NJ Saltwater Fishing Guide

1 Guide TO NEW JERSEY S Saltwater FISHINGBYJENNIFER C. DAETSCHBILL FIGLEYAND SUE CANALEDEP s Division of Fish and Wildlife has compiled thisguide to help Saltwater anglers locate places at theJersey shore to fish and launch their boats. The facilitiesare arranged geographically, from north to south. Thearea covered by the Guide extends from the HudsonRiver to the Salem River on Delaware Guide to New Jersey sSaltwater FishingSome of the terms used in this Guide aredefined as follows: boat Launch ~ A ramp of concrete, sand,or clam shell for launching boats into thewater. Some may require the use of 4X4 towvehicles or are restricted to car-top boat ramps may be difficult to launchboats at low tide. Almost all launchingfacilities charge a ~ The ocean shoreline. During thesummer months, fisherman may be requiredto obtain a beach badge, and surf fishingmay only be allowed during non-guardedhours or in areas outside the bathing areadepending on the town.

2 Some towns rentbeach wheelchairs for those in ~ A rock groin that extends from thebeach out into the ocean at a perpendicularangle to the shoreline. During summermonths some towns may require Buggy ~ Some shore towns allow4X4 vehicles on the beach during certaintimes of the year. Special permits andregulations apply; contact the recreationdepartment of the town you are interested infor beach buggy Pier ~ A Pier located in the AtlanticOcean. Some ocean piers are privatelyowned and require a user Pier ~ A pier that is located in a ~ An area adjacent to the water,usually by a road or park, where anglers canfish from land. These places may require abit of walking. Make sure you do notaccidentally enter no trespassing ~ A retaining wall designed forshoreline protection that makes for asuitable Fishing spot.

3 These areas you canusually fish right next to your ~ A retaining wall designed forshoreline protection composed of ~ Fishing is allowed on many of thecauseway bridges. Make sure the bridgeyou are Fishing is approved for this Management Areas ~ A naturalresource area set up to secure open spacefor wildlife and public use. Tuckahoe, DennisCreek, and Mad Horse Creek WMA areasrequire a boat ramp Permit or a validhunting or Fishing license to launch yourboat. Permits must be purchased inadvance. For further information call 609-292-1438. These areas are open 24 hours aday for those engaged in Fishing or Rental ~ Rental boats are availablewith or without motors and come in a varietyof lengths and horsepower. Generally, theiruse is restricted to rivers and ~ While many facilities close during thewinter months, those designated as YR areopen year round.

4 All municipal, county, andstate facilities are open year round unlessotherwise TO CATCH THEMBLACK DRUMW hile black drums are most abundant inDelaware Bay, a few are caught in othercoastal bays. This large, bottom species isusually taken with clams for bait in thevicinity of shellfish SEA BASSThe sea bass is of great importance to theparty boat fishery. Sea bass are bottomfeeders taken on clam, squid, and fish best place to catch sea bass is onocean wrecks and reef of PUFFERAt one time, the blowfish was considered anuisance species and thousands werediscarded by sport and commercialfisherman each year. Today, the blowfish,alias sea squab, demands a good price onthe market. Blowfish are found in the surfand coastal bays during spring and early take a variety of baits, such as squid,clam, shedder crab and blood worms.

5 Small,long-shanked hooks are bluefish can be taken by trolling withvarious lures, chumming from a boat or surfcasting with either cut baits or lures. Youngbluefish, known as snappers, are usuallycaught in the bays with bobbers and smallhooks baited with spearing, although castingsmall lures, such as bucktails and spoons,also works CRABThe blue crab is a tasty crustacean. Crabsare abundant all along the Jersey coast,from the Hackensack River to the DelawareBay. The best places to catch crabs are intidal creeks, rivers and shallow bays. Themost common methods include handlinesand folding traps, baited with chunks of technique, especially effective forsoft or shedder crabs, is to wade theshallows with a scoop net. Remember torelease all females bearing an egg mass or sponge.

