Trout Fishing Regulations

Name: eRegulations
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Regulations in red are new this year.

General Trout Fishing Regulations for Brook, Brown & Rainbow Trout (and their hybrids and strains)
RIVERS & STREAMS (preseason closure remains in effect)
Season	Minimum Size	Daily Limit	Exceptions
January 1–March 22	9 inches	2*	Catch and Release Areas, Year-Round Trout Conservation Areas, Seasonal Trout Conservation Areas, and Wild Trout Streams). Fishing is permitted during the period March 23–April 11 at 8 a.m. on rivers and streams that are not trout stocked, however all trout caught during this period must immediately be released. Delaware River.
March 23–April 11 at 8 a.m.	Fishing prohibited on trout stocked rivers and streams.
April 11 at 8 a.m.–May 31	9 inches	6*
June 1–Dec. 31	9 inches	2*
Lakes & Ponds (no longer closed during preseason)
Season	Minimum Size	Daily Limit	Exceptions
January 1–April 11 at 8 a.m.	9 inches	2	Trophy and Holdover Trout Lakes. Greenwood Lake.
April 11 at 8 a.m.– May 31		6
June 1–December 31		2
*ALL BROOK TROUT CAUGHT WITHIN THE BROOK TROUT CONSERVATION ZONE MUST BE IMMEDIATELY RELEASED UNHARMED. The Conservation Zone includes all waters west of I-287 and north of Rt. 202, extending to, but not including the Delaware River.

Map of the New Jersey Brook Trout Conservation Zone showing counties including Sussex, Passaic, Morris, and Warren, where all brook trout must be immediately released. — Map of the New Jersey Brook Trout Conservation Zone highlighting designated counties where all brook trout caught must be immediately released. The conservation area protects native brook trout populations and supports sustainable freshwater fishing management across northern New Jersey.

Trout Stocked Waters Closed to Fishing on Spring In-season Stocking Dates
After opening day, these waters are closed to fishing from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. on their designated stocking dates. Closures apply to all tributaries for 100 feet from the main channel. There are no closures for ANY waters in the fall. These waters or portions of these waters are also stocked in the fall.
Trout Stocked Waters Closed to Fishing (5 a.m. to 5 p.m.) on Spring in-season Stocking Dates
Stocking Dates	Waterbody	County	Location
MONDAYS April 13, 20, 27 May 4, 11, 18, 25	Manasquan River	Monmouth	Rt. 9 bridge, Howell Twp. downstream to Allenwood-Lakewood Rd. (Rt. 21), Wall Twp.
	Metedeconk River, N/Br.	Ocean	Aldrich Rd. to Ridge Ave., Howell/Lakewood Twps.
	Metedeconk River, S/Br.	Ocean	Bennetts Mills dam to twin wooden foot bridge, opposite Lake Park Blvd. on South Lake Dr., Lakewood Twp.
	Rockaway River**	Morris	Longwood Lake dam, Jefferson Twp. to Boonton Reservoir (aka Jersey City Res.), Boonton
	Toms River	Ocean	Rt. 528, Jackson Twp., to conﬂuence with Maple Root Branch, and Rt. 70 to Rt. 571, Toms River/Manchester Twps. (Exception: the section regulated as a Year Round Trout Conservation Area; see separate regulation.)
TUESDAYS April 14, 21, 28 May 5, 12, 19, 26	Pohatcong Creek**	Warren	Rt. 31, Washington Twp. to Delaware River
TUESDAYS April 14, 21, 28 May 5, 12, 19, 26	Raritan River, S/Br.**	Morris, Somerset, Hunterdon	Mill dam located 200 feet upstream from Schooleys Mountain Rd. (Rt. 517), Long Valley to junction with Raritan River N/Br. (Exception: the section regulated as Catch and Release.)
WEDNESDAYS April 15, 22, 29 May 6, 13, 20, 27	Raritan River, N/Br.**	Somerset	Below Ravine Lake Dam within Natirar County Park, Far Hills Borough / Peapack Gladstone Borough to Raritan River S. Br.
THURSDAYS April 16, 23, 30 May 7, 14, 21, 28	Paulinskill River, and E/Br. and W/Br.**	Sussex, Warren	Limecrest RR spur bridge on E/Br., Sparta Twp., and Warbasse Jct. Rd. (Rt. 663) on W/Br., Lafayette Twp., to confluence with the Delaware River.
THURSDAYS April 16, 23, 30 May 7, 14, 21, 28	Ramapo River**	Bergen	State line to Pompton Lake, Oakland (excluding Potash Lake)
FRIDAYS April 17, 24 May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29	Big Flat/Flat Brook**	Sussex	100 ft. above Crigger Rd., Stokes State Forest, Sandyston Twp. to Delaware River (Exception: the section regulated as Catch and Release.)
	Musconetcong River**	Sussex, Morris, Warren and Hunterdon	Lake Hopatcong dam to Delaware River including all main stem impoundments except for Lake Musconetcong (Exception: the section regulated as a Year Round Trout Conservation Area; see separate regulation.)
	Pequest River**	Warren and Sussex	Pequest Rd., Green Twp. to Delaware River (Exception: the section regulated as a Seasonal Trout Conservation Area; see separate regulation.)
	Wanaque River**	Passaic	Greenwood Lake dam, West Milford, Twp. to Wanaque Reservoir dam, Wanaque Borough and from Wanaque Ave., Pompton Lakes Borough to Pequannock River, excluding the Wanaque and Monksville reservoirs.
** These streams are wholly or partially located within the Brook Trout Conservation Zone.

