Taking Kids Fishing In New Jersey

Ideas and locations to take kids fishing in NJ.

Kids Fishing Video
Kids Fishing Locations
Top Tips For Kids Fishing
New Jersey Kids Fishing Pictures

New Jersey provides numerous opportunities for kids to get involved in fishing and enjoy the thrill of catching fish. Gather the basics about taking kids fishing, urban fishing locations.

Kids Fishing Video

Popular fish species for kids fishing in New Jersey are sunfish, bluegill and pumpkinseed. They can be found in many ponds, lakes, and slow-moving rivers across the state. These colorful fish are known for their willingness to bite and provide an excellent introduction to fishing for children.

Places in New Jersey to take kids fishing

Consider these small lakes, ponds, creeks and urban fishing locations as places to take a kid fishing in the Garden State.

Boonton
- Jersey City Reservoir

Edison
- Donaldson Park
- Cheesequake State Park
- Lake Roosevelt Park
- Spring Lake Park

Greenwich
- Merrill Creek Reservoir

Harrington Park
- Oradell Reservoir
- Overpeck Creek County Park

Hawthorne
- Goffle Brook Park
- Point View Reservoir

Lakewood
- Lake Shenandoah Park
- Ocean County Park

Millville
- Union Lake Park

Newark
- Grover Cleveland Park
- Irvington Park
- Orange Park
- Verona Park
- Weequahic Park

Oak Ridge
- Oak Ridge Reservoir

Trenton
- Mercer County Park
- Whitehead Pond

Top 3 tips for taking kids fishing in NJ

1. Make sure that the goal is to have fun. Catching fish is a bonus.

2. Keep it simple. Simple tackle, techniques and locations.

3. Keep the focus on the kids. Be a hero by helping them enjoy the day.

Click here for additional tips to create a successful day of fishing for kids.

Youngsters with their prized catch

James and Chuck Elmendorf went fishing Memorial Day morning in a Medford lake and caught what may be a new state record White Catfish, estimated to weigh over 16 lbs. The boys are skilled catch and release anglers and were committed to making sure the fish lived, so it was not killed simply to get an official weight.

This was a true team effort. The fish was hooked by Chuck (12 yrs old) who fought the fish while younger brother James went home to retrieve a large fish net from his garage. When he returned, unable to locate the net, Chuck handed the rod over to his little brother who skillfully fought the monster ("Big Bertha" they later named her) on 6 lb. monofilament for over 10 minutes until the net arrived. The catch has been entered into the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife Skillful Angler Awards Program.

Stephanie Connell with her catch held by Uncle Dennis.

We were fishing in a secret location and i was using a 2' ice rod and i saw a fat fish swim to the top of the surface and I told my uncle and stopped reeling in the line so i can try to catch it and he kept saying that it was the lure skimming the surface of the water. I was trying to explain to him that the thing i saw was too big to be my lure and that it had to be a fish. He kept telling me that it wasn't a fish and since i stopped really in the line, i felt a hard tug on my pole and I started pulling and reeling in the line. I got the fish up to the edge of the water, but it let go and got away. I wasn't able to catch it because his lip was too tough for the tiny hook and it didn't go through. After it got away I was disappointed because I been fishing for 2 days in a row and hadn't caught a single fish. I told my uncle that I was going to keep trying to catch it. Than about 20 minutes later, my uncle Dennis started fishing and he got a bite. When the fish got to shore, we found out that it was the same fish that took my bait. When my uncle pulled it out of water, the fish snapped his pole in half. He was a Chain Pickerel and was about 27" and weighed about 5 pounds. I named the fish Big Mac because of a story i had read that day about a huge fish that was hard to catch and broke a lot of peoples poles. We got a lot of photos of the fish and then we let it go. We all believe in catch and release fishing. My uncle tells everyone that I caught the fish because I caught it but it got away but I give him most of the credit because he re-caught it and reeled him in. Enjoy our picture of our fish, Big Mac.

10-year old, Sean Dugan with a very nice, New Jersey largemouth bass!

Kids, fishing and smiles naturally go together. Take a kid fishing and you just might change the course of their life. Then take pictures and send us one of them holding their prized catch. We will happily post it here.