Fishing in North Jersey & Highlands

1. Round Valley Reservoir (Lake Trout, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Yellow Perch)

Round Valley Reservoir, Hunterdon County

Round Valley Reservoir is a 2,350-acre reservoir in Clinton offering New Jersey's only lake trout fishery with depths exceeding 180 feet, excellent coldwater fishing, and a state park with boat ramps and camping.

2. Wanaque Reservoir (Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Yellow Perch, Chain Pickerel)

Wanaque Reservoir, Passaic County

Wanaque Reservoir is a 1,500-acre reservoir in the Ramapo Mountains near Wanaque and Ringwood, offering excellent trout and bass fishing with public fishing access along the shoreline.

3. Greenwood Lake (Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Walleye, Yellow Perch, Crappie, Chain Pickerel)

Greenwood Lake, Passaic County

Greenwood Lake is a 1,920-acre lake straddling the New Jersey-New York border, offering excellent bass and walleye fishing with full-service marinas, public boat launches, and ice fishing.

4. Lake Hopatcong (Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout, Bluegill)

Lake Hopatcong, Sussex County

Lake Hopatcong is New Jersey's largest lake at 2,600 acres, offering excellent bass and walleye fishing with 41 miles of shoreline, multiple marinas, public beaches, and active ice fishing in winter.

5. Monksville Reservoir (Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Yellow Perch, Walleye)

Monksville Reservoir, Passaic County

Monksville Reservoir is a 505-acre reservoir in Ringwood State Park offering excellent trout fishing in the Ramapo Mountains with a historic stone bridge and park facilities.

6. Shepherd Lake (Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Largemouth Bass, Chain Pickerel, Bluegill, Yellow Perch)

Shepherd Lake, Passaic County

Shepherd Lake in Ringwood State Park offers good trout and bass fishing in a 110-acre lake surrounded by the Ramapo Mountains.

7. Swartswood Lake (Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie, Bluegill, Yellow Perch)

Swartswood Lake, Sussex County

Swartswood Lake is a 530-acre lake in Swartswood State Park offering excellent warmwater fishing for bass, walleye, and northern pike in northwestern New Jersey.

8. Cranberry Lake (Rainbow Trout, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Chain Pickerel)

Cranberry Lake, Sussex County

Cranberry Lake is a 270-acre lake in Byram Township offering good trout and bass fishing with a public boat launch.

9. Lake Aeroflex (Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Chain Pickerel)

Lake Aeroflex, Sussex County

Lake Aeroflex is a 125-acre lake in Kittatinny Valley State Park offering good trout fishing in a scenic Kittatinny Ridge setting.

10. Lake Musconetcong (Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Channel Catfish, Bluegill, Chain Pickerel)

Lake Musconetcong, Sussex County

Lake Musconetcong is a 270-acre lake in Stanhope offering good warmwater fishing with public access near the Sussex-Morris county line.

11. Spruce Run Reservoir (Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Channel Catfish, Crappie, Bluegill, Rainbow Trout)

Spruce Run Reservoir, Hunterdon County

Spruce Run Reservoir is a 1,290-acre reservoir in Clinton offering excellent warmwater fishing with a state park, campground, and miles of shoreline fishing access.

12. Merrill Creek Reservoir (Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Striped Bass, Channel Catfish)

Merrill Creek Reservoir, Warren County

Merrill Creek Reservoir is a 650-acre deepwater reservoir offering excellent coldwater and warmwater fishing with 5 miles of fishing trails and an environmental center.

13. Pequest River (Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Fallfish)

Pequest River, Sussex/Warren counties

The Pequest River is a premier trout stream in northwestern New Jersey, flowing 23 miles through the Kittatinny Valley with the state's trout hatchery and extensive public fishing access.

14. Paulins Kill River (Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Chain Pickerel)

Paulins Kill River, Sussex/Warren counties

The Paulins Kill River flows 41 miles through the Kittatinny Valley offering excellent trout fishing and smallmouth bass fishing with multiple wildlife management area access points.

15. Musconetcong River (Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Fallfish)

Musconetcong River, Hunterdon/Warren counties

The Musconetcong River is a 45-mile National Wild and Scenic River offering excellent trout and smallmouth bass fishing with numerous public access points and a riverside trail.

16. Flat Brook (Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout)

Flat Brook, Sussex County

Flat Brook is a premier wild trout stream in Stokes State Forest offering excellent brook trout fishing in the scenic Kittatinny Ridge.

