Position
38°56.2′N 74°58.2′W
Cape May Point sits at the mouth of Delaware Bay at the southern end of the Jersey Shore. Surfcasters work the beaches of Cape May Point State Park, and just offshore the Cape May Rips, the shoals that run across the mouth of the bay toward Cape Henlopen, make up some of the best striper structure on the East Coast. They're also among the most dangerous waters to fish.
When to fish
- Spring: weakfish, which bite best once the water holds around 59 degrees or warmer, especially at first light.
- Through the warm months: the state park beach gives up weakfish, bluefish, flounder, tautog and striped bass, and the Point is a good area for spot.
- November into December: the late-season striper run in the rips and the peak of the fall surf run.
Where to fish
- Cape May Point State Park beach: surf fishing for weakfish, bluefish, flounder, tautog and stripers.
- The Cape May surf circuit: Poverty Beach to Cape May Point, plus Reeds Beach on the bay and the Cape May Inlet jetty, can all be covered in a day.
- Crow Shoal and the Cape Shore Channel: good areas for spot.
- The Cape May Rips (by boat): shoals such as the Eights and Prissy Wicks. The bigger rips, with steeper edges and more turbulent water, usually hold more bass, and the first, most up-current rip on a shoal carries the cleanest water and usually fishes best.
How to fish it
In the rips, read the standing waves for points and gullies in the sand, and target the narrowest funnel where bait is swept through. Watch for diving birds. Make short, repeated drifts with the current, or hold the boat in front of the rip ("stemming the tide") and let baits drift back into it. Drifting live eels on circle hooks, jigging bucktails and trolling spoons or swimming plugs over the shoal all catch stripers. Spiny dogfish can be a nuisance on eels.
Getting there
Cape May Point State Park is at 303 County Highway 629 in Cape May. There's no entrance fee, and the gate is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The park's ponds are a state natural area, so freshwater fishing isn't allowed. Boaters: the rips are dangerous, especially on strong full-moon tides with the wind against the current. Boats capsize there every year; keep the bow pointed into the rip and never shut the engine off while drifting through. Anglers 16 and older must register with New Jersey's free Saltwater Recreational Registry.
From the water
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No fishing reports have been published for Cape May Point and the Rips yet.
Field guide
What you can catch
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