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Manasquan Reservoir Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Manasquan Reservoir in Monmouth County: a 770-acre water-supply lake open for fishing all year, stocked with hybrid striped bass, electric motors only.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
34 cfs
Air / High
59 / 59 F
Wind
NE 8 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01408000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Manasquan Reservoir sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. The nearest gauge is running 34 cfs, falling. Today brings clear skies, wind NE around 8 mph, steady pressure near 1027 hPa and a high of 59. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:30 AM-11:30 AM and 9:59 PM-11:59 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Striped bassExcellent

Use electronics to find shad schools in open water, and watch for birds working over bait.

MuskellungeExcellent

Main open-water season: cast or troll large bucktails, spoons and plugs along weed edges and other cover where muskies wait in ambush.

Largemouth bassGood

The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

Smallmouth bassGood

Post-spawn and summer feeding: cover rock, wood and current breaks with crankbaits, jigs and tubes, and use live crayfish, minnows or hellgrammites where bait is the plan.

Hybrid striped bassFair

Look for shad on flats with timber near creek channels and on windblown points; cast jigs and swimbaits where fish break the surface.

Tomorrow: Similar at 60 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Manasquan River at Squankum.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01408000.

16342668934 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 95 years of October 23

At 34 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 01408000 (Manasquan River at Squankum) is at the 43rd percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 95 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 37 cfs; the highest was 283 cfs and the lowest 16 cfs.

p10 22median 37p90 86

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 01408000; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp59 F
High / Low59 / 42 F
WindNE 8-12 mph
Pressure1027.4 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:16 / 18:05
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~74 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Manasquan Reservoir this week

The best day on Manasquan Reservoir this week looks like Sunday Oct 25, at 5 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Sunday, Oct 25 — excellent at 5/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 — Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:30 AM-11:30 AM and 9:59 PM-11:59 PM
Minor period
3:52 AM-4:52 AM
Sun
07:16 to 18:05
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Partly cloudy, 14 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Manasquan Reservoir: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Post-spawn and summer feeding: cover rock, wood and current breaks with crankbaits, jigs and tubes, and use live crayfish, minnows or hellgrammites where bait is the plan.

Hybrid striped bass illustration

Hybrid striped bass

Best: the spring shad spawn and fall; summer at dawn and dusk

A hatchery cross of striped bass and white bass, also called wiper or palmetto bass, stocked by state agencies into reservoirs and rivers as a sport fish that also eats gizzard shad. Schools roam open water after shad. Look for shad on flats with timber near creek channels and on windblown points; cast jigs and swimbaits where fish break the surface.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall inland; on the coast, during the seasonal migrations

The largest of the temperate basses, a sea-run fish of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that now also lives in reservoirs across much of the country after hatchery stocking. Inland, it follows schools of shad and herring through open water. Use electronics to find shad schools in open water, and watch for birds working over bait.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Fished from late spring into late fall where seasons allow

Muskellunge are solitary, fish-eating ambush predators of the pike family, holding in weed beds and other cover in lakes and rivers of the Great Lakes, upper Mississippi and Ohio basins. Main open-water season: cast or troll large bucktails, spoons and plugs along weed edges and other cover where muskies wait in ambush.

When to come: the Manasquan Reservoir calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Smallmouth bass
Hybrid striped bass
Striped bass
Muskellunge
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 74 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Manasquan Reservoir today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 68 F, wind to 13 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Largemouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 63 F, wind to 13 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 68 F, wind to 15 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

New Jersey requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

A New Jersey fishing license is required from age 16; licenses are not sold at the reservoir. Limits for bass and hybrid striped bass: see New Jersey's 2026 freshwater size, season and creel limits. Electric motors only.

Access

Launch from the east ramp at the Visitor Center, March 1–Nov. 30: $7 a day or $50 for the season (Monmouth County Park System). Rowboats, electric rowboats and kayaks can be rented at the Visitor Center bait shop from spring to Oct. 31. Swimming is not allowed.

About this water

A 770-acre water-supply reservoir fed from the Manasquan River, in a 1,381-acre Monmouth County park in southern Monmouth County, New Jersey.

Fishing Manasquan Reservoir: the full guide

A county park around a water-supply reservoir

The Monmouth County Park System describes the Manasquan Reservoir as a 770-acre reservoir inside a 1,381-acre site of woods and wetlands with a 5-mile perimeter trail, and its most visited park, with over a million visitors a year. Water from the Manasquan River enters and leaves through the intake tower at the main dam; the reservoir holds 4 billion gallons, reaches 40 feet at its deepest and can supply up to 30 million gallons a day.

Fish and stocking

The park says the reservoir is open for fishing all year and is stocked with largemouth and smallmouth bass, hybrid striped bass, tiger muskie, bullhead catfish and panfish. New Jersey Fish and Wildlife's hatchery report lists 4,124 four-inch hybrid striped bass stocked in Manasquan Reservoir in its 2025 production.

Boating

Only boats with electric motors, sailboats, kayaks and canoes at least 8 feet long are allowed, and everyone on the water must wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket. All boats launch from the east ramp at the Visitor Center, open March 1 to Nov. 30. Running an electric motorboat requires a New Jersey boating safety certificate.

Common questions

Can I use a gas motor?

No. Only boats with electric motors, sailboats, kayaks and canoes (8 feet or longer) are allowed.

Is the reservoir stocked?

Yes. The park lists bass, hybrid striped bass, tiger muskie, bullhead and panfish, and New Jersey stocked 4,124 hybrid stripers there in 2025.

How much does it cost to launch?

$7 a day or $50 a season, from the Visitor Center's east ramp, March 1 to Nov. 30.

Is fishing good at Manasquan Reservoir right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Toms River13 miRaritan Bay20 miSandy Hook23 miBarnegat29 miRaritan River32 miRound Valley Reservoir45 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 01408000 — Manasquan River at Squankum
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 17:30 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 40.1770, -74.2060 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 6, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 6, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.