Fishing the Rocky Shorelines
Coastlines all over the northeast are riddled with rocks, gravel, boulders and other connected man-made rock piles. However, these areas located in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey are ideal grounds for predator fish and the food that they so love to eat. This makes it great grounds for superior fishing as long as you don’t disregard the man-made rock structure that you need to contend with.
Jetties
Jetties are rock structures made by human hands that were built for a host of reasons. Rational reasons include curbing beach erosion, quelling storm surges, and creating a causeway leading into a river or salt pond. They are all good reasons, but the most important fact to a fisherman is that they all will hold fish at some point.
Baitfishes often spend their final moments of life up against the walls of these jetties. In fact, bluefish, striped bass, weakfish and false albacore love these areas simply because they are rife with turbulent waters that are fast moving. The baitfish become confused in these areas and turn out to be an easy meal for a hungry school of predators. One reason they are so close to the walls of the jetty is that the water is generally most turbulent in that area.
These jetties are also home to whelks, mussels, periwinkles, scup and tautog to set up housekeeping. These fish nestle into the jetty for the sole purpose of finding food and shelter and having the ability to feed on each other. The jetty allows shelter from larger predators as well which is an added benefit.
The ideal time for fishing at the jetty is high tide. In fact, the closer you can start fishing to high tide the more abundant your catch will be. Baitfish tend to be more focused during this time as the water is even more turbulent and they tend to need to stay more focused to keep their bearings. Causeways that lead to local rivers and ponds will be filled with baitfish as the tide ebbs and flows.
If you love fishing for blackfish and porgies, the advantage is they seldom get too far away from the jetty wall. These fish find all they need for their survival in the rocks and allow you to take advantage of the jetty. Blackfish and porgy fishing allow for shorter casts and requires little weight to be added to your bait.
Safety is essential if you are planning to fish in an area that is rich with jetties. First and foremost you must take into consideration that you want to remain safe during your fishing trip. Your number one priority should be a personal flotation device (also called PFD). Excuses are not acceptable – a fall into a jetty can easily result in a deadly accident – the risk is too great, and the cost is too great. Another required piece of gear for jetty fishing is a good pair of cleats. Consider the ground you are fishing from – these rocks stay wet all the time because of the ebb and flow of the tide and during much of fishing season these rocks are laced with algae and moss. Because they are so slippery, you can easily lose you footing and take a fall – why risk a broken ankle or leg (or worse) because you failed to take the proper safety precautions.
Beach and jetty fishing in the northeast offer great opportunities for fishing. You can get the best of both in one day by visiting the great shorelines that are found here. If you start off fishing for blackfish and decide it’s time for a bluefish or striper, they are not too far away. The shores of the northeast offer a lot of opportunities for a memorable fishing trip for you, your friends and you family. Don’t miss out on these great opportunities.
There are many great types of reels to use when fishing from rocky shorelines, some of them include BG90 and Shimano Calcutta Spinning
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