Are you dreading this winter because you’re out of ideas of things to do in New Jersey with kids? We’ve got an exciting, unique idea that we bet you’ve never tried before. If you’ve never thought of ice fishing, ice fishing in New Jersey could be exactly what you and the family need to make the cold days of winter as fun as possible!
Ice fishing is an excellent activity for the whole family to take part in together. If your kids have never tried it before, it can be just as fun teaching them as leaving them to catch their own fish.
Here’s why you should try it this winter!
Why go ice fishing with kids?
There are many reasons to love winter, like sledding, ice skating, and family ski vacations. This year in addition to these winter activities in New Jersey try ice fishing.
Ice fishing is a great way of getting your loved ones out of the house for some fresh air, bonding time and fun. It’s also one of the few activities where it’s easy to maintain social distancing!
Sipping on hot chocolate, nibbling on warm snacks and spending time with loved ones sounds like paradise. Best of all, you get to bond with your family while catching fish.
You don’t even need to search for ice fishing near me because we’ve got you covered with a list of NJ ice fishing spots below.
How To Teach Your Kids To Ice Fish
Get your kids excited about the fishing experience before they even leave the house. Get them involved in the whole process!
First and foremost, get your kid a cane fishing pole. These are light and flexible, and can handle the cold. Next, an ice fishing reel. Make sure it’s for ice fishing specifically, so it can handle the harsh conditions and your line won’t freeze.
Once you’ve geared your kid up, show them how to put it all together. Help them to practice dropping their line and wiggling it as they would do it in an ice hole (also known as jigging), in the backyard.
Go to a bait and tackle store and let your kids choose the bait. Tell them about the fish that they can catch with that bait.
Explain the difference between bait types, like a ned jig hook and jig hook (weighted bait), swimbait (bait that moves like a fish in water), spinnerbait (a flashy, eye-catching bait), and live bait.
Show them how to bait the hook (carefully and without hurting themselves!).
Let them practice how to tie knots, so they know what to do if their fishing line breaks and they need to reattach the hook.
When you get out on the ice, be prepared to spend a lot of time re-baiting hooks or sorting out tangled lines. It’s all part of the fun!
Remember that you can’t make the fish bite, so take regular breaks so that your little one doesn’t get restless. As soon as the fish start biting, call them over to catch their first fish.
The best places to take your family ice fishing in New Jersey
There’s no shortage of ice fishing spots in New Jersey. You’ll find miles of streams and rivers and lots of lakes and reservoirs. Pick any fishing spot! There are several family-friendly fishing spots that you and your loved ones can visit.
Here are four great ice fishing spots in New Jersey you and your family can go ice fishing.
Lake Hopatcong Ice Fishing in Landing, New Jersey
Lake Hopatcong is one of the best freshwater fishing spots in New Jersey. Here you can fish for largemouth bass, walleye, black crappie, rainbow trout, chain pickerel and muskie. These are just a few of the fish species here. During winter, avoid areas where the ice could be thinner, like around the dock bubblers. Safety first!
Try to fish near the bottom of the lake. You would have more chance of catching a fish, as trout and crappie tend to suspend within the water column. You’d find fish around steep drop-offs and points. Be sure to check the thickness of the ice before venturing out.
If you’re looking to catch bigger fish like bass or pike, then use larger jig hooks. You could even use live bait to help get the fish on the hook. Learn more at the New Jersey State Park Service website.
Lake Assunpink Ice Fishing in Upper Freehold Township, New Jersey
If you’ve been waiting to pull that large bass out of the ice, Lake Assunpink would be the best fishing spot to spend a day with your family. Anglers have caught largemouth bass here that have weighed up to seven pounds.
There’s a variety of fish to catch, from channel catfish and chain pickerel to yellow perch. If you want a successful day’s fishing, you should jig live bait. Learn more at the North American Butterfly Association website.
Spruce Run Recreation Area Ice Fishing in Clinton, New Jersey
Spruce Run is one of the oldest reservoirs in New Jersey. You’ll find ice fishing here to be a treat as it has 29 different species of fish. It’s also known to be one of the best bass fishing spots in New Jersey!
You can target fish like largemouth bass, yellow perch, carp, sunfish, trout, and northern pike. Fish along the shoreline from the cove to the limit of the public use area, and you should find the bass. It’s best to use straight worms rigged on slider jigs or spinnerbaits. Learn more at the New Jersey State Park Service website.
Green Turtle Pond Ice Fishing in West Milford, New Jersey
Green Turtle Pond is a hidden gem where you can ice fish for a variety of species. Brown trout, pickerel, smallmouth bass, rainbow trout, and perch are common. Most anglers come for the winter-stocked trout, and the fish aren’t easy to catch.
To catch the trout, get creative with your bait and use power bait in the stream. You could also try using worms, swimbaits, or ned rigs. If you’re using tip-ups, you may want to try jigs tipped with spikes or mousies. This combination could attract fish like crappie, smallmouth bass, and yellow perch. Learn more at the New Jersey State Park Service website.
A few more places for NJ ice fishing
- Sussex County has numerous lakes for ice fishing including Cranberry Lake, Jefferson Lake, Lake Aeroflex, Lake Musconetcong, Swartswood Lakes and Lake Wawayanda.
- Hudson County’s Round Valley State Park offers ice fishing.
- In Monmouth County, drop a line for ice fishing at the Manasquan Reservoir, Thompson Park, and Turkey Swamp Park.
Ready to try ice fishing with the kids?
When it comes to winter things to do in New Jersey, if you haven’t tried NJ ice fishing, you’re missing out!
Even if you’ve been fishing on open water, ice fishing is entirely different. While it can be an isolated activity, it’s also a fantastic day out for the whole family.
It’s also a super opportunity to teach your kids a bit about the great outdoors. Learning how to respect nature should be part of growing up!
Gear up properly, stock up on comfort food and drink, and catch all the exciting moments on camera!
More about our guest author, Kenneth Reaves
Kenneth Reaves is an outdoor guru who loves fishing. He has been exploring nature and having great fishing adventures since he was 5 years old. Currently, he is busy sharing his passion for exciting adventures and fishing to amateur anglers through his blog, https://www.perfectcaptain.com.
