Official Site of The State of New Jersey
The tables below list the current leaders in the main categories of the categories for both freshwater and saltwater fish. The list will be updated regularly as heavier/larger fish are certified in the program. (The Division and Slam categories will not be included on this page.)
For minimum qualifying weights and lengths for all species, application information and lists of past winners are found on the Skillful Angler Program page. Fish and Wildlife encourages all anglers to keep the program in mind when fishing, but more importantly, encourages everyone to get outdoors and enjoy some of the great fishing our state has to offer.
Below are the leading 2026 entries:
Freshwater Fish
| Species | Adult | Junior | Catch & Release | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowfin | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Bullhead | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Carp | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Chain Pickerel | No Entry | No Entry | Bill Bertsh | 24.5″ | ||
| Channel Catfish | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Crappie | No Entry | No Entry | James Worthington | 15.25″ | ||
| Largemouth Bass | No Entry | No Entry | Kyle Gambert | 21.75″ | ||
| Muskellunge | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Northern Pike | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Salmon, Atlantic Landlocked | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Shad, American | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Smallmouth Bass | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Striped Bass | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Striped Bass Hybrid | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Sunfish | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Trout, Brook | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Trout, Brown | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Trout, Lake | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Trout, Rainbow | No Entry | No Entry | Chris Halada | 23.5″ | ||
| Walleye | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Yellow Perch | No Entry | No Entry | Justin Rozema | 15″ | ||
| Tiger Muskie | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| White Perch | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry |
Saltwater Fish
| Species | Adult | Junior | Catch & Release | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Drum | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Black Sea Bass | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Bluefish | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Cod | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Dolphin | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Fluke | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Kingfish | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Mako Shark | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Marlin, Blue | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Marlin, White | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Pollock | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Striped Bass | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Tautog | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Tuna, Albacore | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Tuna, Big Eye | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Tuna, Bluefin | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Tuna, Yellowfin | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Tuna (other) | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Weakfish | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Winter Flounder | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry |
