Surf Casting advice - Help please

I'm headed down to the Cape May area this weekend, and I'd like to get some surf fishing in early Sunday morning. I have all the proper equipment, but was looking for some advice on bait/lures...decent spots, etc. I'm primarily a freshwater guy, so any advice would be much appreciated.
Best,
Brian

Brian,
Stop by oany of the local bait shops down there. They will tell you want fish are running and what bait & lures to use. As far as the location, I can't help you with that.

I've had good luck lately at the other end of the Jersey shore on the ocean side of Sandy Hook using a chartreuse curly tail grub on a 1/2 oz jighead, employing various retrieve methods. Most of my strikes have come as the bait approaches the first dropoff from shore. If you are on the ocean side of Cape May I would try that for fluke, blues & stripers.

Brian,
the popular places are; Poverty Beach at the north end, second ave jetty at the south end of Cape May - the cove from second ave jetty to the light house - the state park (light house) from the bunker (east side) to the jetty (west end) - any where along Cape May Point beaches and Alexander jetty in Caper May Point to Sunset Beach (crowded on weekends) - also the jetties at the ferry terminal
baits - clams and/or bunker
plugs - not a plugs caster - don't know - plug casting is best around the jetties at Lehigh Beach and Alexander beach in Cape May Point and Second ave in Cape May - there are usually Ole Salts plug casting who are MORE than willing to give advice
NOTE@@@ - jetties are slippery - get strap-on cleats or non-skid shoes - BE CAREFUL on the wet rocks - you CAN break something if not extremely careful - - Second Ave and Alexander jetties cleats are not so important (jetty runs along the beach) - other than second Ave and Alexander jetties, jetties are NOT accessible at high tide

my favorite spot is the state park and Lehigh Beach in CMP (next door) - I do better with a standard bottom rig (over/under) with clams than with a "striper rig" with anything

I like to fish the in-coming tide until an hour after high tide - fish have been caught at all tides - especially in early morning and late evening - high-tide Sunday is a 11:57 -

tide URL http://www.saltwatertides.com/cgi-local/newjersey.cgi - click on Delaware bay and either Cape May point or the Ferry Terminal Building and fill out the bottom to get schedules

bad news is that nothing much is going on right now - nobody is bragging about any place - I went down to the park yesterday and came home with the same bait i took - caught two small skates - the Lehigh Jetty was occupied and i don't know if they caught anything

Good Luck and Enjoy

PS Checking at a local bait store is good advice

The stripers should be running and you can use either clams or eels for bait. I'd check in with Jim's Bait & Tackle. They will be albe to provide you withh all the info and hot spot. Good luck!

I fish stone harbor and catch a lot of fish down there. Try using a hi lo rig with bloodworms. I also use gulp. Try fishing seven mile island.