I Found Every Crabbing Spot in New Jersey
The Jersey Shore makes up miles and miles of barrier islands, which protect the saltwater marshes behind them. This is the perfect formula for tons and tons of blue crabs. It’s overshadowed by its neighbor Maryland, but NJ has plenty of spots for you to catch some crabs.
I called bait shops, talked to locals, and used my own crabbing intuition to compile a list of crabbing spots along the Jersey Shore. Feel free to bookmark this page and try a few of these spots out for yourself. Happy crabbing!
I color-coded the spots on this list to give you an idea of what each spot has to offer.
- Public piers which are perfect for crabbing are labeled with a blue pinpoint.
- Boat Landings to go crabbing by boat are labeled with a green pinpoint.
- Shoreline crabbing spots are labeled with a red pinpoint.
- Bridges that allow crabbing are labeled with a yellow pinpoint.
The spot you end up choosing depends on how you want to go crabbing. There are several methods to catch a blue crab, three of the most popular being hand lines, collapsible traps, and crab pots.
If you want to go crabbing with a hand line or ring net, pick a red pinpoint. If you want to use ring nets or other collapsible traps to go crabbing, pick a blue or yellow spot. If you want to set a crab pot and come back later, or actively crab with a collapsible trap connected to a buoy, I recommend you go crabbing by boat at one of the green pinpoint locations.
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New Jersey Crabbing Charters
Before you decide to go through the process of finding a crabbing spot, purchasing crabbing gear, and going down the rabbit hole that is recreational crabbing, you may want to consider a crabbing charter. A crabbing charter is a private crabbing trip with an expert captain. He or she will take you on the water with their boat to set crab traps and go fishing. You’ll spend the day on the water and learn a thing or two, and you get to keep whatever fish or crabs you catch!
I highly recommend this experience to anyone new to crabbing. There is a huge learning curve when it comes to figuring out crabbing techniques, buying the right gear, the right bait, finding the best time to go crabbing, and the list goes on. With a charter, however, you’ll get to have an expert at your side to answer any questions as you learn how to go crabbing. They’ll provide all the gear necessary, a license, and everything else you will need for this trip.
I don’t say this to overwhelm you, but just to introduce the idea of a charter boat. I found two captains who are beginner-friendly and has years of experience when it comes to catching blue crabs:
Wrecking Crew Fishing Charters, Somers Point, NJ
Click here to see Captain Dave Savidge’s availability on Fishingbooker.com.
Barnegat Bay Adventures, Mantoloking, NJ
Click here to see Captain Anthony Grassi’s availability on Fishingbooker.com.
South Jersey / Delaware Bay Crabbing Spots
After scouring New Jersey’s coastline along the Delaware bay, I found that there aren’t many options when it comes to crabbing piers. There are a few bridges and docks to crab from, but you’ll get the most crabs crabbing by boat. I’ll list the shoreline spots here. If you want to crab from a boat, you can view my map which labels boat ramps with a green pinpoint. You can also consider a boat rental service as there are a few in this area.
Turkey Point: Crabbing Bridge
One of the only spots to crab from shore along the Delaware Bay in New Jersey is at Turkey Point. I’ve written crabbing articles for almost every coastal state in the United States, but I’ve never seen a spot like this. It’s a small bridge dedicated to crabbing in the middle of nowhere. Prepare for the inundating smell of sulfur because you’re driving way out into the bay.
Check the tide charts beforehand, because a high tide can submerge this spot. You’ll be rewarded for your efforts because this a very little known spot. There, you’ll find a bridge where you can drop collapsible traps and ring nets into the crab-filled marsh. You can also set hand lines along the shore.
Be wary that there are no restrooms here or trash bins. Take your garbage with you! Help preserve the Delaware Bay.
Old Mauricetown Bridge
The Old Mauricetown Bridge was torn down and replaced with a waterfront park where a locals love to sightsee and go fishing. It’s a little-known fact that this spot is perfect for collapsible traps. You can park right along the water and setup traps along the 115ft of shoreline. You can park so close to your traps that you can literally crab and fish from the back of your vehicle. That’s a big advantage compared to some spots where you have to drag your gear over a long distance.
Dividing Creek Boat Rentals
There are plenty of boat rentals along the NJ bayside, but I recommend Dividing Creek Boat Rentals. Full disclaimer, I’m not associated with Diving Creek Boat Rentals in any way.
Diving Creek Boat Rentals receives great feedback from their customers. It’s centrally located in the NJ Bay Area, just south of Millville. I believe their rates to be fair, and they’re situated in some of the best crabbing spots along the Bay.
Wildwood & Cape May Crabbing Spots
The Cape May & Wildwood Area borders acres of wetlands and coastal bays, which make great spots for crabbing! It’s a common local past time, and the area has plenty of piers and docks for anyone to set crab traps. Let’s go over a few.
Sunset Lake Park Pier
This small, metal pier is used mostly for pedestrians watching the sunset, but it can make for a nice spot to set one or two collapsible traps. There’s parking for a handful of vehicles going south on E. Louisville Avenue, which is a short walk away from the pier. The spot has beautiful views and walking trails.
Back Bay Bulkhead, West Wildwood, NJ
This bulkhead serves as a centrally located fishing spot in Wildwood, but can also work for crabbers. The water is a bit too shallow at low tide, so make sure to plan your trip with the tides. Get your traps in the water an hour before high tide for a few hours of crabbing. Collapsible traps will work here, as well as hand lines if you venture down towards the shoreline.
