From bays and inlets to the vast Atlantic Ocean, New Jersey has plenty of saltwater -- and saltwater fish. It's an angler's paradise, with open seasons for saltwater fishing year-round for dozens of kinds of fish.

Here's a guide to all of the kinds of ocean creatures you can fish for in New Jersey, and when to do it. For more a more detailed description of the regulations, check out the state's saltwater fishing digest. This guide is based on the 2018 state regulations; the 2019 digest and the new regulations should be published in May, but no major changes are expected according to New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Larry Hajna.

And remember, any waters farther than three miles from shore are federal waters and may be subject to different regulations. You can check on those here.

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Photo courtesy of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

American eel: Year-round open season.

Black drum: Year-round open season. According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, you'll have the best luck with black drums in Delaware Bay. May and June are the best months for these fish.

Black sea bass: There are four distinct open seasons for sea bass and each has a different set of regulations. The fish are usually in New Jersey found between May and November.

First open season is from May 15 to June 22

Second open season is from July 1 to August 31

Third open season is from October 8 to October 31

Fourth open season is from November 1 to December 31

The fish is a staple of Garden State party boats. Sea bass are most often found near shipwrecks and reefs, according to the NJDEP. Steve Singler, from Philadelphia, was fishing off Jeff Gutman's boat, Voyager, on December 12, 2015, when he landed a New Jersey state-record, 9-pound black sea bass. The catch is pictured above.

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Photo courtesy of the Kastorsky family

Blue crab: Year-round open season, except for Delaware Bay where there are some closed periods during the year. Blue crabs come in three forms, and you need to be able to tell them apart because there are slightly different rules for each one.

Hardshell crabs are blue crabs that, well, still have their hard shells.

Peeler crabs are blue crabs that have started to molt and replace their shell.

Softshell crabs are blue crabs that have totally shed their old shell and are growing a new one.

Female blue crabs that have an egg mass when caught must be released. Blue crabs are most abundant between May and November, according to the NJDEP.

Bluefish: Year-round open season. According to the NJDEP, bluefish are most abundant May through December. Pictured above is Roger Kastorsky with his state-record bluefish. Kastorsky reeled-in the 27-pound, one-ounce creature in 1997 off of Five Fathom Bank.

Bonito: Year-round open season. According to the NJDEP, Bonito are most abundant between July and September.

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Photo courtesy of the International Game Fishing Association

Cobia: Open season from June 1 to September 30.

Cod: Year-round open season. Pictured above is Joseph Chesla after he caught an 81-pound cod off of Brielle on March 15, 1967. That's not just a state record; the catch still stands as a world record for Atlantic cod on 15-kilogram tackle.

According to the NJDEP, cod are most abundant during the colder seasons in deep water, near reefs and shipwrecks.

Croaker: Year-round open season. Croakers are abundant in Delaware Bay and nearshore ocean waters between July and October, according to the NJDEP.

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Dolphin (Mahi Mahi): Year-round open season. You'll need to be far offshore to hook a mahi mahi as it migrates to and from more southern waters, according to the NJDEP. These fish are found in New Jersey from July through October.

Haddock: Year-round open season.

Hard clam: Year-round open season. Be sure to avoid clamming in waters condemned by the state because of pollution; clams are nature's water filters so they are more affected by water pollution than other species.

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Photo courtesy of the International Game Fishing Association

Kingfish: Year-round open-season. Kingfish prefer the sandy bottoms of surf and coastal bays between July and September, according to the NJDEP.

Little tunny: Year-round open season. Little tunny are known as strong fighting fish. According to the NJDEP, these fish are usually found between August and October.

The world record for little tunny (pictured above) was caught off of New Jersey on November 5, 2006, when Jess Lubert pulled a 36-pound fish out of Washington Canyon.

The current state record, however, is smaller. In 1977, Mark Niemczyk caught a 24-pound, 15-ounce little tunny off of Sea Bright. At the time that catch was a world record, and it still stands as the state record. NJDEP could not explain the discrepancy between the records.

Lobster: Open season most of the year, with specific closures depending on where you are. Lobster Management Area 4, which includes all of New Jersey waters roughly north of Toms River, has a closed season from April 30 to May 31. Lobster Management Area 5, which includes New Jersey waters roughly south of Toms River, is closed from February 1 to March 31.

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Mackerel: Year-round open season. Mackerel migrate from Southern waters in the winter to New England for the summer; its during the migration periods in April and May that the fish are most common in New Jersey waters, according to the NJDEP.

Marlin (white marlin and blue marlin): Year-round open season. Found in deep ocean waters, these fish are found off the Jersey Shore during the summer and early fall according to the NJDEP.

Pollock: Year-round open season.

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Photo courtesy of the International Game Fishing Association

Porgy: Year-round open season. Porgy in New Jersey can be found at shipwrecks in the open ocean and over mussel beds in Delaware Bay and Raritan Bay, according to the NJDEP. Target these fish between August and October.