Trout-Stocked Streams — Wild Brown Trout Managed
*ALL BROOK TROUT CAUGHT WITHIN BROOK TROUT CONSERVATION ZONE MUST BE IMMEDIATELY RELEASED UNHARMED.
Waterbody	Season	Species	Minimum Size	Daily Limit
Hakihohake Creek - Little York-Mount Pleasant Rd., Little York Alexandria Twp. to Delaware R. Lopatcong Creek** - Rt. 519, Harmony Twp., Warren to Delaware R. Pequannock River - Route 23, Smith Mills to railroad trestle below Appelt Park Pophandusing Creek - White Twp., entire length Raritan River S/Br.** - Mill dam located 200 feet above Schooley’s Mountain Rd. (Rt 517), Long Valley (Hunterdon), downstream to Lake Solitude dam, excluding Ken Lockwood Gorge (Catch and Release Only) Saddle River** - Lake Street, Upper Saddle River Twp., to West Century Rd., Fairlawn/Paramus Boroughs	Jan. 1–March 22	Rainbow and Brook Trout*	9 inches	2 combined
	Jan. 1–March 22	Brown Trout	12 inches	2 combined
	March 23–April 11 at 8 a.m.	—	Fishing prohibited
	April 11 at 8 a.m.–May 31	Rainbow and Brook Trout*	9 inches	6 combined Only 2 of which may be Brown Trout
	April 11 at 8 a.m.–May 31	Brown Trout	12 inches	6 combined Only 2 of which may be Brown Trout
	June 1–Dec. 31	Rainbow and Brook Trout*	9 inches	2 combined
	June 1–Dec. 31	Brown Trout	12 inches	2 combined
** These streams are wholly or partially located within the Brook Trout Conservation Zone.

