Surf fishing in atlantic city ? is it allowed ?

[The_Greek]

im going and staying at the tropicana tomorrow and i was wondering are you allowed to fish right outside on the beach ? i google it but i couldnt come up with any useful information.

Also im going with a 7' rod, which i know isnt the best rod for casting off the beach but you guys think it will be okay to fish with ?

[Pfishingruven]

I don't know for sure, but you are allowed to fish on almost any public beach.  I have never heard that you cannot fish on the beaches there.  The only limitations may be during bathing hours.  After the guards leave for the day, you should have no problem.  Some places have fishing beaches as well.  Your best bet is to check with an employee during the day.

A 7 foot rod is on the smaller side.  How much weight can it handle?  You probably will not be able to throw a lot of weight with it and your casts may be shorter, but almost all of my fish from the surf have come no more than 10 feet off the beach on lures.  I would concentrate on fluke and blues, which can both be caught on lures that don't have to be very heavy.

Good luck and enjoy!

 

[The_Greek]

hey Pfishingruven thanks for replying.

I went to:
http://www.atlanticcitynj.com/visitors/thingstodo/beaches/default.aspx

and it pretty much sais what you are saying so Im going fishing while im down there!

I have a shakespeare tiger 7' spinning rod and reel combo, i was told its the best cheap rod and reel you buy LOL

the rod is rated at 40 pounds and it has 12 pound line on it.

[Pfishingruven]

That will certainly work.  You should be able to throw a few ounces with that and some bait.

Good luck and enjoy!

 

[ped579]

If you have the time try fishing around the jetties on the northern part of the beach, that is where the record striped bass was caught and still holds the record.  Good luck.

Happy Catching

Paul

[SurfJockey]

Good luck to you!

[Pfishingruven]

I just got an email back from the Atlantic City Mayor's Office and this is what it said:

Dear Sir:

The Atlantic City Beaches are closed off to fishing during the summer season.  The only exception is fishing off of the “jetties” which are found in the Inlet section of Atlantic City.

Fishing is allowed off of the beaches during the off season.  I hear that the fishing is really good during that time.  I hope you’ll get a chance to enjoy the activity.

Respectfully,
Kevin Hall

Confidential Aide/Press Secretary to the Mayor

I did just email him back and specifically ask if you can fish on the beach after bathing hours when the beaches are not guarded.  I will post back when I get a response.

I have never heard of this before...BUT it wouldn't surprise me at all.  Just another way they have limited our fishing access here in NJ.  I don't have the exact statistics, BUT NJ has the lowest ratio of fishing/crabbing waterfront access of any state.  Pretty sad .

Apparently the Press Secretary doesn't fish either because surf fishing and jetty fishing are different games and you do need to be a lot more careful on a jetty than on the beach!

 

[Pfishingruven]

Here is the email I received back in reference to my question about fishing after hours when the beaches are unguarded:

Matt:

As I understand it no fishing is allowed during the summer season at all.  The Atlantic City Beach Patrol (ACBP) cites safety concerns and consistency of law as the reasons for the policies.  Sorry!

Here’s to catching the BIG ONE off of the Atlantic City Jetty!

Kevin

I guess Atlantic City is completely off limits during the "summer" season !  Mark another 3.4 miles of beach that we can't fish from June to September !