Passaic River

Type
Freestone river, New Jersey (East)
Designation
Wild Trout Water · Special-regulation trout water
USGS gauges
3 live
Guides
1 nearby
Shops
5 nearby

Today on the Passaic River

Reading the gauge…

Regulations & access Guides & shops

The Passaic River is a freestone river in New Jersey, listed as Wild Trout Water by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Fish & Wildlife (official eRegulations edition of the Freshwater Fishing Digest).

More about the Passaic River

3 USGS gauges on the water report flow. 1 guide and 5 shops nearby are listed here.

Updated · Sources: Wild Trout Streams — Wild Brown Trout Enhancement Streams, USGS Water Data

Representative photograph of similar water; not a photograph of this place.
Representative photograph, not this water.
Where it is

Passaic River is a freestone river in New Jersey.

Flow now at 3 gauges
Reading the gauges…

Follow Passaic River for flow alerts

Pick one of its USGS gauges and hear from us when the flow moves into or out of its usual range for the date, or crosses a flow you set. We check the public USGS reading every 2 hours and email only when it crosses, at most once every 6 hours. Flow alone is not a fishing forecast or a safety call.

Follow this water

Signed in: one step. Otherwise we email a confirmation link first. Every alert has one-click links to stop it.

Where to fish

About this

Start from the agency's public access map. Nothing on this page grants or implies access: check the agency map, posted signs and landowner permission before you fish.

Nothing on this page grants or implies access.

Passaic River on the map

About this

Gauges, shops and guides within 40 miles

Map of Passaic River: gauges, shops and guides

RestroomsAccess map

Map of Passaic River with 3 USGS gauges, and shops and guides with an exact address within 40 miles.

Restrooms near Passaic River

Restrooms near Passaic River

Restrooms within 2 miles of Passaic River in a straight line, nearest first, with what anglers found when they went. The map says a restroom is there, not whether it is clean or open today.

Map of 6 restrooms near Passaic River

Skip the map; every place is in the list below

Map of 6 restrooms near Passaic River, numbered as in the list, with the water’s point marked.

  1. Restroom

    1.1 mi away in a straight line

    Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.

    We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · open to everyone? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
    • Is it clean?
    • Flush or vault?
    • Free?
    • Open to everyone?
    • Step-free?

    Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map

  2. Restroom

    1.2 mi away in a straight line

    Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.

    We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · open to everyone? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
    • Is it clean?
    • Flush or vault?
    • Free?
    • Open to everyone?
    • Step-free?

    Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map

  3. Restroom

    1.8 mi away in a straight line
    • Portable toilet (mapped)

    Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.

    We don't know yet: is it clean? · free? · open to everyone? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
    • Is it clean?
    • Free?
    • Open to everyone?
    • Step-free?

    Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map

  4. Restroom

    1.8 mi away in a straight line
    • Flush toilet (mapped)
    • Public (mapped)
    • Free (mapped)
    • Hours: 08:00-19:30; PH open (mapped)

    Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.

    We don't know yet: is it clean? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
    • Is it clean?
    • Step-free?

    Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map

  5. Restroom

    1.9 mi away in a straight line

    Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.

    We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · open to everyone? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
    • Is it clean?
    • Flush or vault?
    • Free?
    • Open to everyone?
    • Step-free?

    Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map

  6. Restroom

    1.9 mi away in a straight line
    • Customers only (mapped)

    Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.

    We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
    • Is it clean?
    • Flush or vault?
    • Free?
    • Step-free?

    Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map

Restroom locations and map details: © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License, read Oct 24, 2026. Ratings, answers and photos are members' own; who shared them is never shown, and every photo is reviewed before it appears. Visits older than 18 months no longer count. Distances are straight-line miles, not driving. Nothing here grants access to private land. Community guidelines.

More water near Passaic River

  • The South Branch Raritan River running brown after rain beside the Columbia TrailWild Trout WaterRepresentative photo · not Primrose Brook
    Photo credit

    The South Branch Raritan River at the Columbia Trail after rain, New Jersey. Photo: Magpieturtle, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Primrose Brook.

    Primrose Brook

    New Jersey · about 7 mi

  • The Neversink River flowing between summer woods, seen from a bridge at Oakland ValleyWild Trout WaterRepresentative photo · not Whippany River
    Photo credit

    The Neversink River at Oakland Valley, New York. Photo: Daniel Case, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped, via Wikimedia Commons Not Whippany River.

    Whippany River

    New Jersey · about 7 mi

  • Little Lehigh Creek flowing through AllentownWild Trout WaterRepresentative photo · not India Brook
    Photo credit

    Little Lehigh Creek at Allentown, Pennsylvania, upstream from Lehigh Street. Photo: Tim Kiser ( w:User:Malepheasant ), CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons Not India Brook.

    India Brook

    New Jersey · about 13 mi

  • Willowemoc Creek in early spring, bare trees reflected in a smooth poolWild Trout WaterRepresentative photo · not Burnett Brook
    Photo credit

    Willowemoc Creek east of Livingston Manor, New York. Photo: Donald B. Siano, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Not Burnett Brook.

    Burnett Brook

    New Jersey · about 14 mi

  • Morning fog over the Upper Delaware River, with a small boat on the waterWild Trout WaterRepresentative photo · not Jackson Brook
    Photo credit

    A foggy morning on the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River. Photo: National Park Service, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Not Jackson Brook.