Trout Conservation Areas (TCAs)
*ALL BROOK TROUT CAUGHT WITHIN BROOK TROUT CONSERVATION ZONE MUST BE IMMEDIATELY RELEASED UNHARMED.
Year Round TCAs
Season	Minimum Size	Daily Limit	Restrictions (in effect year round)
Jan. 1–March 22	15 inches	1	Only artificial lures and flies may be used. Possession or use of bait (live or preserved) or any substance (natural or synthetic) that contains a concentration of bait scent is prohibited. Fishing is allowed during the spring in-season closures, which apply to the river. All trout caught during these periods must be released immediately.
March 23–April 11 at 8 a.m.	Catch and release only
April 11 at 8 a.m.–Dec. 31	15 inches	1 (see #3 at right)
Year Round TCA Waterbody (County)			Driving Directions *
Musconetcong River**—Point Mountain Stretch (Hunterdon/Warren) Penwell Rd. bridge downstream to Point Mountain Rd. bridge (approx. 1.2 miles)			Rt. 31 to Rt. 57 E. Upper boundary: turn right on Penwell Rd. Lower boundary: turn right on Point Mountain Rd. Parking areas located near each bridge.
Toms River (Ocean) End of Riverwood Park (Tom’s River Twp.) downstream to Rt. 571 bridge (approx. 1 mile)			Rt. 195 (Exit 21) to Rts. 527/528 S. (Cedar Swamp Rd./ Veterans Hwy.) to Rt. 527 S. (Whitesville Rd.) to Riverwood Dr. to entrance of Riverview Park.
Seasonal TCAs
Season	Minimum Size	Daily Limit	Restrictions
Jan. 1–March 22	15 inches	1	Only artificial lures may be used. Possession or use of bait (live or preserved) or any substance (natural or synthetic) that contains a concentration of bait scent is prohibited. Pequest River — fishing is not permitted during the first six in-season stocking closure dates. (See Trout Stocked Waters Closed to Fishing on Spring Stocking Dates). Fishing is permitted during the last in-season stocking closure date (May 25), but all trout caught between 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. must be immediately released.
March 23–April 10	Catch and release only
April 11 (12:01 a.m. to 8 a.m.)	Fishing prohibited
April 11 at 8 a.m.–May 24 Gear restrictions do not apply	9 inches	6
May 25–Dec. 31	15 inches	1
Seasonal TCA Waterbody (County)			Driving Directions *
Pequannock River** (Morris/Passaic) Railroad trestle below Appelt Park, Bloomingdale, downstream to Hamburg Turnpike bridge, Pompton Lakes (approx. 1.3 miles)			I-287 (Exit 53). Proceed west on (Paterson) Hamburg Turnpike 0.34 miles. Right on Brant Ln. Railroad trestle below Appelt Park is the upstream boundary.
Pequest River** (Warren) Conrail Railroad bridge, located upstream of the Pequest Trout Hatchery Access Road, downstream to Rt. 625 (Pequest Furnace Rd.) bridge (approx. 1.4 miles)			Rt. 31 to Rt. 46 E, approx. 4 mi. to Pequest Trout Hatchery; paved parking lot.
** These streams are wholly or partially located within the Brook Trout Conservation Zone.

Catch and Release Areas
Season	Minimum Size	Daily Limit	Restrictions
Jan. 1–Dec. 31 Fishing allowed year-round	Catch and release all trout		All trout must be released immediately and unharmed. A person may not have any trout in their possession. Only artificial lures and flies may be used. Barbless hooks only, with no more than a total of three hook points. Possession or use of bait (live or preserved) or any substance (natural or synthetic) that contains a concentration of bait scent is prohibited. Fishing is allowed during the spring in-season stocking closures, which apply to the rivers.
Catch and Release Waterbody (County)	Driving Directions
Big Flat / Flat Brook (Sussex) Rt. 206 bridge downstream to the Roy Bridge on Mountain Rd., a distance of 4.2 miles, including the portion known as the Blewett Tract.	Upper boundary: Rt. 206 bridge, approx. 1.6 miles north of entrance to Stokes State Forest (Coursen Road). Lower boundary: Rt. 206 north, app. 1 mile past Stokes State Forest entrance, turn left on Rt. 560. At Layton bear left on Bevans Rd. (Rt. 640) towards Walpack. Continue south 3.4 miles (NPS Rd 615), left onto Fish and Wildlife Rd. to Roy Bridge.
Raritan S/Br.—Ken Lockwood Gorge (Hunterdon) Section of S. Br. within the Ken Lockwood Gorge Wildlife Management Area (approx. 2.2 miles).	Ken Lockwood Gorge — Road in gorge is closed to through traffic. Route 31 to Rt. 513. Upper boundary: Turn right at Hoffman’s Crossing Rd., take first right after bridge. Lower boundary: Turn right onto Silverthorne-Cokesbury Rd., turn left after crossing river. Park only in designated areas.

