After a long, drawn out battle – one that included a lapse in federal bookkeeping in the U.S. Department of Commerce that nearly upended the entire increase in recreational harvest this season – New Jersey’s black sea bass fishery will reopen again this Friday, May 15th.
The first part of the season will run through June 21 with a 10 fish bag limit and 12-1/2-inch minimum size. Starting June 22 and running all the way through September 22 the bag limit will drop to just one fish, with the 10 fish bag returning September 23 and running through October 31. From November 1 through December 31, it’s a 15 fish bag limit. The size limit throughout the entire New Jersey black sea bass season is 12-1/2 inches.
In Delaware marine waters, the 2026 black sea bass fishery officially opened on May 1 and will continue all the way through December 31 with a 12-1/2-inch minimum size limit and 15 fish bag for the entire year.
If you’re fishing in New York waters, the regulations are also expected to change this week, although Empire State officials have yet to make the change official (as of May 1). It’s expected that New York waters will reopen on Saturday, May 16 for black sea bass, with a three fish bag limit and 16-inch size and three-fish bag limit. The season is expected to reopen on September 1 with the same size limit and a six-fish bag limit in place through December 31.
For any regulatory updates and recommendations for the weekend ahead be sure to check out weekly video fishing forecasts this Thursday on our YouTube page at www.youtube.com/@thefishermanmagazine.