6 BONITOB onito vary in abundance over the frequent ocean ridges and are caught by chumming or trollingfeathers and inhabit deep, offshore wrecks andreefs, usually during the colder are generally taken on bait (clams orcut bait) on or near the bottom, but, at times,they can be enticed with a are usually abundant in DelawareBay and in nearshore ocean baits are shrimp, shedder craband or MAHI MAHIU sually found well offshore, this spectacularmigrant from southern waters is generallytake by trolling or casting in the vicinity ALBACORE or TUNNYFast moving lures will usually entice thisspecies, but they are occasionally taken bychumming. They are comparable to schooltuna in general appearance, size andfighting ability. The false albacore is notusually sought as a food fish because oftheir strong or SUMMER FLOUNDERThe fluke is probably the most sought afterfish by New Jersey s recreational a voracious species, the fluke prefersa moving bait and the most successfulfishermen let their boat drift with the tide andwind, when Fishing from the bank, cast upand across the current.

7 The object being, foreither method, to let the singer drag alongthe bottom and keep the bait in constantmotion. Killies, spearing, other small bait fishor squid strips are favorable baits. Someanglers prefer to troll slowly with their baitsdragging over the CLAMHard clams, or quahogs, are foundthroughout New Jersey s coastal bays,although their abundance variesconsiderably with location. They can beharvested from a boat with tongs or a bullrake, with a scratch rake or by treading with your feet. A clamming license, whichcan be obtained at most tackle shops, isrequired for residents and should be careful to observe allregulations and avoid condemned , squid, shrimp and sheddercrabs are good bait, and should be fished onthe bottom. Kingfish prefer sandy bottoms ofthe surf and coastal or RED HAKELing are a bottom species, and are usuallycaught on clams.

8 They prefer the muddybottom of deep ocean sloughs andshipwrecks and reefs. Ling have a delicatewhite meat that is good to species are found in New Jerseywaters; the common mackerel, which is thelargest, and the small chub mackerel, alsoknown as tinker mackerel or thimble eye. Mackerel generally occur in our waters astransients enroute to the New England coastwhere they spend the summer. They aregenerally taken offshore from party andcharter boats by jigging with small is often used to attract and hold theschool of fish near the boat . Mackerel aremore often caught for bait than and SWORDFISHT hree billfish species commonly occur alongthe New Jersey coast white and bluemarlin and swordfish. All are found in deep,offshore ocean waters during the summerand early fall. Trolling baits and lurescatches the two marlin species.

9 Swordfishare caught at night with squid or fish or SCUPP orgies are found on wrecks along ourentire coast and are also taken over musselbeds in Delaware Bay and Sandy Hook is the standard bait, but bloodwormsand squid are also of several species are regularlytaken along the New Jersey coast. Sandbarand occasionally sand tiger sharks can becaught in the bays and inlets as well as inthe ocean, as one moves offshore, tiger,hammerhead, mako and blue sharks can befound. They are generally taken on largechunks of bait. Chumming with ground upfish increases the chances of meat provides excellent eating, butthe meat must be cooled quickly to , also nicknamed Lafayette or CapeMay Goodies, are an important species inthe Delaware Bay area, but they also occurfurther north along our coast.

10 Cape MayPoint, Crow Shoal and the Cape ShoreChannel are good Fishing areas for thisspecies. Clam and squid are excellent BASS or ROCKFISHThe striped bass is the ultimate trophy forNew Jersey surf fishermen. Popular fishingspots include Sandy Hook, ShrewsburyRiver, the Monmouth County jetties, IslandBeach, Barnegat Bay and Inlet, Great Bay,Mullica River, Great Egg Harbor River andBay and Maurice River. Many lures,including metal squid, plugs, spinners,spoon and jigs are used successfully, whileshedder crab, clam, bloodworms, shrimp,mullet and live bunker, herring and eels areused for bait Fishing . Anglers find thatstripers often bite best at dawn, dusk andthroughout the or BLACKFISHAn abundance of structure is a prerequisitefor good tautog grounds. Structure can beprovided by rocks, weeds, bulkheads,bridges, peat banks, wrecks or artificialreefs.