Jersey shore

Its beaches along the Atlantic are the crown jewel of New Jersey's myriad angling opportunities

by Greg Koch - Wednesday, Feb 28th, 2018

By most, New Jersey is thought of as a concrete badlands, conjuring an image of a landscape predominated by stacked and twisted highways, smokestacks and warehouse distribution centers. And in many parts of the state, that image holds true. But from where the mighty Delaware courses through its mountainous reaches in the northwest to its pinelands in the center of the state to the largemouth bass ponds that dot its south, Jersey is rich with angling and outdoor opportunities.

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Its crown jewel, however, are its beaches along the Atlantic Ocean, which run virtually uninterrupted for 130 miles from New York City to Cape May, offering anglers shots at a dizzying array of saltwater species—weakfish, bluefish, flounder, striped bass, tuna, even the occasional redfish and much more.

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As a result, anglers flock to New Jersey's beaches in droves, not just in its summer months—when anglers are left to navigate their way around beachgoing crowds—but throughout the year. Chasing schoolie stripers in late autumn and winter means gearing up for the cold (photo: Greg Koch).

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This time of year, you won’t find lifeguards and swimmers on the beach. Instead, fishermen line the shore, hoping to hook into a bass (photo: Greg Koch).

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Anglers share New Jersey's salt marshes, dunes and beaches with its wildlife—including harbor seals, diamonback terrapins, deer and millions of shorebirds, such as osprey and sanderlings [seen above] (photos: Greg Koch).

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Glassing the water in search of birds feeding on baitfish. Where there’s bait, there’s bound to be bigger fish (photo: Greg Koch).

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The clouser minnow is a staple of every fly fisherman’s flybox. Many days, you don't need anything else (photo: Greg Koch).

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With New York City's skyscrapers looming in the distance, anglers cast in hopes of hooking up a schoolie bass. More often than not, when the fish are there, the hookups come—fast and often (photos: Greg Koch).

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Though schoolies (a term used to describe a bass in its first two years of life) are most common along the beach through Jersey's winter months, bass upwards of 30 pounds are regularly taken from the beach throughout the year (photos: Greg Koch).