Fishing in Longport: A Borough That Is Mostly Water
Longport is a borough in Atlantic County, New Jersey, occupying the southwest corner of Absecon Island, an 8.1-mile barrier island it shares with Margate City, Ventnor City, and Atlantic City. Longport's total area is just 1.56 square miles -- and only 0.40 square miles of that is land. The rest, 1.16 square miles, is water, making the borough roughly 74.49% water by area, among the highest water-to-land ratios of any market covered on this site. That is a real, structural fact about Longport's footprint, not a guess -- and it is the honest starting point for thinking about fishing here. This page will not invent specific charter names, pier names, jetty locations, bait-and-tackle shops, or catch numbers for Longport to sound more complete than the research supports. What follows lays out the confirmed geography and history, and points you to the State of New Jersey and local shops for current regulations and conditions before you fish here.
A Borough on Absecon Island That Is Mostly Water
Longport sits at the southwest end of Absecon Island, sharing that barrier island with Margate City, Ventnor City, and Atlantic City to the north. Of the borough's 1.56 square miles, only 0.40 square miles is land -- the remaining 1.16 square miles, about 74.49% of Longport's total area, is water. That ratio is confirmed via the borough's own Wikipedia entry and is described there as among the highest water-to-land ratios of any market this site covers. In practical terms, a town whose footprint is three-quarters water is a town where bay, back-bay, and inlet-adjacent water are simply a larger share of the geography than dry land -- a genuinely different starting point than a mainland shore town where the ocean is the only water in view.
James Long purchased property in the area in 1857, and M. Simpson McCullough acquired and developed it in 1882, naming the settlement "Longport" in Long's honor. The borough incorporated on March 7, 1898, carved out of Egg Harbor Township by act of the New Jersey Legislature. That founding history explains how Longport came to exist as its own municipality -- it is not, by itself, a description of current fishing conditions here.
The 180 Acres and Ten Streets Lost to the Sea, 1900-1916
Between 1900 and 1916, a series of storms eroded 180 acres on the southern end of Longport's barrier island, taking ten platted, numbered streets with it -- a real, historically documented loss, not merely a case of a beach narrowing over time. That erosion event permanently reshaped the southern part of the borough, and it is a meaningful part of why Longport's geography looks the way it does today: a small, water-dominant footprint at the tip of a barrier island that storms have already reshaped once at significant scale.
We have not confirmed the specific former street names lost in that erosion event, nor a precise current map of where those ten streets once stood -- only that Wikipedia's own account describes 180 acres and ten numbered streets as lost between 1900 and 1916. Treat that as confirmed history, not as a guide to any specific spot along today's shoreline.
What the Geography Means for Fishing, in General Terms
A barrier-island borough that is roughly three-quarters water by area is, structurally, a place where both ocean-facing surf and bay or back-bay water are realistically part of the picture -- Longport's position at the southwest corner of Absecon Island puts it near the inlet waters at the island's southern tip as well as its Atlantic-facing beach. That general structure is consistent with both surf fishing and bay or inlet-adjacent fishing being possible here in some form. We have not researched and are not claiming which specific stretches of beach, which jetties, or which bay-side spots are currently accessible, productive, or open to anglers in any given season -- that goes well beyond what the geography alone can tell us.
In July 2025, Longport installed seven educational signs at beach crossovers -- the walkways anglers and beachgoers alike use to reach the sand -- after officials noticed people standing on protective dunes, including a July 4th incident of beachgoers standing on dunes to watch fireworks. The borough's zoning officer, Bruce Funk, was quoted saying, "People don't understand how important the dunes are. The diversity of wildlife there is amazing," and describing the dunes as "more than just a pile of sand." The $5,000 initiative, funded through a CAFRA Trust Fund donation, put up signs costing roughly $700 each, each carrying a QR code to a dedicated "Our Dunes" website. That is current, confirmed evidence that Longport actively manages beach and dune access at its crossovers -- a reason in itself to expect and respect posted rules when walking out to fish the surf, whatever those current rules turn out to be.
What We Are Not Claiming About Fishing Here
We have not confirmed the names of any charter boats, party boats, fishing piers, jetties, bait-and-tackle shops, or marinas specific to Longport or its surrounding bay and inlet waters, and we are not inventing any to sound more authoritative than the research supports. Current water depths, tidal patterns, seasonal bite windows, and specific species data for Longport's surf or back bay were not confirmed in this research pass, and none of that is invented here.
Longport is also a genuinely small, quiet, and notably affluent borough -- its 2020 census population was just 893, and it ranked 22nd among New Jersey's most expensive ZIP codes in 2018 -- but those are facts about the town's size and wealth profile, not about fishing access, permitted hours, or restricted zones for anglers. If a claim about a specific Longport fishing spot, charter company, or catch statistic shows up elsewhere without a clear, current source behind it, treat it with the same skepticism we are applying here.
Licenses, Regulations, and Current Conditions: Go to the State
We have not confirmed specific current New Jersey recreational fishing license requirements, size and bag limits, or open seasons for the Longport area in this research pass. Go directly to the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife for current recreational fishing license requirements and regulations before you fish the surf, a jetty, or the bay here.
Longport is this site's tenth New Jersey market, following Cape May, Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, North Wildwood, Stone Harbor, Avalon, Sea Isle City, Ocean City, and Strathmere -- and New Jersey's licensing and regulatory framework, along with its own state sales tax and property-tax structure, is simply different from other states covered elsewhere on this site. Do not assume rules confirmed for another state apply here. For current conditions -- what is actually biting that week, and where -- a local bait-and-tackle shop is a far better source than any static page.
Ready to talk to a local Longport agent?
Get a Free Agent Referral →Independent research. No ads. No sponsored listings. Longport's location on the southwest corner of Absecon Island (shared with Margate City, Ventnor City, and Atlantic City), its 1.56-square-mile total area (0.40 square miles land, 1.16 square miles water, roughly 74.49% aquatic), its 1857 purchase by James Long, its 1882 development and naming by M. Simpson McCullough, its March 7, 1898 incorporation from Egg Harbor Township, its 1900-1916 storm-erosion loss of 180 acres and ten numbered streets, its 2020 census population of 893, and its 2018 ranking as New Jersey's 22nd most expensive ZIP code are drawn from Wikipedia's own Longport, New Jersey entry. The July 2025 dune-signage initiative, its $5,000 cost funded via a CAFRA Trust Fund donation, its roughly $700-per-sign installation cost, its "Our Dunes" QR-code website, and Zoning Officer Bruce Funk's quotes are drawn from DownBeach's own July 2025 coverage. We have not confirmed and are not inventing specific current recreational fishing regulations, license fees, seasons, bag limits, species, water depths, tidal patterns, or conditions for Longport's beach, jetties, or bay, or the names of any charter operators, party boats, piers, marinas, or bait-and-tackle shops. Get current New Jersey recreational fishing rules directly from the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, and get current conditions from a local bait-and-tackle shop. Nothing on this page is legal, tax, or financial advice.