Newark Bay fishing

[hudsonfisherman]

Does anyone have any experience/advice fishing from shore at the top end of Newark bay in Kearny where it splits to the Passaic and Hackensack rivers ? I have access to the water (with permission) in a couple spots around there this weekend. Someone who has fished one of the spots told me that low tide is the best time. That didn't seem right to me, any thoughts ?
A second related question - does anyone have any experience/advice fishing from Laurel Park in secaucus. Its in the same general area but up the Hackensack a bit. Thanks

[birddog]

watch out for the used syringes at the ramp at laurel hill!

[Capt. Debbie]

Never fished there, but worked at the two PS power plants on each river- Newark & Kearny,

The shorelines are HEAVILY SILTED in. Visit at low tide with a strong off the shore wind from west or south into the KVK and you'll see black dirt for over a hundred feet out from the bulkhead.

Laurel Hill park in Secaucus on the Hackensack in largely white carp land. I've seen buckets of that, not stripers off their floating docks next to the public ramp.

[hudsonfisherman]

Ha, thanks that's a good bit of advice ! I saw that Laurel Hill park is open till 10pm and I wondered what kind crowd is down there after dark if there's no little league game or something going on.
I saw bunker schools bustin up there last year at this time when my wife had surgery at a robotic surgery equipped hospital down there right on the Hackensack. I stayed 2 nights at the red roof inn and there was certainly an interesting crowd there !

[hudsonfisherman]

thanks capt Frank, good info appreciate it

[AndyS]

I think that whole area is a tough nut to crack, access being the key. I have seen people fishing behind Jersey Gardens Mall, I used to work in Elizabeth. I guess if you can access anything throw plugs at night would be the best. I have seen White Perch caught a Laurel Park, I worked in Secaucus also.

[akoop]

I saw this video from Mike Iaconelli a while back that made me think about taking my kayak out there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gvEUBON2SI

[hudsonfisherman]

thanks Akoop for posting that link to Mike Iaconelli's video. THats what I'm talking about !

[shrimpman steve]

Fun video to watch. Thanks for posting

[Fun King]

Yesterday I did not have an answer. Today I can say that the Hackie is chock full of stripers, right now. We launched from Laurel Park.

[hartattack]

Just don't eat them, Hackie to be added to SuperFund:
https://www.nj.com/hudson/2022/03/lower-hackensack-river-to-be-added-to-list-of-epa-superfund-sites.html

[Capt. Debbie]

I've never seen one striper honestly in the Hack north of JC.

I fished off Hudson Gen Station cooling water discharge canal when it was running years back in a boat launched from Laurel Park. The FF marked NOTHING. Waste of time and sand worms.

Maybe now it's different? The plant is gone now.


Yesterday I did not have an answer. Today I can say that the Hackie is chock full of stripers, right now. We launched from Laurel Park.

[bulletbob]

I've never seen one striper honestly in the Hack north of JC.

I fished off Hudson Gen Station cooling water discharge canal when it was running years back in a boat launched from Laurel Park. The FF marked NOTHING. Waste of time and sand worms.

Maybe now it's different? The plant is gone now.

They are there now, lots of them.. Not many big ones, and at times they are nowhere to be found, or its all eels and killies.. lots of White Perch as well. Crabs too. A lot depends on rainfall in the lower Hacky.. At times you will find sunnies, carp, bullheads, maybe even a stray LMB in the Secaucus/E Ruth/Lyndhurst area.. Other times, you might see more salt water stuff, like snapper blues, spearing,even an oyster cracker, spot, or something like that.. We even found a ling or ling type type fish up there years ago.. I have heard reports of tiny weakfish in the lower hacky one time as well, but cannot verify that.. Its a shame they destroyed that river well over a century ago.. Historically there were American Shad, Sturgeon and who knows what else... Today, besides the Stripers and white perch, the river is loaded down with killies, eels, and a ton of BIG blueclaws that don't get much pressure as most people won't eat them.... bob

[bulletbob]

https://meri.njmeadowlands.gov/scientific/fisheries/Executive_Summary.pdf

There are Tomcod, Weaks, Blues, and others according to this survey, as well as winter flounder and Shad.. Not in catchable numbers maybe, but bio surveys have found them in there... Keep in mind as well,, these studies were done in the late 80's.. There is a LOT more life in there today than there was 30 years ago... bob





Staff View
Description
TitleFishes of the Lower Hackensack River
PublisherChemistry Department, Farleigh Dickinson University
NameBragin, Brett A.
Date Created1988
Subjectenvironmental data, fish, fisheries, habitats, threatened species, water, water resources, wetlands, striped bass, Atlantic menhaden, weakfish, winter flounder, alewife, blueback herring, tomcod, American shad, hydrology, Hackensack River, Newark Bay, Bergen County
Extent10 p., map, graphs
DescriptionThe Hackensack River and its associated wetlands have been greatly impacted by man. Construction of a dam at Oradell has greatly altered the original river hydrology, and consequently it no longer functions as a "normal" estuarine river. It is now essentially a canal, open fully only at the end adjacent to Newark Bay. Although the river is not fishable due to restrictions imposed by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, this estuary is a refuge and nursery area for several important commercial and recreational species, such as striped bass, Atlantic menhaden, weakfish, winter flounder, alewife, and blueback herring, and for two species listed threatened by the State of New Jersey, the Atlantic tomcod and American shad. Contrary to the misconceptions that the Hackensack River is "dead," the data shows that the river is very much alive and supports moderately diverse fish and invertebrate communities.
NoteProceedings of the Second Annual Hackensack River Symposium, 1988, sponsored by the Chemistry Department of Farleigh Dickinson University. This document was obtained from the Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute (MERI) through the Center for Information Management, Integration and Connectivity (CIMIC) at Rutgers University, Newark. Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute, Rutgers/CIMIC, 180 University Avenue, Room 202, Newark, New Jersey 07102. meri@cimic.rutgers.edu http://cimic.rutgers.edu
NotePurpose: To improve the fishery resource knowledge of the Hackensack River Estuary.

