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by Tom Siciliano
(from Jersey Coast Anglers Association December 2004 Newsletter)
The fishing has been great for Striped Bass and Bluefish all along the coast. The surfcasters have had some great days. The unfortunate part is that there have not been many bass taken home for the table. Most of the fish caught along the shore fit nicely into that 28” – 34” slot of fish that have to be released unless you have a bonus tag and once you have used your two tags that is it. No more tags. The JCAA will be spending a lot of time over the winter reviewing and discussing the Striped Bass issue. We will continue to push for what is best for the resource and what is best for the majority of anglers.
The Blackfish season is off to a great start. Quite a few eight fish limit catches and a lot of 7 – 10 pound fish being caught. These fish take a lot of practice to hook but when you get the knack they are one of the finest fish available along the coast. Along with Sea Bass they will make for some great meals.
The JCAA Awards Dinner/Dance was a huge success. It was great to see many of you and put a face to the name. There were 165 people in attendance to honor Len Fantasia for all the work he has done over the years to improve the fishing and the environment in Raritan Bay and all along the coast. Crystal Point Yacht Club did a great job with the food and making us feel at home.
Have you reviewed the NJ DEP Artificial Reef Plan? You have only until December 6 to provide your comments. Your club must weigh in on this issue. If you would like a copy of the JCAA comments, email me at toms6363@comcast.net . Better yet make sure your club representative is at the JCAA meeting on November 30 to provide input and vote on the JCAA position. In any case, don’t forget to get your comments in to Bill Figley, Reef Coordinator, NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, P.O. Box 418, Port Republic, NJ 08241 by December 6th. The more comments that are received the better the final document will be.
The show season will soon be upon us. Why not make plans to help man the JCAA booth at the Raritan Sportsman Show in Edison from January 13-16, 2005 or the Atlantic City Boat Show from February 2-6, 2005. We want to make this show season special for the JCAA. We will be doing a few new things so be there to start off the New Year. If you would like to attend a free Booth Staffing Workshop in order to learn more about how to be more effective there is one available on December 8th in Pine Brook. If you are interested send me an email and I’ll provide the details. Of course, we will run our High Roller Raffle with some great rod and reel outfits. If you can help, please give Mark Taylor a call at 732-929-2591.
In addition to these shows we will be at the Saltwater Sportsman Seminar on January 8th. George Poveromo who was the keynote speaker at our Awards Dinner will be hosting the Seminar. His seminars are a great way to learn a whole lot about your favorite fishing in a single day.