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Merrill Creek Reservoir

The rule for this water, with the receipt.

Special regulations for Merrill Creek Reservoir, as the state words them

Warren County · Lake · NJ

Has its own special rules
How to read this page:Official text quoted regulationParsed fields from the ruleDerived calculated from rulesContext conditions, not a ruleAdvice our suggestion

Today's rule hereParsed

Season
Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
Gear
Fish may be taken only in the manner known as angling with handline or with rod and line, or as otherwise allowed by law.Statewide
Bait
Only the following species may be taken for use as bait. American Eel, Banded Killifish, Creek Chub, Fallfish, Fathead Minnow, Gizzard Shad, Golden Shiner, Margined Madtom, Mummichog, and Tadpole Madtom.Statewide
Poles
When fishing from the shoreline , no more than three fishing rods, handlines or combination thereof may be usedStatewide
SpeciesDaily limitSize
Brook Trout
2 trout in total (Brook, Brown, and Rainbow Trout combined)min. 9 inchStatewide
trout
Varies by water: limit of 6 (general trout regulations); limit reduced from 4 to 2; daily limit remains 2 (general trout regulations); limit will also be 2 (general trout regulations)
one daily creel limit in possession-Statewide
Largemouth Bass and Smallmouth Bass
daily combined creel and possession limit of fivemin. minimum length of 12 inchesStatewide
panfish
daily limit of 25min. no minimum size limitStatewide
American Eel
See sizemin. minimum length of nine inchesStatewide
Lake Trout
Increased from a daily limit of two Lake Trout at a minimum size of 15 inches.
two Lake Trout greater than 15 inches and less than 24 inches plus two additional Lake Trout 24 inches or greater, for a total of four fish per day-This water

The official text, verbatimOfficial text

Straight from NJ's official regulations. Rules in force today lead; out-of-season rows are dimmed. Nothing is paraphrased. Not legal advice: verify the posted rules at the water.

Whole water
  • Lake Trout
    Daily limit two Lake Trout greater than 15 inches and less than 24 inches plus two additional Lake Trout 24 inches or greater, for a total of four fish per day
    Increased from a daily limit of two Lake Trout at a minimum size of 15 inches.
  • Lake Troutcatch and release season is removed (dates as written)
  • Brown & Rainbow Trout (and their hybrids) and Landlocked Atlantic SalmonOpen year-round
    Daily limit 2 combinedSize 15 inches
  • Lake TroutOpen year-round
    Daily limit 2 AND 2Size 15 to less than 24 inches AND greater than or equal to 24 inches

How this answer was assembled

  1. StatewideStatewide lake rules are the base layer: default season, gear, bait, and limits.
  2. This waterSpecial rules written for this exact water replace the statewide defaults where they speak.
  3. Emergency orderEmergency orders in effect today override everything else. They sync quietly when the phone has coverage and never lock you out of the app.

Where this rule applies

This water is not yet drawn on the map. Its rules are captured and receipted; the geometry ledger records exactly why it is not drawn (an ambiguous name match or a gap in the source data), and it will never ship as a guess. Each rule above describes in the state's own words where it applies, and those written descriptions are the authoritative boundaries.

Season at a glanceDerived

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
opensome stretchesclosedunknown

Sampled mid-month from the dated rows; short windows can slip between samples. The rows above are authoritative.

What are you fishing for here?Advice

Pick from the species named in Merrill Creek Reservoir's rules. Setups are checked against the gear rules in force today, and your picks are remembered on this device only. These are rule-aware suggestions, not a claim about what is biting; advice, not law, and the rules above govern.

Receipts

Statewide rules
Statewide
Checked against this official source on July 12, 2026.
Special rules - Merrill Creek Reservoir
This water
Checked against this official source on July 12, 2026.

Local services near Merrill Creek Reservoir

Tackle shops, guides, and boat launches that serve this water will appear here - a separate lane below the rules, so a local business can reach you without ever getting between you and the regulation.

Run a shop or guide service on Merrill Creek Reservoir? Get listed.