[hudsonfisherman]

On Saturday I did a recon mission by car hitting a couple of shore fishing spots that I've been told about around the top of Newark bay up the Passaic a little and up the Hackensack a little. Water access from shore all around there is sparse and mostly behind gated industrial areas or county parks. Laurel park in Secaucus seems to be a good bet unless you can get into one of the industrial facilities yards. I got to Laurel park around 2:30 with the outgoing running pretty strong and a couple of guys from Vernon were just loading there boat back on the trailer. It was a shallow v with a 25hp on it and seemed just right for working the waters around there. The launch at Laurel is real nice. There is also a decent fishing pier, dog park, ballfields etc. They got two stripers and one was keeper size and Mark the boat owner was most excited that his partner caught his first ever striper and it was keeper size. I also know someone that had legitimate access near the back side of the NJT yard on the passaic river and they caught a couple there last week too. Its a very interesting area and there are definitely stripers there, now. A lot of oyster shells along the shore too so maybe it will continue to get better as the years go on.

[bulletbob]

All you need to fish those rivers is a 14 footer with a 9.9 or maybe a 15... as you found, shore access is limited, and a boat is a much better option if you have one... If you launch at Secaucus, you are in a good area for Stripers and White Perch... Some guys do eat those fish... Personally, I don't think I would ... bob

[Capt. Debbie]

That water is decently deep. 20-25 feet in some spots. They ran oil barges up there into Ridgefield Park PSE&G plant

If you want to cover a lot of ground a 9.9 hp is kind of puny. The current there is substantial. Not crazy fast. But not negligible.

The tidal drop there at the train bridges Upper Hack & Jackknife are about 6 feet at Berry's Creek near Rte 3

[FishnChips]

the hacky has lots stripers in there used to fish this river alot years back reguarly caught fish up n down river from seacaucus to maywood bridges held biggest at times but the flats were good also around creek mouths. shads in 4or 5 inches work the bets. outgoing tides best bet

[june181901]

When you start mentioning the Passaic River do not forget that Diamond Shamrock manufactured and dumped Agent Orange on and into that river in Newark! It will be another century before it is cleaned out! Please don't even think about eating anything from there.

[Gumada]

https://www.thirteen.org/metrofocus/2011/11/four-toxic-rivers-a-super-sad-true-superfund-story/

[Chrisper4694]

When you start mentioning the Passaic River do not forget that Diamond Shamrock manufactured and dumped Agent Orange on and into that river in Newark! It will be another century before it is cleaned out! Please don't even think about eating anything from there.

on top of that, think about it... any striper or other species caught out in the bay could easily have spent weeks or months eating clams, crabs, etc. in this area before someone catches it and thinks it's safe to eat in the bay or other spot haha

[june181901]

On the west side of Bayonne which is on Newark Bay the DEP has posted signs in 4 maybe 5 languages warning people about consuming anything taken from those waters.

[Chrisper4694]

On the west side of Bayonne which is on Newark Bay the DEP has posted signs in 4 maybe 5 languages warning people about consuming anything taken from those waters.

so if we aren't supposed to be eating anything from 'those waters' how is it assumed safe to eat the fish nearby in raritan bay that have likely been feasting on the contaminated species for weeks or months? doesn't really make sense imo...

[tjd24]

Why not read the NJDEP's Guide to "Health Advisories for Eating Fish and Crabs in NJ Waters" and make your own decision about consumption of fish in NJ. It covers freshwater and saltwater species in all NJ waters. In addition, there are suggestions about proper fish cleaning/preparation to reduce the exposure to contaminants.

Personally, I release most stripers & all bluefish over 5lbs and advise people fishing with me about consumption restrictions.

[hudsonfisherman]

This has turned into an interesting thread. I'm getting my old runabout ready now to fish those waters. Speaking of the Passaic, I grew up very close to Little Falls and our summer playground was fishing in the waters just below the dam at Little Falls and the Beatty rugs plant (factory now converted to condos). Our standard rig was a 2-3 oz sinker any hook we could get and a big wad of pastry dough kneaded with cotton at the end of my dads bluefish pole or whatever. We caught lots of big carp and sometimes they were yellow, or green or red, depending on what color dye they were using at the rug plant. They dumped directly into the Passaic from under the building below the falls and we used to swim in the colored water, because we were kids and stupid and it was fun ! I even remember an odd smell to the water from time to time that stuck in my memory and it was later in life that I visited a plant that made phenolic resins and recognized that distinctive Phenol odor. Well I'm 68 and I'm still here. If I fish the Newark bay its going to be catch and release. I don't have any issue eating Fluke or the smallest fall striper I can keep from the NY/NJ raritan bay area but I'm leary of anything that spends a lot of time further up the rivers for a few more decades. Makes me wonder what we are doing now that we think is ok to the environment but is going to be poisoning our grandkids when we're gone ?

[strip bait]

Don't forget , these are all highly migratory fish species. These same fish are being caught along your oceans . Where do these rivers flow?? That's right out to the bays. Where do these fish run? Where are they caught? Thats right , on your party boats and docks from New England to the Chesapeake and anywhere in between!! If it's got gills kill it!! Medical!