FISHING GUIDE · CAPE MAY, NEW JERSEY

Cape May, New Jersey Fishing Guide

Cape May sits where Delaware Bay meets the ocean, so the fishing changes from bay to rips to reefs to canyons within a short run. The rips are best known for striped bass in spring and late fall, the bay gives flounder, drum, weakfish and stripers, and nearby reefs hold sea bass, flounder and tautog. Offshore boats chase white marlin, tuna and tilefish at the canyons in summer and early fall.

📍 Cape May, at the southern tip of New Jersey where Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic. Boats reach the ocean through Cold Spring Inlet or the Cape May Canal; the Cape May Rips are off the tip of the peninsula at the mouth of the bay. Offshore boats run from marinas such as the Canyon Club Resort Marina and South Jersey Marina.

📅 New Jersey Fishing Calendar — best months, closed seasons, bait & rigs →

Map: spots, ramps and marinas

★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)

Open the full Delaware & New Jersey map →

Quick facts

The Cape May Rips are a set of shoals running from within a half mile of the beach (Eph Shoal) to past the 3-mile federal line (McCrie Shoal); depth can jump from about 30 feet to 3-4 feet.
New Jersey has 17 artificial reef sites; the Cape May, Wildwood and Deepwater reefs are off Cape May County, and Deepwater lies about 23 miles offshore.
13 New Jersey reefs in federal waters, including Cape May, Wildwood, Deepwater and Townsend Inlet, are Special Management Zones where only rod and reel, handline and spearfishing are allowed.
Wilmington and Baltimore canyons are close enough that billfish are found there regularly; the Canyon Club marina in Cape May was begun in 1985.
The MidAtlantic tournament fishes from Cape May and Ocean City, NJ; the 35th edition ran August 16-21, 2026.

What you can catch

Striped bass
Rips in late April-May and mid-October into December; also Delaware Bay in spring.
Summer flounder (fluke)
Reef sites, Delaware Bay and the back waters behind Wildwood.
Black sea bass
Reefs and wrecks; limits reported out of Cape May and Wildwood in fall 2026.
Tautog (blackfish)
Reefs, wrecks and jetties in the cooler months.
Black drum
Delaware Bay in spring, often in 10-15 feet of water.
Weakfish and croaker
Off the Delaware Bay beaches and around the ferry terminal in summer.
White marlin
Arrive in early summer; September is the peak; blue marlin also caught.
Yellowfin tuna
Canyon trolling and night chunking in summer; bigeye, bluefin and longfin also caught along the shelf edge.

Month by month

January	Tautog open (4 fish). Striped bass open only in the ocean out to 3 miles; bays and rivers closed for stripers.
February	Tautog open through Feb 28. Ocean-only striped bass.
March	Striped bass open in all state marine waters from Mar 1. Tautog closed.
April	Tautog open Apr 1-30 (4 fish). Spring striper run in the rips starts late April.
May	Fluke opens May 4; sea bass opens May 15 (10 fish). Rip stripers through May; big bass on bloodworms and drum in Delaware Bay.
June	Sea bass drops to 1 fish June 22. White marlin arrive; canyon boats set up at the Canyon Club in late June.
July	Keeper fluke on reef sites; weakfish and croaker off the bay beaches; yellowfin, mahi and golden tilefish offshore.
August	Tautog reopens Aug 1 (1 fish). The MidAtlantic tournament (Aug 16-21 in 2026).
September	Peak month for white marlin. Sea bass back to 10 fish Sept 23. Fluke season ends Sept 25.
October	Fall striper run in the rips starts mid-October. Good sea bass fishing out of Cape May and Wildwood.
November	Rip stripers peak through Thanksgiving. Sea bass 15 fish from Nov 1; tautog 5 fish from Nov 16.
December	Rips stay strong almost to Christmas. Sea bass and tautog open through Dec 31.

Tips

Register free with the New Jersey Saltwater Recreational Registry (age 16+) and renew it every calendar year.
In the rips keep the engine running, the bow pointed through the rip and someone at the helm; boats capsize there every year, so first-timers should go with a local captain.
Spring rip stripers: bounce 1-4 oz bucktails with herring or mackerel strips. Fall: drift live eels or spot near bottom.
On the reef sites (Special Management Zones) use only rod and reel, handline or spear.
Use non-offset circle hooks with bait for stripers, and never gaff a striped bass.

Rules and license

New Jersey DEP Division of Fish & Wildlife; NOAA Fisheries / Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (federal waters) · Official rules page ↗

NJ Saltwater Recreational Registry: free, required at age 16+, renew each year.
Striped bass 2026: 1 fish, 28 to 31 inches. Ocean (0-3 miles) open all year; other marine waters Mar 1 - Dec 31; no striped bass fishing in federal waters (3-200 miles).
Fluke 2026: May 4 - Sept 25, 3 fish at 18 inches; 17 inches in Delaware Bay west of the COLREGS line. Check NOAA for federal-water rules.
Black sea bass 2026: 12.5 inches; 10 fish May 15 - June 21, 1 fish June 22 - Sept 22, 10 fish Sept 23 - Oct 31, 15 fish Nov 1 - Dec 31.
Tautog: 15 inches; 4 fish Jan 1 - Feb 28 and Apr 1-30, 1 fish Aug 1 - Nov 15, 5 fish Nov 16 - Dec 31.
Bluefish 2026: 5 per person (7 on qualifying party/charter boats), no size limit.
Cape May, Wildwood, Deepwater and Townsend Inlet reefs are federal Special Management Zones: hook and line or spear only.
Bluefin tuna (federal): HMS permit required. From June 1, 2026, private boats may keep 2 bluefin 27 to under 73 inches per day, only 1 of them 47 to under 73 inches (charter 3, headboat 6). NOAA can change this in season, so check before you go.

Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.

Boat ramps and marinas

The map above shows 11 boat ramps and 15 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.

57th Street Boat Launch
Avalon Sport Fishing Center
Avalon Yacht Club
Bidwell Creek | A Haven Marina Resort
Boat ramp near Cape May Harbor
Boat ramp near Head of Bay Cove
Boat ramp near North Basin
Boat ramp near Ottens Harbor
Boat ramp near Snug Harbor
Cape Island Marina
Cape May Inlet Marina
Cape May Marina
Dad's Place Marina
Grassy Sound Marina & Pier
Henlopen Acres Marina
Hereford Inlet Marina
Lewes Public Boat Ramp
North Shores Boat Dock
Pier 47 Marina
Pier 88 Marina
Schooner Island Marina
Stone Harbor Marina

Sources

Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.