Friday, May 10, 2013
FISHING FRIDAY: Blues swarming local waterways
It's funny what leads to some of our favorite moments on the water. Last Friday, I had set aside some time to help my neighbor fix her computer that's been on the fritz since she returned to Long Beach Island from Florida. But, to quote Seinfeld, yada yada yada, the computer cleanup was put off to another date. I used the time I had set aside to kill two birds with one stone: charge my boat's battery to full power (after its long winter's nap) with a lengthy run up Barnegat Bay, and fulfill the promise I made to all of you folks that I would check out the channels that lead to Barnegat Inlet and report the results. The results are mainly positive (mind the pun on the battery charging joke). I made my way to Barnegat Inlet in Double Creek …
Friday, May 3, 2013
Both the party boat crowd and shore-based locals getting in on the action
As local anglers try their collective hands at spring fishing after a tough winter all around, the striped bass seem to be cooperating as water temperatures slowly rise. Starting in the northern reaches of this column's publication area, the crew of the Big Mohawk out of Belmar finished their blackfish season this week and decided to dabble in the bass fishery on Tuesday. The result: everyone on board got their limit of stripers. "I know that is what so many of you have been waiting to hear," Capt. Chris wrote on the boat's website. The boat, which sails 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, had a similarly good day Thursday after taking Wednesday off. Few reports came in from the suds in the Manasquan and Point Pleasant areas, but anecdotally, anglers …
Friday, April 12, 2013
Oyster Creek Channel will be dredged, jetty will be repaired under Army Corps project
Damage along Barnegat Inlet's north jetty caused by Superstorm Sandy will be repaired as part of a larger project that will also include dredging the heavily-trafficked Oyster Creek Channel, officials said. The north jetty of the inlet, which runs along the south end of Island Beach State Park opposite Long Beach Island, was impacted by storm surge during Sandy, leading to shoaling which occurred at some points and the loss of some jetty rocks. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers crews conducted a side-scan SONAR survey of the north jetty and inspected for toe failure, said Stephen Rochette, spokesman for the Corps' Philadelphia district. The channel remains open and active, though the scan revealed "moderate damage" of the jetty which will be …
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Christie administration announces compromise on 'pots off the reefs' issue; new reef to be built off Ocean County
The state will build a new artificial reef off Ocean County that will provide fishing grounds solely for recreational anglers. In a move that Gov. Chris Christie's administration hopes will mark the end of a long feud between commercial fishermen and recreational anglers, commercial boats will continue to be allowed to fish on two reefs in state waters while the new reef – which will be built north of Barnegat Inlet – will be reserved for the recreational sector. For years, recreational anglers have pushed for laws to be created that would ban commercial fishermen from utilizing the state's inshore reefs, which were paid for through excise taxes on recreational fishing equipment. They have argued that their tax dollars went to fund the …
Friday, September 21, 2012
Sea bass, fluke affected by changes
The upcoming weekend will be some New Jersey anglers' last chance to catch summer flounder on a day off. The season closes Sept. 28, a week from today. Reports this week showed fluke action wasn't too bad up and down the coast, with decent catches reported in the easternmost sections of the Manasquan River and occasional nice fish being caught at Barnegat Inlet as well. According to a report from The Dock Outfitters in Seaside Heights, fluke were being beached in that town by surf anglers who were using various baits. Even for the ocean, Berkley Gulp baits were mostly preferred by anglers. A keeper fluke is 17.5 inches under the 2012 regulations. On the good news front, sea bass fishing will reopen Sunday. The minimum size limit for this …
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Southern Comfort went down in dense fog Thursday morning
The Coast Guard rescued six people from a life raft after the 38-foot boat they were in ran aground and began taking on water in Barnegat Inlet Thursday morning. A crewmember on board the Southern Comfort, a sportfishing boat based in Forked River, radioed Coast Guard watchstanders at approximately 7:45 a.m. reporting they were aground on the rocks of the inlet's north jetty. Once the boat began to sink, the crew abandoned the vessel and boarded a life raft where they waited for assistance, Coast Guard officials said in a prepared statement. Crews from Coast Guard Station Barnegat Light launched a 25 foot response boat and a 47 foot motor life boat, and rescued all six on board the life raft after reaching them a few minutes later. Those …
Friday, January 20, 2012
Local boats seeing better action recently
Local captains reported better action over the past week this week, as the winter cod and ling fisheries began to heat up. High winds kept the party boat Gambler at the dock earlier this week, but the last time lines were dropped, fishing (more specifically, catching) was good. "On Monday, we had a good catch of ling and a few cod," Capt. Bob said on the boat's website. "Bill Bryne of Toms River caught about two dozen ling, an 8 pound purple hake and a 6 pound cod. Weather permitting, we'll be fishing everyday." There were some good numbers reported on board the Jamaica II party boat out of Brielle as well. "The wreckmasters" are running 12 hour and 14 hour cod-long combination trips these days. Ling have been found in the deep on recent …
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Barnegat Inlet, bay stirred up by storm
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- Daniel Nee
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Saturday, October 29, 2011
Large waves could be seen in Barnegat Bay and in Barnegat Inlet Saturday as a nor'easter rolled through the region.
Friday, October 14, 2011
38-foot Odes of Joy went down Thursday night
The U.S. Coast Guard rescued four people from a sailboat that sank just off Barnegat Inlet on Thursday night, officials said Friday. The 38-foot sailing vessel 'Odes of Joy' struck a sunken jetty feet beyond the inlet's north end Thursday night around 7 p.m. Coast Guard watchstanders received an emergency radio hail at approximately 7:20 p.m. from crewmembers aboard the boat, reporting their vessel was rapidly taking on water and in need of assistance, according to a statement from Public Affairs Detachment Atlantic City. A 47-foot Motor Life Boat crew from Coast Guard Station Barnegat Light arrived on scene and rescued the four people from the sinking vessel. They were transported back to the station where they were reported in good …
Friday, July 8, 2011
Ocean bite is so-so, reports indicate
Barnegat Bay's fluke bite is one of the best in recent memory, most anglers have been saying as of late. Often, by this point in the season, the fluke are beginning to move to the inlets and the ocean bite is picking up. And while that is limitedly true this season, the overall bay bite is remaining quite strong as we enter mid-July. One of the best areas has been between the BI and BB buoys in Barnegat Bay, and in the Double Creek Channel. All of these areas lead to Barnegat Inlet, and they all have been producing good keepter-to-throwback ratios as of late, say the folks at Grizz's Bait and Tackle in Forked River. The folks at Grizz's specialize in mid-bay fishing, and singled out the area between the BI and BB buoys as one of the hot …
Ortley Fulltimer
12:24 pm on Monday, May 13, 2013
Anyone notice that the Sea Nettles are back? My lagoon was loaded with them yesterday. I guess the storm didn't wash them out as hoped. more ›