Fishing at the boulders on Beach C at Gateway National Recreation Area’s Sandy Hook Unit
PERMITS AND FEES
Saltwater fishing is allowed within the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area. No special fishing license is required from the National Park Service to fish. However, those 16 and older must enroll in the free New Jersey Saltwater Recreational Registry Program, and all New Jersey State fishing regulations apply. Shellfishing is not allowed due to health concerns stemming from contaminated shellfish in the park waters.
Most of the fishing locations south of Fort Hancock require that you park your vehicle in one of the beach parking lots. Keep in mind that you must pay a fee to do so from Memorial Day to Labor Day weekend between the hours of 7 AM and 5 PM. Parking lots that require a fee have a US FEE AREA sign at the entrance (Parking Lots B, C, D, E, G, I, J, and K). All other parking lots are free. There is no fee if you walk or bike into the park or get dropped off. Daily and seasonal passes are available. See the National Park Service’s official Gateway National Recreation Area Fees and Passes web page for the latest prices. Other than the campground parking lot, all other parking lots are free to use.
If you would like to fish at Sandy Hook after hours (9 PM to 6 AM year-round), you can get fishing parking lot permit from the National Park Service. Such permits are valid throughout the entire park, so you don’t need to buy one for each park unit or a specific location. However, these permits are not valid for all parking lots. For example, a fishing parking lot permit is not valid for parking in beach parking lots that require a permit, such as those at Sandy Hook and Jacob Riis Park Beach during daytime hours. Keep in mind that the permit is a parking permit, not a fishing permit. It is not required if you walk, bike, or get dropped off at a fishing location. The permit is good for both daytime and nighttime parking (where nighttime parking is allowed).
Permits are only available for purchase online at Recreation.gov (if this link does not work, go to Recreation.gov and search for Gateway NRA Fishing Access permits). They are not sold year-round, so if you want one, it is best to get one in February. Permits are valid from the time of purchase until February 28th. There is no pro-rated fee, so if you purchase one on December 1st, it is only good for three months.
While you purchase the permit online, you must take your receipt to a specified location within the park to redeem it for an actual parking sticker. Locations are given on Recreation.gov. You need one permit for each of your vehicles. They are not transferable.
FISHING SPOTS
If you pick up a park map, you will find a few areas marked with a Fishing Icon, but people fish all over the park. Except for Spermaceti Cove and the Holly Forest shoreline on Sandy Hook Bay and any fresh water ponds, if you can get to the water, you can fish.
The following are some of the more popular spots:
ATLANTIC OCEAN BEACHES
There are six swimming beaches and one fishing beach at Sandy Hook. I saw people fishing at all of them, not just the designated fishing beach. However, you cannot fish at the swimming beaches when lifeguards are on duty (Memorial Day to Labor Day weekend from 10 AM to 6 PM), but you can access the beach and then walk far enough so that you are outside of the swimming beach boundaries. You also cannot fish on a beach that is closed for wildlife nesting or safety reasons.
Fishing on Beach B at the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area
PLUM ISLAND
Fishing on Plum Island at the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area
Plum Island and the beach directly to the north (Kite Beach) are accessed from Parking Lot B at Sandy Hook. There is a cut-through at the center of the parking lot that leads over to the actual island where you will find two small, land-locked ponds (no fishing in the ponds). A path between them leads to the bay on the far side of the island.
From the north end of the parking lot you can access Kite Beach. There is no way to get to the bay from the southern end of the parking lot.
Satellite view of Plum Island
FISHING BEACH
Fishing Beach is the actual name for an Atlantic Ocean beach at Sandy Hook that is a designated fishing spot, though beachgoers are welcome as well. When I visited, the majority of the people were fishing, and any beachgoers appeared to be family members who tagged along for the day. Dad wants to go fishing. Wife and kids want the beach. Fishing Beach is the great compromise.
Fishing Beach at the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area
To get to Fishing Beach, if you are coming from the entrance of the Sandy Hook Unit, take the first road on the right after you pass a Nike Missile exhibit. The road is a quarter mile past the exhibit. If you have a park map, look for Parking Lot F. It’s really not a parking lot, but a side road that you can park along. The road is .3-mile long, and on a busy day cars will be lined up on either side for its entire length. There is no fee or permit required to park here. The only amenity is a portable toilet.
Road parking at the Fishing Beach at the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area
Near the actual beach is an old military bunker, and on the beach are two pillboxes from which machine gunners stationed inside could keep a watch for enemies landing on the beach.
Pillbox at the Fishing Beach at Gateway National Recreation Area’s Sandy Hook Unit
NORTH END OF SANDY HOOK
Those wanting to fish at the very northern end of Sandy Hook can take the Fishermen’s Trail, which starts at Parking Lot M. It is a .6-mile walk through deep beach sand to reach Sandy Hook Bay. From there you can walk north or south. It is .4 mile farther to the north to reach the very tip of Sandy Hook where you can fish on either the bay or the Atlantic Ocean.
Sandy Hook Bay at the north end of Gateway National Recreation Area’s Sandy Hook Unit
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Last updated on December 19, 2022
