The crown jewel of Gateway National Recreation Area is the thin peninsula known as Sandy Hook. The west side of the park stretches from Plum Island, at the mouth of the Shrewsbury River, past Horseshoe Cove on up to the tip of the Hook. Here you'll find a beautiful blend of sandy beaches, marshes, coves and sandbars.

Sandy Hook Bay is so productive because four major river systems feed it. The Hudson, Raritan, Neversink, and Shrewsbury rivers all flow into the New York Bight area, past Sandy Hook and out to the ocean.

On the West Side of the " Toll Gate ",the Shrewsbury River runs into Sandy Hook Bay. There is an old boat channel that runs parallel to the shore that is within casting range. This channel drops off quickly to about 12 feet.

Just north of the toll gate is " Plum Island " , park in the second lot after you drive onto the Hook. Here you will find several points that stick out into the boat channel. These positions get you closer to the channel and offer an added advantage. A deep channel and drop off runs out at about ten yards from the beach making this an ideal location for wading. The changing tide is a good time to this area as baits are flushed through due to the moderate currents that are produced.

North of Plum Island is " Skeleton Island " and the surrounding waters of " Spermaceti Cove " . This area has an excellent combination of channels, flats, cuts, and drop-offs. It is a good place to seek shelter from the wind when it is blowing hard out of the northeast. Work the cuts around Skeleton Island during the outgoing tide when bait flushes through these narrow passageways. Foot access is adjacent to Parking Areas C, D, and the Visitor Center.

Further north you find " Horseshoe Cove " , which is another location that can have good striped bass or bluefish action in the fall. It is also sheltered from the wind. There is also an old abandoned bunker with extending rubble where you can stand and cast into the bay.

Both Spermaceti and Horseshoe Coves serve as staging areas for mullet, peanut bunker, and spearing before they make their exodus out of the bay into the ocean. It is usually the early part of the fall, late September and early October, when bait is present here. has lots of up-and-down bottom structure, including an 18-foot hole that gives up big fluke in July. The outside edge of the cove's sandy bottom falls off from 3 to 8 feet, and then down to 20 feet deep.

Later in the season, during November and early December, the water is usually too cold. Don't spend too much time in these locations if no bait is present. Move to the ocean where the water is warmer in the fall.

" False Hook Channel " , a deep-water cut scoured out by the billions of gallons of water. This current rushes past the point of the Hook with each incoming and outgoing tide. It is as deep as 50 feet in areas, but within reach of the beach, especially when you fish the west side of the spit casting into Sandy Hook Bay.

A favorite local hotspot, known as " Officers' Row " because of the several stately buildings dating back to 1893 and used through WW II, parallels a dropoff from 7 to 20 feet. This area holds plenty of fluke all season. At high tide, work close to the shore, then move to the drop as the tide ebbs.

The " Earle Naval Weapons Pier " May provide excellent Fluke Fishing in early June through August. Try drifting a combination of squid strip and minnow.

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