Located along the edge of Upper Bay in Jersey City, Liberty State Park is one of New Jersey’s most overlooked fishing sites. With a fishing pier within the park you can overlook the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the skyline of Manhattan, for a great view with some of the best fishing in New Jersey.
there are numerous parking lots making parking easily accessible, and paved walkways stretch throughout the park with plenty of trash cans to easily keep the area clean. There are constantly large schools of bait fish moving in and out of the area making the park a prime fishing spot for striped bass, bluefish, fluke, weakfish, porgies, and tautog. From the shore of the park there is a drop off leading into a channel where large fish will be.
Striped bass are the largest and most aggressive species along this particular stretch of the Hudson River, and they show up both in the spring and fall; but for dedicated anglers the bite almost never stops. Most of the time there are stripers chasing bait up along the shore, where sometimes there might be blues mixed up in a school. Stripers and blues will hit everything from metals to plugs and shads.
In the summer along the shore of the park you can find fluke along the entire stretch ready to ambush spearing killies and peanut bunker. Same with a few large weakfish as well. Gulp, spearing, and killies are all effective baits for both species. Porgies are also a great fish to catch at the park. In the late fall and start of winter blackfish are extremely plentiful. Along the south side of the park there are a few jetties which hold many tog. They can often be found there throughout the winter months as well.
Christian Rodriguez, the owner of Bayonne Bait and Tackle at 805 Broadway in Bayonne has fished the Jersey City area in and around Liberty State Park for his entire life, and has a solid understanding of these local waters. “Nighttime is the right time,” Rodriguez said, noting how the darker, cooler hours in-season often produce the most bites. Fishing during the day still provides many opportunities if you are unable to fish in the dark, but as Rodriguez noted “The park will typically close at around 8 or 9:30 pm”
“We’ve seen some giant weakfish and doormat fluke caught here, as well as giant tautog around 24 to 25 inches and 8 pounds,” Rodriguez said, adding that during the 2025 run there were several 50-inch and over stripers caught and released here. The best time of year to fish at Liberty State Park, Rodriguez noted, was during the spring and fall runs. “The spring and fall are always the best,” he said, while also noting how bluefish usually show up during the spring and fall as well.
“For blackfish, or tautog, I would highly recommend using green crabs and sand fleas,” said Rodriguez, recommending bunker, bloodworms and even minnows for the stripers. “When it comes to lures, plugs, shads, Happy Baits, and paddletails are great options for bass,” he said, noting how the key is matching the hatch. “Live peanut bunker are especially effective for weakfish,” he added, calling those livies “the best option.” When fluke season gets underway again, Rodriguez points out that peanut bunker, as well as killies, are effective, though weakfish are particularly attracted to live peanuts.
“Liberty State Park is a great place for the community, not just for fishing,” he said. “It has a lot of history, and there’s so much to do here. Whether you’re an angler or someone just looking to enjoy the views, it’s a spot for everyone.” He encourages anglers to reach out to Bayonne Bait and Tackle on Instagram. “We love seeing pictures from the community, it’s great to see people come together and share their experiences,” he added.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is currently making ongoing changes within the park which are expected to be completed within the next 10 years. Some of the renovations include the building of a community center as well as athletic fields in the vast central area of the park. Along the southern shore of the park the jetties will get a complete restoration, filling in much of the gaps to make the jetty easier to access and more fishable. Lastly, some of the pathways in the park will be getting repaved or repaired.
The park is public so you will not have to worry about admission although it is heavily monitored by New Jersey’s Fish and Wildlife they are always measuring and checking fish in compliance with the state’s fishing regulations, so be sure to get your saltwater registration updated for the new year at saltwaterregistry.nj.gov. The park is located at 1 Audrey Zapp Drive in Jersey City.
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