The northeast’s beaches and shorelines are what most would consider “rocky terrain.” In fact, a large portion of the New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts coastlines are dotted with boulders, rocks and gravel, creating a terrific habitat for the predator fish and their food of choice. While fishing the nearby beaches and their connected rock piles, another man-made rock structure cannot be disregarded by the angler.

The Jetty

A jetty is a man made structure that was created along the shorelines to prevent storm surges from damaging property, to help stop beach erosion and to create small causeways into the rivers and salt ponds in the northeast. For the fisherman, these grounds are rich with fish at some point or another and if you understand when, it can enhance your catch any time.

Bluefish, false albacore, weakfish and striped bass love these areas for the turbulent, fast-moving waters. The reason is that most baitfish get disoriented in these waters and therefore become easy prey for these predators. You can often find large numbers of these predators not up against the walls of a jetty enjoying an afternoon snack of baitfish. This is where the water is the most turbulent.

Beside the above-mentioned fish species, blackfish and porgy also take advantage of the jetties. Crabs, mussels, periwinkles, and whelks all use rocky structures to make their homes. The scup and tautog start housekeeping in these areas for the same reasons as other fish; they offer shelter and food. They are able to roam the stretches of the jetties to feed on the crabs and mussels, and can also wedge between the rocks to hide from bigger predators.

High tide is the best time for fishing the jetty. The closer to high tide, the better the fishing will be since you’ll have more water and your prey will be far more focused on finding something to eat. Baitfish are plentiful in the causeways that lead to ponds and rivers – they can be found in abundance when the tide comes and again when the tide goes out.

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.

As you can see, if you have not yet made use of the jetties you have been missing out on some excellent fishing opportunities. Some days the beaches will offer the most fish, and other days the jetties will. The important thing is that now you can fish both areas in one trip. If both areas seem to be missing bluefish and stripers, then you can totally shift gears and fish for blackfish. This is just one more excellent option to add to your surf-fishing approach. It could turn a miserable evening of fishing into one that you will never forget.

There are many supplies that are helpful when fishing on the rocky shoreline. Some of these supplies include: Daiwa Rods, Shimano Calcutta, and Saltiga 30T.

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