Party Boat Fishing in New Jersey
5 party boat charters in New Jersey
Party Boats in New Jersey(5)
Miss Avalon
Avalon, NJ
Blackfish · Sea Bass · Bluefish
From $45 /person
Atlantic Adventure
Cape May, NJ
Tautog · Cobia · Triggerfish
From $80 /person
Norma-K III
Point Pleasant Beach, NJ
Bluefish · Fluke · Sea Bass
From $75 /person
Ebbtide Too
Atlantic Highlands, NJ
Blackfish · Striper
From $65 /person
Big Mohawk
Wall Township, NJ
Sea Bass · Fluke · Blackfish
From $105 /person
New Jersey: The Northeast's Party Boat Capital
New Jersey has one of the largest and most active party boat fleets on the entire East Coast. From Sandy Hook to Cape May, the Jersey Shore is lined with marinas and docks that launch head boats every day of the fishing season. The state's central position on the Atlantic seaboard, combined with the underwater topography of artificial reefs, natural rock piles, wrecks, and the Hudson Canyon, gives New Jersey party boats access to a remarkable diversity of species.
The party boat tradition runs deep in New Jersey. Families have been riding head boats out of ports like Point Pleasant, Belmar, Barnegat Light, Atlantic City, and Wildwood for generations. The boats range from 65-foot inshore vessels that work the local reefs to 90-foot offshore cruisers that make overnight runs to the canyons for Tuna and Tilefish.
An Incredible Wreck and Reef System
New Jersey's coastline sits atop one of the most wreck-rich stretches of ocean in the world. Centuries of maritime traffic through the approaches to New York Harbor have left hundreds of shipwrecks on the ocean floor, and the state has supplemented these with an aggressive artificial reef program. Fifteen designated reef sites off the Jersey coast contain everything from retired subway cars and tanks to concrete rubble and purpose-built reef structures.
This abundance of underwater structure creates outstanding habitat for Black Sea Bass, Tautog, Fluke, Ling (Red Hake), Cod, and various Shark species. The wrecks in 60 to 130 feet of water are the primary fishing grounds for most inshore party boat trips, and each wreck holds its own ecosystem of resident fish.
Seasonal Species and the Canyon Run
New Jersey's fishing calendar starts in March with Mackerel and Ling, transitions to Fluke and Sea Bass in late spring, peaks with Bluefish, Striped Bass, and offshore Tuna from June through September, and finishes with a world-class fall Tautog bite and trophy Striped Bass runs in October and November.
Canyon trips are a specialty of the New Jersey fleet. Overnight runs to the Hudson Canyon, Block Canyon, and Toms Canyon target Yellowfin Tuna, Bigeye Tuna, Longfin Albacore, Mahi-Mahi, and Tilefish. These trips depart in the late evening, run through the night to reach the deep water, fish all day, and return by the following evening. They are among the most ambitious party boat trips available anywhere on the East Coast.
Fluke fishing deserves special mention. New Jersey's sandy bottom and structure-rich coastline make it one of the top destinations for Summer Flounder, and doormat-size Fluke over 10 pounds are caught every season on drift-fishing trips.