Wild Trout Streams
Native Brook Trout Streams (Brook Trout Dominant)
Species	Minimum Size	Season	Daily Limit	Gear
Brook Trout	Catch & Release	April 11 at 8 a.m. to Sept. 15 Catch and Release at all other times, year-round	2 Brown or Rainbow Trout combined	Fishing allowed year-round Artificials only, with no more than 3 hook points in total, all barbless Possession or use of bait, or synthetic bait with bait scent prohibited
Rainbow Trout	No min. size
Brown Trout	No min. size
Beatty’s Brook (Lebanon Twp.) Bear Swamp Brook (Mahwah Twp.) Hickory Run (Lebanon Twp.) Lake Ames Tributary (Picatinny Arsenal boundary to Lake Ames, Rockaway Twp.) Primrose Brook (Harding Twp.) Raritan River S/Br. (Budd Lake dam to dam approx. 400 feet above Flanders-Drakestown Rd., Mt. Olive Twp.) Rinehart Brook (Hacklebarney State Park, Chester Twp.) Rocky Run (Lebanon Twp.) Stephensburg Brook (Washington Twp.) Stony Brook (Stokes State Forest, Sandyston Twp.) Trout Brook (Hacklebarney State Park, Chester Twp.)
Wild Trout Streams (Multiple wild trout species present)
Species	Minimum Size	Season	Daily Limit	Gear
Brook Trout	Catch & Release in Zone	April 11 at 8 a.m. to Sept. 15 Catch and Release at all other times, year-round	2 Brown or Rainbow Trout combined	Fishing allowed year-round Artificials only, with no more than 3 hook points in total, all barbless Possession or use of bait, or synthetic bait with bait scent prohibited
Rainbow Trout	9”
Brown Trout	9”
Brass Castle Creek (Washington Twp.) Dismal Brook (Mendham Twp.) Dunnfield Creek (Worthington State Forest) Flanders Brook (Mt. Olive Twp.) India Brook (source to Mountainside Rd., Mendham Twp.) Indian Grove Brook (Bernardsville Twp.) Ledgewood Brook (Roxbury Twp.) Lomerson Brook (also known as Herzog Brook) (Tewksbury Twp.) Merrill Creek (Merrill Creek Reservoir Dam to Pohatcong Ck., Stewartsville) Raritan River S/Br. [dam approx. 400 feet above Flanders-Drakestown Rd. to dam 200 ft above Schooleys Mtn. Rd. (Rt. 517), Long Valley] Stony Brook (Washington Twp. Morris) Teetertown Brook (Washington Twp./Lebanon Twp.) Turkey Brook (Mt. Olive Twp.) Van Campens Brook (source to upper waterfall in Van Campens Glen, Del. Water Gap Nat. Rec. Area) West Brook (source downstream to Windbeam Club property, Ringwood Twp.) Whippany River (source to Tingley Rd., Mendham Twp.) Willhoughby Brook (also known as Buffalo Hollow Bk.) (Lebanon Twp.)
Wild Brown Trout Enhancement Streams (Brown Trout dominant, other wild trout species may be present)
Species	Minimum Size	Season	Daily Limit	Gear
Brook Trout	Catch & Release in Zone*	April 11 at 8 a.m. to Sept. 15 Catch and Release at all other times, year-round	2 Brown or Rainbow Trout combined	Fishing allowed year-round Artificials only, with no more than 3 hook points in total, all barbless Possession or use of bait, or synthetic bait with bait scent prohibited
Rainbow Trout	9”
Brown Trout	12”
Beaver Brook (Town of Clinton/Clinton Twp.) Burnett Brook (Chester/Mendham Twp.) Cold Brook (Tewksbury Twp.) Hakihokake Creek (also known as Little York Bk. — source to Little York-Mount Pleasant Rd, Little York) Jackson Brook (source to Hedden Park Lake Mine Hill Twp.) Mill Brook (Randolph Twp.) Passaic River (source to Rt. 202, Bernardsville Twp.) Pequannock River (Oak Ridge Rd. (Newark Watershed) to railroad bridge immediately upstream of Charlottesburg Res. and from Rt. 23 at Smoke Rise to Rt. 23 at Smith Mills, Kinnelon Twp.) Rockaway Creek N/Br. (Tewksbury Twp.) Saddle River* (state line to Lake St., Upper Saddle River Borough) Spring Mills Brook (Holland Twp.) Van Campens Brook (upper waterfall in Van Campens Glen, located approx. 0.8 miles upstream of Old Mine Road, to Delaware River, Del. Water Gap Nat. Rec. Area) Wanaque River (Wanaque Reservoir dam downstream to Wanaque Ave., Pompton Lakes Borough)
* Saddle River is outside the Brook Trout Conservation Zone therefore a 9 inch limit for brook trout applies. and a daily limit of 2 trout in total (Brook, Brown, and Rainbow Trout combined).