17. Big Flat Brook (Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout)

Big Flat Brook, Sussex County

Big Flat Brook offers excellent trout fishing in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area with walk-in access through forested terrain.

18. Little Flat Brook (Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout)

Little Flat Brook, Sussex County

Little Flat Brook offers wild brook trout fishing in the remote sections of Stokes State Forest.

19. Wanaque River (Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, Smallmouth Bass)

Wanaque River, Passaic County

The Wanaque River flows from the Wanaque Reservoir through the Ramapo Mountains offering good trout fishing in a scenic highlands setting.

20. Ramapo River (Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Fallfish)

Ramapo River, Bergen/Passaic counties

The Ramapo River flows through the Ramapo Mountains to the Pompton River, offering good trout fishing near the New York border.

21. Mahwah River (Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, Smallmouth Bass)

Mahwah River, Bergen County

The Mahwah River offers good trout fishing in the Ramapo Mountains near the New York border in Bergen County.

22. Pequannock River (Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, Smallmouth Bass)

Pequannock River, Passaic County

The Pequannock River is a high-quality trout stream in the Newark watershed with regulated access and excellent wild trout populations.

23. Rockaway River (Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Fallfish, Chain Pickerel)

Rockaway River, Morris County

The Rockaway River flows through Boonton and Dover offering good trout fishing with urban and suburban access points.

24. Whippany River (Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Chain Pickerel)

Whippany River, Morris County

The Whippany River offers good trout and bass fishing in the Morristown area of Morris County.

25. Passaic River (Upper) (Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Fallfish)

Passaic River, Morris County

The upper Passaic River offers good trout fishing above the Great Swamp in Morris County with public access at multiple parks.

26. Wallkill River (Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye, Channel Catfish, Crappie)

Wallkill River, Sussex County

The Wallkill River flows through the Sussex County farming valley offering good warmwater fishing for bass and northern pike.

27. Lake Mohawk (Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, Bluegill, Rainbow Trout)

Lake Mohawk, Sussex County

Lake Mohawk is a 650-acre man-made lake in Sparta offering good warmwater fishing with a private lake community and public access areas.

28. Pompton Lake (Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Channel Catfish, Bluegill, Yellow Perch, Chain Pickerel)

Pompton Lake, Passaic County

Pompton Lake is a 275-acre lake at the confluence of the Ramapo and Pequannock Rivers offering good warmwater fishing.

29. Echo Lake (Sussex Co.) (Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Largemouth Bass, Chain Pickerel)

Echo Lake, Sussex County

Echo Lake in Frankford Township offers good trout fishing in a small lake setting in Sussex County.

30. Glenwood Lake (Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Largemouth Bass, Chain Pickerel)

Glenwood Lake, Sussex County

Glenwood Lake in Vernon offers good trout fishing near the New York border in Sussex County.

31. Lake Wapalanne (Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Largemouth Bass)

Lake Wapalanne, Sussex County

Lake Wapalanne in Stokes State Forest offers good trout fishing in a 40-acre natural lake surrounded by forest.

32. Sandy Brook (Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout)

Sandy Brook, Sussex County

Sandy Brook offers good wild brook trout fishing in the Stokes State Forest area.

33. Crisman Brook (Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout)

Crisman Brook, Sussex County

Crisman Brook offers good brook trout fishing in the Kittatinny Ridge area of Sussex County.

34. Lubbers Run (Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout)

Lubbers Run, Sussex County

Lubbers Run offers good brook trout fishing in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

35. Dunnfield Creek (Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout)

Dunnfield Creek, Warren County

Dunnfield Creek offers excellent native brook trout fishing in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area with a popular hiking trail.

36. Rattlesnake Creek (Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout)

Rattlesnake Creek, Sussex County

Rattlesnake Creek offers good wild brook trout fishing in the Stokes State Forest wilderness.

37. Yard Creek (Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout)

Yard Creek, Sussex County

Yard Creek offers good trout fishing in the Wallkill River watershed near Sparta.

38. Hances Brook (Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout)

Hances Brook, Sussex County

Hances Brook offers good native brook trout fishing in the remote sections of Kittatinny Ridge.

39. Pochuck Creek (Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Smallmouth Bass)

Pochuck Creek, Sussex County

Pochuck Creek offers good trout and bass fishing in the Wallkill River watershed near Vernon.

40. Neldon Lake (Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Largemouth Bass, Chain Pickerel)

Neldon Lake, Sussex County

Neldon Lake in Fredon offers good trout and bass fishing in a small lake in the Kittatinny Valley.