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Fishidiot
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- Sep 9, 2006
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On October 21st-22nd this year we’ll have the first Paflyfish Saltwater Jam at the Jersey Shore at Island Beach State Park (IBSP). Currently, there’s already a salt jam planned by Fredrick for Nov 12th at Sandy Hook, which is further up the coast, so folks now have two opportunities to hit the beach with fellow Paffers depending on which date works best for them or which section of beach they prefer (heck, attend both if you can!).
Here’s the itinerary:
Fri 21 Oct:
7:30pm: We’ll link up at Bum Rogers Tavern and Crab House in Seaside Park for dinner, drinks, discussion, and the usual jam camaraderie (I’ll have a table reserved that seats about ten). Bum Rogers is easy to spot – look for the flashing red crab on the outside front of the restaurant. It’s just before the gate into IBSP.
Sat 22 Oct:
6:30am Link up at Windjammer Hotel for morning surf fishing (for the early birds).
http://www.windjammermotorinn.com/index_main.htm
7:30am Link up at Betty and Nick’s Bait and Tackle for breakfast.
http://www.bettyandnicks.com/fish.shtml
10:00am Link up in the park at the upper bathing beach parking lot where I’ll conduct, for those interested, a brief beach tour/talk to orient beginning anglers new to surf fishing to the area and some tips on what to look for and how to fish the surf with a fly rod. This talk will cover the very basic fundamentals of how to read a beach, how to fish in waves and the wash, bird action, baitfish, and some other basic tips. After this talk, you’re off on your own for the rest of the day. I usually pack a lunch and hike/fish my way down to the North Jetty and you’re welcome to join me or you might care to explore other areas by yourself or in typical small groups per jam fashion. You’re on your own for dinner and/or evening events.
Some of you may care to stick around for Sunday or head home Saturday – for those who wish to link up for Sunday, I recommend a repeat of the times and locations listed above (or you can, of course, arrange whatever you want)
We’ll be spending most of the day in Island Beach State Park (IBSP).
If you’ve never been there before, this is a remote barrier beach about 12 miles in length and is probably the most popular surf fishing destination along the NJ shore. Unfortunately, there is no camping in the park. Daily entrance fees cost $5 per car (pay as you drive in the gate). The “North Jetty” is at the very bottom end at Barnegat Inlet and popular with fly rodders. You’ll need cleated soles to walk the jetty (don’t even think otherwise). The jetty tends to be crowded on weekends and requires a walk of over a mile to get to if you don’t have a beach permit to drive. These permits are available for $50 for three days if you have a 4WD however, if you’re unfamiliar with beach driving, I’d caution against trying this as beach driving requires some special gear, deflated tires and some practice. Personally, I prefer walking beaches anyway. There are also wade-able flats along the west side of the island in Barnegat Bay. I usually prefer to hit the bayside flats in springtime and prefer to fish “out front” in the fall but the flats are fun and can be productive in October. This is an especially fun area if you’ve got a kayak. Oyster Creek Channel is a hotspot and less than a two mile paddle (I like this area at low tide and get out and wade).
http://www.islandbeachnj.org/index.html
Food, Lodging, and Stuff: Convenience stores are somewhat spotty on the island. I usually pack food in with me. A good diner for breakfast/lunch is 3C’s Luncheonette. John and the crew at Betty and Nicks serve good food too and also have a nice tackle shop (they have fly tying supplies). Check their website for daily updates on water conditions and fishing reports. I plan to stay at the Windjammer Hotel which is $50 per night. I was unable to get a group rate when I talked to them last week so by all means feel free to check other lodging options. The Windjammer is within walking distance of the beach and easy to find. NJ does not require a saltwater fishing license but you’ll need to register online, which is free and can be done via link from Betty/Nick’s website. When you drive on to the island and head south down through town, Betty and Nicks’ is on the right, Windjammer is on the left, and Bum Rogers is on the right just before the road reaches the park gate.
Drive time from central PA is 3-4 hours. If you’re coming from the east side of the state, it’s probably 1.5-2 hours time. If you’re coming only on Saturday: note there are three morning link up times posted above (if you don’t have cell #s of friends). IBSP is a large area with miles of beach so if you want to find us, we’ll try to stick closely to the link up times.
Fish: We’ll be targeting striped bass and bluefish. Late Oct is prime time for peanut bunker (baitfish) and hopefully there will be active fish close to shore (this is always a crap shoot with surf fishing). Fluke may still be around. False albacore hit IBSP every autumn but this is very tough to time right and usually the albies are spotty or gone by late Oct so seeing them is unlikely. For gear: fish with what yuh brung. I recommend a 9 or 10WT rod and a stripping basket, waders, some wire leaders for bluefish, a basic assortment of flies (I mostly fish Clouser Minnows), sunscreen, hat, pliers, etc. A 7 or 8WT rod is fine for the back bay but an 8WT is on the light side for the surf and jetty. I always bring spin gear to the shore in case heavy wind makes FFing impossible.
