Fisherman's Headquarters

Everyone should be very happy that we have DEP commissioner Bob Martin on our side! Martin is ready to fight and support our way of life as well as the economy. He showed up in a big way at the summer flounder fishery rally in late January. Now he is taking action to address the ongoing Little Egg Inlet shoaling hazard. Best of all!!! There’s talk that the Inlet’s sand will be used to rebuild the Island’s beaches. It’s a win, win.

Here’s an article about the topic by Dan Radel of the Asbury Park Press published March 9, 2017…

“State Prepares Plan To Dredge Little Egg Inlet”

The state Department of Environmental Protection said it will act to get Little Egg Inlet open in time for the summer. The sand build up in the inlet has gotten to the point where the U.S. Coast Guard removed the navigational buoys Monday, effectively making the inlet an enter at your own risk affair for boaters.

“This situation has become critical so we are moving forward, using state money, to dredge the channel and make it safe again for everyone who needs this vital access for fishing and recreation,” DEP commissioner Bob Martin said. “We need to take action to get this channel dredged for the safety and enjoyment of the public this summer season.”

The DEP announced Thursday it plans to expedite a project that will clear dangerous shoals from the Inlet, a major thoroughfare for boat traffic between southern Long Beach Island and Brigantine to the south.

The sand will be used to replenish beaches on portions of southern Long Beach Island lost to storms over the past several months.

The DEP’s Division of Coastal Engineering is developing the permit applications, design plans and contract specifications with the expectation of going out to bid for the multimillion-dollar project next month.

One of the widest ocean inlets in New Jersey, Little Egg Harbor Inlet is a natural inlet with no jetty structure to stabilize it. It is extremely dynamic, with shoals constantly shifting with the seasons. It is a federally marked waterway but the inlet has never been dredged, according to the state. Instead, the Coast Guard every year used buoys to mark the deepest and safest natural route through the inlet, which provides connections to the Little Egg Harbor portion of Barnegat Bay, Great Bay and the Intracoastal Waterway.

Charter boat captain Lindsay Fuller of the June Bug docks in Beach Haven and said the inlet is a continuing victim of Hurricane Sandy. He said sand has moved routinely from along Long Beach Island’s beaches down to clog up the Inlet but the Hurricane hurried things up.He said the situation is putting at risk the Beach Haven charter fishing industry.

The project will focus on shoaling of sand that has taken place on the ocean side of the inlet. The Coast Guard-marked channel in this area has at times extended as far as a mile into the ocean.

An estimated 1 million to 1.5 million cubic yards of sand will be dredged to create a channel that is 25 feet below mean sea level.

The project, which will require U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permits, will be designed to have negligible to no impact on the nearby Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge or migrations of fish.

The sand will be used on beaches on southern Long Beach Island that sustained erosion as the result of storms since the completion last year of a major beach fill and dune project.

~ Dan Radel

http://www.app.com/story/sports/outdoors/fishing/hook-line-and-sinker/2017/03/09/states-prepares-plan-dredge-little-egg-inlet/98946136/

John Del Sordo recently found some winter flounder action in Barnegat Bay. Now’s the time to chum ’em up. 

With the official opening of back bay striper fishing and the recent warm temperatures I had to get out and try even if it was not on board the Debbie M. I hit a local hot spot at dusk today, and by the amount of trucks I thought the bite was going to be on fire. It was not. I managed to land my first striper of 2017 A cute short that absolutely inhaled a BKD. Saw three other fish landed before total darkness.

On the nature side of things: American Woodcocks were out in full force at dusk. It is a somewhat common bird in the correct habitat but seldom seen because of its camouflage. During this time of year at dawn or dusk, the males show off for females by giving loud, nasal peent calls and performing dazzling aerial display. It’s pretty cool if you get a chance to see it.

I am starting to fill in dates for the April / May Bass- Bluefish run so contact me soon if you would like to secure a day on the water. If this year’s spring bluefish run is anything like the last two years you do not want to miss out on the world class action Barnegat Bay has to offer,screaming drags

Capt. Alex

www.LighthouseSportfishing.com

Barnegat Bay, NJ

609-548-2511

You Tube Channel: Fishing Barnegat Bay

The Coast Guard on Friday warned boaters that they will now have to transit Little Egg Inlet at the south end of Long Beach Island “at their own risk.”  Let’s hope this situation improves and doesn’t get any worse!

Read more here at Philly.com

The spring fishing run is here and the biggins will be in soon. Now is the time to prepare and remove weak links that were not addressed over the winter. While rod and reel service and new line is important don’t over look the simple task of upgrading hooks and split rings. Don’t cheap out! Your trophy is on the line. 

Reports from yesterday’s official opening day were positive. The hot spots hold fish all winter so the great catching there is not news. What is news?  We received info from a couple different anglers at the shop all with positive reports. A number of of them were in on the action at a famous early season spot. We also got great news from anglers fishing the Delaware River.  The season is off to a great start so if you want to fish gear up and go.

Greg O’Connell took his two sons and reported, “Rain and blowing 30 out of the south… no problem! My kids had a great time. We blew through bloods catching 3-4 dozen short stripers. The largest was about 26″. The bay temperature was 52 degrees!” Now that is awesome news! 52 degrees in the bay is crazy for this time of year. With out a doubt, the bluefish will be here soon if not already!

Here’s Ryan O’Connell (age 14) with one of many bass he caught on opening day.

Maybe you saw Hutch Jr’s post at the Fisherman Magazine today. If not check it out on their site. He shared info on the season’s first keeper bass which came from the Mullica River. The keeper bass was caught in the mix of numerous shorts. He also mentioned perch.
Expect congested fishing at the early season spots. Please into it with a friendly attitude with respect for the locations, the people and have fun! It’s finally officially striped bass fishing season! Let’s go fishing. 

Look at these three pretty ones just in for service! Need to have your reel serviced in prep for the spring run? We are NJ’s exclusive Van Staal factory authorized service and warranty center.

After rounding up some minnows, or killies for you N jerzy boys, I went west of Long Beach Island to see what I could catch.  My first stop was a disappointment after 30 or so minutes I did not find any love. Second spot was different though.  First cast and it was fish on!  Ended landing  4 small chain pickerel to end the day.Screaming drags, Capt. Alex Lighthouse Sportfishing 609-548-2511

Most all are happy that the end of the month is here. But none more than the crew here at Fisherman’s Headquarters! We are stoked for the official opener tomorrow March 1st. The recent action (and all through out the winter months) has been great. So… We expect anglers to quickly get into small school sized striped bass at the early season hot spots.

While we have not heard reports on perch or winter flounder we expect anglers will find them soon.

Currently we do not have fresh or live bait. We suggest those looking for live bloodworms to check out our worm selection from DynaBait. DynaBait offers an amazing product, the only all natural freeze dried bloodworm and sandworm. We’ve sold these for about five years now and all reviews have been positive. DynaBait worms effectively catch striped bass, winter flounder, perch, kingfish as well as many other species. Best of all they are less than half the price of live worms and can be used on separate fishing outings without worry Stop in and check them out!