Raritan Bay Fishing Guides
The most famous spring striped bass fishery on the northeast coast, where big bass stage on bunker schools between Perth Amboy and Sandy Hook each April and May.
Guides on the Raritan Bay
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About the Raritan Bay
Raritan Bay is where the Raritan and Hudson systems meet the Atlantic, a broad shallow estuary bounded by the New Jersey shore, Staten Island and the hook of Sandy Hook. It is not pretty water in the conventional sense, with shipping channels, industrial shoreline and the Verrazzano bridge on the horizon, but for roughly six weeks every spring it is arguably the best big striped bass fishery on the eastern seaboard, and boats travel from several states to fish it.
The spring run is the headline. Large bass stage in the bay from late March through May, feeding on enormous schools of adult bunker, and the fishery is prosecuted by snagging and live-lining bunker, by trolling and by throwing large plugs and soft plastics at breaking fish. Fish over forty pounds are caught every season and the bay produces genuine trophies most years. Beyond spring, summer flounder work the channel edges and sand flats, bluefish are present in numbers, weakfish show in the deeper water, and tautog and black sea bass hold on the reef and wreck structure toward the hook. Blue crabbing in the back creeks is excellent through late summer.
The gauge at Keansburg publishes tidal elevation and, unusually for this stretch of coast, a live water temperature. That temperature is the single most useful number on this page, because the spring bass run tracks water temperature closely and the fishery effectively switches on as the bay warms through the middle forties into the low fifties. Watch it climb through March, and understand that this is an open bay where wind, not rain, decides whether the day is fishable. Regulations here are marine rather than freshwater and the striped bass slot limits change from season to season, so check the current New Jersey marine digest before keeping anything.
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Access
Keansburg public boat ramp - the closest launch to the gauge.
Leonardo State Marina in Middletown - the main deepwater access on the south shore.
Perth Amboy municipal marina - the western end of the bay near the Arthur Kill.
Cliffwood Beach and Laurence Harbor - shore fishing along the south shore.
Atlantic Highlands Municipal Harbor - the closest ramp and party-boat fleet to Sandy Hook.
Conaskonk Point in Union Beach - walk-in flats and back-creek access.
Sandy Hook Gateway National Recreation Area - beach access to the bay side.
Seasons
Spring: the main event, with big striped bass on bunker schools from late March through May.
Summer: summer flounder on the channel edges, bluefish throughout, and heavy blue crabbing in the back creeks.
Fall: a second bass run as fish move south, often smaller than spring but with strong bird activity.
Winter: effectively closed, with cold water, hard wind and only occasional tautog trips near the hook.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Raritan Bay?
Anglers target American Eel, Atlantic Croaker, Black Sea Bass, Blue Crab, Bluefish, Northern Kingfish, Striped Bass, Summer Flounder, Tautog, Weakfish on the Raritan Bay in New Jersey.
Where can you access the Raritan Bay?
Keansburg public boat ramp - the closest launch to the gauge. Leonardo State Marina in Middletown - the main deepwater access on the south shore. Perth Amboy municipal marina - the western end of the bay near the Arthur Kill. Cliffwood Beach and Laurence Harbor - shore fishing along the south shore. Atlantic Highlands Municipal Harbor - the closest ramp and party-boat fleet to Sandy Hook. Conaskonk Point in Union Beach - walk-in flats and back-creek access. Sandy Hook Gateway National Recreation Area - beach access to the bay side.
When is the best time to fish the Raritan Bay?
Spring: the main event, with big striped bass on bunker schools from late March through May. Summer: summer flounder on the channel edges, bluefish throughout, and heavy blue crabbing in the back creeks. Fall: a second bass run as fish move south, often smaller than spring but with strong bird activity. Winter: effectively closed, with cold water, hard wind and only occasional tautog trips near the hook.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Raritan Bay?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the New Jersey agency site: https://dep.nj.gov/njfw/fishing/marine/