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Cape May County,
New Jersey
It’s All About the Water
at the Jersey Cape!
It’s all about the water! With the Atlantic
Ocean on the east, Delaware Bay to the west and
channels, sounds and inland waterways there’s
definitely something about the water that
attracts visitors to Cape May County.
From deep sea fishing to back bay crabbing,
paddling a kayak to riding a wave runner, water
skiing on Sunset Lake to dropping a line off a
jetty, the waters that border Cape May County
are perfect for having fun.
The Jersey Island Blueway map is a
comprehensive – and helpful - guide to Cape May
County’s back bays, marshes, creeks and
channels. Colored lines on the easy-to-read map
indicate point-to-point and loop paddling routes
that can be combined into longer trips.
Approximate distances are listed but can vary
depending on experience, winds and tides. The
map covers Ocean City, Sea Isle City, Corson’s
Inlet, Townsend’s Inlet, Avalon, Stone Harbor,
Hereford Inlet, Wildwood, Wildwood Crest and
Cape May with symbols that designate points of
interest, areas of heavy boat traffic, launching
ramps and safety tips so it’s a great help to
boaters, too.
Without a doubt, the Mid-Atlantic $500,000 is
one of most popular events in the world of big
game sport fishing – and it takes place in Cape
May every August. With well over a million
dollars in prize money each year, this event
brings together true sportsmen from up and down
the East Coast – and sometimes beyond - who
enjoy competitive fishing and the camaraderie
that goes along with it. Headquartered at the
Canyon Club, it also a fun event for landlubbers
- stop by the marina and watch the big fish get
weighed in as those impressive boats return –
this year it’s Aug. 19-24, 2007.
From ocean to bay and inland with fresh water
ponds and lakes in the northern areas of the
county, fishing is a popular recreational
activity.
Saltwater fishing promises great action
whether it’s the high seas, along the shoreline
or on a jetty. What you catch depends on where
you are – a few miles out to sea and it could be
tuna, bluefish, dolphin, shark, sea bass or mahi
mahi. Closer to the shore it’s more likely
strippers, bluefish, tautog or other good-eating
fish.
The famed Baltimore Canyon where warm Gulf
Stream waters feed the mineral and nutrient-rich
waters surrounding Southern New Jersey can be
fished in a day trip from local ports on charter
and party boats with experienced captains.
Located about halfway between New York City
and Annapolis, Md., Cape May has a safe,
all-weather harbor with easy access to
well-appointed marinas. While professional
fishermen have always known the benefits of the
Port of Cape May, recreational fishermen and
boaters have also made it a popular stopover and
welcome sanctuary.
Cape May/Wildwood is the largest fishing port
in New Jersey and one of the largest on the East
Coast. Vessels of all sizes are home ported
here, leaving for day, week or longer trips with
a focus on squid, mackerel, fluke, sea bass,
porgies, lobsters and menhaden. The port,
especially Wildwood, accounts for a high
percentage of hard-shell surf clams and ocean
quahogs with most of the catch processed locally
although a significant portion is distributed
through local seafood markets and sold fresh to
consumers. The Delaware Bay stretches north from
Sunset Beach in Lower Township is known for its
fine striped bass and drum fishing. Horseshoe
crabs come ashore along the bay beaches every
spring to lay their eggs which in turn are a
major source of food for the migrating red
knots, a bird that travels from South America to
the Arctic annually with a stopover on Delaware
Bay.
The Cape May Canal links the ocean side with
the bay and from there it’s easy access to the
Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, Maurice River, or
the Delaware River. The intracoastal waterway
and the harbors of Cape May, Wildwood, Stone
Harbor, and Avalon provide safe, calm boating
from Cape May to Atlantic City and beyond.
For those who enjoy the water but just aren’t
into fishing, jet skiing or kayaking, check out
sight seeing trips - a salt marsh safari aboard
a catamaran is the perfect way to get up close
and personal with nature. There are whale
watching tours or even a cruise across the bay
on the Cape May Lewes ferry, both are great
opportunities to see dolphins, interesting birds
or marvel at a magnificent sunset.
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