The state-record porgy, a 5-pound, 14-ounce fish, was caught in 1976 by Victor Rone. The fish is pictured above, mounted in Rone's Vineland home.

Red drum: Year-round open season.

Red hake: Year-round open season. Red hake (also called ling) prefer cold water and muddy areas around shipwrecks and reefs along the ocean floor, according to the NJDEP. These fish can be found year-round.

On February 10, 2010, Billy Watson caught this world record 12-pound, 13-ounce red hake in the Mud Hole. For reference, red hake rarely grow larger than six or seven pounds.

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Photo courtesy of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

Roundscale spearfish: Year-round open season. This fish is another member of the marlin family.

Sailfish: Year-round open season. Pictured above is the state record sailfish, weighing 43 pounds, 4 ounces. The fish was caught by John Tallia of Rock Hill, New York while he was fishing the Lindenkohl Canyon on September 18, 2006.

Shad: Year-round open season. Be mindful of where you are; American Shad can only be kept if caught in the Delaware River or its tributaries. All other shad species are fair game in other waters.

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Photo courtesy of the International Game Fishing Association

Sharks: Year-round open season. Sharks are broken down into five different groups of species, and each of those groups has a different set of regulations, so make sure you have an identification guide handy if you're targeting sharks.

According to the NJDEP, sandbar and sand tiger sharks can be caught in bays and inlets, while hammerhead, blue, mako and tiger sharks are found farther offshore. Shark fishing in the state is best from June to October.

Smooth dogfish: Year-round open season. The 37-pound, 8-ounce fish pictured above is the world record for smooth dogfish. It was caught on June 16, 2007 by David Spletzer off of Cape May.

The state record, however, is smaller. In 2013, Michael J. LaTorre, Jr. caught a 19-pound, 11.2-ounce smooth dogfish in Sculls Bay. NJDEP could not explain the discrepancy in records.

Spot: Year-round open season. Spot, which are also called "Lafayette" and "Cape May Goodies" according to the NJDEP, are small fish that are popular around Cape May and in Delaware Bay from June to September.

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Photo courtesy of the International Game Fishing Association

Striped bass: Year-round open season. Be careful where you fish for these fish; there is no closed season for saltwater striped bass in state waters, but it is illegal to possess saltwater striped bass in federal waters.

Striped bass are popular targets for surf fishermen, according to the NJDEP, and are typically found close to shore. The best fishing for striped bass tends to be at dawn, dusk or nighttime. These fish are most common March through December.

Pictured above is the massive state-record 78-pound, 8-ounce striped bass that Al McReynolds caught while fishing at night from the Vermont Avenue jetty in Atlantic City just days after the September 1982 Nor'easter. According to the state account, it took him an hour and 40 minutes to land the fish.

At the time, McReynolds' catch was recognized as an all-tackle world record by the International Game Fishing Association. It has since been surpassed, but McReynolds' catch remains a world record for 10-kilogram tackle.

Summer flounder: Open season from May 25 to September 22. Be mindful of what waters you are fishing for fluke in; different rules apply to different areas. According to the NJDEP, fluke are common in the state's waters between May and October.

Swordfish: Year-round open season. Like white and blue marlin, swordfish are found in deep ocean waters off of New Jersey during the summer and early fall, according to the NJDEP.

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Photo courtesy of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

Tautog: There are four distinct fishing periods for tautog, and the regulations are a little different for each one so pay close attention to your calendar. These fish are usually found between April and November.

First open season runs from January 1 to February 28.

Second open season from April 1 to April 30.

Third open season from August 1 to November 15.

Fourth open season from November 16 to December 31.

Your best luck for finding tautog is in areas with lots of structure, like shipwrecks or jetties, according to the NJDEP.Mount Laurel's Frank LaMorte was fishing off the boat Fishin' Fever IV, captained by Tom Daffin, on April 17, 2015 when he reeled in the state record 25-pound, 5.92-ounce tautog pictured above.

Tilefish (blueline and golden): Year-round open season.

Tuna (Albacore, bluefin, bigeye, skipjack and yellowfin): Year-round open season, except for the bluefin season which is open until federal regulators close it for the year. All tuna species are found far offshore in the deep ocean, and tend to be off of New Jersey in the summer and early fall, according to the NJDEP.

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Wahoo: Year-round open season.

Weakfish: Year-round open season. Weakfish spend most of the year in bays, but in the fall will move out to shallow ocean waters, according to the NJDEP. Look for weakfish between May and November.

White perch: Year-round open season. When it comes to saltwater, white perch prefer brackish streams and rivers that flow into bays, according to the NJDEP.

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Winter flounder: Open season from March 1 to December 31, but these fish are typically found in New Jersey between November and May. These fish are most abundant in New Jersey bays between Raritan Bay and Barnegat Bay, according to the NJDEP. Anglers targeting winter flounder should stick to the deep bay waters, like dredge channels.

Wreckfish: Open season from July 1 to August 31.

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Michael Sol Warren may be reached at mwarren@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MSolDub. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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