Absecon Inlet (Atlantic City)

Absecon Inlet separates Atlantic City from Brigantine and drains a big back-bay marsh full of baitfish, fluke, snapper blues, weakfish and small stripers. Its jetties are legendary among surfcasters: the Vermont Avenue jetty, a short walk from the Atlantic City boardwalk, is where the largest surf-caught striped bass on record (78½ pounds) was landed on a stormy September night in 1982.

When to fish

• Spring: black drum can be caught from the inlet rocks.
• Summer: fluke, weakfish and snapper blues around the inlet.
• September and October: mullet and peanut bunker pour out of the marsh on the big moon tides and head south along the beach. A northeast blow that pins bait against the jetties is the classic setup for big bass.
• Late fall: the main striper run, which now usually comes later than the mullet migration.

Where to fish

• The Oriental Avenue jetty: borders the inlet itself.
• The Vermont Avenue jetty: a few hundred yards south. Its north side keeps deep, fishable water thanks to the along-shore current, and it's a natural spot for stripers to trap bait.
• The Brigantine side: covered on the Brigantine Beach page, with tautog at the south-end jetty.

How to fish it

Match the fall bait: swimming plugs that imitate mullet and peanut bunker, especially at night and in rough, onshore weather on big tides. For drum from the rocks, fish fresh clam on the bottom.

Getting there

Reach the Vermont Avenue jetty from the Atlantic City boardwalk at the end of Vermont Avenue in the inlet section of the city. Anglers 16 and older must register with New Jersey's free Saltwater Recreational Registry.