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Best rainbow trout lakes in New Jersey

11 New Jersey waters hold rainbow trout, 10 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. The classic stocked cold-water trout. Depth is everything: rainbows follow the temperature layer they like.

1. Spruce Run Reservoir — 76 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
2. Clinton Reservoir — 47 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
3. Cranberry Lake — 16 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout
4. Cozy Lake — 24 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, Bluegill
5. White Lake — 46 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Rainbow Trout
6. Mashipacong Pond — 18 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout
7. Furnace Lake — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie
8. Lake Topanemus — 8 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
9. Green Turtle Lake — 21 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Rainbow Trout
10. Raritan River — 10 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout
11. Greenwich Lake — 33 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish

When to fish rainbow trout in New Jersey

• Spring 5–20 ft — Post-ice-out trout roam shallow; fish inflows and windblown shorelines.
• Summer 8–30 ft — Rainbows hold near cold inflows, current seams and the thermocline — find the cool water and you've found the fish.
• Fall 10–35 ft — Fall feeding on rock shoals, current and channel edges as water cools.
• Winter 8–40 ft — Trout are comfortable in cold water — one of the best winter targets; streams and tailwaters fish shallow, deep lakes hold on basin edges.

Also in New Jersey: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best muskellunge lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best common carp lakes

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