    Jackson Brook

    New Jersey · about 15 mi

  • The Beaverkill in early autumn, rain dimpling a broad pool below wooded hillsWild Trout WaterRepresentative photo · not Cold Brook
    Photo credit

    The Beaverkill in autumn rain. Photo: Jack Enright, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Cold Brook.

    Cold Brook

    New Jersey · about 19 mi

Sources New Jersey fishing accessOverture Maps places (guide map points)

Where the map point comes from

Position: the USGS gauge Passaic River near Chatham NJ.

The map shows USGS gauges (tap one for its flow reading), and shops and guides within 40 miles that publish a street address on their own website. Everyone else is in the lists below.

Regulations

About this

Seasons, limits, special regulations and closures for each reach are on the agency pages below. Read them before you go.

2 official designations

Each comes from the agency's own published list; where the list names a reach it is quoted. A designation applies to the listed reach, not necessarily the whole water. Listed in the finder under trout.

The water on the map

About this

Measured from the NHDPlus High Resolution (flowlines and waterbodies) (U.S. Geological Survey, read 2026-11-04) for this water’s own mapped feature. Rounded figures; they describe the channel, not today’s conditions.

Length
87.1 mi (83.8 in NJ)
Drains
910 sq mi
Drop
552 ft · 6.3 ft/mi
Watershed
Hackensack-Passaic, Sandy Hook-Staten Island

Public land along it

About this

Areas the Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), public access (U.S. Geological Survey, Gap Analysis Project, read 2026-11-05) lists as owned or held in easement and open to the public, crossed by the mapped channel. Boundaries are mapped, not surveyed. Nothing on this page grants or implies access: check the agency map, posted signs and landowner permission before you fish.

20.3 of 83.8 mi on public land

  • West Essex ParkUnknown · 3 mi
  • East Orange Water ReserveCity Land · 1.9 mi
  • Passaic River County ParkUnknown · 1.8 mi
  • Great Swamp National Wildlife RefugeU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · 1.5 mi · restricted
  • Passaic River ParkCounty Land · 1.4 mi
  • Great Piece MeadowsCity Land · 0.9 mi
  • Passaic RiverCity Land · 0.9 mi
  • Great Piece Meadows PreserveOther or Unknown State Land · 0.8 mi

+28 smaller areas

Nothing on this page grants or implies access.

Guides and shops near Passaic River

About this

Listings marked Unclaimed are built from open map records and the business's own website: confirm licensing, rates, dates and hours directly.

Guides

5 shops nearby

How these are chosen

Guides whose own website names this water come first, nearest first. After them, fly-focused guides within 40 miles whose website does not name it. Distances are straight-line.

Shops: fly shops first. A distance is shown when the shop’s website gives its location (within 60 miles); otherwise the shop is in one of the towns within 25 miles of the water.

Guide and shop listings come from the Legendary directories.

Species and hatches

About this

What 1 nearby guide website mention: what guides advertise, not a survey or a promise of what you will catch.

Named on 1 nearby guide website

  • Striped bass1
  • Tuna1
How we put this together

Named by guides nearby (within 40 miles), counted from the species each guide lists on its own site. No agency page we hold lists species for this water.

Plan a trip here

About this

None of our destination hubs is within 40 miles in a straight line. The trip planner builds a trip around the water itself: the guides and shops listed within 40 miles of it, its gauges and its nearest towns and airports.

No hub within 40 miles

Gear checklist

About this

A practical checklist for fly fishing small mountain trout streams: a short 3–4 weight rod, light line, a few buoyant dries and simple wet-wading gear, with estimated prices and where to buy.

An angler stands on a boulder at the edge of a fast forest stream and fishes the run

Small mountain streams

7′6″–8′6″ rod, 3–4 weight, floating line · Brook, cutthroat, rainbow and brown trout

Open the checklist
Videos for this water (5)

Watch: reading a trout stream

About this

Seams, shelves and soft water, shown on real rivers.

Public YouTube videos from established channels, chosen by us to support this page. Not sponsored; the creators are not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear.

  • How I Learned to Read Water (Fly Fishing)Embedded from YouTube · Mad River Outfitters · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
  • How To Read The Water with Tom RosenbauerEmbedded from YouTube · The New Fly Fisher · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
  • Reading the Water to Successfully Locate TroutEmbedded from YouTube · Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube

Not sponsored All videos on reading water

Watch: nymphing basics

About this

Indicator rigs, depth and detecting the take.

Public YouTube videos from established channels, chosen by us to support this page. Not sponsored; the creators are not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear.

  • 90° Nymph RigEmbedded from YouTube · Huge Fly Fisherman · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
  • Casting with an Indicator & Better Nymphing TechniquesEmbedded from YouTube · The New Fly Fisher · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube

Not sponsored All videos on nymphing

Fish Tales

About this

Trip stories anglers chose to share publicly and tagged with Passaic River.

No stories from here yet.

Sources for this page

Not a statement of access, fish presence or conditions.

Something wrong?

All 14 sources and dates

A water page organises discovery. It does not assert public access, legal access, current fish presence, guide availability or fishing conditions.

Flows, gauge statistics and flood stages come from USGS and the National Weather Service when the page is shown. Regulations, stocking, species and season statements link to the agency that publishes them; this page copies only the species names and the quoted sentences. Guide and shop listings come from the Legendary directories. Position: the USGS gauge Passaic River near Chatham NJ. Water type is our own classification.