Beach Thorofare Fishing Guides
The main back-bay channel behind Absecon Island, running the marsh between Margate and Atlantic City, with a gauge reading tide and water temperature on classic New Jersey back-bay water.
Guides on the Beach Thorofare
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About the Beach Thorofare
Beach Thorofare is the principal channel in the back bay behind Absecon Island, threading the salt marsh between Margate, Ventnor and Atlantic City and connecting through a network of thoroughfares and guts to Great Egg Harbor and to the inlets. A thorofare in the South Jersey sense is a tidal channel through marsh rather than a river, and that is exactly what this is. It has no freshwater drainage of consequence, so the tide runs it entirely.
The gauge at Margate reads tidal elevation and water temperature, which together describe almost everything that governs the fishing here. Back-bay fish move on the stage of the tide, and knowing whether the water is making or falling over the marsh banks is more useful than any other single piece of information. The temperature record tracks the seasonal arrivals and departures, and in a shallow bay it swings faster and further than the ocean just over the dunes.
Striped bass are the fish that define the fishery, holding on the bridge abutments, the channel edges and the sod banks, and feeding hard on moving water. Summer flounder work the channel through the warm months and are the most sought-after summer target. Weakfish, bluefish and kingfish come and go with the season, tautog and sea bass hold on the hard structure, and the blue crabbing through the marsh is a tradition in its own right.
Access is genuinely easy, which is unusual for water this productive. Bridges, bulkheads and small marinas line the channel, a skiff or a kayak covers it well, and the marsh is close enough to the boardwalk that a morning trip fits around the rest of a visit. Marine regulations apply throughout and the seasons on several species are tightly managed.
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Access
Margate - the town at the gauge, with marinas, bait, ramps and bulkhead access along the channel.
Atlantic City - immediately north, with lodging, services, party boats and the inlet fishery.
Ventnor - between the two, with additional small-boat access and quieter bulkhead fishing.
Absecon Inlet - the ocean connection to the north, with jetties and a major striped bass fishery.
Great Egg Harbor Inlet - the southern connection, reached through the back-bay channels.
Longport and the Ocean Drive bridges - the classic structure for striped bass on a running tide.
Somers Point - across the bay on the mainland, with ramps, tackle and further services.
Seasons
Spring: striped bass return to the back bay as the shallow water warms ahead of the ocean, and the season opens strongly.
Summer: flounder in the channel, crabbing through the marsh, and striped bass feeding at night around the bridges.
Fall: the best of the year, with bait pouring out of the marsh and stripers and bluefish following it to the inlets.
Winter: cold and largely over, with a few resident fish and the ocean structure fishing better than the bay.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Beach Thorofare?
Anglers target American Eel, Atlantic Croaker, Black Sea Bass, Blue Crab, Bluefish, Northern Kingfish, Northern Puffer, Scup, Spot, Striped Bass, Summer Flounder, Tautog, Weakfish, White Perch, Winter Flounder on the Beach Thorofare in New Jersey.
Where can you access the Beach Thorofare?
Margate - the town at the gauge, with marinas, bait, ramps and bulkhead access along the channel. Atlantic City - immediately north, with lodging, services, party boats and the inlet fishery. Ventnor - between the two, with additional small-boat access and quieter bulkhead fishing. Absecon Inlet - the ocean connection to the north, with jetties and a major striped bass fishery. Great Egg Harbor Inlet - the southern connection, reached through the back-bay channels. Longport and the Ocean Drive bridges - the classic structure for striped bass on a running tide. Somers Point - across the bay on...
When is the best time to fish the Beach Thorofare?
Spring: striped bass return to the back bay as the shallow water warms ahead of the ocean, and the season opens strongly. Summer: flounder in the channel, crabbing through the marsh, and striped bass feeding at night around the bridges. Fall: the best of the year, with bait pouring out of the marsh and stripers and bluefish following it to the inlets. Winter: cold and largely over, with a few resident fish and the ocean structure fishing better than the bay.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Beach Thorofare?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the New Jersey agency site: https://dep.nj.gov/njfw/fishing/marine/