Raritan River
Fishing, stocking, and current conditions
Stocked April to May in 2026: rainbow trout, 4 plants in all. 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 60 °F at Arthur Kill at Perth Amboy NJ, 1 km away USGS site 01396060 · read 9:01 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 22 | Rainbow trout | catchable | 520 | completed |
| Apr 29 | Rainbow trout | catchable | 520 | completed |
| May 6 | Rainbow trout | catchable | 520 | completed |
| May 13 | Rainbow trout | catchable | 520 | completed |
When to fish Raritan River
| Major periods (~2 h) | Minor periods (~1 h) | |
|---|---|---|
| Today | 9:35-11:35 am and 9:58-11:58 pm | 3:51-4:51 am and 4:08-5:08 pm |
| Tomorrow | 10:21 am-12:21 pm and 10:45 pm-12:45 am | 5:00-6:00 am and 4:32-5:32 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 60 °F at a gauge 1 km away, prime coldwater range
- Flow near normal for the season
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Raritan River N/B | 4.3 mi | Oct 13 |
| Lamington River | 5.9 mi | Oct 16 |
| Rockaway Creek | 6.6 mi | May 13 |
| Middle Brook | 7.5 mi | May 7 |
| Round Valley Reservoir | 10 mi | Apr 15 |
Follow New Jersey stocking: RSS / Calendar (iCal) / Print the schedule