The Hackensack River is a tidal estuary flowing for approximately 45 miles from its headwaters in Rockland County, New York, to its mouth at Newark Bay in New Jersey. The river is fundamentally divided by the Oradell Dam, which separates the freshwater upper section from the tidally influenced lower section. The lower Hackensack River, flowing through the New Jersey Meadowlands, is a brackish water system where salinity ranges from 2-3 parts per thousand in the northern reaches to nearly 20 ppt near Newark Bay. This urban estuary, once heavily impacted by pollution, has shown significant ecological recovery and now supports a moderately diverse fish community, serving as an important refuge and nursery area for several species. Angling here is primarily a catch-and-release pursuit due to consumption advisories, focusing on tidal movement, structure, and seasonal patterns of saltwater species.