Trout Lakes
Trophy Trout Lakes
Waterbody (County)	Species	Season	Minimum Size	Daily Limit
*Merrill Creek Reservoir(Warren)**	Brown & Rainbow Trout (and their hybrids) and Landlocked Atlantic Salmon	Open year-round	15 inches	2 combined
*Merrill Creek Reservoir(Warren)**	Lake Trout	Open year-round	15 to less than 24 inches AND greater than or equal to 24 inches	2 AND 2
Round Valley Reservoir(Hunterdon)	Brown & Rainbow Trout (and their hybrids)	Open year-round	15 inches	2 combined
Round Valley Reservoir(Hunterdon)	Lake Trout	Open year-round	15 to less than 24 inches AND greater than or equal to 24 inches	8 AND 1
Holdover Trout Lakes
Waterbody (County)	Species	Season	Minimum Size	Daily Limit
Clinton Reservoir (Passaic) *Lake Aeroﬂex (Sussex) Lake Wawayanda* (Sussex) Sheppard Lake (Passaic) Tilcon Lake* (Morris) White Lake (Warren)**	Brown & Rainbow Trout and their hybrids	Jan. 1–April 11 at 8 a.m.	9 inches	2
		April 11 at 8 a.m.–May 31	9 inches	4
		June 1–Dec. 31	9 inches	2
	Landlocked Atlantic Salmon	Open year-round	12 inches	2
* Stocked with salmon

NJ's Freshwater Fishing Explorer App

NJDEP Fish & Wildlife's new Freshwater Fishing Explorer App combines the Great Fishing Close to Home App, the Trout Waters Map and the brand new Fishing Regulations App in one place!

QR code linking to the New Jersey Freshwater Fishing Explorer tool for finding fishing locations, species information, and access points statewide. — Scan this QR code to access the New Jersey Freshwater Fishing Explorer, an interactive tool to find fishing locations, view species information, and discover public access points across the state.

The Trout Stocked Waters tab provides the stocking dates and number of trout stocked for all trout stocked waters in our spring trout stocking program. Clicking on a water feature within the map will pull up the stocking schedule, the number of fish to be stocked and closures.

QR code linking to the New Jersey Trout Stocked Waters interactive map app for viewing trout stocking locations and freshwater fishing areas. — Scan this QR code to access the New Jersey Trout Stocked Waters interactive map app, where anglers can view trout stocking locations, explore freshwater fishing areas, and plan their next fishing trip.

The Great Fishing Close to Home tab allows users to explore the great diversity of fishing opportunities New Jersey has to offer.

QR code linking to the New Jersey “Great Fishing Close to Home” map app for finding nearby freshwater fishing locations and access points. — Scan this QR code to access the New Jersey “Great Fishing Close to Home” interactive map app and discover nearby freshwater fishing locations, public access sites, and local angling opportunities across the state.

Fishing Regulations App. Click on each waterbody to determine the exact fishing regulations for that water!

QR code linking to the New Jersey Freshwater Fishing Regulations map app for viewing current fishing rules, seasons, and location-specific regulations. — Scan this QR code to access the New Jersey Freshwater Fishing Regulations map app, where anglers can review current fishing seasons, size and bag limits, and location-specific freshwater fishing rules across the state.

Find freshwater fishing regulations, stocking schedules, and species information on the NJDEP Freshwater Fishing page.