackensack River mouth - boat-only access to the western bait concentrations.
When is the best time to fish the Newark Bay?
Spring: bass move in as water warms and white perch school heavily near both river mouths. Summer: bluefish and flounder join the mix, and blue crabbing peaks along the shallow margins. Fall: the strongest fishing of the year as bait pours out of both rivers and bass feed hard. Winter: reduced but not empty - holdover striped bass stay in the deep channels through the cold months.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Newark Bay?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the New Jersey agency site: https://dep.nj.gov/njfw/fishing/marine/