Wildwood Reef - The Fisherman

Wildwood Reef

2017 12 Wildwood Reef
Courtesy of the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.

With blackfish season running red hot, it’s a good time for South Jersey anglers to look at the Wildwood Reef for whitechins. Without a doubt, there are some pigs hanging on the structure of this 2.1-square mile reef site that is easily reachable only 4.5 miles out of Hereford Inlet, 9.2 miles from Townsend’s Inlet and 8.3 miles from Cape May Inlet. Depths range from 42 to 63 feet with the middle portion of the reef showcasing a dip or hole where a lot of the structure lays.

The entire expanse is comprised of a varied mix of concrete casings, tire units, and Army tanks scattered throughout, and highlighted by six scuttled vessels and barges; the 40-foot Fallen Friends (3857.71/7440.99), the 85-foot Lady Dee (3857.4147441.500), 71-foot Maelstrom (3857.412/7441.346), 70-foot Michael DePalma barge (3856.970/7441.337) and the largest a 132-foot “Pair of Kings” (3858.03/7441.07) tanker barge on the northern end of the expanse.

The most recent addition to the reef site in 2016 was the deployment of the 115-foot clam boat called the Lisa Kim (3857.90/7441.05) and loads of tonnage of granite rock.

Now down to business. This reef has put up a good share of my 10-pound class tautog, and I’ve boxed plenty of 5- to 8-pounders here as well. A lot of the fish seem to be resident type tog as many have “rust” on their sides meaning they do root down and stick in personal parts of the structures. Army tanks seem to hold more fish, but focus on the jagged wreck structures to find those whitechinners past the 10-pound mark.

Bring plenty of whitelegger crabs as they definitely get the hits from bulldog tog, though greenies will cull through the shorts. The reef is also a good spot to intercept sea bass in the early part of the winter before they move offshore. Though it is 4.5 miles offshore and it is illegal to fish for striped bass past the 3-mile federal limit, stripers always seem to hang inshore of the Wildwood Reef, and it’s a good bet to hit just inside the 3-mile line inside that reef to drag mojo balls, shad bar rigs, bunker spoons and perhaps even send out a live eel or drop a spot or two on a drift.

In the lazy, hazy days of summer, be sure to ply the area for plenty of quality fluke, sea bass and don’t be afraid to troll with feathers and spoons as it does attract tropical visitors like Spanish mackerel, bonito, and even a king mackerel or two, as well as cobia, but in the meantime, focus on hitting the reef for those bulldog tautog right now!

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