Deep Sea Fishing in the Northeast?

January 5, 2007 6:25 AM

What are some good places in the Northeast (Philly, NJ, DE, MD) to go deep sea fishing?

I'm the best man at the wedding and thought this would be a great idea for the guys to get together. I've gone deep sea fishing before when I was young but I have no idea where I went and how we were able to get the boats, etc.

Can anyone tell me of some good companies they worked with? How does it work? Do we rent a boat? Is there some package cost? I don't think any of us have rods or any fishing equipment, so does that all come with the package? Pretty much, help me from the bottom.

We're all from Philly, but we're willing to down to as far as MD.

Thanks.

posted by jadanzzy to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (4 answers total)

You can either charter a boat for the day to take out just you and your friends or you can book passage on a "party boat" with other people. (All the good charter captains I know are long gone, unfortunately, so I can't give you specific recommendations.)

Here's a link to some boats that run out of the Cape May/Avalon area. If you're not a really serious fisherman going for a particular kind of fish, you'd probably be OK chartering a boat from whatever shore town is closest or most familiar.

As for equipment, you don't need to buy it. Whether it comes as part of the charter package or you are charged to rent it varies by captain.

My father bleeds saltwater and has worked taking out charters, so if you have any other questions feel free to e-mail me and I'll pass them on to him.
posted by jrossi4r at 7:28 AM on January 5, 2007

My folks live in Atlantic Highlands, NJ, and there are a large number of boats leaving there daily. It's about 1.5 hours from Philly.

When I lived in Phila, I worked with a chef who went to AH routinely to go fishing with Capt. Ron and constantly came back with impressive catches. There are a number of NJ links for Highlands boats and nearby towns here.

It's definitely a classic grooms'-men activity.
posted by Miko at 8:20 AM on January 5, 2007

You don't mention what time of year you're going. I'm not an expert, but I'm pretty sure the but the Mid-Atlantic game fish season doesn't really get going until late spring... If you want to catch big fish (tuna, marlin, wahoo, dolphin, etc.) you'll want to wait until they're running so you don't just spend the day trolling for nothing. As far as location, I know from limited experience that the fishing grounds off Ocean City, MD are well known for their sport fishing.
posted by maniactown at 9:25 AM on January 5, 2007

I'll second Ocean City, MD. Down at the inlet (the southern portion of the city), there are tons of boats and tours that will cater to deep sea fishing trips, whether day trips or overnight excursions.

Check out this. Or this.

I've taken a few of the day trips and they are quite fun. Plus, you get to keep what you catch, which always makes for a tasty dinner.
posted by galimatias at 12:02 PM on January 5, 2007