In the event of very inclement weather, check this thread for cancellation. Keep in mind the Nov 12th date with Fredrick as an alternative.
Here’s hoping for calm weather and blitzing fish. Hope to see yuh there.
Dave W
Here’s the itinerary:
Fri 21 Oct:
7:30pm: We’ll link up at Bum Rogers Tavern and Crab House in Seaside Park for dinner, drinks, discussion, and the usual jam camaraderie (I’ll have a table reserved that seats about ten). Bum Rogers is easy to spot – look for the flashing red crab on the outside front of the restaurant. It’s just before the gate into IBSP.
Sat 22 Oct:
6:30am Link up at Windjammer Hotel for morning surf fishing (for the early birds).
http://www.windjammermotorinn.com/index_main.htm
7:30am Link up at Betty and Nick’s Bait and Tackle for breakfast.
http://www.bettyandnicks.com/fish.shtml
10:00am Link up in the park at the upper bathing beach parking lot where I’ll conduct, for those interested, a brief beach tour/talk to orient beginning anglers new to surf fishing to the area and some tips on what to look for and how to fish the surf with a fly rod. This talk will cover the very basic fundamentals of how to read a beach, how to fish in waves and the wash, bird action, baitfish, and some other basic tips. After this talk, you’re off on your own for the rest of the day. I usually pack a lunch and hike/fish my way down to the North Jetty and you’re welcome to join me or you might care to explore other areas by yourself or in typical small groups per jam fashion. You’re on your own for dinner and/or evening events.
Some of you may care to stick around for Sunday or head home Saturday – for those who wish to link up for Sunday, I recommend a repeat of the times and locations listed above (or you can, of course, arrange whatever you want)
We’ll be spending most of the day in Island Beach State Park (IBSP).
If you’ve never been there before, this is a remote barrier beach about 12 miles in length and is probably the most popular surf fishing destination along the NJ shore. Unfortunately, there is no camping in the park. Daily entrance fees cost $5 per car (pay as you drive in the gate). The “North Jetty” is at the very bottom end at Barnegat Inlet and popular with fly rodders. You’ll need cleated soles to walk the jetty (don’t even think otherwise). The jetty tends to be crowded on weekends and requires a walk of over a mile to get to if you don’t have a beach permit to drive. These permits are available for $50 for three days if you have a 4WD however, if you’re unfamiliar with beach driving, I’d caution against trying this as beach driving requires some special gear, deflated tires and some practice. Personally, I prefer walking beaches anyway. There are also wade-able flats along the west side of the island in Barnegat Bay. I usually prefer to hit the bayside flats in springtime and prefer to fish “out front” in the fall but the flats are fun and can be productive in October. This is an especially fun area if you’ve got a kayak. Oyster Creek Channel is a hotspot and less than a two mile paddle (I like this area at low tide and get out and wade).
http://www.islandbeachnj.org/index.html
Food, Lodging, and Stuff: Convenience stores are somewhat spotty on the island. I usually pack food in with me. A good diner for breakfast/lunch is 3C’s Luncheonette. John and the crew at Betty and Nicks serve good food too and also have a nice tackle shop (they have fly tying supplies). Check their website for daily updates on water conditions and fishing reports. I plan to stay at the Windjammer Hotel which is $50 per night. I was unable to get a group rate when I talked to them last week so by all means feel free to check other lodging options. The Windjammer is within walking distance of the beach and easy to find. NJ does not require a saltwater fishing license but you’ll need to register online, which is free and can be done via link from Betty/Nick’s website. When you drive on to the island and head south down through town, Betty and Nicks’ is on the right, Windjammer is on the left, and Bum Rogers is on the right just before the road reaches the park gate.
Drive time from central PA is 3-4 hours. If you’re coming from the east side of the state, it’s probably 1.5-2 hours time. If you’re coming only on Saturday: note there are three morning link up times posted above (if you don’t have cell #s of friends). IBSP is a large area with miles of beach so if you want to find us, we’ll try to stick closely to the link up times.
Fish: We’ll be targeting striped bass and bluefish. Late Oct is prime time for peanut bunker (baitfish) and hopefully there will be active fish close to shore (this is always a crap shoot with surf fishing). Fluke may still be around. False albacore hit IBSP every autumn but this is very tough to time right and usually the albies are spotty or gone by late Oct so seeing them is unlikely. For gear: fish with what yuh brung. I recommend a 9 or 10WT rod and a stripping basket, waders, some wire leaders for bluefish, a basic assortment of flies (I mostly fish Clouser Minnows), sunscreen, hat, pliers, etc. A 7 or 8WT rod is fine for the back bay but an 8WT is on the light side for the surf and jetty. I always bring spin gear to the shore in case heavy wind makes FFing impossible.
In the event of very inclement weather, check this thread for cancellation. Keep in mind the Nov 12th date with Fredrick as an alternative.
Here’s hoping for calm weather and blitzing fish. Hope to see yuh there.
Dave W
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