Free Fishing Day is This Saturday!
- NJ DEP Fish & Wildlife
- Jun 5
- 1 min read
Saturday, June 7 is Free Fishing Day!
Haven't fished in a while, or maybe never fished before? Have a friend or family member who hasn't either? Saturday is Free Fishing Day, the perfect time for New Jersey residents to try fishing the state's public waters without a license or trout stamp. All other regulations including size and daily catch limits remain in effect.
As temperatures begin to rise and spring trout season comes to an end, the warm water fishing is heating up around the state. Just in time for Free Fishing Day, NJDEP Fish & Wildlife stocked over 1,500 beautiful Largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish and Bluegill in 16 small ponds around the state that are easily accessible to all anglers!
629 Largemouth Bass were stocked at the 16 waterbodies listed in the table below. Most of the adult bass were 12-14 inches, but a good number of 16-18-inch bass were stocked and are ready to be caught.
474 Channel Catfish were stocked in 11 of the waterbodies. Many of these adult fish are 3-5 pounds (22-24 inches), and about 100 weigh 7-8 pounds (24 inches). The largest Channel Catfish stocked topped out at a whopping 10-12 pounds!
12 of the waterbodies received a nice boost to their Bluegill populations, with over 500 adult palm-sized fish stocked.
Now is the time to get out and enjoy the excellent fishing opportunities in your backyard – they just got even better!
