Cape May Fishing: Jetties, the Inlet and Sunset Beach

Cape May is where New Jersey ends and two bodies of water meet. The Atlantic Ocean runs up the east side, Delaware Bay opens to the north and west, and the jetties, the inlet and the refuge beaches at the tip let a shore angler fish either side. It also sits directly across the mouth of Delaware Bay from Lewes, Delaware. This guide covers what the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says about fishing at Cape May National Wildlife Refuge, the rules that change depending on which side of the bay line you fish, and what we could not confirm. Where a source is a magazine or a tackle-shop report rather than an agency, we say so.

Cape May National Wildlife Refuge

The refuge allows saltwater fishing in two ways, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Surf fishing is permitted on the Atlantic Ocean portion from October 1 to March 31, and fishing along Cape May Inlet is permitted year-round. Access to both is from half an hour before sunrise until half an hour after sunset, by public roads and footpaths. The refuge names Atlantic croaker, bluefish, striped bass and flounder as the fish most often caught.

Two details on the refuge’s own pages do not line up, and you should check before you plan around them. The refuge home page says the beach at the Two Mile Beach Unit is closed from April 1 through the end of September to protect nesting and migrating shorebirds, and it prints the end date as “September 31st.” That matches the fishing page, which opens the Atlantic surf only from October 1. The home page also says saltwater fishing is allowed year-round at the Cold Spring Inlet Fishing Access Site, south of Ocean Drive and just east of the Middle Thorofare Bridge, while the fishing page says “along the Cape May Inlet.” The two names may refer to different places, and we could not tell which one a given spot belongs to. The refuge also says no fish, baitfish or eggs may be introduced onto the refuge without permits.

Other places to fish

New Jersey’s saltwater fishing guide, which is undated and which we could not reopen this session, lists Cape May Point State Park (jetty and surf), the Cape May City municipal fishing pier on Stockton Street, a municipal beach jetty, the Pharos Marina ramp (with a fee), Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area (jetty and surf), and the jetties at Sunset Beach and Douglas Park in Lower Township. We treat that list as a starting point, not a current access report. Confirm hours, fees and closures with each owner before you go. We did not publish pier hours, fees or length because no readable current page gave them.

The bay line matters for fluke

Cape May sits on the line between the Atlantic and Delaware Bay, and the fluke rule changes there. New Jersey’s table gives a summer flounder minimum of 18 inches and a limit of 3 fish for most waters, and 17 inches and 3 fish for Delaware Bay and its tributaries west of the COLREGS line that separates the bay from the ocean. The season is May 4 to September 25 for both in 2026. The table says the Bay rule does not include the waters of the Cape May Canal east of the Cape May Ferry Terminal, so that stretch follows the 18 inch rule.

There is also a transport exception for boaters. A fluke caught in Delaware Bay that measures at least 17 but less than 18 inches may be carried through waters east of the ferry terminal to the George Redding Bridge on Route 47, at the entrance to Wildwood, as long as all fishing gear on the vessel is stowed with the rigs removed. The vessel may not stop to fish for anything on the way. If you fish from the shore at the tip, work out which side of the line you are standing on before you keep a short fluke. The full fluke picture is on the New Jersey fluke guide.

Rules for the fish you may keep

The rules snapshot above lists the rules we verified from New Jersey’s saltwater tables, which were updated on October 5, 2026. A few points are worth stating in plain language.

• Striped bass are open all year in the Atlantic within three nautical miles, in a slot of 28 to 31 inches, one fish a day. In other marine waters, which appears to include the Delaware Bay shore because the table does not list the bay separately, the season runs from March 1 to December 31 with the same slot. Harvest in federal waters, beyond three nautical miles, is prohibited. Non-offset circle hooks are required when you fish with bait, and gaffing a striped bass is illegal. See the New Jersey striped bass guide for the seasons by zone.
• Tautog have a 15 inch minimum and four windows listed in the table: January 1 to February 28 and April 1 to 30 at four fish, August 1 to November 15 at one fish and November 16 to December 31 at five. Only those windows are listed, so check the agency for any date not shown. See the New Jersey tautog guide.
• Black sea bass carry a 12.5 inch minimum with a daily limit that changes by date between May 15 and December 31.
• The registry: there is no New Jersey saltwater license, but anglers 16 and older must register, free and online, before fishing. The refuge says all saltwater anglers must register.

Our New Jersey rules guide puts all of these in one place.

What bites, and when

Agency sources give only the short list above, so what follows is reporting from outside the agencies, and we have not verified it. A charter-boat blog describes striped bass on the Cape May Rips, and November 2025 tackle-shop reports describe tautog on jetties, wrecks and pipes taken on green and white crabs, striped bass near the three mile line on jigs, and black sea bass on clam. Reports like these change week to week. We are not publishing keeper numbers or monthly calendars for jetty tautog, because those reports also describe many undersized fish.

Gear that works

A medium-heavy spinning or surf rod is the usual choice for jetty tautog and striped bass, and it also handles bluefish. Tautog fishing around rock is hard on tackle, so use a rod with enough backbone to turn a fish out of the rocks, braided line with a leader, and plenty of spare rigs. For light work from the inlet bank, such as croaker and flounder, a lighter spinning rod is enough. Tell us what you are targeting and we will help you build the rod.

Safety

• Jetties are slippery and waves can reach rocks that look dry. Wear shoes with real traction, watch the wave set and never fish a jetty alone in rough water.
• Tides run hard at the inlet. Check the tide and wind before you wade or cast from the rocks.
• Lightning: leave exposed jetties when thunderstorms approach.
• Refuge hours end half an hour after sunset. Do not plan an after-dark session on refuge land.

Across the bay

The Delaware side of the bay is directly across, and the rules differ across the state line. Delaware’s bay shore guide covers the other side, and the Delaware Bay shore guide covers the New Jersey beaches north of Cape May. For a comparison of the surf options, see New Jersey surf fishing.