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 2025 entries:
Freshwater Fish
| Species | Adult | Junior | Catch & Release | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowfin | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Bullhead | James Worthington | 2 lbs. 4 oz. | No Entry | Robert Rauenbuhler | 16.5″ | |
| Carp | No Entry | No Entry | Damian Haba | 36.25″ | ||
| Chain Pickerel | No Entry | No Entry | Gen Wong / Rick Hess | 27.25″ / 27.25″ | ||
| Channel Catfish | No Entry | No Entry | James Piascik | 32″ | ||
| Crappie | No Entry | No Entry | Carl Kozub | 15.75″ | ||
| Largemouth Bass | No Entry | No Entry | Christopher Pereira / Gen Wong / Frank Ruczynski / Christopher Pettersen | 22″ / 22″ / 22″ / 22″ | ||
| Muskellunge | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Northern Pike | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Salmon, Atlantic Landlocked | No Entry | Paul Ferrannini | 6 lbs. 12 oz. | Joseph Santiago | 21.5″ | |
| Shad, American | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Smallmouth Bass | No Entry | No Entry | Gen Wong | 21″ | ||
| Striped Bass | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Striped Bass Hybrid | No Entry | No Entry | Joseph Santiago | 25.5″ | ||
| Sunfish | No Entry | No Entry | Dylan Lippincott / Tyler Dilts | 10″ / 10″ | ||
| Trout, Brook | No Entry | No Entry | Joseph Santiago | 12.25″ | ||
| Trout, Brown | No Entry | No Entry | Carlos Navas | 24″ | ||
| Trout, Lake | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| Trout, Rainbow | Timothy Cassidy | 7 lbs. 2 oz. | Hunter Jones | 9 lbs. | Gen Wong / Joseph Santiago | 25.25″ / 25.25″ |
| Walleye | No Entry | No Entry | Josh Piascik | 28.75″ | ||
| Yellow Perch | No Entry | No Entry | Jason Beck | 14.25″ | ||
| Tiger Muskie | No Entry | No Entry | No Entry | |||
| White Perch | No Entry | No Entry | Robert English | 15″ |
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 | Christopher Pereira / Joseph Santiago / Kevin Meininger | 48″ / 48″ / 48″ | ||
| 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 |