Hackensack River
Fishing, stocking, and current conditions
Rainbow trout water, stocked 4 times in 2026, spread April to May; 1,120 fish reported. A USGS gauge reports from this water, so the conditions card on this page is live.
New Jersey · see it on the national map
Water temp 62 °F at Newark Bay at PVSC at Newark NJ, 1 km away USGS site 01392650 · read 8:55 pm this evening
The year here
stocked last 7 days announced ahead · tap a tick for details
What swims here
Rainbow trout
Stocking record 2026
Agency feed checked today.
| Date | Species | Size | Fish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 20 | Rainbow trout | catchable | 280 | completed |
| Apr 29 | Rainbow trout | catchable | 280 | completed |
| May 4 | Rainbow trout | catchable | 280 | completed |
| May 13 | Rainbow trout | catchable | 280 | completed |
When to fish Hackensack River
| Major periods (~2 h) | Minor periods (~1 h) | |
|---|---|---|
| Today | 9:32-11:32 am and 9:55-11:55 pm | 3:49-4:49 am and 4:05-5:05 pm |
| Tomorrow | 10:18 am-12:18 pm and 10:42 pm-12:42 am | 4:57-5:57 am and 4:28-5:28 pm |
Moon: waxing gibbous, 92% lit. These are solunar periods, the traditional feeding-time theory: majors around the moon's transit overhead and underfoot, minors around moonrise and moonset. Theory, not a measurement. Times are Eastern Time (EDT).
What the record actually says
- Last stocked May 13
- Water 62 °F at a gauge 1 km away, prime coldwater range
- Flow 358% of the seasonal median
Computed this evening, Oct 23 · New Jersey fishing forecast
Gear for this water
It has been a while since the trucks came. The holdovers have spread out and wised up; downsize and fish natural.
For the trout (rainbow trout stocked 4 times here in 2026, moving water)
| Drifted bait | single salmon egg or half a crawler under light split shot, rolled along the bottom |
| Small jerkbaits | floating minnows in the 2 to 3 inch class for the deeper bends |
| Waders or wet-wading boots | stocked stream fish stack in the obvious pools; getting to the next one is the edge |
Suggestions follow from what the state actually stocks here and what kind of water it is, nothing else. No sponsored placements.
Nearby stocked waters
The closest waters with stocking pages of their own, straight-line miles from this one.
| Water | Distance | Most recent |
|---|---|---|
| Pascack Creek | 1.9 mi | May 13 |
| Wood Dale County Park Pond | 2.4 mi | Oct 21 |
| Tienekill Creek | 3.7 mi | May 4 |
| Saddle River (above Allendale Rd.) | 5.4 mi | May 21 |
| Hohokus Brook | 6.9 mi | May 14 |
Follow New Jersey stocking: RSS / Calendar (iCal) / Print the schedule