Fishing Seasons
March through April
The cool winter waters begin to warm as spring takes place in Cape May, New Jersey. As the Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean come back to life, many species are on the move. For years, mackerel fishing was a staple of this spring fishing, along with taug and sea bass. Closures to sea bass have made fishing in the spring increasingly difficult. Stay tuned for what is open and available according to Federal and State of New Jersey Laws.
May
With spring in full gear, the waters around Wildwood, Stone Harbor, Cape May, and the Villas become teeming with fish. To the north in Delaware Bay, striped bass became prevalent, as drum fishing began to take hold on the Southern Bay both in Delaware and New Jersey. Sea bass opens along with summer flounder, and the end of the month signals the unofficial start of the summer season in Cape May, NJ.
June
Drumfish and fluke have been the staple fish of June for the last few years out of Cape May. Just outside Cape May canal, has been a great place for catching big drum fish although that can change quickly. Look for flounder up in the Delaware Bay, in the back bays, and starting to show on inshore areas off of the Wildwoods. Sea bass also makes a showing on inshore wrecks and the wreck fishing can be very good.
July and August
With summer upon us in Cape May and Wildwood, Independence Day and the Fourth of July Fireworks kick off the festivities. Fluke, weakfish, kingfish, and croakers can all be found with increasing frequency. Mixed-bag fishing is the way to go for family fun. Whether it’s father and son or the whole family, both the morning and afternoon trips provide action for all. Our evening trip sees a lot of kingfish and croaker activity for New Jersey species.
October
The start of fall can lead to big changes in fishing off of Wildwood and Cape May. The waters are still warm but the weather can be an issue. However, the end of the month leads to sea bass opening along with the first striped bass reports up Delaware Bay. Tuna can be found in the deep offshore canyons along with tilefish and giant sea bass. These offshore trips are reserved for the heartiest offshore anglers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York.
December
With offshore fishing in high gear, inshore waters cool around Cape May and off of Lewes Delaware and the striper shows up in big numbers. NJ striper fishing is very popular in these months. The larger schools from the north off of Atlantic Highlands, Seaside Heights, and Manasquan, Point Pleasant, and Barnegat and Long Beach Island make their annual appearance in Delaware Bay, in the Cape May Rips, on the Shoals along Wildwood and Stone Harbor and Avalon. Sea bass is available till the end of the month along with taug.