Stone Harbor, NJ

[stal42]

Hi all,

Heading to Stone Harbor, NJ next week with the family for about 7 days. I'm going to pack my heavier "salt rod" in hope that maybe there are good opportunities down there. I really know very little about saltwater fly fishing, but hope maybe someone with some experience can offer up advice or spots to hit? Is fishing from the beach even an option?

Thanks in advance for any help, and please pardon my ignorance. I've only ever bottom fished and gone way offshore in the Northeast salt.

 

[Fishidiot]

Stal,
Yes, you can fish right from the beach. You don't need a fishing license but will need to register.
Get some Clouser Minnow or deceivers (or any basic saltwater streamers) and just walk the beach in the early mornings or late evenings and cast right into the waves and fish close to shore. If there are rocks around, all the better. (Don't try to walk on the rocks without cleated soles!)
Striped bass are active in low light conditions and a Jersey beach in summer is not the place to fish at mid day.
There are some threads here on surf fishing the NJ shore.

 

[LongWader]

You may also want to check out the areas around the Inlet on the North side-Avalon portion of the island and I have had some luck around the jetty at the south end of Stone Harbor down from the parking area. FI has it right about low light and keeping to the first slough in the surf. There are some cuts and sloughs around the north and south side inlet that are also good and generally you want to fish the inlets around the change of the tides when the current slows down. If that coincides with dawn or dusk all the better. The intercoastal side of the inlet may yield some stripers, weakfish, and flounder around the inlet, bridges, and sod banks. If you are willing to brave the sod banks, mud, and green head flies look for areas where a small feeder creek come in. They can be good for stripers, gray trout, and flounder.

 

[SurfCowboyXX]

Fish the bridges at night. Grassy Sound in particular.