Share your catch

Raritan River Fishing Report

Updated Mon, Sep 14, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

New Jersey’s central river: the Raritan runs smallmouth, trout and a restored shad run.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
1,590 cfs
Air / High
71 / 72 F
Wind
NNW 11 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01403060, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Monday
14
September 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.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Raritan River offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. The river is running 1,590 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind NNW around 11 mph, rising pressure near 1019 hPa and a high of 72. Water sits around 73 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing crescent, the solunar majors run 1:11 AM-3:11 AM and 1:11 PM-3:11 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

MuskellungeExcellent

Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

WalleyeGood

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

Tomorrow: Similar at 71 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Tue, Sep 15, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Raritan River below Calco Dam at Bound Brook NJ.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01403060.

5741,3652,1551,590 cfs08/1508/2509/0409/14

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp71 F
High / Low72 / 58 F
WindNNW 11-16 mph
Pressure1018.7 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 2%
Sunrise / Sunset06:38 / 19:08
MoonWaxing Crescent, 8%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Mon Sep 14 · Overcast, 72/58 F, wind 12 mph, rain 2%

Fair or better. A 12 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

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

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Best: Sep-Nov

The fish of ten thousand casts. Weed edges, rock bars and big-water structure. Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

When to come: the Raritan River 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
Smallmouth bass
Walleye
Muskellunge
Catfish (blue, channel)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 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 Raritan River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Sun, Sep 13

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 81 F, wind to 6 mph.

Sat, Sep 12

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 81 F, wind to 8 mph.

Fri, Sep 11

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 80 F, wind to 9 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

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

New Jersey license plus trout stamp for trout. Consumption advisories apply on parts of the river: check current NJDEP guidance and shad regulations.

Access

County and state parks along the corridor, Ken Lockwood Gorge on the South Branch, and access at Bound Brook and New Brunswick.

About this water

A central New Jersey river from Branchburg to Raritan Bay, Somerset and Middlesex counties.

Fishing Raritan River: the full guide

A river across central New Jersey

The Raritan River forms where its North and South branches meet near Branchburg and runs east to Raritan Bay at Perth Amboy. It holds smallmouth bass through the middle reaches, stocked trout in the branches and upper river, channel catfish, carp and panfish, plus a restored American shad and river herring run following dam removals along the corridor.

Smallmouth in the main stem

The middle river runs over ledges, riffles and gravel bars that hold smallmouth, taken on tubes, small crankbaits, hair jigs and topwater through the warm months. Wading is straightforward in normal flows, and kayak floats cover more water. Fish average creek size with better fish in the deeper pools and below the old dam sites.

Trout and the shad run

The North and South branches hold stocked trout through the cooler months, with the South Branch through Ken Lockwood Gorge a well-known reach. American shad run in spring following the removal of barriers, drawing anglers to the lower river, and river herring have returned to reaches they had been cut off from for two centuries.

Somerset and Middlesex county logistics

Access is via county and state parks along the corridor, the Ken Lockwood Gorge on the South Branch, and public points through Bound Brook and New Brunswick. Central New Jersey surrounds it with services. Urban reaches carry consumption advisories: check current guidance before keeping fish.

Common questions

Is there a shad run?

Yes: dam removals have restored American shad and river herring runs to reaches cut off for two centuries.

Where is the trout water?

The North and South branches, with Ken Lockwood Gorge on the South Branch the best-known reach.

Can I eat the fish?

Consumption advisories apply on parts of the river: check current NJDEP guidance first.

Is fishing good at Raritan River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Round Valley Reservoir16 miRaritan Bay18 miSpruce Run Reservoir21 miLake Hopatcong28 miSandy Hook29 miMusconetcong River29 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 01403060 — Raritan River below Calco Dam at Bound Brook NJ
Read from waterservices.usgs.gov/nwis/iv. Latest value timestamped 2026-09-14 at 12:15 station time.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 40.5511, -74.5483 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.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
Written and reviewed by a person against the sources above. Errors are published in the verification log, not quietly corrected.

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.

Share your catch