New Jersey splits its bass year into three blocks and puts the spawn in the middle one. Open to harvest either side, catch-and-release for the two months between.
The dates
Open today by the rules below, worked out for 2026 rather than copied from a chart.
Statewide
From April 15 to June 15 bass is catch-and-release statewide. Either side of that you may keep five. Named Lunker Bass Lakes carry bigger minimums and smaller limits on top.
- Size
- 12 inches.
- Limit
- 5 a day, combined.
Read on 2026-09-14 from New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife. Legal dates were read on the agency’s own page on the date shown beside each entry. Seasons change: the agency link is always the last word.
Why New Jersey is different
January 1 to April 14 you may keep five bass of twelve inches. From April 15 to June 15 it is catch-and-release statewide, over the spawn. From June 16 the harvest season runs to the end of the year. Named Lunker Bass Lakes sit on top of that with bigger minimums and smaller limits, so the statewide rule is a floor rather than the whole answer.
What to actually do
The January-to-April harvest window is the unusual part: most northern states shut the cooler through the winter and New Jersey does not. If you are used to New York or Pennsylvania rules, you are allowed more here in February than you expect, and less in May.
The activity row in the calendar above is our own monthly curve for this species, and it is there to answer the question the dates cannot: whether the fish will be feeding when the season lets you fish. How largemouth bass behave through the year is a separate page, about the fish rather than the paperwork.
Where to fish it
We publish a daily report for 14 New Jersey waters, each with live flow or tide.
- Sandy Hook — Monmouth County
- Cape May — Cape May County
- Barnegat — Ocean County
- Round Valley Reservoir — Hunterdon County
- Lake Hopatcong — Morris County
- Manasquan Reservoir — Monmouth County
- Union Lake — Cumberland County
- Greenwood Lake — Passaic County
Questions
When is bass season open in New Jersey?
Harvest is open January 1 to April 14 and June 16 to December 31, with a 12-inch minimum and five fish a day. April 15 to June 15 is catch-and-release statewide.
Are there special bass lakes in New Jersey?
Yes. The Lunker Bass Lakes carry higher minimum lengths and lower daily limits than the statewide rule, so the water you are on can be stricter than the general regulation.
Checked by Pablo Ruiz Quintero. Dates move: tell us if this one has and the correction goes in the verification log with the date.