West Wildwood Park
West Wildwood Park sits along The Grassy Sound, with bulkheads protecting a small playground. These bulkheads border a water that’s a few feet deep, which puts you in the perfect position for collapsible traps. I prefer this spot over Back Bay Bulkhead because there’s more parking, it’s a nicer area, and you’re along a spot with more current. More current means more crabs.
Carol Nicoletta Memorial Park & Fishing Pier
This spot is along the NJ Mainland, and not the coastal town of Wildwood. This is where you go for some serious shoreline crabbing. The pier stretches nearly 200ft into Jenkins Sound, which gives you plenty of room to set collapsible traps and crab pots. You’re surrounded on all sides by saltwater marshes and brackish waters, giving you access to all the crabs the Cape May area has to offer.
Grassy Sound Marina
Grassy Sound Marina sits right next to the old Route 147 bridge, which is a very popular crabbing spot for the Wildwood area. It stretches nearly 300 ft into the water, and comes with benches. You’ll meet other crabbers here who will spill endless crabbing knowledge. The only reason it’s so low on this list is because it’s a heavily-crabbed area.
Avalon Crabbing Spots
Public Street Piers
One thing I love about Avalon is its piers at the end of a few streets. They’re small, little-known, and great for a couple crab traps. A big issue is parking. 57th Street Pier is the only one of these piers that have public parking. I would walk to these spot, if possible. There are no public restrooms and no public waste bins.
There are piers at the West end of 57th, 37th, 33rd, 23rd, and 8th street. According to locals, which is confirmed by the amount of reviews on Google Maps, 8th street pier is the most popular of the five. Because of this, I’d skip this one and go for spots that aren’t as pressured for blue crabs.
Link to each pier on Google Maps:
Ocean City / Atlantic City Crabbing Spots
Route 52 (image above), which connects Ocean City, NJ to the mainland, is home to three of the best fishing piers and crabbing spots on the Jersey Shore. Let’s go over each one.
The Secluded Fishing Pier
I may upset some people by putting this spot first, or even mentioning it at all! It’s the closest pier to Ocean City, and right next to the visitor’s center. People think it’s off limits because you need to walk down a road that looks like it’s for vehicles to access it. This drives off the competition, so take advantage of it! Park your car as close to the end of the visitor’s center parking lot as you can. Right before the exit, there’s a roadway with a “DO NOT ENTER” sign. Do the opposite of this sign, and walk your crabbing gear down to the pier.
Rainbow Island Fishing Pier
This 400 foot pier is the longest of the three piers on Route 52, which means more room for crab traps. There’s enough parking for around 20 vehicles. Please do your part to maintain a clean pier.
Elbow Thorofare Fishing Pier
On the opposite side of Rainbow Island, Elbow Thorofare Fishing Pier is a much shorter option with fewer parking spots. However, don’t let that turn you away! It has all the same amenities as Rainbow Island Fishing Pier and isn’t picked as much by competing crabbers. A smaller pier does much better at spots with less pressure.
Long Beach Crabbing Spots
Bayview Park Pier
Bayview park has a few spots to crab, with the viewing spots next to the parking lot, and the pier to the right by the playground. You’ll have more luck at the pier because it stretches out into the water. The viewing spot by the parking lot will only work at a higher tide, since the water is too shallow otherwise.
This has plenty of parking, trash bins, a playground, and beach. This will make for a great day of crabbing for the family since there is plenty to do if the crabbing gets slow.
Barnegat Municipal Pier
Barnegat bay Pier is a dock that stretches along 200 ft of shoreline. The spot is a bit dirty and poorly-kept, but it makes for a great spot to go crabbing and fishing. There’s a small fee charged to crabbers, but not too many people come here.
Seaside Heights Crabbing Spots
First off, let’s go over two of the best spots crabbing in the town of Seaside. Then, I’ll list nearby spots on the NJ mainland.
13th Avenue Pier
13th Avenue pier is a crabber’s dream. There’s plenty of room for parking, right next to the base of the pier. There’s a boat ramp if you want to crab in Barnegat Bay, and public waste bins. All of this right in the town of Seaside Park.
The pier is well-kept and stretches nearly 400 feet into the bay, and is used by anglers and crabbers. It’s great for collapsible traps, since you can tie your lines to the railings. It’s not great for handlines, since the railings are so high and the pier is too high off the water.
5th. Avenue Bay Pier
This park and pier is a staple of Seaside’s amenities. Parking isn’t great, since you have to pull over on the shoulder, but there is playground equipment, a beach with a lifeguard on duty, and a long crabbing pier. The pier is nearly 500 feet long, and doesn’t have a railing. This makes crabbing with handlines a possibility. Just tie the strings to the pilings, along with a few collapsible traps.
Toms River Crabbing Piers
Tom’s River is one of the last rivers going north along the Jersey Shore. Here, there are two piers on opposite sides of the river that make great shoreline crabbing. Pine Beach Pier (View on Google Maps) and West End Ave Crabbing Pier (View on Google Maps) both serve as great spots for crabbing with collapsible traps and handlines.
John C. Bartlett, Jr. County Park at Berkeley Island
This park is home to a T-pier, walking trails, covered eating areas, public restrooms, and trash bins. The pier is a bit of a walk from the parking lot, which will be a pain when lugging crabbing supplies back and forth. It’s still an excellent spot for crabbing being so far away from the rush of the Jersey Shore.
